Verse of the Day 2/29

1 Corinthians 13:7 (AMP)  Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].

 

I ended yesterday's devotional with the chorus to the Steve Green song "Teach Me to Love".  I mentioned that only God can truly teach us to love, but we can teach each other as we imitate Christ and His love as Paul challenges us in 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NKJV) Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.

 

A friend posted the following in his blog "My Silent Scream" yesterday, "You and I can learn to become more loving.  We can teach one another to be more loving.  Only through humbly admitting our unloving side can we really find help, healing, and wholeness.  .... That's what the fear of God does, it allows our brokenness to draw us closer to God in dependence and interdependently closer to other people."    Thanks Scott.

 

For those of us that are married, it starts in our marriages with Christ as our teacher and guide.  Reading the Amplified Bible translation you cannot help but be reminded of wedding vows.  Looking back over your marriage (if you're married) have you been able to "bear up under anything" that has come your way?  Have you and are you ready to believe the best of your spouse and others?  Has it endured everything that the world has thrown at you?

 

If you can say yes, I'd say that your love has hope that is fadeless in all circumstances.  May it endure without weakening.

 

May we all be able to recognize and admit our "unloving side" and find the help, healing and wholeness that we find in the love of Christ.

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

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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 Corinthians 13:4-7 New Living Translation (NLT)

 ⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud ⁵ or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. ⁶ It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. ⁷ Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Verse of the Day 2/28

Verse of the Day 2/28

 

1 Corinthians 13:1 (AMP)   ¹IF I [can] speak in the tongues of men and [even] of angels, but have not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such as is inspired by God's love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

 

In this day and age you don't have to go far to find eloquent speakers, from politicians, conference speakers and even pastors.  All too often we realize that it is easier to give eloquent speeches than to follow through on the promises made during those speeches. 

 

I remember hearing a message from John Maxwell given at a Promise Keepers event several years ago, it stuck with me and comes up time and time again as I read through the scriptures, especially in regards to passages dealing with love and imitating Christ.  He said "nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care."  Loving involves caring.  The Amplified Bible describes that love as "reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion as inspired by God's love for us."  

 

How does God's Word, His love inspire us?    Romans 12:9 to 13 give us 13 challenges about love and how to show it in our lives.  If we put these things in practice with the Spirit's power we won't be a noisy gong or clanging cymbal.  This is the type of love that inspires.

1) Let love be genuine. 2) Abhor what is evil; 3) hold fast to what is good. 10 4) Love one another with brotherly affection. 5) Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 6) Do not be slothful in zeal, 7) be fervent in spirit, 8)serve the Lord. 12 9) Rejoice in hope, 10) be patient in tribulation, 11) be constant in prayer. 13 12) Contribute to the needs of the saints and 13) seek to show hospitality.

This kind of love is not self taught.  Jesus teaches us how to love.

 

Teach Me to Love  (Steve Green)

 

Lord, teach me to love

Show me how to care for others

Cause my should to burn within

For the fellowship of my brother

Only you can break the chains

That have held me for so long

Lord, you're my hope, my only hope

Teach me to love.

 

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

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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 Corinthians 13 The Message (MSG)

The Way of Love

 ¹ If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. ²If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. ^3-7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love. 

Verse of the Day 2/27

1 John 4:9-10 (HCSB) ⁹ God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. ¹⁰ Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

 

For the last few days of February I thought I'd focus these devotionals on love.  Where better can we start than God's love for us in sending His Son, Jesus, for us.  Think about Jesus' life, how he lived, how he loved, how he died, and how he rose again, for us.  This living through Him involves "putting on Christ" as we considered yesterday and living for Him, which will mean living for others.

 

In a sermon on this passage John Piper stated that "the aspect of the new birth that I want us to focus on is the fact that new birth creates the connection between God's love for us and our love for each other. If anyone ever asks,  "How does the fact that God loves you result in your loving others?"  the answer is: The new birth creates that connection. The new birth is the act of the Holy Spirit connecting our dead, selfish hearts with God's living, loving heart so that his life becomes our life and his love becomes our love."

 

How will your life be different today, this week and perhaps for the rest of your life if "his life becomes your life and his love becomes our love"?  May it be our prayer today that God's love may be revealed to us that (as Piper concludes) ,  we may "focus in a fresh way on the love God manifest in sending his Son and in his Son laying down his life to show us what the Father's love is like. And as we focus on the glories of the love of God in Christ, let's pray earnestly that the new birth would be confirmed among us as it creates the connection between God's love for us and our love for each other."

