favorite verse this week

(sunset on the beach outside Lima, Peru)

there are two verses that meant a lot to me this week and I can't really nail down one that was particularly better than the other.  So I shall just share them both with you, and elaborate on one.

one was an old favorite--Psalm 2:8.  "Ask of Me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession."

another seemed particularly suited to college life--James 1:5.  "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given him."

the two are somewhat different, I suppose, but both mean a lot to me.  Regarding the first one, for a long time I have wanted to "be a missionary" overseas; right now I believe I'm called to missionary work here in the States.  Either way, it impresses me that God gives us people as an inheritance.  Maybe that seems a little strange, but think about it: what does God value above everything else?

His children; the people He made.  He wants them to be with Him forever.

so then, it's actually rather amazing that He would be willing to give me, to give us Christians, His children in a special sense, the privilege of sharing Him with those who are lost.  They are our inheritance.  He invites us to ask Him for them.  And as far as He can make it, the answer will be Yes.

He says so.  He will not force, so He cannot guarantee their salvation.  But when we ask, we take the key to unlock His power for them.  

And that is a powerful promise to me.