With the sun shining and crisp, cool air moving through the windows, I am feeling grateful for this peaceful Monday morning.

My 16th verse of the week is John 16:33. The Seeds Family Worship song is called “Take Heart” and it’s track 4 on “The Power of Encouragement.” Here is the verse (in the NIV translation):

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

I know I don’t fully understand this verse. Jesus’ overcoming the world is a large, far-reaching concept. But what I do understand about this verse touches my life in many ways. It contains important truths about God’s character and our lives.

In the first part of the verse it is important to look back at John 16 as a whole. (33 is the last verse of the chapter.) Jesus has just shared with his followers what is about to unfold: Jesus’ death, resurrection, ascension, and the coming of the Spirit. He tells them that the Father loves them. He also tells them that they (the disciples) will leave him (Jesus) and be scattered. But he speaks plainly and honestly, and they recognize that he is doing so in verses 29 and 30. With “I have told you these things” in the beginning of verse 33 we see that Jesus is honest and trustworthy. This informs our understanding of the character of God. With the next part, “so that in me you may have peace,” we see Jesus’ (and therefore God’s) love and care for us. He wants us to know peace in our hearts as a result of trusting his words.

When Jesus tells his followers that they “will have trouble,” he is both stating a fact because we live in a sinful world, but also foretelling how life would change for his followers after his death and resurrection. This shows again that Jesus is honest and trustworthy, and cares for us enough not to sugar-coat the truth.

But “you will have trouble” is not the end! It is not consistent with the character of God to share honestly about the troubles we will face without offering hope and a solution, hence “Take heart!” “I have overcome the world” is the part I know I don’t fully understand. This must have been a mind-blowing thing for the disciples to hear, as well; maybe not in that moment, but probably when they looked back on the conversation. Jesus had not yet died, risen again, or ascended, yet he had already overcome? Yes, of course, because he was not just fully human, but also fully God, and knew what his death and resurrection would accomplish. And he did it anyway, and he told his followers about it plainly, and he wanted them to place their trust in him as they navigated life in light of what was to come.

I understand Jesus’ overcoming the world to include his victory over death, as well. So there is the implication that in this world we will have trouble, but in the next world there will be no trouble, so the hope of heaven and God’s new earth is part of how we “take heart.”

Jesus wants the same for us as he did for his disciples: to take heart and trust in the one who has overcome the world. The Bible tells us Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), and there are countless other passages in Scripture that tell of the consistency of God’s character, his love for us, his plan for redemption through Jesus, and his promises to be with us as we walk through this troubling world. And all a person needs to do is believe that Jesus is the son of God who overcame the world in order to take part in his victory.

As I reflect on this verse today, I come to this conclusion: I should not be surprised when I face trouble. I should not judge God to be unfair or unkind. Rather, I should be thankful and joyful for a Savior who told me the truth (that I will have trouble). I should trust him to be with me, strengthen me, encourage me, and guide me as I go through my troubles. Today is not a very trouble-filled day, but those days have come and will come again. When they do, I can “take heart” and not be overtaken by the trouble of this world because I trust in the one who has overcome. I kind of feel like a “woohoo!” is in order here!

Finally, I have used this verse in preschool in the past, and would like to share a printable from BibleStoryPrintables.com for it. They have a variety of coloring and tracing pages that you could use with a pretty wide range of ages for this verse (and many more).

image from BibleStoryPrintables.com

How does this verse speak to you? Are there other verses that come to mind as you think about the concepts Jesus touches on with just one sentence?

Wow, spring is bringing with it a quickened pace of life. Why am I always surprised? It does seem to happen every year. Today was another busy one, much different than I thought it would be. But while I was busy and a little flustered by the loss of my routine at moments, I felt blessed that I have so much flexibility in my life right now. I have the time to sub at preschool, run errands, and spend leisurely time talking to a friend who I rarely get to see. I’ve still gotten everything done that I needed to… so far. There are some dishes haunting me, so I’d better hurry up and share this week’s verse with you! And then live in its power in my own life.

