Verse of the Day 7/31

Verse of the Day 7/31

1 John 5:4-5   For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?  English Standard Version (ESV)

Yesterday we considered from Matthew chapter 8 where Jesus calmed the storm how the disciples were those who had gotten in the boat with him and related it to how we ask Christians have gotten into the boat with Jesus by putting our faith and trust in Him.

Today's verses bring this to another level.  Here John talks about those who put their faith and trust in Him as being "overcomers", through faith and in God's power, overcoming the obstacles and storms in our lives.

Pastor Greg Laurie shared a story in his daily devotional recently how he and his wife Cathe have a constant battle over the thermostat in their house, he likes it warmer, he likes it colder.  When we encounter an uncomfortable climate in our cultural surroundings we may read the culture but what do we do to change it? 

Greg Laurie writes, "She likes it warmer. I want it cooler. We go back to the thermostat again and again, because it controls the warmth or coolness of the room. Unlike a thermometer, which goes up and down with the temperature, a thermostat influences its surroundings. A thermostat controls the temperature around it.....With that in mind, are you a thermostat or a thermometer? Let me put it another way: Are you changing the culture, or is the culture changing you? Are you changing the world, or is the world changing you?"

When we practice our faith, through God's infused power in us and even in nature, we are overcomers but it doesn't stop there.  In being overcomers we should have an impact on those around us, perhaps people who are going through the same thing and need encouragement, hope, and faith.  When we do so we stop being thermometers and become thermostats, being and instrument of change for others.

Blessings,

Mike

1 John 5:1-5 The Message (MSG)

5 1-3 Every person who believes that Jesus is, in fact, the Messiah, is God-begotten. If we love the One who conceives the child, we'll surely love the child who was conceived. The reality test on whether or not we love God's children is this: Do we love God? Do we keep his commands? The proof that we love God comes when we keep his commandments and they are not at all troublesome.

The Power That Brings the World to Its Knees

4-5 Every God-begotten person conquers the world's ways. The conquering power that brings the world to its knees is our faith. The person who wins out over the world's ways is simply the one who believes Jesus is the Son of God.

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Verse of the Day 7/27

 

Verse of the Day 7/27

Psalm 139:7-8 Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! English Standard Version (ESV)

I'm sure that we've all played "peek a boo"with a child and most likely you've seen a little child cover their eyes when they've done something wrong, thinking that if they can't see you, you can't see them. As adults it seems funny or even cute, but yet, how many times do we feel that we can cover our eyes and hide from God?

Today's verses from Psalm 139 are a reminder that God is always there, He is always with us and He always sees us. That should be a humbling though to us. He not only sees us, He knows us and even knows are innermost thoughts.

A.W. Tozer writes, "God is above all things, beneath all things, outside of all things, and inside of all things. God is above, He is not pushed up. He's beneath, but not pressed down. He's outside, but He's not excluded. He's inside, but He's not confined. God is above all things presiding, beneath all things sustaining, outside of all things embracing, and inside of all things filling. That is the immanence of God."

Rather than covering his eyes or trying to hide from God, (which he had done at times in his life), David calls for God to search and know his heart and to lead him. May it be the attitude of our hearts today, instead of trying to hide, to seek Him, call for Him to examine our hearts and innermost thoughts, and to lead us in the right way.

Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts![a]
24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting! English Standard Version (ESV)

Blessings,

Mike

Psalm 139:1-8 New Living Translation (NLT)

Psalm 139
For the choir director: A psalm of David.

1 O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I'm far away.
3 You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!
7 I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave,[a] you are there.

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Verse of the Day 7/26

Verse of the Day 7/26

Isaiah 46:4 even to your old age I am he,
and to gray hairs I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear;
I will carry and will save. English Standard Version (ESV)

As I read today's verse the other day I had to smile just thinking about the gray hairs that have appeared; no, have taken over my head. I don't feel old, but the hairs on my head give credible evidence otherwise. I used to fill out things like on your drivers license where it asks for "hair"and the automatic response was blonde. No longer. Today it would be gray or possibly "some".

But as I look closer at the verse I also realise that God has been with me. He has brought me through a lot to get me to this place and He will continue to bear, to carry me to the end of this life, and He will carry me, deliver me to the next.

You may not have gray hairs on your head or have a receding hairline, but most likely someday those gray hairs will appear. You don't have to wait for that point to realise that God is with you, He has carried you and He will bear you and He will save you if you have put your faith and trust in Him.

Read the short passage below. Consider the things that God has done in your life, where He has brought you to and from.

Isiah 46:9 Remember the things I have done in the past.
For I alone am God!
I am God, and there is none like me.

