Verse of the Day 4/29

Psalm 119:10-11With my whole heart I seek you;

    let me not wander from your commandments!
¹¹ I have stored up your word in my heart,
    that I might not sin against you.   English Standard Version (ESV)

I've mentioned before that I try to read a Psalm every day.  When it comes to Psalm 119 I change gears.  It is not just because it is so long (176 verses), but there is so much there that I don't want to read it in one sitting, I'd rather camp out there for a while, so I end up reading 16 verses a day.  At some point I may back that down to 8 verses.

Many of us in the business world and in our personal lives may become inundated at times with emails that we must attend to.  The problem is that it can take so much time to go through them that all too often, (and my wife will attest to this about me) we tend to skim through them looking for important points.  How many important points and appointments do we miss due to skimming?

Billy Graham writes, "Hide the Word of God in your heart! A little portion well digested is of greater value to the soul than a lengthy portion scanned hurriedly. Do not be discouraged because you cannot understand it all. Go on reading. As you read, the Holy Spirit will enlighten the passages for you. Reading the Bible has a purifying effect upon the heart and mind. "

What is necessary is a seeking attitude.  We should be trying to "mine" the scriptures instead of skimming over it.  As we do we will store up the treasures in the reserves of our heart where they will be when we need to draw upon them.   We are so prone to wander, especially our minds as we are skimming.  It's good to have reading plans  that keep us in the word, but we, but I need to take time to slow down and dig deeper on a regular basis.  May it keep our hearts from wandering.

Verse 10 offers a prayer "not  to wander".  We'll finish with a couple of stanzas from "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" where we see those words.

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

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.

I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you,
    I attentively watch how you've done it.
I relish everything you've told me of life,
    I won't forget a word of it.  Psalm 119:16 (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    

Psalm 119:9-16The Message (MSG)

^9-16 How can a young person live a clean life?
    By carefully reading the map of your Word.
I'm single-minded in pursuit of you;
    don't let me miss the road signs you've posted.
I've banked your promises in the vault of my heart
    so I won't sin myself bankrupt.
Be blessed, God;
    train me in your ways of wise living.
I'll transfer to my lips
    all the counsel that comes from your mouth;
I delight far more in what you tell me about living
    than in gathering a pile of riches.
I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you,
    I attentively watch how you've done it.
I relish everything you've told me of life,
    I won't forget a word of it.

Verse of the Day 4/28

 

Nehemiah 4:14   And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord,who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes."   English Standard Version (ESV)

 

I attended a revival meeting at a small South Carolina church on Tuesday evening of this week and heard some good gospel music and also heard a great message from this passage in Nehemiah chapter 4.  In the book of Nehemiah God may be thought of as the "rebuilder of broken walls and lives" (from the Aaron Geoffrey song "He Is").

In his message the pastor mentioned that they were half way through rebuilding the wall around the city of Jerusalem when they began to face opposition and threats.

The people began to get discouraged and there were thoughts of giving up, that all was hopeless.

 

The prophet's call was for the people to remember that God, the God who created them was with them and was on their side, but they still needed to fight, fight for their brothers, fight for their sons, fight for their daughters, fight for their wives, and fight for their homes.  It was a call to fight for their lives, their way of life, their faith and their God.  If they did Nehemiah was confident that God would be in it, fighting for them.

 

Perhaps we're in the middle of a marriage, a relationship, or your kids are halfway through school, or you are "halfway" into a ministry and things have come to a halt.  The world around us now as it did then, calls to give up.  Start anew somewhere or with someone else or doing something else.  The challenge remains the same to us, fight for your marriage, your family, your church and for your nation.  If we do, God will be right there with us, not only with us but leading the way.

 

As the pastor was delivering the message another Old Testament verse came to mind:

 

 

Habakkuk 3:2    O Lord, I have heard the report of you,
    and your work, O Lord, do I fear.
In the midst of the years revive it;
    in the midst of the years make it known;
    in wrath remember mercy.  English Standard Version (ESV)

 

If you find yourself in the "midst of the years", halfway through or beyond and you are discouraged of the lack of progress on your wall, seek revival, seek His mercy and grace, and fight for the cause knowing "our God will fight for us".  (The Message)

 

Blessings,

Mike

Nehemiah 4:10-20The Message (MSG)

¹⁰ But soon word was going around in Judah,

The builders are pooped,
    the rubbish piles up;
We're in over our heads,
    we can't build this wall.