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

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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 John 4:7-12 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Knowing God through Love

 ⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. ¹⁰ Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and His love is perfected in us.

Verse of the Day 2/26

Zechariah 3:4 (HCSB)  "So the Angel of the LORD spoke to those standing before Him, "Take off his filthy clothes!" Then He said to him, "See, I have removed your guilt from you, and I will clothe you with splendid robes."

 

One of the things that my wife Jean makes fun of is that I keep a couple of pairs of old jeans around.  They are heavily stained from doing yard work, getting down in the dirt digging up weeds and spreading mulch.  The best detergents haven't and will not remove these stains.  I wouldn't wear these jeans to church, family get togethers, to work or to go stand before the president.  I would need a change of clothes.

 

Reading this passage this morning reminded me of that and also in our spiritual lives we all have sins.  Nothing we can do on our own can remove those stains. Isaiah 64:6 (NKJV) "But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;"   No amount of good works our own "works of righteousness" can put us back in right standing with God.  We cannot "clean up our act on our own".

 

But if we turn to Christ, seek forgiveness through Him, our guilt can be removed and He will give us "splendid" clothing, suitable to wear in public and before the King of Kings.

 

Colossians 3:8-10(NKJV) ⁸ But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.⁹ Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, ¹⁰ and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

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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

Zechariah 3  New King James Version (NKJV)

Vision of the High Priest

3 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. ² And the Lord said to Satan, "The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?"

³ Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel.

⁴ Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, "Take away the filthy garments from him." And to him He said, "See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes."

⁵ And I said, "Let them put a clean turban on his head."

So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the Lord stood by.

Verse of the Day 2/25

John 15:9 (HCSB) "As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Remain in My love."

 

Most of us, at some time in our childhood, threatened to run away from home.  Chances are it was when we were somewhere between the ages of 5 and 10 and we were upset about something, not getting what we want or upset about the "unfairness" of our parents.  Few of us followed through on it, or at least never made it beyond our block before realizing that we had nowhere to go and no good reason (in reality) to go there.  So we went back to our home and our family.

 

This morning I read about Jonah.  In Jonah chapter 1 I read " But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord."

 

Perhaps there have been times in our faith journey where we have walked or ran away from God for a day, week, or even years or longer (depending on our stubbornness).  When you stop and think about it, it was probably for selfish or even childish reasons.  Perhaps you are in such a place right now.  If so, think about the Father's love, how you've been blessed in the past and what God might have in store for you in the future, starting now.  Hopefully, you want have to be swallowed whole and spit out by the world to come to your senses.  Why would your run and choose to stay away from the "Fount of Every Blessing"?

 

Come, thou Fount of every blessing,  	tune my heart to sing thy grace; 

O to grace how great a debtor  	daily I'm constrained to be!  	Let thy goodness, like a fetter,  	bind my wandering heart to thee.  	Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,  	prone to leave the God I love;  	here's my heart, O take and seal it,  	seal it for thy courts above. 

Don't run away, remain in His love.

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

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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

John 15:9-13 New Living Translation (NLT)

 ⁹ "I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. ¹⁰ When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father's commandments and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! ¹² This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. ¹³ There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends.

Verse of the Day 2/24

Psalm 71:17-18 (NKJV)  O God, You have taught me from my youth
And to this day I declare Your wondrous works.
¹⁸ Now also when I am old and grayheaded,
O God, do not forsake me,
Until I declare Your strength to this generation,
Your power to everyone who is to come.

 

I'm thankful that I was raised in a Christian home where going to church, AWANA Clubs, and getting involved with the youth group were "standard practice".  It was then that I was "planted" in the faith.  But no matter what age you come to Christ, that time can be looked at as your "youth" in Christ.  The point being that we should continue to grow in our faith as long as we live.

 

This morning I woke up with back spasms, a sign of old age, or at least that it is approaching faster than I'd like.  Hopefully, whatever ailments come along I'll be able to "declare His works" to through e-mails, facebook, blogs and whatever new mode of communication comes along.

 

In an article "The Untimely Church" in Tabletalk Magazine, Dr. Harry Reeder writes, "we are called by God's grace to impact the future while anticipating the future but never passively waiting for the future.  Peter affirms this dynamic with his call to live in a way that hastens "the coming of the day of God" (2 Peter 3:12).  He means that in God's sovereign plan, believers impact the future through our gospel faithfulness as we live the gospel in our own generation."  It may be considered untimely by the secular world that encourages us to retire to spend our time playing golf or collecting shells on white sandy beaches.  Our work in declaring His strength to this and coming generations is never done.