10 Only I can tell you the future
before it even happens.
Everything I plan will come to pass,
for I do whatever I wish. New Living Translation

Blessings,

Mike

Isaiah 46:3-10 New Living Translation (NLT)

3 "Listen to me, descendants of Jacob,
all you who remain in Israel.
I have cared for you since you were born.
Yes, I carried you before you were born.
4 I will be your God throughout your lifetime—
until your hair is white with age.
I made you, and I will care for you.
I will carry you along and save you.
5 "To whom will you compare me?
Who is my equal?
6 Some people pour out their silver and gold
and hire a craftsman to make a god from it.
Then they bow down and worship it!
7 They carry it around on their shoulders,
and when they set it down, it stays there.
It can't even move!
And when someone prays to it, there is no answer.
It can't rescue anyone from trouble.
8 "Do not forget this! Keep it in mind!
Remember this, you guilty ones.
9 Remember the things I have done in the past.
For I alone am God!
I am God, and there is none like me.

10 Only I can tell you the future
before it even happens.
Everything I plan will come to pass,
for I do whatever I wish.

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Verse of the Day 7/25

Verse of the Day 7/25

Psalm 143:8 Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
for in you I trust.
Make me know the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul. English Standard Version (ESV)

I woke up this morning at about 4 am with my mind racing about things that I have to do today. After a while it became evident that if I continued down that path I wouldn't be falling back to sleep. So I changed course and prayed and then was able to settle down and go back to sleep. When I awoke the first thing I did was to reach for my iPad and read a couple of devotions. One of them was on today's verse and the importance of the first 10 minutes of the day.

How often do we wake up with our minds racing, jump out of bed, hit the shower, grab a quick bite to eat, head out the door, possibly stopping at Starbuck's or somewhere else for coffee and then head into the office and join the fray. It is no wonder that all too often, we become "frazzled"or "frayed", at the end of our rope at some point during that day.

I've come to realise that if I don't start the day our right in spending time with God in prayer and in His Word, that the scenario just described above will be my course for the day.

I do have a busy day ahead, but His Word has given me perspective. I pray for His guidance and wisdom and to be able to get the important things done and let the rest fill in any cracks. I pray the same for you. I'll close with a passage from Ephesians that also came up in my devotions today. I pray for my own "inner strength"and I pray for yours today as well.

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Ephesians 3:14-19 New Living Translation (NLT)

Read the short passage below. Take some time today to "ponder His great works" (Psalm 143:5), to say a prayer to God for yourself and for others in your life that come to mind.

Blessings,

Mike

Psalm 143:5-10 New Living Translation (NLT)

5 I remember the days of old.
I ponder all your great works
and think about what you have done.
6 I lift my hands to you in prayer.
I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain. Interlude
7 Come quickly, Lord, and answer me,
for my depression deepens.
Don't turn away from me,
or I will die.
8 Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning,
for I am trusting you.
Show me where to walk,
for I give myself to you.
9 Rescue me from my enemies, Lord;
I run to you to hide me.
10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
May your gracious Spirit lead me forward
on a firm footing.

 

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Verse of the Day 7/24

Verse of the Day 7/24

John 2:4-5   And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come." ⁵ His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."    English Standard Version (ESV)

Our Pastor Bob began a new series this past weekend which will cover the miracles that Jesus performed during His earthly ministry.  The first one is recorded in John chapter 2 where Jesus and his mother were attending a wedding and there was a problem, they were running out of wine.

Whenever I read this passage and story I think of the actual place having visited Cana on a trip to Israel last year.  It looks nothing like it did during Jesus time, but like then, I"m sure there was nothing there in and of itself to make it a tourist attraction, but what Jesus did there changed everything.

Over the years as I've read through the gospels each year, I've begun to pay closer attention to the questions that Jesus asked.  He often used them in His teaching and they say something, still ask things of us, questions such as "do you believe this?" or "are you going to leave me too?".  In today's verse we find a simple question, we may not think about it in deep theological terms, but when faced with a problem, Mary came to Jesus and said "they have no wine", knowing and expecting that Jesus could do something about it.  Instead of blowing it off He decides to address the issue, and what He did was His first miracle, that of turning the water into wine.

Sometimes we may be tempted to think that we shouldn't bring things to God, they may seem to be matters that have nothing to do with furthering God's kingdom.  It may be too little to get God involved in, He has to have bigger concerns.  In his sermon on Sunday Pastor Bob said "we do what we can and then turn to God and get out of the way".  Isn't that what Mary did.  Bob continued, "He can do small things and He can do great things". 

