Verse of the Day 9/20

Through the Bible - Song of Solomon 1-3, Galatians 1

 

Good morning,

Our men's small group is going through the book "The Same Kind of Different as Me". Its not your ordinary "study" book but has led to some great conversations.  This morning one of the topics was "what do we strive for".  We are all "striving" for something.  It could be fame, fortune, fast cars, or any number of pleasures.

For today's verse we'll go to Colossians chapter one where Paul prays for the church and for us -

Colossians 1:10 (Amplified Bible) That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God [with fuller, deeper, and clearer insight, acquaintance, and recognition].

The discussion reminded me of the hymn "Living for Jesus".

 

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. Refrain: 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. Living for Jesus Who died in my place, Bearing on Calv'ry my sin and disgrace; Such love constrains me to answer His call, Follow His leading and give Him my all.   Living for Jesus through earth's little while, My dearest treasure, the light of His smile; Seeking the lost ones He died to redeem, Bringing the weary to find rest in Him.

Consider what it means to "strive" to please Him.  It is not legalism and it is not serving for our own interest and glory.  In fact striving to please Him may "break some rules" something that Jesus knew about in His dealings with the Pharisee's.

May we have and cultivate a  fuller, deeper, and clearer insight, acquaintance, and recognition of His will for our lives.

Blessings,

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

Paul's Thanksgiving and Prayer

Colossians 1:3 We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁴ For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God's people, ⁵ which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News.

 ⁶ This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God's wonderful grace.

 ⁷ You learned about the Good News from Epaphras, our beloved co-worker. He is Christ's faithful servant, and he is helping us on your behalf. ⁸ He has told us about the love for others that the Holy Spirit has given you.

 ⁹ So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. ¹⁰ Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.