7 Verses That Have Made Me Smile This Week & The Smile Challenge

We are now exactly one week into 2019, how is your year going so far? I've had five good days, two not so good but that's okay cause even in the not so good days I have smiled at least once. I smile at least once a day at a verse or two in the Bible and today I am going to be sharing seven of the Bible verses I have smiled at during this the first week in 2019.

Smiling as I read the Bible has become normal for me, I mean who doesn't smile as they read the greatest book to ever grace the Earth? I have Bible verses up around my house for the purposes of reminding me of something (a biblical lesson I need to remember or to pray about something specific,) and to make me smile. I personally think that one of the best ways that we can praise the Lord without even uttering a word is to smile at His Word, to take delight daily in the brilliant book He left for us. Am I the only one that thinks this? I know that He is with me, I know that He can see the delight I take in the verses in His Word, in the verses I have up around my house. I make it a point at the end of the day to try to thank Him for every single verse individually that made me smile that day (sometimes I forget a few, somedays there are just so many...) Today I am going to tell you just seven of the many that I have taken delight in this week. So in no particular order, the seven verses that made me smile this week:

"This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24 (ESV)

I have the verse on a note card by my bed where I can see it as I wake up and before I go to bed. It reminds me to pray, to give thanks and commit my day to the Lord. It makes me smile every day because He made it; regardless of if it's good or bad for me, regardless of what it holds or how it ends He made this day. It isn't always easy to "be glad in it" but I try my hardest each day. I am so thankful that I have another day that I can rejoice Him in, that I can praise Him in. That's why every day I will say thank you, Lord, from the bottom of my heart for this day.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go! How can that not make you smile? Wherever you are He will be there. In the good days and the bad, He will be with you. When life is going great, He is with you. When life is falling apart, He is with you. We can be strong in the knowledge that our God is with us. I take great comfort in knowing that even if I don't actively see or feel Him moving or working in my life I know that He is there. We can fight through the struggles of life without feeling discouraged because the Lord is here with us. If that doesn't make you smile I don't know what will.

"Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honouring each other." Romans 12:10 (NLT)

Love for God and each other is literally the most important thing, Jesus Himself said so (Matthew 22:36-40.) Loving each other genuinely should be a goal for all people. It is something so simple. It doesn't mean to shower everyone you know in gifts; it can be as simple as asking someone about their day or if they would like you to pray about anything for them. Something so easy, yet so often overlooked. When we do remember and we do honour each other it is not something we always think to delight in. Each time I display an act of love or honour someone I smile, I physically show my delight, that's why this verse makes me smile every time I read it.

"He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:2 (NIV)

Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice for my sin, He paid the price and I don't even have the words to express the gratitude I will feel forever. The greater news than that is that it's not just my sin that He was the sacrifice for; it's you, your family, your friends, their families, their friends and so on and so forth for everyone else! He paid the price of sin for everyone, He loves us all so much that He died for all of us around the world, every single human being ever. Isn't that the most amazing thing you ever heard? How could that fantastic news not make you smile?

"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39 (ESV)

Wow. This verse. It's another one that I have on a note card, this one is on my mirror something I check every day before leaving the house. "... nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" in short nothing, nothing can separate us from His love. No sin, no evil, nothing in our past or in our future will take us from His love. I use to suffer from constant anxiety that my past sins would keep me from God and His love; this verse made me see that fear for what it really was, a lie from the devil. Now every time I see this verse I smile because I know this to be the truth, there is nothing in all creation that can keep me, or you, from His love.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34 (NIV)

You may think that this is an odd verse to smile at, smiling about today's troubles but there's so much more to this verse than that for me. I am, by my very nature, an extremely anxious person. I know there are many that would tell me not to accept that title or to cast my anxiousness on the Lord, but I find that taking that 'title' is powerful; by taking it as my own it takes away its power and allows me to hand it to the Lord without it lingering. Because of that, this verse makes me smile; it is my daily reminder to tackle today's anxiety then let my mind be at rest, I have no need to start tackling tomorrows worries right now.

"He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken." Psalm 62:6 (NLT)

This is on yet another note card in my home, this one is held up by a little rock paperweight. Every time I see this I know that I will not be shaken because I have the Lord, my fortress. He is my rock; because of Him I am strong, I can take anything this wicked world throws at me. Jesus Christ, my salvation without you what do I have? Nothing... Because you alone are my rock, my salvation and my fortress; you alone make me unshakeable in your name. I can go through my day, week, month, year... I can go through my entire life knowing that I will make it through. Knowing that the enemy has no power over me, that I will not be shaken by anything that they throw at me because I have Him beside me. Doesn't knowing that you are unshakeable in the Lord make you smile?

There we are, seven of the many verses that made me smile during the first week in 2019. It is my hope and prayer that they have made you smile too. Maybe this post made you think about how you can delight in the Word of the Lord by simply smiling each day as you read it, or by smiling as you read back to Him the verses that made you think, feel or encouraged you this week.

As a small challenge for all of you: This week take a look in your Bible and pick out one verse, any verse, that makes you smile; write it down and put it somewhere that you are going to see it every day (or put it as your phones lock or home screen.) Every day as you see it, smile (even if you don't feel like it at the time, smiling is scientifically proven to make you feel happier.) If someone asks you why your smiling tell them, share the amazing Word of God with them. I will be doing this challenge along with you, I can't wait to see the verses you all pick!

What verse have you chosen for the smile challenge? Did any of the verses in this post make you smile? Or maybe you have your own verses that make you smile? Have you ever thought about how a simple smile can show your delight to the Lord? I would love to hear your thoughts, feelings, opinions and the verses that make you smile; leave a comment or drop me a message on the contact page, and until next time keep smiling!