Don't be afraid to go to Jesus with the small things, the way He answers those prayers may turn out to be big things, things that we'll appreciate and pass on, perhaps for generations.

--   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 2:1-11 The Message (MSG)

From Water to Wine

2 ^1-3 Three days later there was a wedding in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there. Jesus and his disciples were guests also. When they started running low on wine at the wedding banquet, Jesus' mother told him, "They're just about out of wine."

⁴ Jesus said, "Is that any of our business, Mother—yours or mine? This isn't my time. Don't push me."

⁵ She went ahead anyway, telling the servants, "Whatever he tells you, do it."

^6-7 Six stoneware water pots were there, used by the Jews for ritual washings. Each held twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus ordered the servants, "Fill the pots with water." And they filled them to the brim.

⁸ "Now fill your pitchers and take them to the host," Jesus said, and they did.

^9-10 When the host tasted the water that had become wine (he didn't know what had just happened but the servants, of course, knew), he called out to the bridegroom, "Everybody I know begins with their finest wines and after the guests have had their fill brings in the cheap stuff. But you've saved the best till now!"

¹¹ This act in Cana of Galilee was the first sign Jesus gave, the first glimpse of his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

Verse of the Day 7/22

Verse of the Day 7/22

Psalm 42:11   Why am I so depressed?

Why this turmoil within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him,
my Savior and my God.    Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Sometimes it is hard to know why we wake up on some mornings and immediately feel depressed or discouraged.  Perhaps, like today, it starts with a look out the window and seeing cloudy, rainy skies when we'd rather have sunshine and a nice breeze.  Other time, there are things going on in our lives that draw our attention as soon as we start thinking about the day ahead, it may be turmoil or any kind of ongoing trouble.  When it happens we often listen to ourselves, our natural selves, telling us that things aren't fair or it is just not right.

It appears that David knew what we are going through.  But instead of dwelling on it, He would, like the deer that needs water daily, go to the source of refreshment, his source of strength.   Instead of listening to his inner self, he talks to himself and gives reason to hope, reason to see through the situation rather than dwell on it in depression.

Martyin Lloyd-Jones, one of my favorite Christians authors of the past century, writes, "Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself? Take those thoughts that come to you the moment you wake up in the morning. You have not originated them, but they start talking to you, they bring back the problems of yesterday, etc. Somebody is talking. . . . Your self is talking to you. Now this man's treatment [in Psalm 42] was this: instead of allowing this self to talk to him, he starts talking to himself. "Why art thou cast down, O my soul?" he asks. His soul had been depressing him, crushing him. So he stands up and says, "Self, listen for moment, I will speak to you."

Are you listening to your self, to your feelings today, or have you already turned the corner and begun to talk to yourself, with the help of God's Word and prayer.   If you've been depressed or in turmoil, talk to yourself about His  blessings, His answer to prayer in the past and then go to Him, raise your Ebenezer - your stone of remembrance,  to your Savior and your God.

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

Here I raise my Ebenezer
Here there by Thy great help I've come
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood

--   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 42 New Living Translation (NLT)

Book two (Psalms 42–72)

Psalm 42

For the choir director: A psalm^[a] of the descendants of Korah.

¹ As the deer longs for streams of water,
    so I long for you, O God.
² I thirst for God, the living God.
    When can I go and stand before him?
³ Day and night I have only tears for food,
    while my enemies continually taunt me, saying,
    "Where is this God of yours?"

⁴ My heart is breaking
    as I remember how it used to be:
I walked among the crowds of worshipers,
    leading a great procession to the house of God,
singing for joy and giving thanks
    amid the sound of a great celebration!

⁵ Why am I discouraged?
    Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
    I will praise him again—
    my Savior and ⁶ my God!

Now I am deeply discouraged,
    but I will remember you—
even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan,
    from the land of Mount Mizar.
⁷ I hear the tumult of the raging seas
    as your waves and surging tides sweep over me.
⁸ But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me,
    and through each night I sing his songs,
    praying to God who gives me life.

⁹ "O God my rock," I cry,
    "Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I wander around in grief,
    oppressed by my enemies?"
¹⁰ Their taunts break my bones.
    They scoff, "Where is this God of yours?"

¹¹ Why am I discouraged?
    Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
    I will praise him again—
    my Savior and my God!

Verse of the Day 7/20

 

Verse of the Day 7/20

Psalm 89:6-7 For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?
Who among the heavenly beings[a] is like the Lord,
7 a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones,
and awesome above all who are around him? English Standard Version (ESV)

In today's modern society it seems that God is not respected very much, let alone, revered or "feared". All too often He is thought of more as a genie in a bottle, there to call on when we need Him to grant us wishes or our buddy, pal or grandfatherly figure in heaven or worse. If you say anything about God in some circles, people may try to silence you.