The verse is Psalm 55:22, the Seeds Family Worship song for which is titled “Cast Your Cares.” It’s track 3 on “The Power of Encouragement.” The song uses the old NIV but I have pasted the new NIV below. There is only a slight difference.

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.

I need this verse today. Sometimes my cares are small, like today when I was concerned (mildly, but still concerned) that I had to work out at a different time and my dinner time didn’t line up with the tv schedule. Big deal! I knew I had to write about this verse as I was fussing in my head about the change to my routine, so I let the Holy Spirit take over. All of a sudden, I was able to enjoy what I was doing in the moment: cooking, listening to music, thinking about all the good things that happened in my day.

I definitely need this verse when cares are large, like when I’m unsure how we will pay for an upcoming expense, or I’m discouraged about my health, or I feel the distance from friends and family, or I feel my very real inadequacies in some other way. These are the times when we may feel like we’re about to fall, or like giving up, or like giving in to feelings of hopelessness.

As I wrote when Philippians 4:12 was the verse of the week, God’s Spirit does not allow me to give up or fall away when life gets tough. That is God’s sustaining work in our lives. His power and love are real. And unfailing. And offered in spite of (because of?) our inadequacy, helplessness, and sin. God knows we can’t stand up under the weight of ourselves and this world. Even though we made the choice to oppose him with our sin by trusting in those things, he will always provide a way through our circumstances. Whether it’s a visible light at the end of the tunnel like finding a twenty dollar bill when you’re $20 short, or if it’s a quiet assurance in your heart that you will make it through, our gracious God will hold his children up. When we belong to God, he makes us righteous. We are given a new nature– his nature. We will not be shaken, and we will not fall.

Some other powerful verses that came to mind with this one:

• 1 Peter 5:7
• Psalm 37:5 (another Seeds song, and verse of the week #7)
• Psalm 37:24
• Psalm 62:2

It’s very early in the week, yet I’ve already had ample opportunity to put this verse into action. How about you?

I’m hitting the ground running after Easter with a pretty full week, but I’m looking forward to it all. The only thing that’s bumming me out a little bit is the weather. We enjoyed a few days of sunny skies and almost-warm temperatures over the weekend, but now the clouds have rolled in and we are supposed to see drizzle, rain, and maybe thunderstorms all week. I guess it’s not bumming me out too much, though, because I do enjoy the extra time to dress in layers before summer hits. 🙂

This week’s verse (only 1 verse!) is Philippians 4:8, and the Seeds Family Worship song is called “Think About It,” track 2 on “The Power of Encouragement.” I have pasted the old NIV version below; the new NIV is the same except for the addition of “sisters” to the beginning.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

I have to admit that I have never fully memorized this! I always seem to miss at least one item on the list, so I’m looking forward to getting into it for a week and learning ALL the words. This might be one of those times where I write the verse out and feature hard-to-remember words more prominently.

The picture above is actually of a plaque hanging in our kitchen. I love it, although considering my little dilemma of not knowing all the words to this verse, it’s too bad that my pretty plaque doesn’t have all the words! 😉 But it’s pretty and contains most of the verse, so I keep it around.

This verse certainly has the power to convict, which I have seen in my own life when my thoughts are in need of a makeover. Having this verse (mostly) memorized has allowed the Spirit to take thoughts captive that do not fit the Philippians 4:8 bill, and replace them with thoughts that help me grow closer to God. This is the process of mind-renewal that we read about in Romans 12.

This verse is also aspirational, because a mind is not renewed overnight. A mind is renewed one second and one thought at a time as we work out the salvation we were so graciously given. The Holy Spirit, our Helper, will guide our minds toward what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy.

There is so much more that could be said, but I don’t have the time or really the wisdom to say it all. I don’t want to give the impression that this verse is about mere positive thinking, willpower, or a moral how-to list. I do want to present this verse as an encouragement to followers of Christ to remember that our thoughts matter to God, and even though they sometimes run wild and seem uncontrollable, they are redeemable and redeemed when we receive and work out our salvation.

