Verse of the Day 8/21

Through the Bible - Psalms 119:105-176, I Corinthians 7

 

Good morning,

This morning before I started my devotions I read a prayer request from a friend whose niece is battling cancer.  The battle has been going on for some time and continues.

As I read through several passages this morning, they all seemed to relate in some way to what they are going through.

 

First I read in Matthew 9 about Jairus' daughter and his Jairus' faith in approaching Jesus.  John MacArthur pointed out something that I didn't realize before when he wrote, "Jairus' belief that the Lord Jesus could honor his request to revive his daughter from death is especially extraordinary because Jesus had not yet performed a resurrection miracle.  He had performend many healing miracles, but up to this point He had not brought someone back from the dead.  So there was no precedent for such a request, yet Jairus asked in faith." 

 

Do we come to Christ in the same way, or only if there is a precedent?

 

I then read the following in Isaiah 43 which spoke of the nation's deliverance from Egypt.  The parting of the Red Sea on their departue and the holding back the waters of the Jordan when they finally departed the wilderness and headed into the promised land.

 

Isa 43:2 When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.  NLT

 

Many, myself included in and through our families trials, have taken these verses personally.  Jesus has brought us through deep waters and we have not been consumed.

 

I then read Exodus 2 about Moses birth, his being placed in the Niler River, found by Pharoah's daughter, and raised in Pharoah's house as a son.

Ex 2:10 Later, when the boy was older, his mother brought him back to Pharaoh's daughter, who adopted him as her own son. The princess named him Moses, for she explained, "I lifted him out of the water."  NLT

Moses passed through the water as it were, and would end up leading God's people through the waters in delivering them from Pharoah's oppression.

 

1 Cor 1:27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.   NLT

I'm sure there were those, especially of the non believing crowd that would have thought Jairus's actions were foolish.

I'm sure many, if asked about Moses mother being willing to put him in a basket and send him down the Nile river, would have said that it was utter foolishness to do such a thing.  There could be no hope in that.

I'm sure that there were many in Israel that felt that Moses approaching Pharoah was foolish, that it would only lead to more strife, more work, and nothing good.

I'm sure that there were those who thought it was foolish to approach the Jordan river and plan to cross it at flood stage were foolish, even out of their minds to step foot into the river.

But God was working upstream.  He does so in our lives still.

 

We may not find the answers that we hope for, but we have a blessed hope of an eternal future, with bodies made whole, and lives restored if we place our faith and trust in Christ.

 

I'll close with the words of the mother asking for prayer support for her child.  Lift up Wendy, Cameron and family in your prayers today.

 

"I was reminded last night that we rely on God, not the odds.  I spoke to another parent who has been dealing with cancer and the effects of cancer in her son's life for 9 years.  As she said, everything that could go wrong did and now after a sibling bone marrow transplant with a perfect match, her son is waiting for a new liver as a result of the effects of Graft vs. Host disease.  He initially had ALL, "the most treatable leukemia", yet here they are 9 years later.  First I was reminded that ours is not the only story of struggle and second God drew me back to the concept that we do not trust the odds of a cure, but we trust the God of All to lead us through the journey he has planned for us."

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope... and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade... 1 Pet. 1:3 & 4

 

In Christ,
Mike
mikevw@bellsouth.net
 http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
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 Cor 1:20-2:1

 

20 So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world's brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. 21 Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. 22 It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. 23 So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it's all nonsense.

 

24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God's weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

 

26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world's eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. 27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 29 As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

 

30 God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. 31 Therefore, as the Scriptures say, "If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord."   NLT