Verse of the Day 2/20

Hebrews 12:1-2Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  New International Version (NIV)

Today's verses are some of my favorites in the book of Hebrews and in the Bible.  It begins with "therefore" which points back to chapter 11 and the great "Hall of Faith".  The people described in that chapter are among the 'witnesses" spoken of here.

Yesterday we considered from Hebrews 4 how we are called and challenged to "boldly approach the throne of grace" to find help in time of need.  The list of God followers outlined in Hebrews 11 were those who did just that, they approached God, opened their hearts to Him at all times, in all circumstances in life.  They looked to God as we are to look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

Reading the verses today and as I read the words "fixing our eyes" the song "Fix My Eyes" by King and Country came to mind. The chorus gives a description of the mind set of those heroes of the faith in Hebrews 11 and today and serve as a challenge for us.

Love like I'm not scared
Give when it's not fair
Live life for another
Take time for a brother
Fight for the weak ones
Speak out for freedom 
Find faith in the battle
Stand tall but above it all
Fix my eyes on You
On You

The heading for the passage in The Message is "Discipline in a Long Distance Race".  The Christian life of faith requires that we fix our eyes on the author and finisher of our faith for the strength and wisdom to "find faith in the battle and to stand tall above it all as we live, take time for, fight for, and speak out for one another.

Where will we fix our gaze today?

Blessings,
Mike
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Hebrews 12:1-3The Message (MSG)

Discipline in a Long-Distance Race

12 ^1-3 Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. Thatwill shoot adrenaline into your souls!

Verse of the Day 2/19

Hebrews 4:15-16 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time. Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

I've read today's verses dozens of times and most often have focused on verse 16 in regards to "boldly approaching the throne of grace" in times of need.  It is a good thing to remember and something that we should do.  However, it is another one of those verses that begins with "therefore", so we need to look back and see what it is there fore.  In this instance we don't have to go back very far.  Verse 15 tells us of our high priest, Jesus who was tested in every way and was without sin.

The One who was without sin was willing to take on the punishment for our sin out of love for us.  That is why can approach boldly.  But what should that mean to us?  We should approach God boldly from a heart that is committed to Him, realizing that He is in control.  We should come with a contrite heart such as David's in Psalm 51, with a repentant heart that desires to follow Him more closely.

Those times that we approach boldly are often in times of trial and we have choices in them.  Greg Laurie writes, "Here is your choice in life; you can become bitter or better.  It is usually one or the other.  When something bad happens, you can say, "I am mad at God.  I am bitter with God." Okay.  That is your choice.  But you can also say "I am going to trust in God.  I am going to cling to God.  And you will become better as a result.  It is really up to you."

The call, the challenge is to boldly approach the throne of grace, trusting that you will become better.  Don't try to go it on your own, "take the mercy, accept the help."  (The Message)

Blessings,
Mike
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Hebrews 4:14-16The Message (MSG)

The High Priest Who Cried Out in Pain

^14-16 Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let's not let it slip through our fingers. We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.

Verse of the Day 2/18

 

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. ¹⁴ Let all that you do be done in love. English Standard Version (ESV)

 

Much of the southeastern US has been hit with a combination of rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow in the last couple of days followed by sub-freezing temperatures.  People have been asked not to venture out if they don't need to for fear of accidents on the roads and slips and falls along sidewalks and parking lots.  With all of the ice and the thawing and  refreezing it is hard to maintain a firm footing when out and about, it is very easy to slip and fall.

 

Football players have been known to carry different length cleats depending on what the field conditions are on any given Sunday.  They'll have the extras on hand should field conditions change.  An offensive lineman without cleats wouldn't stand a chance against on oncoming defensive lineman who was properly equipped.  The cleats dig into the turf and give leverage against the opponent.

 

If we are to take our stand, to have firm footing to our faith, to stand against what the opposition is throwing at us, we need to have a firm foundation, firm footing in the Word of God, and apply it in our lives.  Not applying His Word would be like the football player who has the proper cleats but doesn't bother to put them on.

 

Max Lucado writes, "God wants us to stand against sin.  Sometimes we must do it all by ourselves, but it is always easier to stand with others.  But if you must go it alone, remember that you have been saved by Him  and that He is all you need."

 

May we be watchful and alert as we stand amidst changing conditions with others in the faith, but if we're in situations where we must go it alone, lets be prepared to stand, with a firm footing and do it in love.

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

Follow the Verse of the Day blog at 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 Corinthians 16:12-14The Message (MSG)

¹² About our friend Apollos, I've done my best to get him to pay you a visit, but haven't talked him into it yet. He doesn't think this is the right time. But there will be a "right time."

