Ebenezer

God often gives me themes for periods of my life. For this school year, He gave me Ebenezer. If you read in 1 Samuel, Ebenezer is a place of defeat transformed into a place of victory by the presence of God. (incidentally, it is also a cautionary tale - do not assume that God is in something just because you want Him to be! :) ) However, Ebenezer is also a memorial stone - an unchanging reminder of one of God's great blessings. Its name means "Thus far the Lord has helped us." And so it seemed appropriate on this, my twentieth birthday, to set up my own little electronic Ebenezer, for thus far the Lord has also helped me!

So in no particular order...

20 significant verses:
1. This actually belongs at #1, because it is my life verse :)
Ps 118:23 "This is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes."
2. "Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." Romans 6
3. "Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Christ, that the body of sin should be done away with, that you should no longer be slaves of sin...therefore, you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6
4. "Tribulation produces perseverence, perseverence produces character, and character produces hope. Now hope will not disappoint." Romans 5
5. "Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you." Romans 8
6. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" Ephesians 1
7. "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power which works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever!" Ephesians 3
8. "Therefore lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and run with perseverence the race marked out for you, looking unto Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the Cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Therefore consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you grow weary and discouraged in your souls." Hebrews 12
9. That which can be shaken is being removed, "that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Since then we are recieving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have faith, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and Godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire." Hebrews 12
10. "Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters, and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Yes come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money on what is not bread? And your wages on what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me and eat what is good and let your soul delight itself in abundance!" Isaiah 55
11. "Behold: how great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God - for that is what we are!" 1 John
12. "We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, and against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." Ephesians 6
13. "Brethren, I count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord, for whom I suffer the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ, and be found in Him" Philippians 3
14. "Keep careful watch...lest there be any profane person like Esau, who for a morsel of food sold his birthright."
15. "Rejoice in the Lord always - again I say rejoice! Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4
16. "You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." "You fill me with joy in Your presence. At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
17. "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected, but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus laid hold of me...one thing I do: forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus... There are those of whom I have told you often, and now tell you, even weeping, that they are enemies of the Cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame - who set their mind on earthly things. But our citizenship is in Heaven." Philippians 3
18. "We then, with unveiled faces, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of God." 2 Corinthians 3 "When He appears, we shall be like Him, for we will see Him as He is." 1 John
19. "We have this treasure in jars of clay, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us." "God, who made light shine out of darkness, shone in our hearts to bring us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 2 Corinthians 4
20. "Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us - we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God! For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5

more significant 20's to come! ...probably post- exam season ^_^