Verse of the Day 9/30

Matthew 14:23 Amplified Bible (AMP)  ²³And after He had dismissed the multitudes, He went up into the hills by Himself to pray. When it was evening, He was still there alone.

We've seen over the past two days how Jesus took time to pray to the Father before dawn and after daybreak.  In today's verse Jesus does the same thing at the end of a long day, a day when He fed the five thousand.

 

We may feel overwhelmed at times by our responsibilities.  It seems like people are pulling at us from all directions.  So many things to do, work, family, perhaps ministry or public service, and not enough time to do them all.  Imagine what it must have been like for Jesus, yet He still found the time to pray, to communicate with the Father.

 

With our limited knowledge and understanding of all that is going on around us, how much more should we depend upon His leading in our lives.?

 

Jesus withdrew to the mountain while the disciples were sent on ahead to cross the sea.  Many commentators feel that he could see the disciples from the hillside as they struggled to row to the other side against of the sea the "contrary" winds.  Jesus would come down from the mountain and meet them on the sea to bring them safely to the other side.  What contrary winds are you facing that kept you up, tossing and turning in the night?  May the Lord come to you, calm your fears and bring you to where you need to be today.

 

Blessings,
Mike
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Matthew 14:22-27

Amplified Bible (AMP)

²²Then He directed the disciples to get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent away the crowds.

    ²³And after He had dismissed the multitudes, He went up into the hills by Himself to pray. When it was evening, He was still there alone.

    ²⁴But the boat was by this time out on the sea, many furlongs [a furlong is one-eighth of a mile] distant from the land, beaten and tossed by the waves, for the wind was against them.

    ²⁵And in the fourth watch [between 3:00--6:00 a.m.] of the night, Jesus came to them, walking on the sea.

    ²⁶And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified and said, It is a ghost! And they screamed out with fright.

    ²⁷But instantly He spoke to them, saying, Take courage! I AM! Stop being afraid!

Verse of the Day 9/29

Luke 4:42 New Living Translation (NLT) Early the next morning Jesus went out to an isolated place. The crowds searched everywhere for him, and when they finally found him, they begged him not to leave them.

In yesterday's verse, Jesus rose early in the morning, "while it was still dark".  In today's verse in Luke Jesus left at daybreak to go to a deserted place to commune with God and be away from the crowds that would soon follow.  For Jesus, this close, isolated communication with God was an important thing.  Though the time of day may have varied, time spent with the Father was standard practice.

 

J.I. Packer writes that the Puritans differ from evangelicals today because with them "communion with God was a great thing, to evangelicals today it is a comparatively small thing. The Puritans were concerned about communion with God in a way that we are not. The measure of our concern is the little that we say about it. When Christians meet, they talk to each other about their Christian work and Christian interests, their Christian acquaintances, the state of the churches and the problems of theology - but rarely of their daily experience of God."

What are your conversations with fellow Christians about?  Spend some time alone in communion with God each day and incorporate what you experience and learn, share with them what God is telling you.  It may have an impact on your "Christian work and interests".

 

 Living for Jesus, a life that is true,
Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me.

O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee,
For Thou, in Thy atonement, didst give Thyself for me.
I own no other Master, my heart shall be Thy throne.
My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for Thee alone.

 

Blessings,
Mike
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Luke 4:42-44 (NLT) Jesus Continues to Preach

 ⁴² Early the next morning Jesus went out to an isolated place. The crowds searched everywhere for him, and when they finally found him, they begged him not to leave them. ⁴³ But he replied, "I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other towns, too, because that is why I was sent." ⁴⁴ So he continued to travel around, preaching in synagogues throughout Judea.^[a]

Verse of the Day 9/28

Mark 1:35 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) ³⁵ Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He got up, went out, and made His way to a deserted place. And He was praying there.

 

Jonathan Edwards wrote, "True religion disposes a person to be much alone in solitary places for holy meditation and prayer...  True grace delights in secret converse with God."  Jesus himself gives us an example of this in today's verse.  If He needed time with the Father, how much more do we.

 

Notice the verbs that are used here.  He got up, went out, made his way and prayed.  Its not a casual thing, laying in bed, perhaps reading a short devotional, offering a quick prayer and then going about the business of the day, never to find that time alone with God.  The first order of business in our relationship, at some point in the day is finding your place where you can be alone with God, spending time in His Word and in prayer, and taking Him with you into the day.

