Verse of the Day 9/30

Verse of the Day 9/30

1 Corinthians 1:30-31 But it is from Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God [revealing His plan of salvation], and righteousness [making us acceptable to God], and sanctification [making us holy and setting us apart for God], and redemption [providing our ransom from the penalty for sin], ³¹ so then, as it is written [in Scripture], "He who boasts and glories, let him boast andglory in the Lord."  Amplified Bible (AMP)

Over the past couple of days in Ephesians we've considered what is our "in Christ", including the forgiveness of sins, redemption, power and God's grace.  In today's verses Paul is speaking in similar terms to the church in Corinth.  He reminds his readers that, as in Ephesians 2, that we have these benefits because of God's graciousness, not through our own wisdom or power.

Too many people still try to find God on there own, in there own power or searching within themselves for a higher power.  Arthur Pink reminds us that "the great mistake made by most of the Lord's people is in hoping in themselves, that which is to be found in Christ alone."

The Message begins the passage by saying " Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life."  We didn't come into this life on our own.  If we are to grow in this life it is not on our own, it is still to be found "in Christ", these same benefits as the Amplified Bible describes, "revealing His plan, making us acceptable to God, setting us apart for His service" are ours everyday as we draw upon His power.  Recognition, glory and praise should go to Him.  As The Message concludes, ""If you're going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God."

To God be the glory, great things He hath done, So loved He the world that He gave us His Son, Who yielded His life our redemption to win, And opened the life-gate that all may go in.
	Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,   Let the earth hear His voice; Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,   Let the people rejoice; Oh, come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,   And give Him the glory; great things He hath done.

To God be the glory, great things He hath done, So loved He the world that He gave us His Son, Who yielded His life our redemption to win, And opened the life-gate that all may go in.
	Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,   Let the earth hear His voice; Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,   Let the people rejoice; Oh, come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,   And give Him the glory; great things He hath done.

To God be the glory, great things He hath done, So loved He the world that He gave us His Son, Who yielded His life our redemption to win, And opened the life-gate that all may go in.
	Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,   Let the earth hear His voice; Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,   Let the people rejoice; Oh, come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,   And give Him the glory; great things He hath done.

 

Blessings,

Mike

Follow the verse of the day at www.mikesvotd.blogspot.com

1 Corinthians 1:30-31The Message (MSG)

^26-31 Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don't see many of "the brightest and the best" among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn't it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these "nobodies" to expose the hollow pretensions of the "somebodies"? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That's why we have the saying, "If you're going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God."

Verse of the Day 9/29

Verse of the Day 9/29

 

Ephesians 1:18-19 the eyes of your understanding^[a] being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power  New King James Version (NKJV)

My read through the Bible plan this morning brought me through Ephesians chapters 1 and 2 and as I read the passages one word jumped out at me in two places, the word was "toward".  Here in verse 19 we read of "the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe" and in chapter 2 verse 7 Paul speaks of "the exceeding riches of His grace toward us in Jesus Christ."

Yesterday we considered how "in Christ" we have redemption and forgiveness and today we need to realize and experience His power available to us and His grace and kindness towards us.

Paul is praying that the eyes of our understanding, or the "eyes of our hearts", made popular in song would be open to what Jesus has for us, which are His grace and His power.  We have the opportunity to be His "channels" through which they flow.  If we are truly in Him, He will lead us into understanding.  We, who were spiritually dead (v. 2:4) have been made alive (v.5) through His kindness towards us.  If we live with that understanding we can and will be His channels.

1. How I praise Thee, precious Savior,
   That Thy love laid hold of me;
   Thou hast saved and cleansed and filled me
   That I might Thy channel be.
   • Refrain:
     Channels only, blessed Master,
     But with all Thy wondrous pow'r
     Flowing through us, Thou canst use us
     Every day and every hour.
2. Just a channel full of blessing,
   To the thirsty hearts around;
   To tell out Thy full salvation,
   All Thy loving message sound.

"see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!"  The Message

Blessings,

Mike

Follow the verse of the day at www.mikesvotd.blogspot.com

Ephesians 1:15-23The Message (MSG)

^15-19 That's why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn't stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I'd think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!

^20-23 All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ's body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.

Verse of the Day 9/28

Verse of the Day 9/28

Ephesians 1:7 

⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,  English Standard Version (ESV)

I plan on continuing with Jesus' I tell you the truth statements, but for today I'd like to go to the book of Ephesians and chapter one which deals with some of the benefits, the blessings of being "in Christ", taking His Word as truth and putting our faith and trust in Him.