^13-14 Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions, give it all you've got, be resolute, and love without stopping.

Verse of the Day 2/17

 

Psalm 119:17-18 Deal bountifully with Your servant, that I may live; and I will observe Your word [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it].

¹⁸ Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law. Amplified Bible (AMP)

 

 

Due to the inclement weather, our community Bible reading group was not able to meet last night, but today's verses were a reflection on what should be in our hearts and minds as we read through God's Word whether or not we can get together.    In this passage we have the psalmist's prayer that God would reveal Himself in His Word.  I like how the Amplified Bible describes it, observing God's Word involves "hearing, receiving, loving and obeying it."

 

There are times in our lives when it seem like we're stumbling along in the dark.  Bumping into things and figuratively stubbing our toes or worse because we're not paying enough attention to where we are or where we are going.  God's Word is there to guide us, to help us navigate through those times if only we would "observe" as described above. 

 

The call, the prayer is actually for God, through His Word to be "our vision".  Take a minute our two and read along or sing out loud the words to the old hymn that rings true and that thankfully, we still sing in our church services.

 

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul's Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven's joys, O bright Heaven's Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Read also the passage in Psalm 119 from The Message (below).  God will be generous to those who feel "soul starved, hungry, ravenous, with an insatiable appetite for His Word.

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

Follow the Verse of the Day blog at 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

Psalm 119:17-24The Message (MSG)

^17-24 Be generous with me and I'll live a full life;
    not for a minute will I take my eyes off your road.
Open my eyes so I can see
    what you show me of your miracle-wonders.
I'm a stranger in these parts;
    give me clear directions.
My soul is starved and hungry, ravenous!—
    insatiable for your nourishing commands.
And those who think they know so much,
    ignoring everything you tell them—let them have it!
Don't let them mock and humiliate me;
    I've been careful to do just what you said.
While bad neighbors maliciously gossip about me,
    I'm absorbed in pondering your wise counsel.
Yes, your sayings on life are what give me delight;
    I listen to them as to good neighbors!

Verse of the Day 2/15

 

Habakkuk 3:17-18Though the fig tree does not bud
and there is no fruit on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,

¹⁸ 

yet I will triumph in Yahweh;
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation! Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

 

The other day we considered the "faith of our fathers - living still" and that this applied to leaders in our country's history like Abraham Lincoln down to the fathers in our churches and in our homes.  Today's verses reflect that kind of faith.  The attitude shines in the last verse in the passage and in the book of this prophet.  In spite of the bleak "landscape", the current circumstances with no visible relief, he has confidence that he will triumph, not in himself, but in faith in God and in His power.

 

It is a reminder, a call, a challenge that even though our landscape, physically in the gray of winter or in the trials of life, that better days are ahead for God's people, spring will come, whether it be physical or in terms of spiritual renewal, it will come.

 

In addition to our country's forefathers or our familial forefathers we can look back on the writings of phophets like Isaiah or Habakkuk, or kings like David and others to give us hope that we too may be able to navigate those fields as the deer in verse 19.

 

Habakkuk 3:19Yahweh my Lord is my strength;
He makes my feet like those of a deer
and enables me to walk on mountain heights!  Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

 

Pastor James Smith reminds us that God is with us:

 

But, believer, your God says, "I am with you!" What a thought is this! God, the great, the glorious, the omnipotent Jehovah--is with me! He is . . .
with me to help me,
with me to comfort me,
with me to sanctify me,
with me to save me,
with me as a kind benignant Father,
with me in every place, in every trouble, in every conflict,
with me through all my journey and forevermore,
with me on the bed of sickness,
with me to hold communion with me,
with me to listen to my sighs,
with me to number my tears, and
with me to secure me from all injury!

 

May we feel safe and secure today, "leaning on the everlasting arms".

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

Follow the Verse of the Day blog at 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

Habakkuk 3:16-18Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Habakkuk's Confidence in God Expressed

¹⁶ I heard, and I trembled within;
my lips quivered at the sound.
Rottenness entered my bones;
I trembled where I stood.
Now I must quietly wait for the day of distress
to come against the people invading us.
¹⁷ Though the fig tree does not bud
and there is no fruit on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
¹⁸ yet I will triumph in Yahweh;
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!

Verse of the Day 2/14

 

Ephesians 3:17-18 (I pray)that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, ¹⁸ may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God's love,  Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

 

Happy Valentine's Day!  Today is a day when people all over the world will be expressing how deep their love is for one another.  But no matter how deep anyone may think it is, no matter how eloquently or passionately it is expressed it cannot match or live up to the reality of Christ's love for us.