 

I'm not saying that it has to be a first thing in the morning thing.  I'm a morning person, its easy for me.  Maybe you are a "mid-day" person or even a late night person.  Regardless, what Edwards pointed to and what Jesus exemplified was a need and a dedication, a concentrated effort to find a time and place to be alone with the Father.

 

I've heard it said that "solitude with God won't consistently occur without intentionality".  What are some of the things you'll do today with "intentionality"?  Chances are it will reveal what are priorities in your life.  Is spending time alone with the Saviour one of them?
 

 

Blessings,
Mike
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Mark 1:35-39   Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

 ³⁵ Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He got up, went out, and made His way to a deserted place. And He was praying there. ³⁶ Simon and his companions went searching for Him. ³⁷ They found Him and said, "Everyone's looking for You!"

    ³⁸ And He said to them, "Let's go on to the neighboring villages so that I may preach there too. This is why I have come." ³⁹ So He went into all of Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

Verse of the Day 9/27

Ecclesiastes 4:4 (AMP) ⁴Then I saw that all painful effort in labor and all skill in work comes from man's rivalry with his neighbor. This is also vanity, a vain striving after the wind and a feeding on it.

Pastor Bob referenced this verse last Sunday in his current series "Is There an App for That".  I was following along in my Amplified Bible and a few words jumped out at me.  First, the "painful effort" in labor, what word picture, ladies can identify with it better than us guys can.

 

We can pour so much of ourselves into our work, that there isn't much left for the family, let alone, God.  And what does this come from?  It can be "keeping up with the Jones's or the desire to be number one in some area of your life.  To be noticed and envied.

 

The second portion of the verse is Solomon's commentary on such striving, it is chasing after the wind and feeding on it. How many people you know are "feeding" on this chase.  In today's society with multi -million dollar cars and other extravagances there is a veritable feeding frenzy going on, that will still leave the pursuer hungry, empty and unfilled. 

 

God's Word and an old hymn point us to where we should find our strength and what we should pursue.

 

Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing,
were not the right man on our side,
the man of God's own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be? 
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth, his name,
from age to age the same,
and he must win the battle.  (from A Mighty Fortress - Martin Luther)

God must win the battle to save our souls and to satisfy our hearts deepest longings.  Spend time alone with Him and His Word each day, He must win the battle for your heart.

Blessings,
Mike
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Ecclesiastes 4 Amplified Bible (AMP)

 ¹THEN I returned and considered all the oppressions that are practiced under the sun: And I beheld the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they [too] had no comforter.

    ²So I praised and thought more fortunate those who have been long dead than the living, who are still alive.

    ³But better than them both [I thought] is he who has not yet been born, who has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun.

    ⁴Then I saw that all painful effort in labor and all skill in work comes from man's rivalry with his neighbor. This is also vanity, a vain striving after the wind and a feeding on it.

    ⁵The fool folds his hands together and eats his own flesh [destroying himself by indolence].

    ⁶Better is a handful with quietness than both hands full with painful effort, a vain striving after the wind and a feeding on it.

Verse of the Day 9/26

Psalm 146:5-6  (ESV) ⁵ Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
   whose hope is in the LORD his God,
⁶ who made heaven and earth,
   the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
 

In the psalms we quite often see references to the God of Jacob and the God of Israel.  Israel can be a reference to the nation and it also can be in reference to Israel, the new name given to Jacob after he had wrestled with God.

 

Jacob grew up with the knowledge of God in his family life and in the family history.  But it wasn't until he had faced several crises that he had the experience of "wrestling with God" which left him forever changed.

 

Many of us may have lived our lives the same way.  Believing in God, having grown up believing but never really having to depend on him until a time of personal or family crisis.  Our wrestling may be a night, as with Jacob, or it may be over a longer, much longer, period of time.  Regardless, the wrestiling will change us.

 

That is what struck me as I read this psalm this weekend.  Jacob received his new name, when he wrestled with God, would not let him go in the time of crisis.  He finally found God, the LORD to be his hope, his help, his strength and his comfort.  The creator of the lands and the seas is our hope.  He is the one who "keeps" our faith, restores our lives, nenews our hearts.

 

May you be blessed today in realizing that the God of Jacob is also your help in times of trouble and in times of praise.

 

Hebrews 12: 1-2 NKJV" let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,"

 

Blessings,
Mike
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Psalm 146  Put Not Your Trust in Princes

 ¹ Praise the LORD!Praise the LORD, O my soul! ²I will praise the LORD as long as I live;
    I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

 ³ Put not your trust in princes,
    in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
⁴When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
   on that very day his plans perish.