 

We may retire at some point from the work force, but we should never retire from passing on our faith to the next generation.  Hopefully, I will be able to see the day when my grandchildren may be willing to receive a "tweet" about God's Word from their grandpa, proving that an old bird can still tweet.

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

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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

Psalm 71:17-21  Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

 ¹⁷ God, You have taught me from my youth, 
and I still proclaim Your wonderful works. 
¹⁸ Even when I am old and gray, 
God, do not abandon me. 
Then I will proclaim Your power 
to another generation, 
Your strength to all who are to come. 
¹⁹ Your righteousness reaches heaven, God, 
You who have done great things; 
God, who is like You? 
²⁰ You caused me to experience 
many troubles and misfortunes, 
but You will revive me again. 
You will bring me up again, 
even from the depths of the earth. 
²¹ You will increase my honor 
and comfort me once again. 

Verse of the Day 2/23

Verse of the Day 2/23

Song of Solomon 2:14 (HCSB) My dove, in the clefts of the rock,
in the crevices of the cliff,  let me see your face,
let me hear your voice;  for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.

I read this verse earlier this morning in my devotional Bible reading.  I don't know how many times I've read it before but this morning it moved me.

One of the first things that attracted me to my wife Jean when we were teenagers was her voice.  The face of a person and the voice are naturally one of the first things you notice when you meet someone.  Should that meeting develop into love you will continue to learn more about them and love will grow between you and that special person.

 

Reading about the clefts of the rock and crevices of the cliff reminded me of the times shared in the difficult times, some of which were like being caught between the proverbial "rock and a hard place".  It is in those times that the sweet voice and face of your love, your soul mate mean the most to you and bring you strength, comfort, hope and shore up your faith when it may be weak.

 

As Christian's, we can thank God for our spouses, may we seek their love, hear their sweet voice in the hard times,  may we also realize that the Lord is also with us in those tight places and seek His face and His help.  May we look to Him and find Him in prayer and in His Word.

 

Psalm 27:7-8 (HCSB)

 ⁷ LORD, hear my voice when I call;
be gracious to me and answer me.
⁸ My heart says this about You,
"You are to seek My face."
LORD, I will seek Your face. 
 

Blessings,
Mike
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Psalm 27:4-8 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

 ⁴ I have asked one thing from the LORD;
it is what I desire:
to dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
gazing on the beauty of the LORD
and seeking Him in His temple.
⁵ For He will conceal me in His shelter
in the day of adversity;
He will hide me under the cover of His tent;
He will set me high on a rock.
⁶ Then my head will be high
above my enemies around me;
I will offer sacrifices in His tent with shouts of joy.
I will sing and make music to the LORD.

 ⁷ LORD, hear my voice when I call;
be gracious to me and answer me.
⁸ My heart says this about You,
"You are to seek My face."
LORD, I will seek Your face.

Verse of the Day 2/22

Verse of the Day 2/22

Genesis 49:24 (HCSB) Yet his bow remained steady,
and his strong  arms were made agile
by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, 
 

This verse was Spurgeon's morning devotional for today where he wrote, "The arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob." Thus God is represented as putting his hands on Joseph's hands, placing his arms on Joseph's arms. Like as a father teaches his children, so the Lord teaches them that fear him. He puts his arms upon them."

 

The picture comes to mind of a father teaching his son to swing a bat, a golf club or a bow, standing behind him, putting his arms around the child and teaching them how to swing or pull the string on the bow.  The child may be shaky at first but the fathers presence instills confidence in the child.  It  is an early stage in the process of "training up a child in the way he should go".

 

As we grow as Christians, Jesus' arms are still around us reaching out to us and teaching as as we go through God's Word  and apply His instructions to our lives, learning to walk as He walked.

 

May it encourage you today to know that the arms and hands of the Mighty One of Jacob are with us today.

 

Blessings,
Mike
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Genesis 49:22-25New Living Translation (NLT)

 ²² "Joseph is the foal of a wild donkey,
      the foal of a wild donkey at a spring—
      one of the wild donkeys on the ridge.^[a]
 23 Archers attacked him savagely;
      they shot at him and harassed him.
 ²⁴ But his bow remained taut,
      and his arms were strengthened
   by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
      by the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.
 ²⁵ May the God of your father help you;
      may the Almighty bless you
   with the blessings of the heavens above

Verse of the Day 2/21

Philippians 1:9-10 (ESV) And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰ so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

 

We're already in the middle of the political campaign season and from now through the elections in November, if we are watching any TV we will see a political add which ends with the statement "and I approve of this message".  John MacArthur notes that "approved" in classical Greek described the testing of metals or money for authenticity and that "excellent means to "differ".  The politicians will often try to promote themselves as being different from the other candidates, often in the area of personal experience as being tested and having shown themselves to be authentic, willing to stand for what they believe in.

