Verse of the Day 10/29

Verse of the Day 10/29

Hebrews 11:3  By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.    English Standard Version (ESV)

This week will mark the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.  In honor of that many congregations throughout the country and the world will be singing Martin Luther's hymn based on Psalm 46:10, "A Mighty Fortress".

For the last couple of days we've been considering how God's word endures it stands and will stand and God, the Creator of the universe will see to it. It is fitting to turn to Hebrews 11 on this day in this week as it provides a list of the Hall of Faith, the heroes of the faith in the Old Testament.  That list is by no means complete.  Today we can think also of many others through the ages such as theologian John Calvin or John Wycliffe for his Bible translations, for missionaries such as Hudson Taylor and William Carey, and for preachers such as Charles Spurgeon orMartyn Lloyd-Jones.  They  all stood by faith, took a stand for the word, that bulwark that never has failed and never will.

The verse starts out with "we" understand, we stand - this refers to all true believers through the ages and were created, along with all of creation for His purposes for His glory and honor.

You may have already sung the hymn today, in any case, read it and sing it again.  Be reminded that His Word, His truths and His kingdom are forever.

1	A mighty Fortress is our God, A Bulwark never failing; Our Helper He amid the flood Of mortal ills prevailing: For still our ancient foe Doth seek to work us woe; His craft and power are great, And, armed with cruel hate, On earth is not his equal.
2	Did we in our own strength confide, Our striving would be losing; Were not the right Man on our side, The Man of God's own choosing: Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He; Lord Sabaoth His Name, From age to age the same, And He must win the battle.
3	And though this world, with devils filled, Should threaten to undo us, We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us: The Prince of Darkness grim, We tremble not for him; His rage we can endure, For lo! his doom is sure, One little word shall fell him.
4	That word above all earthly powers, No thanks to them, abideth; The Spirit and the gifts are ours Through Him who with us sideth: Let goods and kindred go, This mortal life also; The body they may kill: God's truth abideth still, His Kingdom is forever.

         Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength,

                    a very present  help in trouble.

Psalm 46:7The Lord of hosts is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God.

    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!"       English Standard Version (ESV)

    --   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    

Hebrews 11:1-3Amplified Bible (AMP)

The Triumphs of Faith

11 Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses]. ² For by this [kind of] faith the ^[a]men of old gained [divine] approval.

³ By faith [that is, with an inherent trust and enduring confidence in the power, wisdom and goodness of God] we understand that the worlds (universe, ages) were framed and created [formed, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose] by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.

Verse of the Day 10/28

Verse of the Day 10/28

1 Peter 1:24-25for

"All flesh is like grass
    and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
    and the flower falls,
²⁵ but the word of the Lord remains forever."

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.    English Standard Version (ESV)

In today's verses the Apostle Peter refers back to Isaiah's words written some 700 years before.  He is passing on to the next generation and for generations to come, all the way to eternity that the word of God remains, it stands forever.

There have been military dynasties in history, there have been a few sports teams "dynasties" with teams winning a crown, a world championship for perhaps 3 seasons.  But no matter how good they are, players abilities decline or perhaps greed on the part of players or owners end up "breaking up the team" and the dynasty is over.

People have stood up against and taken on the Bible through the centuries predicting its downfall, but what remains standing to this day is God's Holy Word.

You've heard it said "here today and gone tomorrow" in reference to many things, including wealth and health.  The older we get the more we realize the shortness, the brevity of life.  Beauty fades, hair turns gray, falls out or gets shaved off (when we realize a comb-over won't work), it is just the way it is.  The way it is with God's Word is "it remains", it "stands fast" and it is an anchor for our souls.

Hebrews 6:19Amplified Bible (AMP) This hope [this confident assurance] we have as an anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whatever pressure bears upon it]—a safe and steadfast hope that enters within the veil [of the heavenly temple, that most Holy Place in which the very presence of God dwells],

We have hope that is anchored when we trust in God His Word which is the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus.  It won't wither or fade but will blossom.

--   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    

1 Peter 1:24-25New Living Translation (NLT)

²⁴ As the Scriptures say,

"People are like grass;
    their beauty is like a flower in the field.
The grass withers and the flower fades.
²⁵     But the word of the Lord remains forever."^[a]

And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.

Verse of the Day 10/27

Verse of the Day 10/27

Isaiah 40:7-8The grass withers, the flower fades

    when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
    surely the people are grass.
⁸ The grass withers, the flower fades,
    but the word of our God will stand forever.    English Standard Version (ESV)

I did quite a bit of driving yesterday, much of it through the countryside where the bean fields that a short time ago were green were now brown.  In the midwest the corn that was "knee high by the fourth of July" was lucky to be standing, all of it had turned brown and much has already been harvested and the fields bare.

When I arrived home I saw one lone daisy in our yard.  The rest had lost their petals and the stems were turning brown.  I always like to see how long some of them will hold out.  Last year there was one that lasted into December.  It will not be the case this year.  It is inevitable, all of them will wither and fade.

As I read these verses in my devotions this morning these things came to mind and the thought of God's Word not fading but standing forever was comforting.  I was also reminded of John chapter 4 and the living water that we considered the other day.  It flows continually.