I have seen the Spirit change my thought life in a variety of ways over the years, and can remember a few of the actual moments when I noticed the change. And it hasn’t been a feeling of being “busted” for having a bad thought, but a feeling of relief that because of God’s Holy Spirit, accessible to me through Christ’s sacrifice, I can choose something better that brings me closer to God. It’s a feeling of relief and appreciation, of encouragement and motivation.

How do you view this verse? How have you seen it at work in your own life? I feel insufficient at explaining it today and would love to hear from you. 🙂

Passage #13 brings us to the next Seeds Family Worship album: “The Power of Encouragement.” The song for Philippians 4:12-13 is called “The Secret” and is track #1, and it’s a good one. The new NIV version is slightly different from the 1984 version used in the song, and the ESV is quite different. I’m posting the new NIV here simply because I prefer it.

¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

This passage looks like my life! And I’m sure many other followers of Christ would say the same. I don’t mean that I’m perfect at this, just that I have seen God’s sustaining hand work in my life to bring contentment in a variety of situations. Think about it: have you ever been in need? This could apply to financial need, but also need of strength, joy, encouragement or in need of help in some other way. Have you ever had plenty? Maybe you’re not swimming in money (a la Scrooge McDuck), but if you’ve ever known where your next meal is coming from and were able to pay all your bills, you’ve had plenty. If you’ve owned a vehicle or a home, gone out to eat or to a sporting event, been on vacation, etc. you’ve definitely had plenty!

So we’ve all been in need and in plenty- that’s probably obvious, and can apply to most people. What is to be different for the follower of Christ is that we can be content “in any and every situation.” Grammatically and structurally, verse 12 sets up that there is a secret to contentment, and verse 13 shares what that secret is: strength from Christ.

The word “secret” kind of throws me for a loop, as do other passages in the Bible that make reference to a secret or mystery. The best I can come up with after a quick peek at some commentary (which means, yes, I am over my head and pay grade here! Read with a side of salt!) is that Paul, with help from God’s Spirit, is making special knowledge available to all. The phrase “I have learned the secret” carries a meaning of exclusivity, or of being initiated into the ways of mystery. In Paul’s time there must have been many things that Jewish leaders learned or knew and to some extent held over the heads of regular folks. But that is not how God wants it to be anymore. From what I can tell, Paul uses similar wording to describe salvation- a secret made known to all who believe, and not just special people. When we become reconciled to God through Christ, the Spirit guides us in the wisdom and truth of God- things that would otherwise be secrets or mysteries to us. We can also use these gifts to encourage and instruct one another, and generally build up the Body of Christ.

If contentment is the secret that is accessible to all who believe in Christ, then strength from the Strengthener (God) is the vehicle that gets us there. This is what encourages me so greatly when I read this passage.

I tend to see the negative side of situations very easily, and have experienced times of emotional darkness. But because of God’s presence in my life– and specifically his Spirit in my heart and mind– the emotional darkness is nothing more than a film coating the surface of a body of water. I may feel sad or hopeless, or I may temporarily believe a lie, or I may complain, but underneath that, in the depths of my heart, there is still a strong undercurrent of hope, joy, and peace, and that is the direction I “flow” in. Giving up is never an option– because I claim the one who has overcome the world, I wouldn’t even know how to give up or give in. God’s strength, available to us because of Christ and delivered by his Spirit, sustains us and keeps us going. He is peace, hope, joy, light, and love when we know we can’t produce or access those things on our own. How else could I have slept at night when there was no money in the bank account? How else could I have stayed away from greed when I already had everything I needed and more? How else could I have stepped out in love when I felt like withdrawing because of pain?

This is the secret, written by God in heaven and given freely to be written on the heart of every woman, man, and child who believes: I can do all this because of him who gives me strength.

Do you have any insight on this passage? I’d love to hear about it, or about how you are encouraged by these powerful words of truth.