Many of you who read these posts at “Leadership From The Heart” know that one of my spiritual disciplines is memorizing, meditating on and applying Scripture. I have been doing this for 60 years. By His grace, this has changed me more than any other spiritual habit I practice.
Recently I selected seven verses to be my “Life Verses” that I would focus on and pay special attention to going forward. These are “Best Friends” as it were, which I enjoy hanging out with and intentionally spending significant time with.
I look at these seven and pray over them most every day!
I’m not asking you to use these specific verses which have been so meaningful to me over the years. But, you may decide to take one or more of them as your own.
I do encourage you to create your list of very special verses which motivate you and keep you going deeper with Jesus—memorize them and pray over them!
Here they are with some comments on each of them.
1. “Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished.”
~ Deuteronomy 34:7 NKJ
From this verse I pray daily for both Vision and Vitality…that God would continue to give me His vision for what He wants to do in and through me and the physical vitality to be able to work with Him as He works with me.
2. “Say to Archippus, take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”
~ Col 4:17 NKJ
- I have been given a ministry by Him
- I want to take heed to this ministry—pay attention to it, develop it
- I want to complete it, finish it—be a leader who lasts
3. “Yet my brothers, I do not consider myself to have arrived spiritually nor do I consider myself already perfect. But I keep going on. Grasping ever more firmly that purpose for which Jesus Christ grasped me.”
~ Phil 3:12 Phillips Translation
I’m still in process. As long as I’m not dead, He’s not finished with me.
I don’t want to let the past define and defeat me. I want to just keep going on as
I take hold of His purpose for my life.
4. “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption.’
~Acts 13:36 ESV
I want to serve His purpose for me in my generation. Stay true and focused on my God-given purpose of being a leader-developer
5. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
~ 2 Tim 4:7 ESV
I want to continue to fight for what is right and good, finish my race well and keep the truths of my faith to the end—not caving or compromising. At the finish line I want to hear, well done my faithful servant.
6. ”Loving the lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days.”
~Deuteronomy 30:20 ESV
He is both the quality and quantity of my life. He is my all in all. I want to continue to love Him, obey Him and hold fast to Him.
7. “I thought, surely I will die surrounded by my family after a long, good life. For I am like a tree whose roots reach the water, whose branches are refreshed with the dew. New honors are constantly bestowed on me, and my strength is continually renewed.”
~Job 29:18-20 NLT
It was said that when a general returned in glory to ancient Rome, he was accompanied in his procession through the streets by a slave whose job it was to remind him that his triumph would not last forever. “Memento Mori,” the slave whispered into the general’s ear: “remember you will die.”
When my time comes to die, what a joy to be surrounded by my family after a good life and a long life. I don’t want a good but short life, nor a long but bad life—rather both good and long.
I think of new honors as new opportunities which He gives me. I want to see my strength continually renewed (Isaiah 40:31). The key to all of this is letting the roots of my life reach down to Him who is the water of life (Psalm 1:2,3; Jeremiah 17:8) keeping my branches refreshed with the dew of heaven by intimate fellowship with Him and community with a few of like heart.
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