 

At some point you may have asked a child or been asked by a child "how much do you love me?"  The answer is given not in words but in the action of spreading our arms and hands as wide as we can and saying this much.  When we consider God's love we can also picture Jesus doing the same thing, only when He does it, it reveals the nail scarred hands that truly reveal how much He does love us.  He loves us from nail scarred hand to nail scarred hand.

 

On this Valentine's Day may we remind someone that we love, how deep and how wide and how high God's love is for us in the form of the only begotten Son.

 

I'll close with another verse that is probably more often quoted on this day.  May our love patiently accept all things from Christ and learn to always trust, always hope, and always endure.

 

1 Corinthians 13:7Love patiently accepts all things. It always trusts, always hopes, and always endures.  New Century Version (NCV)

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

Follow the Verse of the Day blog at 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

 

Ephesians 3:14-19The Message (MSG)

^14-19 My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.

Verse of the Day 2/13

 

Psalm 79:13Then we, Your people, the sheep of Your pasture,
will thank You forever;
we will declare Your praise
to generation after generation.  Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

 

We as Christians, followers of Christ are God's people.  We are His sheep and we follow the "Good Shepherd".  The verse is about generations, "passing the faith along" to future generations.  It is also about praising God for our fathers, their faith and the impact they have had on our lives.  It is also about our churches and our country's forefathers and their faith.  We considered Abraham Lincoln's faith yesterday.  It also includes the "fathers" in our churches from childhood to present.  I am so thankful for many of the fathers of friends in my childhood church, many of them who have gone to be with the Lord, who shared their faith, who mentored the next generation.

 

As we grow older, what a blessing it is to see faith in God blossom and grow in our children and in our grandchildren, the next generation of fathers.  I praise God for my children, for what He has done through them, their faith in Him, and seeing their efforts to pass their faith along to the next generation.

 

Reading this verse brought to mind the old hymn "Faith of Our Fathers".  It is a reminder that even after they are gone from this earth, their faith, their legacy lives on in praise to the Father in heaven.

 

1. Faith of our fathers, living still,
   In spite of dungeon, fire, and sword;
   Oh, how our hearts beat high with joy
   Whene'er we hear that glorious Word!
   • Refrain:
     Faith of our fathers, holy faith!
     We will be true to thee till death.
2. Faith of our fathers, we will strive
   To win all nations unto thee;
   And through the truth that comes from God,
   We all shall then be truly free.
3. Faith of our fathers, we will love
   Both friend and foe in all our strife;
   And preach thee, too, as love knows how
   By kindly words and virtuous life.

 

 

May we do our best to share our faith, kindly words and virtuous life, and to pass it along to the next generation.

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

Follow the Verse of the Day blog at 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

 

Psalm 79:11-13The Message (MSG)

^11-13 Give groaning prisoners a hearing;
    pardon those on death row from their doom—you can do it!
Give our jeering neighbors what they've got coming to them;
    let their God-taunts boomerang and knock them flat.
Then we, your people, the ones you love and care for,
    will thank you over and over and over.
We'll tell everyone we meet
    how wonderful you are, how praiseworthy you are!

Verse of the Day 2/12

 

John 6:68-69  Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, ⁶⁹ and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God."  English Standard Version (ESV)

 

Today's verse is one that is dear to me, I had known it and memorized it and it came back to me in the deepest trial of my life  It was as if Jesus was asking me the question that He asked of Peter in today's passage.  It is a realization that once you have found Him (or actually, He finds and calls you) that there is nowhere else to turn to find the answers to life's challenging questions.  We rely on our faith in Him, "we have believed and come to know" in the past circumstances of our life that Jesus is the Savior, the Holy One of God.

 

Today is Abraham Lincoln's birthday.  I read the following about him and his faith in John Piper's devotional.

"Abraham Lincoln, who was born on this day in 1809, remained skeptical, and at times even cynical, about religion into his forties. So it is a most striking thing how personal and national suffering drew Lincoln into the reality of God, rather than pushing him away.  In 1862, when Lincoln was 53 years old, his 11-year-old son Willie died. Lincoln's wife "tried to deal with her grief by searching out New Age mediums." Lincoln turned to Phineas Gurley, pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington.   Several long talks led to what Gurley described as "a conversion to Christ." Lincoln confided that he was "driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I have nowhere else to go."

Some come to know Christ early in life and may wander, but the challenges of life bring them back to the realization that Jesus has the words of eternal life.  Others, like Abraham Lincoln come to the same realization later in life, in those challenging times.  The personal trials will cause people to search for answers and through that search in those trials they come to know Christ.  Later in his life, Abraham Lincoln would face challenges of the battle over slavery which led to the civil war.  He was able to lead the  country the way he did because he had "come to know" that Jesus was the Holy One of God and that Jesus was where he needed to go to find the pathway through the greatest trial of his life and our country.

