What's Your Verse | Roscoe Lilly

Ever have a verse just define a season of your life? Have you ever read the Bible and had a verse just smack you so hard that you felt like it was written just for you? It was your verse. God had to have been thinking about you when He had it written down because it was so specific to your current situation.

You put the verse on an index card or a sticky note and placed it on your fridge or your bathroom mirror to remind you of that truth every day.

There have been several verses that God has used to speak to me in a powerful way. As I looked back over these verses I noticed a theme. The verses fell into one of two categories…fear or discouragement. I felt God was asking me to do something, but I was afraid to move forward. Or I was discouraged by my circumstances, my rate of progress, my goals, or my dreams.

One verse in particular is burned forever in my memory. There was a season a few years ago when I felt so used as a pastor. I felt that I loved people more than they loved me. I hope you know that I really do love you. I pray for you and your family and so does the staff here at Northstar.

Have you ever felt that way before? Where you felt like you loved a friend more than they loved you or you helped a friend through a rough patch and they had a very short memory?

Well it happened to me during a season where God had used me to help save a few marriages…one had had an affair…another family I helped walk them through the loss of a child…for whatever reason they ended up leaving and attending another church. I felt used…I wanted to say, “Man, I cried with you…I missed time with my family to keep yours together and you’re leaving…Dude!”

The straw that broke the camel’s back was a family that needed a job desperately and asked me if I could help. I was on the board of an organization in town and knew they were looking for some help in an area in which this person was skilled. So, I recommended this guy and he got the job…”Pastor Roscoe you’re the greatest!…We love you so much!…Thank you for your help!…Oh, and we decided Nstar isn’t the church for us.”

DUDE!!!

Satan whispered in my ear…You love them more than they love you.

That same week this all went down I received a card in the mail that had a verse written on the bottom…it wasn’t a standard verse like Romans 8:28…it was a verse from Hebrews…who sends verses from Hebrews?

So I looked it up…I kid you not…I started crying like a baby. I couldn’t contain myself. I had to go out on the porch because I was crying so hard my wife said I was scaring the kids. She put a movie on for the kids and then came out to see what was going on. I gave her the card. She compassionately said, “You’re crying about this? I don’t get it.” I pointed to the verse reference on the card and then showed her the verse in my Bible and let her read it.

Then my wife started doing the ugly cry. Our poor neighbors!

This verse still gets me to this day. As I read the verse this week…the tears flowed freely.

I felt God had those words written just for me. It was like God was saying to me…I know the situation isn’t fair, but I’m fair. I’m keeping track of everything you’ve ever done for me by helping my people. Even though they may not remember or appreciate it, I remember. I felt like God was saying…continue to help them. I am not unjust.

If you ever feel like people forget your kindness and love. If you ever think people have a short memory…remember that God doesn’t and He isn’t unjust. He will reward you one day for your service to Him.