Verse of the Day 2/28

Verse of the Day 2/28

 

Colossians 1:11-12 God will strengthen you with his own great power so that you will not give up when troubles come, but you will be patient. ¹² And you will joyfully give thanks to the Father who has made you^[a] able to have a share in all that he has prepared for his people in the kingdom of light.  New Century Version (NCV)

For today's verses we'll return to yesterday's passage in Colossians 1. Yesterday we considered how Paul prayed for the church and for us that we would grow in knowledge of Him and walk worthy of Him doing good works and bearing fruit.  Here we are reminded that we don't have to worry about having the power to do His will, but that God will provide the power, the means to accomplish His purposes through us.  It doesn't mean that it is going to be easy or that we won't face challenges and opposition, but we won't give up "but you will be patient".

 

We've probably heard it before and thought it for ourselves, about not wanting to pray for patience but it is something that we need to have, it shows stability in our faith.

 

John MacArthur writes, "Steadfastness" speaks of endurance regarding people; "patience" speaks of endurance regarding things or circumstances. When you are steadfast and patient, you are spiritually stable. Your responses are biblical, thoughtful, and calculated; not worldly, emotional, or uncontrolled. You bear up under trials because you understand God's purposes and trust His promises."

 

How are you doing in regards to steadfastness as "endurance regarding people"?  May you be strengthened today in regards to dealing with people, having the patience to show that you are spiritually stable.

 

Read the short passage below again.  May you be strengthened by His word while remembering to give Him thanks for it.

 

Blessings,

 

Mike

 

Colossians 1:9-14 New King James Version (NKJV)

Preeminence of Christ

⁹ For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; ¹⁰ that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; ¹² giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. ¹³ He has delivered us from the power of darkness and ^[a]conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption ^[b]

Col 1:9-14 NKJV - - Bible Gateway

through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

 

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

Verse of the Day 2/27

Verse of the Day 2/27

 

Colossians 1:10   so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God.  Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

 

In the previous verse (9) Paul had prayed for the local church and for us today that we  "may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding".  He did this so that we would "walk worthy" of the Lord, pleasing Him, bearing fruit in our work and growing in knowledge.  He prays for knowledge that will help our daily walk, that we would be productive in good things while growing in knowledge which will lead to more of the same.  Get the picture?

 

Walking has been the primary mode of transportation since God created man.  Other modes have come along horse or donkey, carriage; bicycle; and on to cars trains and planes; but through it all walking has been the main mode.  Today many people "count steps", trying to achieve 10,000 steps as a badge of accomplishment towards good health and general well being.

 

For the Christian, spending time in God's word daily, making it our main spiritual "mode" (along with prayer), and applying it towards good works and growing in God should be a goal for us.  It is not one where we need to "count" minutes and hours or chapters and verses, but we should be able to monitor our growth as we look back by how we may be pleasing Him and bearing the fruit of good works and deeds in our lives.

 

John MacArthur writes, "As your knowledge of God's Word increases, the Holy Spirit renews your mind and transforms your thinking. As you gaze into the glory of the Lord as revealed in Scripture, you "are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory" (2 Cor. 3:18). You have "put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him" (Col. 3:10)."

 

Read the passage below.  May you be strengthened with all power from above to accomplish what He guides you to do as you walk out into the world today

 

Blessings,

 

Mike

 

Colossians 1:9-14 English Standard Version (ESV)

⁹ And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰ so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; ¹² giving thanks^[a] to the Father, who has qualified you^[b]

Col 1:9-14 ESV - - Bible Gateway

 to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. ¹³ He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

 

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

Verse of the Day 2/20

Verse of the Day 2/20

Luke 24:44-45  Then he said, "When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled." ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.  New Living Translation (NLT)

In yesterday's post we considered how Peter stressed the importance of paying attention to scripture in living our lives.  Peter knew what the mountaintop experience was like, but what would carry him, what carries us day by day is reading and understanding God's Word and His will for our lives through it.

In today's passage, Jesus appears to His disciples after the resurrection.  They had had inumerable experienece while they were with Him during His ministry but now, with His immanent departure they would have to depend upon His words and the words of the scriptures, inspired by God to guide them.  Then He "opened their minds" to understand the scriptures.  The Holy Spirit has been given to us to do the same thing for us.

It is not something that we have to sit back and wait to happen.  Paul prayed for the church in Ephesus and in his letter, the prayer carries over for us.  We can also pray that prayer for ourselves and others that they eyes of our hearts may be opened to understand the scriptures.

Ephesians 1:18-20   I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, ¹⁹ and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength ²⁰ he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You
I want to see You

To see You high and lifted up
Shinin' in the light of Your glory
Pour out Your power and love
As we sing holy, holy, holy

--   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    

Luke 24:44-49 English Standard Version (ESV)

⁴⁴ Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, ⁴⁶ and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, ⁴⁷ and that repentance for^[a] the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."

Verse of the Day 2/19

Verse of the Day 2/19

2 Peter 1:19 So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.   New American Standard Bible (NASB)

I don't know if you're like me and wondered what it must have been like to have been with Jesus, especially at a place like the Mount of Transfiguration as Peter, James and John were.  It's hard to think that you could be more sure of who Jesus was and what it would mean to us.

