Tag Archives: Verses

This Has Not Changed

October 4, 2013 Tom Vander Well 1 Comment

My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 (NLT)

On the stairway leading d0wn to the main floor of our home hangs a frame in which three different verses from God’s Message are hand written in three different calligraphy fonts. It was a gift to me from one of my brothers, who penned the verses himself and had them framed as a college graduation gift. The three verses were ones that I had memorized as a young follower of Jesus. They were verses I considered to be spiritual stakes in the ground and they took on deep personal meaning about who I wanted to be and how I wanted to live my life when my spiritual journey and my life journey were in the early stages. One of those verses was the verse above from today’s chapter.

It has been a quarter century and those verses have hung in every one of a dozen or so places I have called home. The paper is yellowing with age. The frame shows wear. Each day I pass it countless times as I walk upstairs to my office and back downstairs again. Every time I catch sight of it in my peripheral vision I remember the three verses. They go through my head once more and my heart touches them like a compass seeking true north. I think about where I started in my journey. I think about where I am today. I think about where I am heading.

A lot of water under the bridge; I’ve journeyed far since the day I first opened my gift. I’ve attempted short cuts that proved tragic dead ends. I’ve stumbled and fallen, and have gotten back up again. I’ve seen much, heard much, and lived much. I’ve experienced good times and bad. I’ve struck out more times than I’ve gotten on base, but I’ve also knocked one or two out of the park. I’m older. My hair seems to turns more gray with each passing day. I’m losing my hearing at a sad, rapid rate. Though blessedly healthy, I don’t have the strength or stamina that I used. I am nowhere near the waypoint I thought the journey was taking me when I was young and naïve (and that’s ultimately a good thing).

Still, I pass those old framed verses and I am reminded that this has not changed:

I am crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. This life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me, and gave Himself up for me.

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day 1 Thessalonians 4

December 26, 2011 Tom Vander Well 4 Comments

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Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. Then people who are not Christians will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others. 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 (NLT)

When I was young and a new believer, a string of events led me to an after school job working for a gentleman named Chuck. It was not long before Chuck realized that I was a new follower of Jesus. He invited me to meet with him on Tuesday mornings at 6:00 a.m. in his office. We went through a series of Bible studies together, and Chuck taught me the importance of memorizing verses from God’s Message.

“What’s your verse for the day?” was one of Chuck’s favorite questions. There was a period of time when he asked everyone this question everyday. He annoyed people with it. In fact, one could argue that in picking out of the verse(s) each day for these blog posts are me continuing to answer his incessant question some thirty years ago.

Some verses are more than verses for a day, however. They grow roots into your heart and soul and bear luscious fruit in your life. So it is with this verse from today’s chapter. It began digging into the core of my spirit about 20 years ago and has become one of a handful of “Life verses” onto which I cling and on which I’ve sculpted my life.

These verses from today’s chapter have inspired and convicted me to talk less and listen more. They have constantly reminded me that I am called to “mind my business,” which doesn’t just mean to keep my nose out of others business, but to mind my own affairs consciously and deliberately. As a young man and to this day, these verses have inspired me to increasingly live in a way that I am God’s man, but also my own man – cutting apron strings, living independently, making difficult decisions, following the path laid out for me while weaning myself from needing the provision or approval of others.

One of the many ancillary benefits from this journey through God’s message is that we stumble upon nuggets from God’s Message that become important to our day, our week, our month, our year, our life.

“What’s your verse for the day?”

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Isaiah 41

May 13, 2010 Tom Vander Well 2 Comments

Don't panic. I'm with you. There's no need to fear for I'm your God. I'll give you strength. I'll help you. I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.Isaiah 41:10 (MSG)

There is a first aid kit in the back of my car. There's another one in the boat at the lake. When I was a lifeguard as a teen it was mandatory to know where the first aid kit was located. You never know when you might need it. It was, perhaps, that very realization as a teenager which made me think about the idea of a spiritual first aid kit.

It was simple. I jotted down a few verses that provided me with encouragement and reminded me of God's faithful provision, power, protection and promise. Isaiah 41:10 was always one of the verses in my "kit." I would then fold up the paper and stick it in my pocket. Throughout the day, as I reached into my pocket and felt the paper there, I was reminded of God's message. I would quickly, mentally think through the verses. When stress or anxiety would rise, I would reach into my pocket, or simply remember what was there. The verses popped to mind and reminded me of God's presence. The simple discipline of responding to negative emotion with positive reinforcement from God's Message was a lifesaver.

Throughout my life, as I have faced difficult legs of life's journey, I've gone back to the practice of sticking a spiritual first aid kit in my pocket.

What verse(es) would you put in yours?