Verse of the Day 7/31

 

Verse of the Day 7/31

 

John 17:21 

²¹ May they all be one,
as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You.
May they also be one^[a] in Us,
so the world may believe You sent Me.  Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

 

Today's verse in John  21 comes from  Jesus' "High, Priestly Prayer" in which He prays to the Father first for His work to be completed and then for God's chosen to be united,  to be as one  in relationship to the Father while enduring  the trials  and  temptations that will come upon us in this life.  It is a prayer that we would keep in step, be "in tune" with  God.  This is  not  something  that  can be accomplished on our own, by our will, initiative, or method.

 

A.W. Tozer writes, "Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshippers meeting together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become "unity" conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship. Social religion is perfected when private religion is purified. The body becomes stronger as its members become healthier. The whole church of God gains when the members that compose it begin to seek a better and a higher life"  The Pursuit of God, 90. 

 

Yesterday in church we  sang the  song  Hosannah in the Highest and one line that stood out to me as we sang and I thought  back to this verse, it went "break my heart  for  what breaks yours".  That's what it means to be "tuned" in to God, to have a heart that is after, that is concerned about the same  thing  that  His is.  How does or  can that  happen, by submitting  our will  to His in reading  His Word, praying over  it  and  applying it.  We are united  together when we are united in our love for God.

 

May the Holy Spirit work in our lives to keep us in proper tune with the Father and the  Son, as different  instruments with  our lives  playing the same tune in harmony.

 

Blessings,

 

Mike

 

John 17:20-26 English Standard Version (ESV)

²⁰ "I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, ²¹ that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, ²³ I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. ²⁴ Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵ O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. ²⁶ I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them."

 

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Verse of the Day 7/28

 

Verse of the Day 7/28

 

Psalm 25:4-5   Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
    teach me your paths.
⁵ Lead me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are the God of my salvation;
    for you I wait all the day long.  English Standard Version (ESV)

 

In yesterday's post and verses in 2 Timothy we considered how  declared that the Word  of  God was "profitable" for teaching, reproof, correction and training.  His  heart and his life were devoted to those things.  In his  writings, inspired by God  he showed the  heart of many of the Old Testament  passages that are quoted in the New  Testament, many of them from the  book  of Psalms written by King David who sought to know  God's ways, His heart.

 

The way to know  God's ways and the pathway in life is  to be taught, led and adhere to the will of God as found through the study of  His word and prayer.  In this modern age we have God's word  at our fingertips in book, digital  and audio forms, the key is to pick it up and listen, hear what God is saying to us.  Charles  Spurgeon writes, "If I were to say, "Hands up, everyone who has a Bible!"--everybody's hands here would go up, as I suppose that nobody here is without a Bible.  But if I were to ask, "How many here, as a habit and a delight, meditate upon the Scriptures?"--I wonder how many hands would be raised? Well, I will not ask you that question, but let everybody ask it for himself and judge himself concerning it in the sight of God."

 

May we be able  to answer Spurgeon's questions and affirm that we "delight" in His  Word?  If  we do,  David's  prayer  in these verses will be  our  prayer our motto day by day.

 

Blessings,

 

Mike

 

Psalm 25:4-10New Living Translation (NLT)

⁴ Show me the right path, O Lord;
    point out the road for me to follow.
⁵ Lead me by your truth and teach me,
    for you are the God who saves me.
    All day long I put my hope in you.
⁶ Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love,
    which you have shown from long ages past.
⁷ Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth.
    Remember me in the light of your unfailing love,
    for you are merciful, O Lord.

⁸ The Lord is good and does what is right;
    he shows the proper path to those who go astray.
⁹ He leads the humble in doing right,
    teaching them his way.
¹⁰ The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness
    all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.