 ⁵ Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
   whose hope is in the LORD his God,
⁶ who made heaven and earth,
   the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
 ⁷ who executes justice for the oppressed,
    who gives food to the hungry.

Verse of the Day weekend 9/24

2 Kings 6:16-17 New Living Translation (NLT) ¹⁶ "Don't be afraid!" Elisha told him. "For there are more on our side than on theirs!" ¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed, "O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!" The Lord opened the young man's eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.

We've been considering what it means to us to have the Holy Spirit in us, to actually have God's presence in our lives.

Something that I rarely think about are God's angels, His messengers, ministering spirits and their presence in our lives.  I read two different devotionals this morning that mentioned angels.  In Ray Ortlund's blog, he quoted John Calvin and referenced 2 Kings 6 where Elisha made the people aware that there was more going on than could meet the eye, the kings servant was ministered, encouraged by the sight of angels.

"But when we see ourselves beset by so many perils, so many harmful things, so many kinds of enemies — such is our softness and frailty — we would sometimes be filled with trepidation or yield to despair if the Lord did not make us realize the presence of his grace according to our capacity."  So, "out of his immeasurable kindness and gentleness," God uses angels too.  Calvin cites 2 Kings 6:8-17 to validate his point.

God alone should be enough to see us through anything.  But we are so weak, God throws in angels too, to help us feel fully cared for.  "His immeasurable kindness and gentleness."

It is something that we should take to heart.  We may be in the midst of a long physical or spiritual battle.  We may feel God's presence, His Spirit within us, but we should also remember and thank Him for those unseen angels that are serving Him in helping fight our spiritual battles. May they bring you "Blessed Assurance" if you need it today.

 

Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior, all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior, all the day long.

 

In Christ,

Mike

 

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Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

 2 Kings 6:13-23 NLT  And the report came back: "Elisha is at Dothan." ¹⁴ So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city.

 ¹⁵ When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. "Oh, sir, what will we do now?" the young man cried to Elisha.

 ¹⁶ "Don't be afraid!" Elisha told him. "For there are more on our side than on theirs!" ¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed, "O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!" The Lord opened the young man's eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.

 ¹⁸ As the Aramean army advanced toward him, Elisha prayed, "O Lord, please make them blind." So the Lord struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked.

 ¹⁹ Then Elisha went out and told them, "You have come the wrong way! This isn't the right city! Follow me, and I will take you to the man you are looking for." And he led them to the city of Samaria.

 ²⁰ As soon as they had entered Samaria, Elisha prayed, "O Lord, now open their eyes and let them see." So the Lord opened their eyes, and they discovered that they were in the middle of Samaria.

 ²¹ When the king of Israel saw them, he shouted to Elisha, "My father, should I kill them? Should I kill them?"

 ²² "Of course not!" Elisha replied. "Do we kill prisoners of war? Give them food and drink and send them home again to their master."

 ²³ So the king made a great feast for them and then sent them home to their master. After that, the Aramean raiders stayed away from the land of Israel.

Verse of the Day 9/23

Verse of the Day 9/23

 

1 Corinthians 12:7 English Standard Version (ESV) ⁷ To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ... ¹¹ empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

 

We've been considering "God's glory is man fully alive" and how it is displayed in His children.  In response to this concept a friend wrote that he has been studying what the glory of God is - 1) Glory relating God to Himself and 2) Glory relating to man.  Yesterday we considered what it meant to have His "presence", the Holy Spirit living in us.  It is His Spirit that enables us, that works in us to accomplish His purposes through us.

 

My wife Jean is in a Bible study group that is going through the book of Acts and recently was discussing the concept of being filled with the Spirit.  As I read these verses this morning, I thought they did a good job of bringing the two together.

 

When I think of manifestation I think of something made visible, in this case when the Spirit is alive and working in us it should be evident to us and visible, through our actions, to those around us.  The benefits are for the "common good", its not all about me.  Notice also that it is God who apportions the gifts, as He wills.  There should be no jealousy of the gifts of others but cultivating the gifts that God has given us to produce fruit, fruit that will last, to God's glory.

 

Regarding this "common good", John Piper writes, "the Spirit is manifest for this purpose: the common good. The Spirit does not give gifts and ministries so that we can boast in our spiritual prowess. He gives gifts and ministries for two reasons: to manifest himself and to help us do good to each other in the church. Gifts are for the glory of God and the good of the church.