 

In the trials of life, may we come to that realization that Jesus is our go to person who has the "words of eternal life".

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

Follow the Verse of the Day blog at 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

John 6:67-69The Message (MSG)

^66-67 After this a lot of his disciples left. They no longer wanted to be associated with him. Then Jesus gave the Twelve their chance: "Do you also want to leave?"

^68-69 Peter replied, "Master, to whom would we go? You have the words of real life, eternal life. We've already committed ourselves, confident that you are the Holy One of God."

Verse of the Day 2/10

Verse of the Day 2/10

Psalm 19:7  The law of the Lord is perfect,

refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
    making wise the simple. New International Version (NIV)

There are certain things that we find refreshing, many of them involving water.  I like a shower first thing in the morning, it wakes me up, refreshes and revives me.  A shower is good after a workout or after working in the yard on a hot day.  A cold glass of water refreshes after working up a good sweat.  Ice can be refreshing when applied to sore muscles (as I've relearned recently).

The law in today's verse refers to God's Word in our lives.  Our church is involved in a community Bible reading program.  I'm hoping that many will find refreshment in reading God's Word.  The hope is also that it will become habit forming, that it will become as natural as taking a shower in the morning or a bath after a long day to sooth your body.  The good thing about God's Word  is that it is not only refreshing while you're in it, you can carry it with you through the day in your heart and mind.

David Jeremiah writes, "surveys tell us that most of us do our best thinking while we're showering, driving, or exercising.1 For Christians, those simple pauses in the day are great opportunities to practice the art of meditation. When the Bible is inscribed in our minds, it's waterproof, so we can take it into the shower or bath. We can wash our souls and be doubly refreshed for the day. It's portable; as we drive to work or school or jog or exercise, we can use the time to meditate on God's Word and let beloved Scriptures sink into our thoughts." 

If you've been away from God's Word for a period of time, why not return to it?

Acts 3:19-20English Standard Version (ESV)

¹⁹ Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, ²⁰ that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,

Blessings,
Mike
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Psalm 19:6-8Amplified Bible (AMP)

⁶ Its going forth is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the ends of it; and nothing [yes, no one] is hidden from the heat of it.

⁷ The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the [whole] person; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

⁸ The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure and bright, enlightening the eyes.

Verse of the Day 2/6

 Verse of the Day 2/6

Psalm 37:3-4 Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed.

⁴ Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.Amplified Bible (AMP)

I've read several passages from the Bible in the last 24 hours, some from the read through the 8 week read through the New Testament plan from our church, some from my read through the Bible in a year plan and from other devotionals.  Today's verses come from the last passage that I read, mainly because they tied together so many of the thoughts from the past day.

The 8 week read through the New Testament brought me through Galatians in a day where I read about the "fruit of the Spirit".  Trusting, doing good and feeding on His faithfulness definitely line up with what David was conveying in Psalm 37.

Galatians 5:22-23But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

I also read from Matthew 23 in the read through the Bible Plan that I am following.  Max Lucado referenced Matthew 6:1 from The Message in regards to "doing good".  It is a reminder that our doing good, whether ourselves or as our churches is not for "the applause", but should be the normal outflow of who we are, or should I say "Whose" we are.

Matthew 6:1The World Is Not a Stage

6 "Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won't be applauding.  The Message (MSG)

I'll close with a song that for me, brings this together David's "delighting in the Lord" and receiving the "desires of our hearts".

Happiness is to know the Savior,
Living a life within His favor,
Having a change in my behavior,
Happiness is the Lord.

Mike
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Psalm 37:1-9The Message (MSG)

A David Psalm

37 ^1-2 Don't bother your head with braggarts
    or wish you could succeed like the wicked.
In no time they'll shrivel like grass clippings
    and wilt like cut flowers in the sun.

^3-4 Get insurance with God and do a good deed,
    settle down and stick to your last.
Keep company with God,
    get in on the best.

^5-6 Open up before God, keep nothing back;
    he'll do whatever needs to be done:
He'll validate your life in the clear light of day
    and stamp you with approval at high noon.

⁷ Quiet down before God,
    be prayerful before him.
Don't bother with those who climb the ladder,
    who elbow their way to the top.

^8-9 Bridle your anger, trash your wrath,
    cool your pipes—it only makes things worse.
Before long the crooks will be bankrupt;
    God-investors will soon own the store.