 

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Verse of the Day 7/27

 

Verse of the Day 7/27

 

2 Timothy 3:16-17 

¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.  English Standard Version (ESV)

 

How important is  God's  Word,  the Bible to you?  The  Apostle Paul, in no  uncertain terms points  out the importance and it's usefulness to us.  If we truly want  to learn, want to improve our lives, desire to follow God to live as He would have us live and be "equipped" to face the  day come what  may, it is all  important.  After all, as today's verses point out, it  is "breathed out", inspired by God for His purposes.  That "breathed out" is a reminder of life itself how God breathed into  all  creation the  "breath of life" (Genesis 2:7).

 

Notice  that the verse says it is useful for teaching us, for  reproof – rebuke for wrong behavior; and  correction.  John  MacArthur  notes  that  this correction is  "the restoration of something to its proper condition",  as  in the "righting  of a  fallen  object, or  helping back to their feet those  who  had stumbled."  Haven't we all needed that correction in our walk?

 

The teaching portion has to do with study.  David Mathis  writes, "Don't be afraid to pause and pose questions — the simplest kind and the very hardest — and then expect to find answers. And be ready to do what it takes to pursue them. We call this Bible study. And it can be time-consuming, and greatly rewarding. Perhaps the main obstacle that keeps us from doing it well today isn't that we're not smart enough, but that we're too lazy to put in the energy to ask the hard questions, and the time it takes to really pursue the answers."

 

The thought of "study" brings me back to the previous chapter to 2 Timothy 2:15:

 

2 Timothy 2:15  21st Century King James Version (KJ21)

¹⁵ Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman who needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

 

 

 

Blessings,

 

Mike

 

2 Timothy 3:16-17The Message (MSG)

^14-17 But don't let it faze you. Stick with what you learned and believed, sure of the integrity of your teachers—why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother's milk! There's nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.

The Message (MSG)

 

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Verse of the Day 7/26

Verse of the Day 7/26

Verse of the Day 7/26

 

Psalm 90:14    Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
    that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. English Standard Version (ESV)

 

Last week in these posts we focused on contentment.  As I read today's verse from Psalm 90 I  was reminded of those thoughts as I read David's prayer for satisfaction.  Being  satisfied is  being  content and the verse reveals that satisfaction and contentment are generally found in relationships  more  than things a  nd specifically found in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

 

Mick Jagger probably made millions  of  dollars  off  of  the Rolling Stones  song "Satisfaction" with the often repeated line  "I can't get  no satisfaction… cause I try and I try and I try".  He was trying to find it in things, in  actions whether driving in his car, watching  his TV or riding  around  the world, he found it to be elusive and  beyond  his grasp.  How  many people today find  themselves in that  same  condition,  that  same  position?  What they lack are not things, but a relationship with God in Jesus Christ.

 

David had that proper relationship,  he called  out to God in the  morning seeking satisfaction  in and from the One who could truly provide  it, the One who  offered steadfast, immoveable love.  In that seeking God provided satisfaction.

 

John Piper  writes,  "So the first and great commandment is to enjoy God, love God, delight in God, be satisfied with the supreme value and beauty of God. That's what love means. Love doesn't mean work for it, he doesn't need your work."   "God is not served by human hands, as though he needed anything, for he himself gives to all men life and breath and everything" (Acts 17:25). 

 

The Message paraphrase begins the  passage (below) with "teach us to live wisely and well".   It is the path  to satisfaction.  May we find it in our relationship with God today wherever we find ourselves in this world, at work or at play.

 

And let the loveliness of our Lord, our God, rest on us,
    confirming the work that we do.
    Oh, yes. Affirm the work that we do!     Psalm 90:17 The Message

 

Blessings,

 

Mike

 

Psalm 90:12-17The Message (MSG)

^12-17 Oh! Teach us to live well!
    Teach us to live wisely and well!
Come back, God—how long do we have to wait?—
    and treat your servants with kindness for a change.
Surprise us with love at daybreak;
    then we'll skip and dance all the day long.
Make up for the bad times with some good times;
    we've seen enough evil to last a lifetime.
Let your servants see what you're best at—
    the ways you rule and bless your children.
And let the loveliness of our Lord, our God, rest on us,
    confirming the work that we do.
    Oh, yes. Affirm the work that we do!

 

 

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