Verses

Many times during my quiet time I have been touched to go to a particular passage in the Bible. It is often an area of the Bible that I have not been studying or even thinking about but in God's own way, he prompts me to go look there. So I go, look up the verse, jot it down in my notebook, date it and mark it in my bible. Sometimes I'll ask myself, "Why did God reveal this to me now?" or "Wow, God really does know what is on my mind!" or "Ummm, that is something I never noticed before, let me dig a little deeper."

The following is a small sampling of the verses God has written on my heart. May the Word of the Lord speak personally to you today...

Isa 43:1-3a But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Psa 147:3 He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds.

Jer 1:5 Before I formed you in the belly I knew you, and before you came forth out of the womb I sanctified you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.

Job 11:18 You shall be secure, because there is hope. Yes, you shall search, and shall take your rest in safety.

Heb 13:6 So that with good courage we say, "The Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me?"

Pro 10:25 When the storm has swept by the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.

Isa 43:10 "You are my witnesses," says Yahweh, "With my servant whom I have chosen; that you may know and believe me, and understand that I am he. Before me there was no God formed, neither will there be after me.

Acceptance

Were you popular in high school or college? Were you a "favorite" of someone when you were growing up? Or, were you the "black sheep", the outsider, the last to be picked for the sport? Sadly, to often these are the glasses of the world, the lens that they use to see someone.

Isn't it wonderful to know that as a child of God, when He looks at you today, this very moment, He is not looking at your performance, your outward appearance, what you know or what you are good at...He is only interested in your heart:

1Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart."

Are we doing the same? Are we as Christians, looking on others with judgment with how they act, what they wear or who they know? Or, are we looking at the heart of each person we meet? Are we looking with the lens of Christ at our co-workers, family, friends and other Christians? Too often within the Church itself we find judgment and the formation of "cliques." We must not allow this to happen, there cannot be cliques within the Church - it is to be a place of inclusion and acceptance and not of exclusion and rejection. We get that from the world. Christ's desire is that we demonstrate His 'agape' love to all.

The next time you see someone who doesn't look like you, doesn't act like you, doesn't know what you know, put away the lens of the world and pick up your Jesus Glasses and see them as the work of art that the Lord has made them to be. Provide to them what is lacking out in the world, acceptance. And remember, we are ALL made in God's image: Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.