Top Ten Favorite Bible Verses, and Then Some

Recently I was tagged by a Facebook friend to post my top ten favorite verses from the Bible, one verse a day for ten consecutive days. Knowing how I am about such things, I decided to post my top ten verses here with some commentary, then share it to my Facebook page and tag my friend. So here they are, in no particular order:

1. “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.” (Psalm 139:14) This verse reminds me of one of my favorite nonbiblical axioms: Who you are is God’s gift to you; whom you become is your gift to God. We are all made just as God intends us to be.

2. “So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.” (1 John 4:16) Ironically, some who claim to know God aren’t very loving, and some who doubt the existence of God are very kind and loving individuals. All I know is this: If I were God, and I were faced with welcoming a kind, loving atheist into my presence or a hateful, so-called “Christian,” I think I’d be inclined to welcome the atheist and spend a jolly time convincing him or her that I’m real.

3. “Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.” (1 Peter 4:10) I firmly believe that every individual has something good to offer the world while they’re in it. I hope in my lifetime I can be the kind of advisor/counselor/teacher who helps others find their gifts to share and make the world a better place for everyone.

4. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17) One of the first verses a new Christian of any age learns is John 3:16. But we should be including verse 17, too. Not only is it joined to verse 16 by the conjunctive adverb “indeed,” but also it is essential for the full meaning of verse 16. The saving of the world has been accomplished. Jesus’s own last words on the cross were “It is finished.” We’re all saved. We’re all included in God’s realm. That’s the Gospel, the Good News.

5. “Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (1 John 4:8) See my comments in number 2.

6. “You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 22:21) This world is not ours; it’s God’s. This country is not ours; it’s God’s. In fact, I don’t think God really intended for people to even divide themselves into countries (I get this impression from the story of the tower of Babel, and the story of how God seemed reluctant to give the Israelites a king). Borders are drawn by people, not God. We are called to be kind to the strangers among us, because we, too, were once strangers somewhere in time. And we may be strangers in a strange land someday. Thus you can probably guess my opinion about building walls and rejecting refugees.

7. “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28) God doesn’t seem to care about our race or nationality, our socio-economic status, or our gender. All are equal in God’s eyes. All should be equal in our eyes, too. (See my bonus verses at the end of this post for more on God’s inclusive love).

8. “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11) My security is in God and God’s plan for my life. It is not in a government or the things that represent that government, like flags and patriotic songs; it’s not in a savings or retirement account; it’s not in a wall or fence along a border; and it’s not in firearms or bombs. It’s in God’s love and concern for me as well as every other person on this planet, all of whom God knows and loves intimately.

9. “…but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) This is a good verse for someone like me who has a mild anxiety disorder, which can sometimes make me feel quite tired and overwhelmed. The feelings always pass, and these words give me hope.

10. “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8) Want to make God happy? Do these three things consistently throughout your life: Be just, be kind, and be humble. Easy to say, yet hard to do, right?

I’m throwing in these last few verses from Acts as a bonus:

“As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?’ He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.” (Acts 8:36-39) This story is significant because, for many generations, people like this eunuch were excluded from the Jews’ holy places because of who they were. But after Jesus came with a new way of relating to God, people like this eunuch were welcomed into fellowship with God. This tells me that all are welcomed into the universal church of Christ regardless of who they are. Now that, my friends, is Good News!