This is right at the heart of our understanding of biblical theology: the pursuit of God's glory and the pursuit of what is good for us are not two separate pursuits. If you want to do good for people, you try to manifest God to them. If you want to manifest God and make him known for who he really is, you make it your aim to do good to others."

No matter what gifts are yours, no matter what season of life you are in, "if you want to manifest God and make him known for who he really is, you make it your aim to do good to others."

 

"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."  - John Piper

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

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Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

1 Corinthians 12:4-11

English Standard Version (ESV)

 ⁴Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; ⁵and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; ⁶and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. ⁷ To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ⁸For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, ⁹to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

Verse of the Day 9/22

Luke 11:13 If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him."  NLT

We've been considering how God is glorified in His works in answers to prayer, making us "fully alive" in the process.

 

As Christians we need to realize that He is not only answering prayers, but is sending His presence. When a tragedy strikes you or someone close to you it is natural to go to God for comfort.  David Platt in "Radical" writes, "do you realize what God does?   He doesn't give you comfort.  Instead He gives you the Holy Spirit who is the Comforter.  The Holy Spirit literally comes to dwell in you and puts the very comfort of Christ inside you as you walk through your pain."

 

Have you experienced this?  Thank God I have, though perhaps I didn't think or realize it in this way. 

 

Are you in need of comfort right now?  A child won't accept words of comfort from just anybody, they'd rather have a parent's presence, along with the words.  As a child of God why settle for words when you can experience His presence?  Ask God for it.

 

Show me your glory, send down your presence,

I want to see your face, show me your glory,

Majesty shines about you, I can't go on without you Lord.-  (Third Day - "Show Me Your Glory"

 

Blessings,
Mike
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Luke 11:9-13
9 Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking (Matt 7:7-11) "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 

10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 

11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 

12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 

13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"  NKJV

Verse of the Day 9/21

 John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.   17 This I command you, to love one another.  RSV

 

Yesterday we considered how George Muller brought glory to God in being dependent on Him in prayer regarding the resources needed to fund, operate, and maintain the orphanage. 

 

David Platt in his book "Radical" writes, "God delights in using ordinary Christians who come to the end of themselves and choose to trust in his extraordinary provision.  He stands ready to allocate His power to all who are radically dependent on Him and radically devoted to making much of Him."    

 

This chapter in John is all about abiding, Platt's statement sums up abiding in concisely in a few powerful words, "being radically dependent on Him and radically devoted to making much of Him".  The one who lives their life this way, will bear fruit, fruit that will last, and will fulfil the command in verse 17 to love others.

 

Platt continues that this "whatever you ask in my name" "is not a genie-in-bottle approach to God that assumes he is ready to grant our every wish.  But it is a rock solid promise that the resources of heaven are ready and waiting for the people of God who desire to make much of him in this world.  For the people of God who long to see his power at work and who live to see his purposes accomplisthed, he will give us absolutely everything we need according to his presence alive in us."

 

What is it that you are seeking from God today?  Does it come from a heart that is "radically dependent on Him and radically devoted to making much of Him."  If so, be prepared to be amazed as George Muller and those giants of the faith that we find in the Bible and in history.  Perhaps He has chosen and appointed you for just such a purpose.

 

Blessings,
Mike
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John 15:9-17

9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love.

10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.

11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

12 "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

13 Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.

15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

17 This I command you, to love one another.   RSV

Verse of the Day 9/20

 James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.   RSV

 

A couple of things have been on my mind for a few days and this verse is one of them.  Another was the quote from Augustine "God's glory is man fully alive".  Then this morning I read something about George Muller in David Platt's book "Radical" that brought the two together.

 

Platt points out that George Muller's chief purpose in life was not caring for orphans, but it was an outcropping of that.  Muller was quoted in his biography "if I, a poor man, simply by prayer and faith, obtained without asking any individual, the means for establishing and carrying on an Orphan-House, there would be something which, with the Lord's blessing, might be instrumental in strengthening the faith of the children of God, besides being a testimony to the consciences of the unconverted, of the reality of God  This, then, was the primary reason for establishing the Orphan House… The first and primary object of the work was (and still is) that God might be magnified by the fact, that the orphans under my care are provided with all they need, only by prayer and faith without anyone being asked by me or my fellow laborers whereby it may be seen,, that God is faithful still, and hears still."