Today's verse stands out for us and tells us that we can be even more sure by God's Word which is revealed to us, revealed as truth to help us understand better what His will for us is.  We have the ancient writings of the Old Testament; the Words of the prophets; we have the words of the Apostles and we have the words of Jesus; all of which have the power to transform us and lead us day by day and into eternity.

One thing you realize as you grow older is that memories fade.   Our minds may even question things that we have seen.  Others may have seen the same event with a totally different memory than you have.  But when it is recorded you can go back and look at it, or read about it and possibly stand corrected and realize that somehow your desires may have clouded your memory.

Not so with God's Word.  It doesn't change, it is there for us every day to keep us on course and to help us to continue to be an example, a reflection of what He has done for us in His life and in His word.  We have His Word available to us, at our fingertips all the time.  May we not neglect it.

Read the verses below and then the short passage from 1 Peter.  Think again who wrote these words and how important the Word should be for us.

Psalm 119:15-17 New International Version (NIV)

¹⁵ I meditate on your precepts
    and consider your ways.
¹⁶ I delight in your decrees;
    I will not neglect your word.

--   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    

2 Peter 1:16-21 English Standard Version (ESV)

Christ's Glory and the Prophetic Word

¹⁶ For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. ¹⁷ For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, "This is my beloved Son,^[a] with whom I am well pleased," ¹⁸ we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. ¹⁹ And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, ²⁰ knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. ²¹ For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Verse of the Day 2/18

Verse of the Day 2/18

1 Peter 2:11-12  Friends, this world is not your home, so don't make yourselves cozy in it. Don't indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they'll be won over to God's side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives.    The Message (MSG)

I read this familiar passage in The Message over the weekend and it quickly drew my attention.  As soon as I read the words "this world is not your home", the first thing I thought of was the chorus that I learned many years ago in Sunday School.

This world is not my home I'm just a passing through
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue
The angels beckon me from heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore

Oh lord you know I have no friend like you
If heaven's not my home then lord what will I do
The angels beckon me from heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore

The second thing that caught my attention was "don't make yourself cozy in it".  Reading that on a chilly February morning with my robe on to feel cozy sitting in the recliner having my devotions.  We all like to be cozy, we buy clothes, furniture and have fake fireplaces in our homes to feel cozy.  The problem with feeling too cozy is that we may not want to venture out into the world.  Cozy will not get us to where we need to go.

The verses instead call us to lead exemplary lives, with a different purpose in the world.  We are to live as examples with lives that point to the fact that we are citizens in heaven and strangers here.  As citizens we are to live in accordance of the ways of where our citizenship resides, in heaven.  We also live here as ambassadors and as servants of the Master of our eternal home, doing His will for His honor and glory.4

On a cold winters day it is not wrong to want to be warm and dry, cozy even.   But let us not become too cozy that we don't venture out to do what God calls us to do.

--   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 2:9-12 English Standard Version (ESV)

⁹ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

¹¹ Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. ¹² Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

Verse of the Day 2/16

Verse of the Day 2/16

Psalm 31:14-15   But I trust in you, O Lord;

    I say, "You are my God."
¹⁵ My times are in your hand;
    rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!    English Standard Version (ESV)

Today's verses came my from my daily reading through the Psalms.  The verses are a powerful reminder that "my times" are in His hands.  It should be a comfort to us during the various "seasons" of life, the joys and the sorrows.  Psalm 31:15 also came up in the "Grace Gems" devotional for today, a coincidence?  No, it is just part of His timing. 

Charles Spurgeon writes:

"My times." Not one or two important epochs of my history only--but everything that concerns me:
  joys that I had not expected,
  sorrows that must have crushed me, if they could have been anticipated,
  sufferings which might have terrified me by their grimness, had I looked upon them,
  surprises which infinite love had prepared for me,
  services of which I could not have imagined myself capable--
all these lay in that mighty hand, as the purposes of God's eternal will for me.

But, as they have developed gradually and silently--how great has been the love which appeared enwrapping and enfolding each one!
Has not the grief been measured--while the gladness has far more abounded?
Have not the comforts and consolations--exceeded the crosses and afflictions?
Have not all things been so arranged, and ordered, and undertaken, and worked out on our behalf--that we can but marvel at the goodness and wisdom of God, in meting out from that dear hand of His, all the "times" that have passed over us?

He is not only there with us; He is for us and has surprises of love in store for us, not in the years of time alone, but for eternity.

Over the past few days one of my favorite songs  from Boston has been on my mind.  The verses and Spurgeon's comments brought back the last lines from that song, "Gonna Hitch a Ride".

Gonna hitch a ride
Head for the other side
Leave it all behind
Never change my mind
Gonna sail away
Sun lights another day
Freedom on my mind
Carry me away for the last time

One day we'll be able to look over all of those times that have been in His hands and He will carry us away for the last times to be with Him 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    

Psalm 31:14-19 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

¹⁴ But I trust in You, Lord;
I say, "You are my God."
¹⁵ The course of my life is in Your power;
deliver me from the power of my enemies
and from my persecutors.
¹⁶ Show Your favor to Your servant;
save me by Your faithful love.
¹⁷ Lord, do not let me be disgraced when I call on You.
Let the wicked be disgraced;
let them be silent^[a][b] in Sheol.
¹⁸ Let lying lips be quieted;
they speak arrogantly against the righteous
with pride and contempt.

¹⁹ How great is Your goodness
that You have stored up for those who fear You
and accomplished in the sight of everyone
for those who take refuge in You.