My “Verse Like That”

Yesterday we thought together about John’s Confirmation Verse of Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”  I then asked if you had a verse like that.

I have two such verses, not just one.  This will come as no surprise if you know me well, and for example know that I have a t-shirt (black, of course) that says Minimalist across the chest, and I liked it so much that I  bought 2 of them not trying to be ironic.  And I’m not kidding.

So my first Verse Like That is one we learned in Mrs. McClelan’s Third Grade Sunday School Class: John 3:16.  I’m betting I don’t have to tell you what it says.  It was the first verse I ever tried to write a sermon on years later, and continues to be the Scripture I name if pressed for a favorite.

But I’ve learned it’s not enough by itself.

As I’ve lived into the great adventure we call Everyday Life, the very next verse has taken on equal significance.  John 3:17 says that God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world through Him might be saved.  That’s a great cautionary reminder that we too often forget: condemnation is not the goal, but salvation.

So putting those two together represents something similar to John’s Confirmation Verse.

But then there’s this other one…and I’ll see you back here tomorrow for that.  Meanwhile, what’s your verse that’s like John’s Confirmation Verse?