 

The word blameless here characterizes a consistent life that doesn't lead others astray. Combined with being approved and being authentic you have the qualities of what should describe a true follower of Christ.  We would like to see such thngs in our political candidates, but how much more do we need to see them in our homes, churches, our workplace and the communities in which we live and serve?

 

If we do so, something else should show, that our love abounds, or overflows.  Whenever I think of this abounding and overflowing I think back to Psalm 23:5 "You prepare a feast for me
in the presence of my enemies.  You honor me by anointing my head with oil.  My cup overflows with blessings. "NLT

 

What difference would there be in our lives if our cups overflowed with blessings, even in the presence of our "enemies"?  What would we think of the political candidate who chose to distribute blessings as opposed to slinging mud?  May we do our best to abound with discernment in our lives and not get caught up in the fray.

In Christ,
Mike

 

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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

 

Philippians 1:3-11 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

 ³ I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, ⁴ always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, ⁵because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁶ I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. ⁷ It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart, and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and establishment of the gospel. ⁸ For God is my witness, how deeply I miss all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. ⁹ And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, ¹⁰ so that you can approve the things that are superior and can be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, ¹¹ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

Verse of the Day 2/20

1 Samuel 3:10 (ESV)  And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant hears."

 

Chapter 3 in 1 Samuel begins with "The word of the Lord was rare and precious in those days; there was no frequent or widely spread vision." (v.1).  I'm sure that there were those who were practicing their religion, but a true "word of the Lord" was rare and even more rare were those who actually listened and obey.

 

The word "hears" literally means to hear with interest or to hear so as to obey.

 

The Word of the Lord may not appear to be rare today with all the churches and mega churches around the country as well as TV and radio broadcasts.  But how much true "hearing" is going on?  How much listening with interest to that we may obey and apply what we learn in our lives or homes and communities?

 

Has the Lord been calling you to do something in your life?  Are you hearing or discounting it? 

 

As you read or hear from His word today.  May that be our prayer, "speak, for your servant hears".

 

Word of God Speak - Mercy Me

 

I'm finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it's okay
The last thing I need is to be heard
But to hear what You would say

[Chorus:]
Word of God speak
Would you pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your majesty
To be still and know
That you're in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In your holiness 
Word of God speak

 

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

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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 Samuel 3:8-10 New Living Translation (NLT)

⁸ So the LORD called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. "Here I am. Did you call me?"

   Then Eli realized it was the LORD who was calling the boy. ⁹ So he said to Samuel, "Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, 'Speak, LORD, your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went back to bed.

 ¹⁰ And the LORD came and called as before, "Samuel! Samuel!"

   And Samuel replied, "Speak, your servant is listening."

Verse of the Day 2/18

Ephesians 5:17 (AMP) Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is.

 

The "sands" of time seem to slip through our fingers so quickly and easily.  Day, weeks and years go by before we realize it.  We started the week considering how we should "number our days", which came out of Pastor Bob's "Warning Track" series.   We get off track when our goal, plans and priorities are focused on the "vain" things of life.  In the pursuit of temporary pleasures, precious things are sacrificed.   We end up doing thoughtless, careless and foolish things no matter how talented we are. The headlines this week serve as a glaring reminder of this.

 

The verse reminds us that we should have a firm grasp of what the will of the Lord is.  Among other things, we should be able to grasp through scripture that our lives should be Spirit filled, set apart, submissive, willing to suffer, thankful, in our relationships with God and others.

 

Verse 15 tells us  "Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people), (AMP).  You might say, we are to live "with eyes wide open" bringing a message of life and hope.  Read the words to the Casting Crowns song "The Word is Alive". 

 

Looking out from His throne
The Father of light and of men
Chose to make Himself known
Show us the way back to Him

Speaking wisdom and truth
Into the hearts of peasants and kings
He began to unveil
The word that would change the course of all things

With eyes wide open 
All would see

The Word is Alive
And it cuts like a sword through the darkness
With a message of life to the hopeless
And afraid
Breathing life into all who believe

The Word is Alive
And the world and its glories will fail
But His truth it will not pass away
It remains yesterday and forever the same
The Word is Alive

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

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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

 

Ephesians 5:15-17 Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹⁵Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people),

    ¹⁶Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil.

    ¹⁷Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is.