Dear Friends,

Here is Common Christianity column #832 (10-25-22), “Life Verse.” You may or may not have a life verse from the Bible, but regardless, there’s probably one in there for you.  Mine’s a little odd.  See the column below,

Blessings!  Bob

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Labels: communion, Ephesians 1:3, heavenly realms, Life Verse

Spirituality Column #832

October 25, 2022

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Life Verse

By Bob Walters

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." - Ephesians 1:3

Somehow Ephesians 1:3 wound up being my life verse - it jumped out at me when I read through the Bible the first time 20 years ago.

I am a baby boomer, and a late bloomer in the faith.  The fall of 2001 (I was 47) was when I found faith in Christ and was baptized.  By the fall of 2002 I had read my way through most of the Bible - to the 10th book of the New Testament, Ephesians - and this verse hit a personal, spiritual bullseye.  It was the first verse I memorized.

I didn't then understand what all Paul was saying, nor was I aware there are two other New Testament verses, 2 Corinthians 1:3, and 1 Peter 1:3, that also start (in my 1985 NIV), "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ..." Good to know.

It was clear to me that this partiular verse was somewhat off the beaten path of typical "life verses," a concept which was as entirely new to me as the previously opaque pages and words of the Bible, which bloomed into coherence, truth, and hope.

A "life verse" is a top-of-mind, go-to piece of scripture that both calms and focuses our minds and prayers, and speaks directly to our relationship with God, Jesus, the Spirit, the church ... and our own souls.  It is a speical and personal expression of our own unique love, relationship, and communion with God and fellow Christians.

The righteous prayers of Psalms, the accessible wisdom of Proverbs, and the brute, faithful theology of Paul's 13 books (Romans through Philemon) - especially Romans - are popular wells of "Life Verse" origins.  I like Romans 8:31: "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Psalms 46:10 says, "Be still, and know that I am God."

Typical of life verses, they call God's presence and power into one's life.  Notice these are single sentences, not entire verses, so perhaps they are "life sentences"? There are no "rules" for picking a life verse or even having ong.  What we know is that life ruled by Christ and steeped in scripture is a good "sentence" to have.

I presented my "Ephesians 1:3 Life Verse" in a church communion meditation Sunday.  A friend said afterward, "That's an unusual choice for a live verse." I agreed; it is not the more normal "God be with me, God guide me, God is faithful" sentiment.

As a newbie Christian, I guess I figured one could do worse than start every conversation with the Lord with this dynamic praise of God while declaring the identity of Jesus Christ as God's son.  Beyond a single verse though, one of the great comforts of faith is having great swaths of scripture memorized and locked in one's heart and mind.

We remember scripture and we remember Jesus in Christian communion, which was the overall message for Sunday's meditation.

I've learned over years of study, paying attention, and contemplation, what it means to praise God for blessing us "in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." Paul is telling us that in this life now, through Jesus, we have glimpses of God's heaven in eternity.  God's realms already exist, and we can know and sense and touch them with prayer, work, and the love we hold for God and each other.

Heaven, you see, isn't where we go to be dead.  Heaven is where we go to be fully alive, restored to the righteous image of God we were created to be.

Praise God for the assurance of the heavenly realms we have through Christ.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) was booting the tail end of a week-long head cold on Sunday and apologizes for the microphone-amplified sniffles.  ‘Shoulda had a tissue.