Verse of the Day 11/24

Verse of the Day 11/24

Psalm 95:1-2

Holman Christian Standard Bible

1 Come, let us shout joyfully to the Lord,

shout triumphantly to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us enter His presence with thanksgiving;
let us shout triumphantly to Him in song.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  Here in the United States, today is a day that is set aside to give thanks for all the blessings that we have here in this ccuntry. As Christians our thanks begin with thanks to the Lord, the Creator of all that is and all that we have.

I pray that you'll have a blessed time gathering today with family and friends.  As you sit around the dinner table, take some time to verbally give thanks for a blessing from this year and ask the Lord's blessing upon the coming year and the coming Christmas season and celebration. 

Part of giving thanks is giving praise.  I'll close with the doxology, a hymn of praise and thanksgiving, praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow  Praise Him, all creatures here below  Praise Him above the Heavenly host  Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost  

Praise God the Father who's the source,

Praise God the Son who is the course,

Praise God the Spirit who's the flow,

Praise God, our portion here below!

Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen  

Blessings,

Mike

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

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

Psalm 95 :1-7

1 Come, let us shout joyfully to the Lord,
shout triumphantly to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us enter His presence with thanksgiving;
let us shout triumphantly to Him in song.

3 For the Lord is a great God,
a great King above all gods.
4 The depths of the earth are in His hand,
and the mountain peaks are His.
5 The sea is His; He made it.
His hands formed the dry land.

6 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,
the sheep under His care.[a]

Verse of the Day 11/23

Verse of the Day 11/23

1 Thessalonians 5:15-18   

Holman Christian Standard Bible

15 See to it that no one repays evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.

16 Rejoice always!
17 Pray constantly.
18 Give thanks in everything,
for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Most Christians at some point have probably asked about the Lord's will for their lives, usually, it is in regards to a specific thing. Today's verses can be read in general terms what God's will for our lives is.  Verse 18 above ends with "for this is God's will for you".  The "for" in this verse points back to what has just been said by the apostle.

Paul lists 4 things that we should be doing regularly in our lives, 4 things that are God's will for us.

 1)We are to pursue good, literaly chase after it, strive to achieve good

 2) Rejoice always. Not just on good days, but always, in good times and in bad, actively find something to rejoice about.

 3) Pray constantly.  Every day, In all of the circumstances above. Be a prayerful person.

 4) Give thanks in everything.  Let that sink in.  We are to be thankful person.

Look at the "tense" of these actions, always, always, constantly, and in everything.

Now, go back and think of that question again, and ask"what is God's will for me".  If we are taking care of it in general terms, the specifics will likely fall in place.

Give thanks with a grateful heart (with a grateful heart)
Give thanks to the Holy One (to the Holy One)
Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son

And now let the weak say, "I am strong"
Let the poor say, "I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us"
And now let the weak say, "I am strong"
Let the poor say, "I am rich (I am rich)
Because of what the Lord has done for us"

Give thanks
We give thanks to You.

Blessings,

Mike

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

Ephesians 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 Thessalonians 5:12-22

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Exhortations and Blessings

12 Now we ask you, brothers, to give recognition to those who labor among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to regard them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we exhort you, brothers: warn those who are irresponsible,[a] comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 See to it that no one repays evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.

16 Rejoice always!
17 Pray constantly.
18 Give thanks in everything,
for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Don't stifle the Spirit.
20 Don't despise prophecies,
21 but test all things.
Hold on to what is good.
22 Stay away from every kind of evil.

Verse of the Day 1/21

Verse of the Day 1/21

2 Thessalonians 3:16

Holman Christian Standard Bible

16 May the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

I read this verse this morning and thought that it would be a good one to start off this week of Thanksgiving.  Peace is something that goes, or at least should go, with thanksgiving.  It is not something that comes naturally but as the verse starts out, "may the Lord of peace himself give you peace."

We can have this peace amidst trying circumstances when we see and realize the glory and majesty of God.  Hymns bring this to mind as do many passages that will come up when we spend time regularly in God's Word.  We sang the following song "Gratitude" by Brandon Lake in church yesterday.  It shows the attitude of heart that can receives this peace.

So I throw up my hands
And praise You again and again
'Cause all that I have is a
Hallelujah, hallelujah
And I know it's not much
But I've nothing else fit for a king
Except for a heart singing
Hallelujah, hallelujah

I've got one response
I've got just one move
With my arms stretched wide
I will worship You

Paul closes this book with the following, while peace is not specifically mentioned, it is at the heart of these words.

2 Thessalonians 3:18. Holman Christian Standard Bible

18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.

May His grace and His peace be with you this week of Thanksgiving.

Blessings,

Mike

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

Ephesians 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 Thessalonians 3:16-18

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Final Greetings

16 May the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with all of you. 17 This greeting is in my own hand—Paul. This is a sign in every letter; this is how I write. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.

Verse of the Day 11/17

Verse of the Day 11/17

Hebrews 10:24-25

New International Version

24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

With the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic many churches were forced to forego their regular services for a time and many turned to online services.  It helped people stay connected to a point and still worship together in spirit, from their homes.  Things have pretty much gotten back to "normal" but not all have comne back to worship in church.  They have found it too easy to watch their church services online with their coffee; sitting in their pajamas than to drag themselves to church.