^11-12 And all this time our enemies were saying, "They won't know what hit them. Before they know it we'll be at their throats, killing them right and left. That will put a stop to the work!" The Jews who were their neighbors kept reporting, "They have us surrounded; they're going to attack!" If we heard it once, we heard it ten times.

^13-14 So I stationed armed guards at the most vulnerable places of the wall and assigned people by families with their swords, lances, and bows. After looking things over I stood up and spoke to the nobles, officials, and everyone else: "Don't be afraid of them. Put your minds on the Master, great and awesome, and then fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes."

^15-18 Our enemies learned that we knew all about their plan and that God had frustrated it. And we went back to the wall and went to work. From then on half of my young men worked while the other half stood guard with lances, shields, bows, and mail armor. Military officers served as backup for everyone in Judah who was at work rebuilding the wall. The common laborers held a tool in one hand and a spear in the other. Each of the builders had a sword strapped to his side as he worked. I kept the trumpeter at my side to sound the alert.

^19-20 Then I spoke to the nobles and officials and everyone else: "There's a lot of work going on and we are spread out all along the wall, separated from each other. When you hear the trumpet call, join us there; our God will fight for us."

The Message (MSG)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Verse of the Day 4/27

 

 

 

2 Corinthians 1:21-22   And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, ²² and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee^.  English Standard Version (ESV)

 

 

I've been reading John Piper's new book "Peculiar Glory" and have been saving some notes from it on my iPad as I go along.  R. C. Sproul has said that "everyone's a theologian", they all hold onto their views of the Bible and is their own personal theology.  But if we are a Christian our faith doesn't originate from us, it is God's work.  He "establishes us" and prepares and enables us to do His work, His will.

 

In his book, John Piper writes, "It may sound strange, but "holding onto my view" was never the way I experienced it—at least not as I can remember. It felt more like my view of the Bible was holding onto me. Or, as I believe today, God was hold- ing onto me by clarifying and brightening and deepening my view of him in the Bible. I believe that's why the view I received from my parents remained more compelling than any competing view all along the way."

 

Reading today's verses brought me back to this quote from Piper.  The establishing us mentioned in today's verse is not God setting us up and then letting us go, it is God's work all along the way.  He does it by His Word, the Bible and His Spirit bringing back to our memory the things, the verses and passages that we have learned.  It is they that have a hold on us and not the other way around. 

 

This establishing and holding should also lead to continual growth.  We can never finish mining from His Word.  Something new is there for us any time we take the time to dig into it.  As we do, it will take a further hold a stronger hold on us. "By His Spirit he has stamped us with his eternal pledge – a sure beginning of what he is destined to complete"  (The Message).  He who started the work will be faithful to complete it.

 

Philippians 1:6  And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.   English Standard Version (ESV)

 

 

Blessings,

 

Mike

 

2 Corinthians 1:21-22The Message (MSG)

^20-22 Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In him, this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen, God's Yes and our Yes together, gloriously evident. God affirms us, making us a sure thing in Christ, putting his Yes within us. By his Spirit he has stamped us with his eternal pledge—a sure beginning of what he is destined to complete.

 

 

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Verse of the Day 4/26

John 20:24-25  Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe."  English Standard Version (ESV)

Our men's Bible study  is coming towards the end in our study in John and this week we finished chapter 20 and covered the passage where Jesus came to meet the disciples who were locked behind closed doors.  One of the disciples, Thomas was not with them  and made the famous statement "unless I see.. and place my finger into the mark of the nails and my hand into his side, I will never believe".  From that statement Thomas forever became known as "doubting Thomas".  He has been the subject of many commentaries and songs.  One that I remember  from childhood went something like this "don't be a doubting Thomas, rest fully on His promise".  Jesus had promised that He would return to them, Thomas had a hard time believing it.

Thomas probably gets a bad rap.  Put yourself in his shoes.  Can you look back in your life and remember times when you may have lost confidence, questioned and doubted your faith?  There was a time when I was a "doubting Mike", can you admit to the same?  Maybe it wasn't a matter of "seeing" Christ but there may have been some other  obstacle to your faith.

