Verse of the Day 5/13

Verse of the Day 5/13

John 3:30

English Standard Version

30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Good morning!  Today's verse came up in my read through the Bible plan that I follow in John chapter 3. It is probably one of the easiest verses in the Bible to memonrize, but also one of the most difficult ones to apply. It was my late wie Jean's life verse and she took it to heart and applied it right up to her final day.  She had been against tatoos all of her life, but in her final month, she had one applied.  She applied this verse to her life and to her arm, "He must increase I must decrease" in symble form facing away from her on her foreare so any one sitting near from her, drawing blood, applying a blood pressure cuff  or just sitting and having conversation with her would see it and ask her about it giving reason to share her faith and belief in eternal life through Jesus Christ.

John 3:15-16

English Standard Version

15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.[a]

16 “For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

He came that so whoever believed in Him would have eternal life.

John MacArthur writes:  Eternal life refers not only to eternal quantity but divine quality of life. It means literally “life of the age to come” and refers therefore to resurrection and heavenly existence in perfect glory and holiness. This life for believers in the Lord Jesus is experienced before heaven is reached. This “eternal life” is in essence nothing less than participation in the eternal life of the Living Word, Jesus Christ. It is the life of God in every believer, yet not fully manifest until the resurrection (Rom. 8:19–23; Phil. 3:20, 21).

Read and consider the verse again.  Will you apply it to your life today?  It doesn't need to be a tattoo, stamping His image on our hearts will be enough.

For Jean:

1 O to be like Thee! Blessed Redeemer,
this is my constant longing and prayer;
gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Refrain:
Oh! to be like Thee! O to be like Thee,
blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art!
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

2 O to be like Thee! Full of compassion,
loving, forgiving, tender, and kind;
helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
seeking the wand’ring sinner to find. [Refrain]

3 O to be like Thee! Lowly in spirit,
holy and harmless, patient, and brave;
meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
willing to suffer, others to save. [Refrain]

4 O to be like Thee! Lord, I am coming
now to receive th’anointing divine;
all that I am and have I am bringing,
Lord, from this moment all shall be Thine. [Refrain]

5 O to be like Thee! While I am pleading,
pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
fit me for life and heaven above.

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

John 3:22-30

English Standard Version

John the Baptist Exalts Christ

22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (for John had not yet been put in prison).

25 Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” 27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Verse of the Day 5/10

Verse of the Day 5/10

Malachi 4:2

English Standard Version

2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers, grandmothers and mothers to be that will read this!

This is the first Mother's Day since my wife Jean passed away late last May. I know that she is in the presence of the Lord today and though my heart is heavy, I praise the Lord for her, the mom and wife that she was and whose legacy leaves and indelible mark on anyone that truly knew her.

This morning as I was preparing the final Bible Study of trhe year for my men's Bible study I read through Malachi, the last word from God through His prophets for 400 years until John the Baptist came followed by Jesus. His address, his message from God to his readers began with "I have loved you."  (Malachi 1:2) That hit me like a ton of bricks.  When Jean passed her cancer robber her ofd the opportunity of uttering final words, but if she would have been able to, I'm sure that they would have been something similar.  She loved me, our kids, grandkids, family friends and strangers.

In today's verse God said, "for you who fear my name,the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in it's wings". True healing comes only from One place, only God can truly heal.  For those ofthers of you who have recently lost someone close.  Turn to God, not from Him, for healing and life.

Charles Spurgeon writes:

Jesus, like the sun, is . . .

  the center and soul of all things,

  the fullness of all good,

  the lamp that lights us,

  the fire that warms us,

  the magnet that guides and controls us.

Jesus is the source and fountain of all . . .

  life,

  beauty,

  fruitfulness,

  and strength.

As you say goodbye this afternoon to mom's, family and friends.  Let them know that you love them.  Let God know that you love Him. He said it first "I have loved 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

Malachi 4

English Standard Version

The Great Day of the Lord

4 [a] “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts.

4 “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules[b] that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.

5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”