If a list was to be compiled of “life verses” submitted by Christians from around the world, some would comprise a top ten list of favorites.
2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV – “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Galatians 2:20 KJV – “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
Philippians 4:13 KJV – “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
This trio of pinnacle verses would almost certainly be among them, as well as a myriad of others. There is one verse, however, that may not make the list of familiar favorites, but captures the essence of all that we do.
2 Peter 1:2-4 KJV – “grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
Verse 3 reminds us that we have been given, through His divine power, all things that pertain to life and godliness. That means we have been given the power through Christ to put the past behind us. We have been given the power through Christ to live a crucified life. We have also been given the power through Christ to do all things, including resist temptation.
1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV – “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
In spite of these magnificent truths, there are many Christians who are waiting for or asking God for what He has already give them. Some pray, “Lord, help me break free from my past”, when He’s already given them the power to do so. Others pray, “Lord, help be get free from this addiction or bad habit.” Yet, He says through Peter, “I already gave you that power.”
It is also true that even with some of the familiar “life verses”, we overcomplicate them by overlooking the simple and waiting for the sensational. 1 Corinthians 10:13 does not say that the way of escape from temptation will have flashing lights and clanging cymbals to identify it as God’s way of escape. The way of escape might be as simple as “don’t go to this or that” or “you should leave as soon as you realize temptation is present.” For those who see the famed passage of Philippians mentioned above as a banner to hang over their lives, they need to make sure they read verse 12 which sets the context for it.
Philippians 4:12 KJV – “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.”
If we read into Philippians 4:13 that we can successfully do anything we want through Christ, we are going to be disappointed. If we see it, however, as saying that we can face anything that comes our way through Christ strengthening us, then we will experience the true meaning of the verse and realize this is one of the “all things that pertain to life and godliness” that His divine power has given us.
When you were baptized, you were publicly stating that the old you is dead and you are now a new creation in Christ. You have already been given the power to be the new you. The past cannot hold or control you. The future has now become certain, rather than obscure, and God has given you the power to live for Him in the present.
Remember when Israel was ready to cross over to the land of promise and they came to the Jordan during flood season? (Joshua 3 is where you’ll find the story) It wasn’t until the priests, who carried the Ark of the Covenant, had their feet in the water that they saw what God had already planned to do.
Maybe it’s time for some to get their feet wet and start walking in what God has already done for you. Step out in faith in the things He is leading you to do remembering that He didn’t build a bridge across the Red Sea or the Jordan River. Sometimes, He just makes the waters part or stand up in a heap because His children took a step of faith.
Today is the day to walk by faith and not by sight. Remember, one day we’ll walk by sight and not by faith. One day we will see Him face to face and forever be with the Lord.
Where are you in your faith? Where are you in your walk with the Lord? Have you been baptized? Did your baptism really symbolize the death of your old person? The identification with Jesus’ death? And did you come out of the water with the power of His resurrection? Are you a new creation in Christ? Do you know the word of God, so once you enter into your promised land, and when temptation is around the corner, you can resist it and be strong? It’s time for you to cross the Jordan of your life. It’s time for you to have that major step of faith into the water, into the unknown sometimes, knowing that God is there to take care of you. It’s time for you to leave the mentality of bondage, fear, and slavery behind, and enter your promised land. It’s time for you to get ready, to know that temptation is around the corner, but to be grounded in the word.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus,