 

Platt concludes, that Muller lived his life in such a way, that it would be evident to all, Christian and non Christian alike that God is faithful to provide for his people.  "He risked  his life trusting in the greatness of God, and in the end his life made much of the glory of God."

 

Think of some of the great Bible characters, David, Paul, Elijah and any number  of others.  When were they fully alive?  It was when they were most dependent on God.  Spend a few minutes thinking of others.

 

The prayers of "righteous" people, those in right standing with God, through the ages, have accomplished much.  May our prayers be ones to be reckoned with as stated in "The Message" below.

 

"God is faithful and hears prayers still." 
 

Blessings,
Mike
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James 5:13-19 The Message (MSG)

Prayer to Be Reckoned With

 ^13-15Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you've sinned, you'll be forgiven—healed inside and out.

 ^16-18Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't—not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again.

 ^19-20My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God's truth, don't write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God.

 

Verse of the Day 9/19

Psalm 95:1-2  New Living Translation (NLT)   Come, let us sing to the Lord!
      Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
 ² Let us come to him with thanksgiving.
      Let us sing psalms of praise to him.

 

I read this psalm over the weekend and thought it did a good job of bringing together some of the thoughts from last week.  These include God being our Rock and shelter, His faithfulness through all generations, and that His mercy is new and renewed every morning.

 

The first song that we sang in church yesterday was "How Can I Keep from Singing" as recorded by Chris Tomlin.

There is an endless song
Echoes in my soul
I hear the music ring

And though the storms may come
I am holding on
To the rock I cling

I can sing in the troubled times
Sing when I win
I can sing when I lose my step
And fall down again
I can sing 'cause You pick me up
Sing 'cause You're there
I can sing 'cause You hear me, Lord
When I call to You in prayer
I can sing with my last breath
Sing for I know
That I'll sing with the angels
And the saints around the throne

How can I keep from singing Your praise
How can I ever say enough
How amazing is Your love
How can I keep from shouting Your name
I know I am loved by the King
And it makes my heart want to sing

As you start your week, can you identify with any of the lines of this song?  May you know that you are "loved by the King" and May God make your heart want to sing about it today.

In Christ,
Mike

 

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Psalm 95 English Standard Version

Let Us Sing Songs of Praise

 ¹ Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; 
   let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! 
² Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; 
   let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! 
³ For the LORD is a great God, 
   and a great King above all gods. 
⁴ In his hand are the depths of the earth; 
   the heights of the mountains are his also. 
⁵ The sea is his, for he made it, 
   and his hands formed the dry land. 
⁶ Oh come, let us worship and bow down; 
   let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! 
⁷ For he is our God, 
   and we are the people of his pasture, 
   and the sheep of his hand. 

Verse of the Day - weekend 9/17

1 John 4:16 The Message (MSG)  ^13-16This is how we know we're living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He's given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. Also, we've seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God's Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we've embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God.

 

I can't remember a time when so many friends were battling so many illnesses, serious ones.  It seems like my "prayer list" grows day by day.  The response of some to their trials has been amazing.  Their responses shows what "living by faith" means, "living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us" living life from his "very own spirit" through the joys and the pain.  What an example and testimony they are to all around them, believer and unbeliever alike.

 

A good friend of mine's mom recently had serious complications after several surgeries.  She ended up having to be put on a ventilator for a period of time.  Thankfully, she was able to come off of it.  Her first words after they took out the tube and she was able to speak was "God is good".

 

Another friend shared her response to her challenges in life, her own illness, one battling Leukemia, her mom's cancer, a brother in law with a serious infection, a friend's heartache.  She said :

I can't be wife, teacher, curriculum specialist, nurse, mother, grandmother, aunt, friend, program director, mentor. . .
I can't do EVERYTHING I am asking my body to do.

Only GOD can! Whew! Thank GOD HE promises that He will and He can!!!  I am SO grateful!

May we be able to show others that we're we're living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: (because) He's given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit

 

I quoted Augustine a few days ago, his statement fits here as well.  "God's glory is man fully alive."  With Him in us, we can be fully alive when we're in the valley and remain so when we make it through.

 

1 John 4:18 English Standard Version (ESV) ¹⁸There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

Follow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com

Through the Bible - Amos 1-6, John 71 John 4:13-18

 

English Standard Version (ESV)

 ¹³ By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵ Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. ¹⁶So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. ¹⁷By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. ¹⁸There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.

