G220

Do you ever have a hard time remembering whether a verse is in Ephesians, Colossians, Corinthians, or Galatians?  Hebrews, or even first and second Peter or John? 

I thought back to my high school days when we had a class called "ReCaRE," focusing on study, test-taking, note taking, and reading skills, including ways to create nmonics and acronyms to recall certain things.  (Sorry, I don't remember what ReCaRE stood for, but it was an amazing semester-long class that raised everyone's grades at least one letter - and I still use some of the strategies to this day, unlike chemistry).

So what's "G220?"  I had to come up with a way to remember the difference between Galatians, Ephesians, etc.  G220 ("G' two-twenty) helped me remember my favorite verse that I think is as impactful as John 3:16.  Galatians 2:20 says, "My old self has been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

Wow.  Have you ever heard Casting Crowns "East to West?"  The greatest lyrics in the entire song say, "one scarred hand in the other," referring to Jesus holding one's hand, also scarred as his is.  Actually, it's difficult to pick just one phrase that's "the best" in that song, as God's love goes on as far as the east is from the west as the Psalmist tells us in Psalm 103:

The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
⁹ He will not constantly accuse us,
nor remain angry forever.
¹⁰ He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
¹¹ For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
¹² He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.
¹³ The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
¹⁴ For he knows how weak we are;
he remembers we are only dust.

Through our faith in Jesus Christ, our sins are cast away from us, we are blameless.  Our old self was crucified.  He lives in those of us who believe in him, have turned from our sinful ways, and ask for his forgiveness.  What an amazing gift.

I think I'll take more time to read G220 and Psalm 103 - instead of reading it, I want to absorb it; make it part of me; meditate on it; grow closer to Him. 

Will you join me?