I have, in fact, borrowed an idea from my triplet/blogosphere doppelganger. Borrowed sounds too nice. I've stolen an idea without plans of returning it, in fact I hope to pass it on. Zella here, on her wonderful (and regular, unlike mine) blog had a brilliant idea which I humbly suggest that some of my other blogging friends use.
In case you were too lazy to click on that link, Zella has a charming post in which she shared all of the verses she has highlighted in her Bible. I thought that was a pretty cool idea and I, too, practically never highlight or underline in my current Bible so if I've underlined something that means it must be pretty important to me.
So I flipped through my Bible yesterday tracking down all of my underlining. It was a rather long process and my loose definition of underlining includes verses that only have one or two words underlined. Here are the results, some of them may look rather familiar from previous blogs.
Psalm 17:3
Though you probe my heart and examine me at night,
though you test me, you will find nothing;
I have resolved that my mouth will not sin.
Romans 5:5
And hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
Romans 12:12
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -
2 Timothy 1:9
who has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,
1 Peter 1:8
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
Here's where it gets interesting, those are from my current Bible which was given to me when I graduated from High school. I also have my Bible that was given to me back in 2004 on my 11th birthday when, according to the page at the beginning, my favorite verse was Hebrews 10:25 and my life's ambition was to be a writer. There are some interesting underlinings, how the word "Presence" is inexplicably capitalized, the Jacob Marley verse (Isaiah 28:23), and a reference to something called the "House of Heroes", but there are also these.
Numbers 14:18a
The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion.
Job 9:15
Though I were innocent, I could not answer him;
I could only plead with my Judge for mercy.
Then the entire chapter of Psalm 16 is circled. I think I might even remember when I did that.
Psalm 33:16-19
No king is saved by the size of his army;
no warrior escapes by his great strength.
A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
despite all its great strength it cannot save.
But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
to deliver them form death
and keep them alive in famine.
Psalm 40 is circled as well
Psalm 42: 5-6a
Why are you downcast, oh my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
Psalm 63:3
Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
Large portions of Psalm 73 are circled
Psalm 94: 18-19
When i said, "My foot is slipping,"
your love, O Lord, supported me.
When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought joy to my soul.
Psalm 103:11-12
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm 119:53-54
Indignation grips me because of the wicked,
who have forsaken your law.
Your decrees are the theme of my song
wherever I lodge.
Interestingly Psalm 130 is circled as well, it is in my other Bible as well.
Psalm 147:17 (Blizzard verse)
He hurls down his hail like pebbles.
Who can withstand his icy blast?
Proverbs 4(which is circled):23
Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life.
Proverbs 18:12
Before his downfall a man's heart is proud,
but humility comes before honor.
Proverbs 27:17 and 19
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man.
Ecclesiastes 5:20
He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.
Ecclesiastes 9:10a
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might,
Ha, check out the second half of that verse...
Isaiah 7:9b
If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.
Isaiah 11:9
They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 42:9
See, the former things have taken place,
and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
I announce them to you.
Isaiah 43:10b
Before me no god was formed
nor will there be one after me.
Isaiah 44:5b
Still another will write on his hand, "The Lord's,"
and will take the name Israel.
Isaiah 49:25b
I will contend with those who contend with you,
and your children I will save.
Jeremiah 15:20 (In case you didn't know what Bronze Wall Ministries' verse is)
I will make you a wall to this people,
a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you
but will not overcome you,
for I am with you
to rescue and save you.
Micah 6:8
He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Romans 15:4
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
1 John 2:17
The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
Now you, the person who has taken the time to read this blog, you should take the time to do this yourself, I'd be most interested to see what verses have been important to you.
