Verse of the Day 7/31

Verse of the Day 7/31

1 Thes. 4:13-14 The Message

13-14 And regarding the question, friends, that has come up about what happens to those already dead and buried, we don’t want you in the dark any longer. First off, you must not carry on over them like people who have nothing to look forward to, as if the grave were the last word. Since Jesus died and broke loose from the grave, God will most certainly bring back to life those who died in Jesus.

Today’s verses came up in my read through the New Testament plan. Paul speaks of Christ and tells us that the dead in Christ, believers who have gone before us being raised first.  But what caught my attention in The Message was the reminder that we all have something to look forward to, new life in Christ for eternity and being joined with those who have gone before us.

What caught my attention this morning in The Message paraphrase was the thought that we all have something to look forward to. No matter what happens here on earth now, it is not the end, Jesus is coming again and we have this living hope. We, unlike the unbelievers whom the NIV says have no hope, have this hope as an anchor for our souls.

Chuck Swindoll writes, “When we are overworked and exhausted, hope gives us fresh energy. When we are discouraged, hope lifts our spirits. When we are tempted to quit, hope keeps us going… When we fear for the worst, hope brings reminders that God is still in control.” This all applies to us that are grieving as well. We still have hope.

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus Christ, my righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

 

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand,

  All other ground is sinking sand.

2

When darkness veils His lovely face,

I rest on His unchanging grace;

In every high and stormy gale,

My anchor holds within the veil.

3

His oath, His covenant, His blood,

Support me in the whelming flood;

When all around my soul gives way,

He then is all my hope and stay.

4

When He shall come with trumpet sound,

Oh, may I then in Him be found;

In Him, my righteousness, alone,

Faultless to stand before the throne.

Encourage each other with these words.

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 4:13-18

New International Version

Believers Who Have Died

13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Verse of the Day 7/30

Verse of the Day 7/30

Psalm 51:13-15

The Message

God, make a fresh start in me,

    shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
Don’t throw me out with the trash,
    or fail to breathe holiness in me.
Bring me back from gray exile,
    put a fresh wind in my sails!
Give me a job teaching rebels your ways
    so the lost can find their way home.
Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God,
    and I’ll sing anthems to your life-giving ways.
Unbutton my lips, dear God;

    I’ll let loose with your praise.

Psalm 51 records David's repentance after his adultery with Bathsheba.  He had hit rock bottom and came to the Lord for forgiveness and healing and restoration.

This is another passage the reads differently after going through great loss.  The Message has David asking to be brought back from "gray exile".  Grief and other heartaches in life can lead to that "gray" feeling.  No sunshine or breaks in the cloiuds visible on the horizon.  Still David holds onto hope.  He prays "create in me a clean heart"m for a "Genesis work"  (The Message) to be done in his life, but it is not just for his benefit, he wants to be able to sing God's praise again and to be able to teach others, that they might learn of God's ways that lead to life.

The prayers come from hitting rock bottom, being crushed like mortar.  But stop and think,  What is mortar used for, it is for building up, holding bricks of a building or a wall together. That;s where faith comes in, it is faith that God usess to build us up.  It has been for ages.

When I close my eyes, I can see Your glory
When I raise my hands, I can touch Your face
When I bow my knees, I stand before You
And Christ is formed me

(chorus)
Awake my soul, prepare an entrance for Your glory
And let my heart become a throne for You to dwell
And when I need Your Holy Spirit more than life itself
Then Christ is formed in me

When I lose myself, I reflect Your image
When I break, I break my will, then I am whole
When I give, give my all, I find life everlasting
Then Christ is formed in me                             (Awake My Soul - Philips, Craig and Dean)

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 51:7-15

New International Version

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
    and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
    so that sinners will turn back to you.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
    you who are God my Savior,
    and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 Open my lips, Lord,
    and my mouth will declare your praise.

Verse of the Day 7/29

Verse of the Day 7/29

2 Corinthians 5:6-8

The Message

6-8 That’s why we live with such good cheer. You won’t see us drooping our heads or dragging our feet! Cramped conditions here don’t get us down. They only remind us of the spacious living conditions ahead. It’s what we trust in but don’t yet see that keeps us going. Do you suppose a few ruts in the road or rocks in the path are going to stop us? When the time comes, we’ll be plenty ready to exchange exile for homecoming.

