The Most Quoted (and Least Believed) Bible Verse

By James Pence –

If I were to ask you to recite the most frequently quoted Bible verse, you probably would answer,  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16, KJV).

But what if I asked you to name the most frequently quoted and least believed Bible verse?

There might be some debate on this one, but I think that the following verse is the prime candidate: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28, KJV).

We love to quote that verse to other people when they are faced with trials or tragedies. However, when we’re the ones who are hurting, that’s usually the last verse we want to hear.

Some of that is understandable. When we are in the midst of deep grief, often our emotions are so jumbled up that we can’t think rationally. All we know is that we are hurting and we can’t see any good that can come from our pain.

But often, even when we have moved out of the initial shock of grief, we still ask the question: “God, why?”

When we look at a trial or tragedy and say, “How could God let this happen?” we are acting in unbelief. Worse than that, we are accusing God of wrongdoing. Such a question assumes that somehow God has promised that nothing bad will happen to us.

But God never made such a promise.

What He did promise was that if we love Him and are called according to His purpose, He would work everything together for our good.

If we believe that, the question, “Why, God?” becomes moot. The proper response is, “Yes, Lord. I don’t understand what’s happening right now, but I know that You do. And I will trust You and rest in Your wisdom, goodness, and sovereign love.”

What are you trusting God for today?

PRAYER: Father, please help me to trust You in life’s hard times and—even though I don’t understand what You are doing—to remember that You are working everything together for my good.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28, KJV).

Today’s devotion is by James H. Pence. James is an author, speaker, singer, and gospel chalk artist, but prefers to be known as a follower of Jesus Christ and storyteller. To learn more about James and how he draws the stories of your heart, visit his Web site at: www.jamespence.com.

Winning the Lottery

By James Pence –

Have you ever wondered what you would feel like if you won a million dollars in the lottery? Or came into a huge inheritance? Or discovered oil on your land?

I don’t play the lottery. I have no millionaire relatives. And I don’t own the mineral rights to my land. Thus, none of these windfalls are likely to be coming my way. However, I do have an imagination. And from time to time I have allowed myself to fantasize about how I would react if I suddenly came into a huge amount of money.

I can see myself now, outside, dancing in my front yard, shouting “Woohoo!” until the 100+ degree Texas heat causes me to keel over from heat exhaustion. In other words, I suspect I would act like a crazy person.

With that in mind, I cannot help but feel guilty when I read in the Psalms: “I rejoice in the lifestyle prescribed by your rules as if they were riches of all kinds” (Psalm 119:14, NET).

Hmmmmmm. When was the last time I was outside, dancing in my front yard and shouting “Woohoo!” about the Christian life? When was the last time I was so overwhelmed with joy in God’s commands that I looked and acted like a crazy person?

Yet repeatedly, the Scriptures declare themselves to be a treasure far surpassing the most opulent worldly wealth.

At one point, the psalmist declares God’s words to be, “of greater value than gold, than even a great amount of pure gold” (Psalm 19:10a, NET). In another place, the psalmist writes, “The law you have revealed is more important to me than thousands of pieces of gold and silver” (Psalm 119:72, NET).

At this writing, gold is selling for just under $1,200.00 an ounce; silver is a bit cheaper at about $18.00 per ounce. But which of us would turn up our noses if someone offered us thousands of pieces of silver and gold? Yet often my Bible gathers dust while I watch TV or devote my attention to matters that have no eternal significance. Often I place a greater priority on the things of this world rather than on things above.

Do I really believe that God’s Word and my relationship to Him are more valuable than great riches?

If so, how should my life reflect that?

Just wondering.

PRAYER: Lord, help me to value You as the ultimate treasure, of supreme worth. And grant that my life, priorities, and choices may reflect that value.

“The law you have revealed is more important to me than thousands of pieces of gold and silver” (Psalm 119:72, NET).

Today’s devotion is by James H. Pence. James is an author, speaker, singer, and gospel chalk artist, but prefers to be known as a follower of Jesus and a storyteller. To learn more about James and how he draws the stories of your heart, visit his website at: www.jamespence.com.

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