Here are seven Bible verses that can start your week off right.
Psalm 118:24 “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
This verse just makes me glad I have another day to serve God and to try to glorify Him! It’s great to be alive because it’s another opportunity to make His name famous. Many churches start their worship services with this verse which was made into a song. If you are reading this, then God is not finished with you, and today is the day that He has made for His glory, and He desires to use you in doing that. God didn’t only make this day; He made you for a very specific purpose and that was to glorify Him in word and deed.
Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”
Before you start your day, and certainly, before you walk out the door, make sure to put on the full armor or “whole armor of God.” You’ll need each and every piece (Eph 6:14-18) in order to “stand against the schemes of the devil.” That’s why Paul tells us to “put on” or “take up” the armor more than once. He knows our human tendency to forget, just like we might miss starting our day off with prayer and with the Word of God. If we leave these two out, and then also leave of the armor of God, we’re leaving an opening for the enemy.
Numbers 6:24-25 “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.”
This is one of a set of eighteen blessings called the Shemoneh Esreh or the Amidah (in Hebrew, standing prayer) that you see Orthodox Jews praying at the wall in Jerusalem. This reminds me of the time when Moses saw the backside of God and came back down the mountain with his face shining. Not only does this sound very much like a prayer, because it asks the Lord’s blessing and keeping them, but also that His face, in a figurative sense, shines upon them, and it did, at least for a time. But as we know, God is not finished with His chosen people, Israel.
Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven”
Jesus wants us to be both salt and light, so if you think of your day in this way, you can remember to let others see your good works so that they can glorify God. God has already planned good works for us to do, if only we’ll walk in them (Eph 2:10), but if we’re not looking for ways to be salt and light, it’s not likely we’ll glorify Him. Salt needs to get out the shaker and light needs to get out from under the table. Salt and light is useless until they are put to use.
Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”
If you think of the Word of God as active and living, and sharper than any two-edged sword you’ve ever seen (Heb 4:12), then you’ll see that it’s meant to instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go. The Word of God cuts, but it cuts in order to heal, and it’s not just for today, but for every day. God’s instruction manual is His Word, and His counsel and teaching are in Scripture. Don’t leave home without receiving your daily allowance of the Bread of Life.
Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”
I know some who have trouble sleeping at night. They’re already worried about tomorrow, before it even gets here. The Apostle Paul’s admonition is to stop being anxious about everything, and instead, commit it to prayer. Let those prayers be mixed with the freewill offering of thanksgiving. Only then, will “the peace of God” be able to “guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” It’s never a matter of the human will; it’s a matter of the peace of God guarding our hearts. There is no room for anxiety in trust.
Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”
If you have to make any major decisions today, I hope that you have prayed about it, praying that God would grant you an understanding heart and godly wisdom in your decision making, but also that your choices would be according to His will. If we put our trust in the Lord, and stop leaning on our own thinking (and mine), then God can help us to see what His understanding is through the work and Person of the Holy Spirit. That’s what I want today, and every day. If I lean on my own understanding, I’m headed for a fall.
Conclusion
Perhaps you can suggest some other verses that I might have missed to help you start your day off right, but also to begin the week in a good way. If we really want to start our week off right, we need to be abiding in God’s Word on a daily basis; we need to stay in constant communication with God in prayer, but we also need to put on the full armor of God so that we’re better able to let our light shine before the world, so that we might bring glory to God, and that’s really all that matters; today, this week, and forever.
Article by Jack Wellman
Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.