Arthur Pink writes, "The Bible has been likened to a fountain of living water--the fountain is ever the same, but the water is always fresh!"     Not only is the Bible fresh, unlike other books that we read once and move onto the next, with God's Word, no matter how many times we read it there is something new, something to be gained, new inspiration, His mercies are new every mornning.    "The Bible is always a new book to those well acquainted with it!" Robert Chapman    The key to this is how we approach God's Word.  J.C. Ryle writes, "A humble and prayerful spirit will find a thousand things in the Bible--which the proud, self-conceited student will utterly fail to discern!"     Enjoy the fall colors while they last.  Enjoy God's Word everyday, unlike the grass, the flowers and the trees, it will not fade but will stand, it will flourish and nourish forever.  

--   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    

Isaiah 40:6-8The Message (MSG)

^6-8 A voice says, "Shout!"
    I said, "What shall I shout?"

"These people are nothing but grass,
    their love fragile as wildflowers.
The grass withers, the wildflowers fade,
    if God so much as puffs on them.
    Aren't these people just so much grass?
True, the grass withers and the wildflowers fade,
    but our God's Word stands firm and forever."

Verse of the Day 10/25

 

Verse of the Day 10/25

 

Psalm 94:19  In the multitude of my anxieties within me,
Your comforts delight my soul.  New King James Version (NKJV)

 

Even though I have faith in God and trust in Him, there are times when I wake up in the middle of the night with a multitude of things running, no, racing through my mind.  Today's verse uses the word "anxieties", other translations say cares and worries, I think that we can relate to any of them.

 

As I read today's verse in my daily reading  in the Psalms, I couldn't help but think back to yesterday's post with the thoughts of our longings and the song "There's Within My Heart a Melody".  Many times when I feel those anxieties, God's Word and hymns come to mind and help to relieve those anxieties and tensions.  That song states how Jesus whispers sweet and low "fear not, I am with thee, peace be still"  in all of life's ebb and flow.  That ebb and flow includes those restless nights.

 

As with yesterday's passage in John 4, we may come to Him with worries and anxieties about relatively mundane things, but there are deeper issues within.  He can bring relief to all of them from the  spring of living waters to refresh, restore and renew and giving us a perspective that allows us to see to a brighter day and a life without end.

 

I'll close with the final stanza from "There's Within My Heart a Melody" , it  should be a comfort for us that delights our soul.

 

Soon he's coming back to welcome me 
far beyond the starry sky; 
I shall wing my flight to worlds unknown; 
I shall reign with him on high. 

 

^{Psalm 94:19} When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.  New Living Translation

 

Blessings,

 

Mike

 

Psalm 94:17-22New Living Translation (NLT)

¹⁷ Unless the Lord had helped me,
    I would soon have settled in the silence of the grave.
¹⁸ I cried out, "I am slipping!"
    but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me.
¹⁹ When doubts filled my mind,
    your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.

²⁰ Can unjust leaders claim that God is on their side—
    leaders whose decrees permit injustice?
²¹ They gang up against the righteous
    and condemn the innocent to death.
²² But the Lord is my fortress;
    my God is the mighty rock where I hide.

 

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

Verse of the Day 10/24

 

Verse of the  Day 10/24

 

John 4:13-14  Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.^[a] The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."  English Standard Version (ESV)

 

Our Pastor Bob spoke from this passage on Sunday and a main focus of the message was the concept of longing, deep longing.  The word is not specifically said in the verses but they show in the response of the woman to Jesus' question in the verse which immediately follows, she said "Sir, give me this water so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw this water".

 

Her longing was for the day was to be relieved of the mundane task of daily going  to the well to draw water.  She did not realize what Jesus was actually offering, it was more it was deeper as was her longing.  He was offering much more than relief for this task.  He was talking about life itself.

 

Pastor Greg Laurie writes, "Jesus was talking about the well as a metaphor for life. If you drink from the well of success, you will thirst again. If you drink from the well of accomplishments, you will thirst again. If you drink from the well of experiences, you will thirst again. Whatever it is, it will leave you empty."  Do you go to one of these wells to fill your longings?  Has it left you unfulfilled?

 

The conversation in John 4 is a reminder of the passage in Isaiah where God speaks through the prophet:

 

Isaiah 55:1-2English Standard Version (ESV)

The Compassion of the Lord

55 "Come, everyone who thirsts,
    come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without price.
² Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
    and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
    and delight yourselves in rich food.

 

I like the heading from the ESV, "The Compassion of  the Lord".  It is exactly what Jesus was offering to the woman, it is what He is offering to anyone who will come to Him today.

 

We'll close with an old hymn that comes to mind, it points to a heart that has come to Him for this living water and keeps it "singing".

 

There's within my heart a melody 
Jesus whispers sweet and low: 
Fear not, I am with thee, peace, be still, 
in all of life's ebb and flow. 
Refrain: 
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, 
sweetest name I know, 
fills my every longing, 
keeps me singing as I go. 

 

 

 

Blessings,

 

Mike

 

John 4:7-15New Living Translation (NLT)

⁷ Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Please give me a drink." ⁸ He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.

⁹ The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans.^[a] She said to Jesus, "You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?"

¹⁰ Jesus replied, "If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water."

¹¹ "But sir, you don't have a rope or a bucket," she said, "and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? ¹² And besides, do you think you're greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?"

¹³ Jesus replied, "Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. ¹⁴ But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life."

¹⁵ "Please, sir," the woman said, "give me this water! Then I'll never be thirsty again, and I won't have to come here to get water."

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