The events in our lives can change our perspective on things and can change how we interpret things. Reading through the Bible this past year while going through the grieving process of losing my wife Jean to cancer has done so. It has caused me to look at faith differently, to look at what hope is differently and i'm sure that I'll understand a lof of things differently from this point on.

We are probably more familiar with this passage from 2 Corinthians 5 from other translations and the words from verse 7 "For we live by faith, not by sight."

What struck me from The Message paraphrase this morning was "It’s what we trust in but don’t yet see that keeps us going. Do you suppose a few ruts in the road or rocks in the path are going to stop us? When the time comes, we’ll be plenty ready to exchange exile for homecoming."  

Looking back over this past year I could see where this has been the case.  It is faith, who I trust in, Jesus, that has truly kept me going, trusting in what I did not see but believing in what God has in store for me here and for eternity that has kept me going.

Pastor John Piper writes, "(Paul) 2 Corinthians 5:7, he says, “We walk by faith, not by sight.” This doesn’t mean that he leaps into the dark without evidence of what’s there. It means that for now the most precious and important realities in the world are beyond our physical senses. We “look” at these unseen things through the gospel. We strengthen our hearts — we renew our courage — by fixing our gaze on the invisible, objective truth that we see in the testimony of those who saw Christ face to face. "

Until we see HIm face to face, we live by faith, we live by grace.

lessings,

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 Corinthians 5:1-8

New International Version

Awaiting the New Body

5 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

Verse of the Day 7:27

Verse of the Day 7?27

Hebrews 11:6

English Standard Version

6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Today's verse came up in my devotions the other day and it made me stop and consider the importance of faith.  Hebrews 11 was in my daily read through the Bible plan years ago on what would end up being one of the most difficult days of my life.  It is where we find the"Hall of Faith", going back through the Old Testament and those who lived their livers by faith.  Instead of being a negative thing, reminding me of that day, it is an anchor for my soul, reminding me of what God has done and will continuue to do each day in my life, good, bad or just the average day.

If we want to please God, if we want to worship Him properly, it is done on the basis of faith and trust in Him.

C. S. Lewis defined faith as “the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods.” Faith is not a spiritual mood or an emotional state. It may influence our emotions, but faith is ultimately a conviction. (from a Today in the Word Devotional).

Go back and read through the passage (posted below). Faith is a conviction, a resolve to believe and to trust.  Are you convinced that God is who He says He is?  Faith is trusting that He is.

1. Come, every soul by sin oppressed, there's mercy with the Lord; and he will surely give you rest, by trusting in his Word. Refrain: Only trust him, only trust him, only trust him now. He will save you, he will save you, he will save you now. 2. For Jesus shed his precious blood rich blessings to bestow; plunge now into the crimson flood that washes bright as snow. (Refrain) 3. Yes, Jesus is the truth the way that leads you into rest; believe in him without delay, and you are fully blest. (Refrain) 4. Come then and join this holy band, and on to glory go, to dwell in that celestial land where joys immortal flow.

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 11:1-6

English Standard Version

By Faith

11 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Verse of the Day 7/24



Verse of the Day 7/24

Philippians 3:1

New Living Translation

The Priceless Value of Knowing Christ

3 Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters,[a] rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.

Today’s verse came up in my read through the Bible plan.  It tells us, “whatever happens” to rejoice in the Lord.  When we read this we probably realize that it is easier said than done. But what Paul says at the end of the verse points out the importance for us in doing so, in making this a practice all the days of our lives.  In good times and in bad we can find something to be thankful for, to praise God for and in doing so we are “safeguarding” our faith.

What it does for us is to keep us trusting, keep us holding on and to give us hope for the future, or I should say for the present and future.  We will then be able to look back and see that we have “learned” to trust in Jesus and learned to trust in God.

I've had many tears and sorrows
I've had questions for tomorrow
There's been times I didn't know right from wrong
But in every situation
God gave me blessed consolation
That my trials came to only make me strong

[Verse 2]
I've been to lots of places
I've seen a lot of faces
But there were times that I felt so all alone
But in my lonely hours
Yes, those precious lonely hours
Jesus lets me know that I was His own
That's the reason I say

[Chorus]
Through it all
Mm, Through it all
I've learned to trust in Jesus
I've learned to trust in God
Let me tell you that

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

Philippians 3:1-4

New Living Translation

The Priceless Value of Knowing Christ

3 Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters,[a] rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.

2 Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved. 3 For we who worship by the Spirit of God[b] are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort, 4 though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more!

Sent from my iPad

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.”