Yesterday in church we sang the old hymn "Come Thy Fount of Every Blessing", it deals with counting our blessings while at the same time addressing how our hearts are prone to wander.  Today's verse reminds us that in Him we have redemption and forgiveness, that Jesus can bind our hearts to His.

Ephesians 1 will be in many read through the Bible plans starting today or tomorrow.  The hymn reminded me of it and I heard a message from this passage last night while driving.  The focus of the message was that all of our spiritual blessings stem from Christ and what He has accomplished for us.  Read the rest of the passage below.  We need to read it and be reminded of this passage more than we hear in an occasional message, or once a year in a read through the Bible plan.  Post it on your desk or your refrigerator, be reminded of it often.  Be reminded that God is not stingy in giving out His blessings, He "lavishes" them on us.

I read the following quote by Jared Waterbury in Grace Gems this morning that could be a reaction of someone who has the realization of what we have and who we are "in Christ".  "The soul that feels the constraining influence of His love, asks not how little may be given consistently with obtaining the heavenly reward -- asks not the lowest standard of discipleship.  It burns an ardent desire to devote ALL, and to aim at perfect "conformity to His death".  (to his dying day).

I'll close with a familiar passage that also just happened to come up in my reading this morning.

Isaiah 43:1-3English Standard Version (ESV) But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
    he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
    I have called you by name, you are mine.

² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

    and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
    and the flame shall not consume you.
³ For I am the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

 

Blessings,

Mike

Follow the verse of the day at www.mikesvotd.blogspot.com

Ephesians 1:5-10English Standard Version (ESV)

⁵ he predestined us^[a] for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, ⁸ which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight ⁹ making known^[b] to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ ¹⁰ as a plan forthe fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Verse of the Day 9/27

Matthew 25:40 "And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'  New Living Translation (NLT)

In yesterday's verse we noticed that God takes notice of those who provide a cup of water, offering  refreshment to those who are in need, especially among fellow Christians.  In today's passage from Matthew 25 Jesus is coming at this from a slightly different angle.  It is in response to a question about "when did we see you" in need.  Once again, Jesus response shows that God the Father takes notice, and not only that, He is saying that what you do towards others is as if it were doing it for Jesus.

It should also be noted that this response was to those on His right, (v.34) to other disciples.  It is something that should be common among "brothers", among Christians.  The Message puts it in somewhat more sobering terms when it states "I'm telling the solemn truth".  The passage deals with separating the sheep from the goats, His sheep being the true followers.  In essence the sobering truth is that doing these acts of kindness, of good works to those in need is what separates the true followers to those doing lip service, talking a good game, following the rules but ignoring the weightier matters of the faith.

As with many other of Jesus' "I tell you the truth" statements it is sobering indeed.

Matthew 25:45-46The Message (MSG)

⁴⁵ "He will answer them, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.'

⁴⁶ "Then those 'goats' will be herded to their eternal doom, but the 'sheep' to their eternal reward."

--   In Christ,  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    

Matthew 25:40The Message (MSG)

^37-40 "Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'

Verse of the Day 9/26

Mark 9:41  If anyone gives you even a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah, I tell you the truth, that person will surely be rewarded.  New Living Translation (NLT) For today's verse we'll continue in Jesus "truth" statements, this time, going to the book of Mark and chapter 9.  We should know that we cannot earn our salvation or God's favor by doing good works in themselves.  However, we should realize that God's Word, His Truth tells us that He notices and that He does reward even the simplest acts of kindness.

We are in the first weekend of fall, the dog days of August and the summer heat are behind us.  We may not get as thirsty if we are on a hike or working out in the backyard, the cup of cold water may not be as refreshing as in those hot days of summer.  But the attitude here is not limited to a cup of cold water.  It is bringing our attention to any simple act of kindness, perhaps out of appreciation for someone else's kindness, or perhaps just out of compassion or kindness.  No matter what the season, each day there are opportunities to offer a cup of water to someone.  It should be part of our DNA, who we are stemming from whose we are.

John Piper writes, "we are drawn to show mercy to some people because they are Christians. The other is that we are drawn to show mercy to some people because they are not Christians. We are drawn to show mercy to Christians because we see Christ in them, and we are drawn to show mercy to unbelievers because we want to see Christ in them. We help suffering believers because they bear the name of Christ. And we help suffering unbelievers in the hope that they will come to bear the name of Christ."

Galatians 6:10 puts it like this: "So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith."

Do an act of kindness for someone today because we see Christ in them or we want to see Christ in them.  "Count on it that God will notice" (The Message).

--   In Christ,  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    

Mark 9:38-41The Message (MSG)

³⁸ John spoke up, "Teacher, we saw a man using your name to expel demons and we stopped him because he wasn't in our group."

