Greetings!
For this week’s DHD I decided to share six of my favorite Bible verses with commentary from the Life Application Study Bible. I hope these passages encourage you!
1. Prov. 17:17 – “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
“What kind of a friend are you? There is a vast difference between knowing someone well and being a true friend. The greatest evidence of true friendship is loyalty—being available to help in times of distress or personal struggle. Too many people are fair-weather friends. They stick around when the friendship helps them and leave when they’re not getting anything out of the relationship. Think of your friends and assess your loyalty to them. Be the kind of true friend the Bible encourages.”
2. James 1:19 – “…But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;”
“When we talk too much and listen too little, we communicate to others that we think our ideas are much more important than theirs. James wisely advises us to reverse this process. Put a mental stopwatch on your conversations, and keep track of how much you talk and how much you listen. When people talk with you, do they feel that their viewpoints and ideas have value?”
3. Prov. 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
“When we have an important decision to make, we sometimes feel that we can’t trust anyone—not even God. But God knows what is best for us. He is a better judge of what we want than we are! We must trust Him completely in every choice we make. We should not omit careful thinking or belittle our God-given ability to reason, but we should not trust our own ideas to the exclusion of all others. We must not be wise in our own eyes, but be willing to listen to and be corrected by God’s Word and wise counselors. Bring your decisions to God in prayer; use the Bible as your guide; and then follow God’s leading. He will direct your paths by both guiding and protecting you.”
4. Matt. 6:33 – “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
“To make the Kingdom of God your primary concern means to put God first in your life, to fill your thoughts with His desires, to take His character for your pattern, and to serve and obey Him in everything. What is really important to you? People, objects, goals and other desires all compete for priority. Any of these can quickly bump God out of first place if you don’t actively choose to give Him first place in every area of your life.”
5. Psalm 34:8 – “Taste and see that the Lord is good. How blessed in the man who takes refuge in Him!”
“Taste and see” does not mean, “Check out God’s credentials.” Instead, it is a warm invitation, “Try this; I know you’ll like it.” When we take that first step of obedience in following God, we cannot help discovering that He is good and kind. When we begin the Christian life, our knowledge of God is partial and incomplete. As we trust Him daily, we experience how good He is.”
6. Rom. 8:28 – “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
God works in “everything”—not just isolated incidents—for our good. This does not mean that all that happens to us is good. Evil is prevalent in our fallen world, but God is able to turn every circumstance around for our long-range good. Note that God is not working to make us happy but to fulfill His purpose. Note also that this promise is not for everybody. It can be claimed only by those who love God and are called by Him, that is, those whom the Holy Spirit convinces to receive Christ. Such people have a new perspective, a new mindset. They trust God, not in worldly treasures; their security is in heaven, not on earth. Their faith in God does not waver in pain and persecution because they know God is with them.