Today's verses are probably familiar to most of us, the author speaks of how we should "spur one another on", it is hard to do so if we are not with them.  Verse 24 begins with "let us consider how", it takes some forethought, and part of that forethought will be that we can't encourage one another, challenge one another, os sing praise together if we are not together.  But even if we are worshipping together in church, we shouldn't be going there aimlessly, we should consider how in being there we may spur or stir someone on to love and good deeds.

John Piper writes, "It is crystal clear in the Bible, including this text, that God means for us to aim consciously at something significant in our days.....God's revealed will for you is that when you get up in the morning, you don't drift aimlessly through the day letting mere circumstances alone dictate what you do, but that you aim at something — that you focus on a certain kind of purpose.......Aimlessness is akin to lifelessness. Dead leaves in the back yard may move around more than anything else — more than the dog, more than the children. The wind blows this way, they go this way. The wind blows that way, they go that way. They tumble, they bounce, they skip, they press against a fence, but they have no aim whatsoever. They are full of motion and empty of life. "

This is not only something for Sunday, but every day that ends in the letter Y.  The verses get to the bottom of what it means to be considerate, take some time to think about it and act upoon it.

We gather together
to ask the Lord's blessing;
he chastens and hastens
his will to make known.
The wicked oppressing
now cease from distressing.
Sing praises to his name,
he forgets not his own.

Beside us to guide us,
our God with us joining,
ordaining, maintaining
his kingdom divine;
so from the beginning
the fight we were winning;
thou, Lord, wast at our side,
all glory be thine!

Blessings,

Mike

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

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

Hebrews 10:23-25

New International Version

23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Verse of the Day 11/11

Verse of the Day 11/11

Colossians 1:3-4

Holman Christian Standard Bible

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints

Thanksgiving is fast approaching and today's verses serve as a reminder of one of the things that we should be thankful for, fellow Christians especially those who have modeled faith and come along side us to pray for and support us in times of need.

My hope is that as you read these verses and perhaps the short passage below, that you would look back in your life and choose someone, or perhaps several brothers or sisters in Christ who have made an impact in your life by the "love they have for all the saints."  I would encourage you to go a step further, reach out to them, it could be a note, a phone call or in today's technology of a text message, facebook post or other way.  Let them know that you thank the Lord for them.  In doing so, you may be returning the favor and be a channel of blessing.

Out in the highways and byways of life,   Many are weary and sad; Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife,   Making the sorrowing glad.
	Make me a blessing, make me a blessing, Out of my life may Jesus shine; Make me a blessing, O Savior, I pray,   Make me a blessing to someone today.

Blessings,

Mike

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

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

Colossians 1:3-8

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Thanksgiving

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints 5 because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You have already heard about this hope in the message of truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day you heard it and recognized God's grace in the truth.[a] 7 You learned this from Epaphras, our dearly loved fellow slave. He is a faithful servant of the Messiah on your behalf, 8 and he has told us about your love in the Spirit.

Verse of the Day 11/10

Verse of the Day 11/10

Psalm 24:3-4

Holman Christian Standard Bible

3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?

Who may stand in His holy place?
4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who has not set his mind on what is false,
and who has not sworn deceitfully.

Today's verses came up in my daily readings in the Psalms. Reading the words "the mountain of the Lord" gave me pause.  I love the mountains and enjoy driving in them and often pull over at the "scenic overlook" stops.  There is something about the mountains, the clouds, the sky of those vistas that just makes me glory in the God who created all of this.  Then imagine a mountain in the heavenly kingdom, how awesome that must be, I know that I want to be there.  The verses ask the questions "who may ascend" and "who may stand" in this holy place.  The psalmist also give the answer, theirs whose hearts are set on God and desire to follow with a purified heart,

These thoughts bring me to one of my favorite quotes from Jonathan Edwards and the distant view of God:

"As grace increases the field opens more and more to a distant view, until the soul is swallowed up with the vastness of the object, and the person is astonished to think how much it becomes him to love his God and this glorious Redeemer that has so loved man."- Jonathan Edwards -

We are allowed to stand on that mountain by the love and grace of God.  These thoughts brought me to the Third Day song "Mountain of God". It won't be easy but life's journey following after God is worth it.

Thought that I was all alone
Broken and afraid
But You were there with me
Yes, You were there with me

And I didn't even know
That I had lost my way
But You were there with me
Yes, You were there with me

'Til You opened up my eyes
I never knew
That I couldn't ever make it
Without You

Even though the journey's long
And I know the road is hard
Well, the One who's gone before me
He will help me carry on
After all that I've been through
Now I realize the truth
That I must go through the valley
To stand upon the mountain of God

Blessings,

Mike

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

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

Psalm 24

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Psalm 24

The King of Glory

A Davidic psalm.

1 The earth and everything in it,
the world and its inhabitants,
belong to the Lord;
2 for He laid its foundation on the seas
and established it on the rivers.

3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in His holy place?
4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who has not set his mind[a] on what is false,
and who has not sworn deceitfully.
5 He will receive blessing from the Lord,
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek Him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Selah

7 Lift up your heads, you gates!
Rise up, ancient doors!
Then the King of glory will come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, you gates!
Rise up, ancient doors!
Then the King of glory will come in.
10 Who is He, this King of glory?
The Lord of Hosts,
He is the King of glory.Selah