^39-41 Jesus wasn't pleased. "Don't stop him. No one can use my name to do something good and powerful, and in the next breath cut me down. If he's not an enemy, he's an ally. Why, anyone by just giving you a cup of water in my name is on our side. Count on it that God will notice.

Verse of the Day 9/25

Matthew 5:20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

If you've seen pharisees depicted in movies or perhaps paintings, you've probably noticed that they were dressed for the part.  Image being everything didn't start with Andre Agassi.  They were overly concerned with appearances and doing things  to be seen, following the "letter of the law" in public display but not the heart of the law in serving others and putting their interests in front of their own.  The gospels are full of examples of this.

Scriptures teach us that we can't please God through our own works our own efforts without faith, without trust without following His leading, "putting on Christ" with the backdrop of this sermon on the mount in mind.  Jesus was looking for a deeper relationship, something more radical that the rigid life of the pharisees.  The following verses go on to display what this looks like.  It is the heart that matters, we may measure ourselves against others and feel good about ourselves but Jesus  words in the this passage would quickly put us in our place.

Jesus is not so much interested in trying to uphold the letter of the law, He is looking for those who are willing to go beyond it, from the desire of the heart to be closer to Him, to have a "closer walk".

I am weak but Thou art strong
Jesus keep me from all wrong
I'll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee

Just a closer walk with Thee
Grant it Jesus, is my plea
Daily walking close to Thee
Let it be dear Lord, let it be

Is  it our desire to trust and obey?

1. When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
   What a glory He sheds on our way!
   While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
   And with all who will trust and obey.
   • Refrain:
     Trust and obey, for there's no other way
     To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
2. Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,
   Or we'll walk by His side in the way;
   What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
   Never fear, only trust and obey.
3. Being "happy in Jesus" in this way will exceed the righteousness of the pharisees.
   

--   In Christ,  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    

Matthew 5:17-20The Message (MSG)

Completing God's Law

^17-18 "Don't suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures—either God's Law or the Prophets. I'm not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama. God's Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God's Law will be alive and working.

^19-20 "Trivialize even the smallest item in God's Law and you will only have trivialized yourself. But take it seriously, show the way for others, and you will find honor in the kingdom. Unless you do far better than the Pharisees in the matters of right living, you won't know the first thing about entering the kingdom.

Verse of the Day 9/24

 Verse of the Day 9/24

Matthew 5:18-19  I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God's law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. ¹⁹ So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God's laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.  New Living Translation (NLT)

Yesterday we considered how Jesus considered His mission to be to testify of "the truth".  He did this in action and in proclaiming the Word, the truth of the Scriptures.  Here in Matthew chapter 5, Jesus is in the early stages of the greatest sermon of all time, the Sermon on the Mount which we have in Matthew 5 - 7.  In this message and elsewhere in His teachings Jesus often begins a key statement with the words "I tell you the truth" (NIV), or "truly I say to you" (ESV) or verily,verily, I say unto you" (KJV).  They are all making the listener and the current reader that Jesus is now saying something important, telling the truth about something which may have been under debate in society then and just as much today.

In this passage He sets the word straight about God's Word, it has authority, it is inerrant, and it is enduring and will endure through eternity.  People have tried to destroy it, discredit it, and proclaim that within a century it will fade away.  That hasn't and will not happen.  Not one stroke of the scribes pen, a dot, a period, and exclamation mark can be erased.

The following verse (19) extends a warning to those who try to "relax" some of the points of Jesus message, they will be held accountable.  There is plenty of "relaxing" going on in the church today in relation to God's Word.  We should all pay attention to what Jesus has said when He has stated "I tell you the truth", take it to heart, and hold to it, there is no relaxing about it.

The Gaither's did a song years ago by the title Something About That Name, on line from that song played in my mind as I read today's verses.  "Kings and kingdom's shall all pass away, but there's something about that name."  That name is Jesus, the Word, the Truth made flesh who came to testify and teach us the truth.  Will we still listen?

Blessings,

 Mike

 Follow the verse of the day at www.mikesvotd.blogspot.com

Matthew 5:18-20The Message (MSG)

Completing God's Law

^17-18 "Don't suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures—either God's Law or the Prophets. I'm not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama. God's Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God's Law will be alive and working.

^19-20 "Trivialize even the smallest item in God's Law and you will only have trivialized yourself. But take it seriously, show the way for others, and you will find honor in the kingdom. Unless you do far better than the Pharisees in the matters of right living, you won't know the first thing about entering the kingdom.