Trusting the Rescuer

Growing up, church attendance, youth group, and church camp were all regular parts of my life. However, I never really read my Bible or talked about my faith outside of “church stuff.†I probably would’ve told you that I believed in God if you asked, but I wouldn’t bring it up and I definitely didn’t live like it.

After my junior year of high school, I got a job at my summer camp as a maintenance assistant. When we arrived, I started hearing the staff talk about their “life verse.†These verses meant a lot to them, so they memorized them and used them to describe their lives. I didn’t know many Bible verses other than John 3:16, but I felt like I needed one. After searching online for “Bible verses on trials,†I settled on James 1:12, “Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.â€

Now, one of the most important things to understand when reading the Bible is the context of any verse or passage you read. In order to understand what it means for you, you usually have to understand what the author was intending when they wrote it. I didn’t know that, and honestly, I didn’t really care. I thought this verse told me I was blessed for making it through all the difficult things in my life, and God was even going to reward me!

But James 1:12 is actually about those who love God receiving the “crown of life†or the resurrection to eternal life. If we’ve put our trust in Jesus, believing that He died and rose again, we’ll get to live and reign with Him forever when He comes back! James hung out with Jesus, and he gives us some incredible wisdom and insight for living the Christian life. We will experience trials, and God will help us be steadfast. Our focus should be on His faithfulness.

Years later, I began using Philippians 2:3-4 as my new life verse. These are both great passages, but my purpose behind using the James verse was misguided. I was using it to elevate myself. Now I want to remember that Jesus calls us to elevate others! • Hunter Taylor

• Do you have a favorite Bible verse? Have you looked at the context of this verse—what verses are surrounding it, what book of the Bible it’s in, who wrote it and why, etc.?

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4 (CSB)

Read Verses:

Heb.12.2-Heb.12.3|Ps.112.6-Ps.112.8|John.14