I read the following quote by A.W. Tozer from the middle of the 1900's. He refers to the image of a cowboy God. He writes, "Unbelievers say, "Take your cowboy god and go home," and we get angry and say, "They're vile heathen." No, they're not vile heathen—or at least that's not why they say that. They can't respect our "cowboy god." And since evangelicalism has gone overboard to "cowboy religion," its conception of God is unworthy of Him. Our religion is little because our god is little. Our religion is weak because our god is weak. Our religion is ignoble because the god we serve is ignoble. We do not see God as He is.... A local church will only be as great as its conception of God. An individual Christian will be a success or a failure depending upon what he or she thinks of God. It is critically important that we have a knowledge of the Holy One, that we know what God is like. The Attributes of God, 41,42."

When he wrote the quote above, cowboy westerns were some of the most popular TV shows. If he were writing today, he might change it from a cowboy god to a facebook god, like a facebook friend. You can let these friends "know"about your life but they have little impact and most often very little "skin in the game" of our lives. As our churches will only be 'as great as its conception of God", our faith will only be as great as our personal conception of God.

Do you and I believe in an "awesome God" who rules the oceans, waves (Psalm 89:9) and the storms of life or a cowboy or facebook god who is a god our own creation?

Our God is an awesome God he reigns 
From heaven above with wisdom, power and love
Our God is an awesome God (Rich Mullins)

Blessings,

Mike

Psalm 89:5-9 New Living Translation (NLT)

5 All heaven will praise your great wonders, Lord;
myriads of angels will praise you for your faithfulness.
6 For who in all of heaven can compare with the Lord?
What mightiest angel is anything like the Lord?
7 The highest angelic powers stand in awe of God.
He is far more awesome than all who surround his throne.
8 O Lord God of Heaven's Armies!
Where is there anyone as mighty as you, O Lord?
You are entirely faithful.
9 You rule the oceans.
You subdue their storm-tossed waves.

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Verse of the Day 7/18

Verse of the Day 7/18

Isaiah 30:21   And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.     English Standard Version (ESV)

Having you ever been for a walk in an unfamiliar city or perhaps riding a bike along an unfamiliar path where you come to a point and stop not knowing which direction to go, what path to take.  Often, someone who is with you, who has been there before comes up behind you and says "you want to go that way".  You hadn't asked for directions but it was given to you and you responded.

That's how it is many times in life.  We are busy, going about our business relying on our own sense of direction until we face a situation where we are unsure of which way we should go, what path to take, what decision to make.  When we know the Bible, when it is "hidden in our hearts" it will come to you during these times and give you direction.

David Jeremiah writes, "Isaiah likened this to hearing a word behind us, whispering directions for the pathway ahead. In making your decisions, read the Bible, pray for guidance, use your best judgment, and trust the Lord. He will lead you in the right path."  We are to be His faithful followers when He gives us those directions.  Know God's Word, Know God's way.

1. He leadeth me, O blessed thought!
   O words with heav'nly comfort fraught!
   Whate'er I do, where'er I be
   Still 'tis God's hand that leadeth me.
   • Refrain:
     He leadeth me, He leadeth me,
     By His own hand He leadeth me;
     His faithful foll'wer I would be,
     For by His hand He leadeth me.
2. Sometimes 'mid scenes of deepest gloom,
   Sometimes where Eden's bowers bloom,
   By waters still, o'er troubled sea,
   Still 'tis His hand that leadeth me.
3. Lord, I would place my hand in Thine,
   Nor ever murmur nor repine;
   Content, whatever lot I see,
   Since 'tis my God that leadeth me.
4. And when my task on earth is done,
   When by Thy grace the vict'ry's won,
   E'en death's cold wave I will not flee,
   Since God through Jordan leadeth me.    Joseph Gilmore
   

--   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 30:18-22 New Living Translation (NLT)

Blessings for the Lord's People

¹⁸ So the Lord must wait for you to come to him
    so he can show you his love and compassion.
For the Lord is a faithful God.
    Blessed are those who wait for his help.

¹⁹ O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem,
    you will weep no more.
He will be gracious if you ask for help.
    He will surely respond to the sound of your cries.
²⁰ Though the Lord gave you adversity for food
    and suffering for drink,
he will still be with you to teach you.
    You will see your teacher with your own eyes.
²¹ Your own ears will hear him.
    Right behind you a voice will say,
"This is the way you should go,"
    whether to the right or to the left.
²² Then you will destroy all your silver idols
    and your precious gold images.
You will throw them out like filthy rags,
    saying to them, "Good riddance!"