God of Peter, God of Sylvia

As I was packing for round two, I wrote down five verses to keep to heart. These were verses to keep me going, past any hardship that was to come. I would renew my heart and work harder after having read these verses regularly.

"for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Do everything without grumbling or arguing" Philippians 2:13-14

"A sluggard's appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied." Proverbs 13:4

"Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 58

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38

"Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." John 21:18

My mother wrote me a letter as I was leaving. She also wrote down five verses for me to look up. As soon as I landed, I wrote down all the verses that she noted. They read as follows:

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

"The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand." Psalm 37:23-24

"Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." Romans 5:3-4

"You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy" Psalm 30:11

The subtle but stark differences in choice verses were truly outstanding. The measure of maturity of my mother's faith was by far a great distance apart from where I thence stood. I had held onto the verses for my own benefit, my ongoing fight to achieve, all the while lacking completely in God. She, on the other hand, knew of the surpassing authority and power in Him. He was the center of her attention. He was the one to change. He was in charge. She wanted me to see that. The foundation lies not so much on what I have done, but on the works fully completed by God, through Jesus, sustained within us by the Holy Spirit.

The word of the Lord is not fuel that drives my body to act on my will, but it is fuel to fix my eyes onto God and wait upon Him.