Pastor James MacDonald writes, "Thomas sincerely longed for what the other disciples had experienced. He was gathering the wood and getting a match—he wanted a faith on fire. Thomas named the obstacle and was looking for the reasons he too could stand on authentic faith in Christ. This is the lesson: faith is kindled when you name the obstacle. ........Identify the obstacle to faith in your life. I got hurt. I have a question I don't have an answer for. I'm discouraged. I don't honestly understand how Christianity can be true. Now bring it before the Lord: "God, this is the barrier between You and me." Produce your strong reservations and give God an opportunity to put faith where there's doubt. Once you have honestly prayed this way, give God time to answer. Wait on Him."

That's the great thing about the wonderful grace of Jesus, He meets us at the point of our  need, at the obstacle of our faith, and leads us beyond it to a true and steadfast faith.  A week or later Jesus returned to them and Jesus showed Thomas His scars.  Thomas didn't need to touch, he saw the scars and it was enough to proclaim the greatest statement of faith "my Lord and my God".

Is there an obstacle or barrier to your faith or a deeper faith?  Bring it to Him, trust Him to overcome that obstacle.

--   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    

John 20:24-29The Message (MSG)

^24-25 But Thomas, sometimes called the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, "We saw the Master."

But he said, "Unless I see the nail holes in his hands, put my finger in the nail holes, and stick my hand in his side, I won't believe it."

²⁶ Eight days later, his disciples were again in the room. This time Thomas was with them. Jesus came through the locked doors, stood among them, and said, "Peace to you."

²⁷ Then he focused his attention on Thomas. "Take your finger and examine my hands. Take your hand and stick it in my side. Don't be unbelieving. Believe."

²⁸ Thomas said, "My Master! My God!"

²⁹ Jesus said, "So, you believe because you've seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing."

Verse of the Day 4/24

Psalm 112:6-7 For the righteous will never be moved;

    he will be remembered forever.
⁷ He is not afraid of bad news;
    his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.  English Standard Version (ESV)

I read this psalm the other day and it stayed on my mind as we considered the verses of the past couple of days which dealt with the faith of Paul and of Job.  They were both great examples of today's verses.  In spite of all that they went through and endured in their lives, they lived by faith and their faith held and because of this they will be remembered forever.  Their hearts were firm, trusting in the Lord.

The motto for John Piper's "Desiring God" ministry is "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him".  Job in the Old Testament and Paul in the New Testament are great examples of this.  As we've considered the past couple of days, they faced some of the most severe trials imaginable but still trusted, still held on to their faith.  Piper writes "the glory of God in and through the Scriptures is a real, objective, self-authenticating reality. Christian faith is not a leap in the dark. It is not a guess or a wager. God is not honored if he is chosen by the flip of a coin. A leap into the unknown is no honor to one who has made himself known. "

The faith of Job and of Paul, and our faith as well, if it is a true faith, is not a leap in the dark or a flip of the coin.  It is solid, solid as the Rock, our faith has substance.  May there be no "shuffling or stumbling around" (The Message) but may we have a "sterling and solid and lasting reputation" (The Message), trusting all the way.

So when doubts arise and cloud your mind
My friend, don't be deceived
For with a knowledge of the Word of God 
In our hearts we can believe

You can take God at his word
He is faithful kind and true
Not a prayer will go unanswered
In His time He'll see you through

Keep believing in what you know is true
Keep believing, you know the Lord will see you through
When troubles rise in your life 
and you don't know what to do,
You'll be fine if you just keep believing   (Gaither Vocal Band - "Keep Believing)

   --   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    

Psalm 112:6-10The Message (MSG)

112 ^1-10 Hallelujah!
Blessed man, blessed woman, who fear God,
Who cherish and relish his commandments,
Their children robust on the earth,
And the homes of the upright—how blessed!
Their houses brim with wealth
And a generosity that never runs dry.
Sunrise breaks through the darkness for good people—
God's grace and mercy and justice!
The good person is generous and lends lavishly;
No shuffling or stumbling around for this one,
But a sterling and solid and lasting reputation.
Unfazed by rumor and gossip,
Heart ready, trusting in God,
Spirit firm, unperturbed,
Ever blessed, relaxed among enemies,
They lavish gifts on the poor—
A generosity that goes on, and on, and on.
An honored life! A beautiful life!
Someone wicked takes one look and rages,
Blusters away but ends up speechless.
There's nothing to the dreams of the wicked. Nothing.