Verse of the Day 9/16

Lamentations 3:24-25 New Living Translation (NLT)

²⁴ I say to myself, "The Lord is my inheritance;
      therefore, I will hope in him!"

 ²⁵ The Lord is good to those who depend on him,
      to those who search for him.

Today's verses come from today's Old Testament reading (below) and  follow some of the strongest words of encouragement found in the Bible and inspired one of the greatest hymns of all time.  These verses came from God through Jeremiah, the weeping prophet.  Out of the depths of his lament of physical and spiritual depression personally and of the nation came these words of hope that endures.

 

Lamentations 3:22-23 English Standard Version (ESV) ²² The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
   his mercies never come to an end; ²³they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

 

The other day I was returning home from a business trip with that feeling kind of down, thinking about things that I had to do that day, but mostly thinking about the many friends facing various trials and in various stages of illness and injury.  Going through the (short) security line an elderly black gentleman came up behind me singing " Great is Thy Faithfulness".  I turned and said "Lamentations 3" which led to a short conversation about our churches and our faith. As I passed through the line and found a seat near the gate my spirit was lifted while I shed a few tears thinking about His faithfulness.

 

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

 

"Great is Thy faithfulness!" "Great is Thy faithfulness!"
  Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—
    "Great is Thy faithfulness," Lord, unto me!

Don't we all need that - pardon for sin, peace that endureth, stability, strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow?  Those who search for it, yearn for it, will find it in Him.

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

Follow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com

Through the Bible - Lamentations 3-5, John 6:45-71

Lamentations 3:19-25

Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹⁹[O Lord] remember [earnestly] my affliction and my misery, my wandering and my outcast state, the wormwood and the gall.

    ²⁰My soul has them continually in remembrance and is bowed down within me.

    ²¹But this I recall and therefore have I hope and expectation:

    ²²It is because of the Lord's mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not.

    ²³They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness.

    ²⁴The Lord is my portion or share, says my living being (my inner self); therefore will I hope in Him and wait expectantly for Him.

    ²⁵The Lord is good to those who wait hopefully and expectantly for Him, to those who seek Him [inquire of and for Him and require Him by right of necessity and on the authority of God's word].

Verse of the Day 9/15

Verse of the Day 9/15

 

Psalm 63 New Living Translation (NLT)

¹ O God, you are my God;
      I earnestly search for you.
   My soul thirsts for you;
      my whole body longs for you
   in this parched and weary land
      where there is no water.

 

David wrote this Psalm while he was in the desert, the wilderness of Judah.  You can picture a lonely, dreary, hot, desolate place, thirsting, with no water in sight.  Sometimes we can feel that we are in a "weary" place when battling illness or any number of life's trials.  David found strength, shelter, comfort and peace in his God.

 

Reading this verse the old hymn "Jesus is a Rock" lyrics came to mind.

 

Jesus is a rock in a weary land
A weary land
A weary land
Jesus is a rock in a weary land
A shelter in the time of storm

Has he ever made a way when you didn't have a dime?
Has he ever stepped in just right on time?
Has he ever picked you up when you were down?
Has he ever placed your feet on solid ground?
Then you know he is a rock in a weary land
A weary land
A weary land
Then you know he is a rock in a weary land
A shelter in the time of storm

 

What is the significance of a large rock in the desert?  It provides shade from the blistering heat of the sun.  It can provide protection from the parched desert wind.  Should there be a storm it provides shelter.  It retains heat providing warmth in the cold desert night.  Sometimes you would find water as David did in Engedi which means "spring of the wild goat", it was an oasis for David when he was being pursued by Saul.

 

Are you weary in need of being lifted up?  Seek Him

 

2 Sam 22:2 "The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
3 The God of my strength, in whom I will trust;  NKJV

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

Follow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Through the Bible - Lamentations 1-2, John 6:22-44

 

Psalm 63  New King James Version (NKJV)  A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

 ¹ O God, You are my God;
         Early will I seek You; 
         My soul thirsts for You; 
         My flesh longs for You 
         In a dry and thirsty land 
         Where there is no water.
 ² So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
         To see Your power and Your glory. 
         
 ³ Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
         My lips shall praise You.
 ⁴ Thus I will bless You while I live;
         I will lift up my hands in Your name.
 ⁵ My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
         And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. 
         
 ⁶ When I remember You on my bed,
         I meditate on You in the night watches.
 ⁷ Because You have been my help,
         Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
 ⁸ My soul follows close behind You;
         Your right hand upholds me.