Verse of the Day 6/23

Verse of the Day 6/23

Psalm 119:111-112  They will always be

my most prized possession
    and my source of joy.
¹¹² I have made up my mind
to obey your laws forever,
    no matter what.     Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Today's verses came up yesterday in my daily reading in the Psalms, currently going through Psalm 119, 16 verses a day.  Verse 105 (below) begins with the familiar "your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path".  As a student of God's Word I would have to say that God's Word is a prized possession and source of joy.  Through good times and bad, through the ups and downs and the emotional roller coasters of life, His Word is a grounding force and a source of comfort and strength.  I have made up my mind that I will continue to be a student of God's Word as long as I am able.

I think that it is significant that the longest chapter in the Bible is virtually "all about" God's word in the form of statutes; principles; decrees and commands.  The other thing to consider that the whole of the Bible, Old Testament and New point to Jesus as Lord and Savior; Redeemer and Friend.

Read the passage below then pause and think about it.  Perhaps go onto the next passage.  How does it speak to you?  No matter what you are facing today, as a child of His, remember that Jesus; the Word made flesh; commands our destiny.

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand:
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand. 

(In Christ Alone- Stuart Townend)

--   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 119:105-112 English Standard Version (ESV)

Nun

¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp to my feet
    and a light to my path.
¹⁰⁶ I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,
    to keep your righteous rules.
¹⁰⁷ I am severely afflicted;
    give me life, O Lord, according to your word!
¹⁰⁸ Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O Lord,
    and teach me your rules.
¹⁰⁹ I hold my life in my hand continually,
    but I do not forget your law.
¹¹⁰ The wicked have laid a snare for me,
    but I do not stray from your precepts.
¹¹¹ Your testimonies are my heritage forever,
    for they are the joy of my heart.
¹¹² I incline my heart to perform your statutes
    forever, to the end.

Verse of the Day 6/23

Verse of the Day 6/23

John 7:37-38  On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and shouted, "If you are thirsty, come to me and drink! ³⁸ Have faith in me, and you will have life-giving water flowing from deep inside you, just as the Scriptures say."  Contemporary English Version (CEV)

As I read these verses this morning I looked out of our kitchen window at the decorative pool that we have in our backyard where the water comes flowing like a spring out of some rocks and into the pool.  Yesterday was the first day that it had been turned on for the year and instead of pure clean water what came out were leaves and dirt that had built up in the well since last fall.  I had failed to clean it properly before "going to the well", turning the switch to let it flow.  The water didn't look pleasing and you would never want to take a drink from that spring.

 God's Word is often the source of the spring of God's blessings in our lives.  We should be more like David in Psalm 42 who stated "as the deer pants for the water so my soul pants for you O God".  Fortunately for us, we don't have to clean up the mess in our lives before turning to Jesus who is the spring from whom all blessings flow.

Charles Spurgeon writes, "No waiting or preparation is so much as hinted at. Drinking represents a reception for which no fitness is required. A fool, a thief, a harlot can drink; and so sinfulness of character is no bar to the invitation to believe in Jesus. We want no golden cup, no bejewelled chalice, in which to convey the water to the thirsty; the mouth of poverty is welcome to stoop down and quaff the flowing flood. Blistered, leprous, filthy lips may touch the stream of divine love; they cannot pollute it, but shall themselves be purified. Jesus is the fount of hope. Dear reader, hear the dear Redeemer's loving voice as he cries to each of us, Come and drink."    

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

Oh, to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be
Let that 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, oh, take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above

Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above

--   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 7:37-39 English Standard Version (ESV)

Rivers of Living Water

³⁷ On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as^[a] the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" ³⁹ Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Verse of the Day 6/22

Verse of the Day 6/22

Ephesians 6:4   Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.   New International Version (NIV)

My dad passed away in 2011 so it has been many years since we spent a Father's Day together.  But each day of my life I remember him with fondness as a loving father, an encourager, a coach and a friend.  In reading today's verse I am thankful that he did not make it a regular practice to "exasperate" me.  I'm hoping that I was the same kind of father in the eye's of my children.

I'm reminded of the movie "I Can Only Imagine" based on the Mercy Me song of the same title.  It was the story of a broken relationship between father and son where the father "exasperated" his son on a regular basis throughout the childhood of Bart Millard.  But through the mercy and love of God, their relationship was brought to the place it should be, it was formed to a proper father and son relationship prior to his father's death to cancer.

No matter what our relationship is or was with our fathers, Jesus has the power to make that relationship what it should be. For some of us it may not happen on this earth but we can look forward to a proper relationship with our heavenly Father when our days an this earth are through.  Until then we can only imagine.

I can only imagine what it will be like
When I walk, by your side
I can only imagine what my eyes will see
When you face is before me
I can only imagine
I can only imagine

Surrounded by You glory
What will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus
Or in awe of You be still
Will I stand in your presence
Or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah
Will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine
I can only imagine

--   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    

Ephesians 6 New King James Version (NKJV)

Children and Parents

6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ² "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with promise: ³ "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth."

⁴ And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Verse of the Day 6/17

Verse of the Day 6/17

Jeremiah 7:23-24 Instead, I told them, "If you listen to me and do what I tell you, I will be your God, you will be my people, and all will go well for you." ²⁴ But your ancestors refused to listen. They were stubborn, and whenever I wanted them to go one way, they always went the other.    Contemporary English Version (CEV)

We considered the other day how "WWJD" (what would Jesus do) should be changed to WDJD (what did Jesus do) and that if we applied that to our lives things would go better for us and the world around us.  We have the opportunity every day to listen to what God tells us in His Word and we have the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John to show us what Jesus did and how he called for us to live.

The ESV version (below) in verse 23 states that the qualifier for all will be well for you is to "walk in all the way" that God tells us.  It is not a matter of choosing.  We don't have a cafeteria style faith where we pick and choose what best suits us for today according to our own spiritual appetite.  We are called to "walk by faith".  The attitude should be more like "I'll walk, you lead".  We don't have to sit back and wait for a revelation from God before heading out for the day.  He'll bring the opportunities to us.  We must be willing to listen for His promptings in the situations that come our way. 

All too often for many of us God tells us one thing and we go the other way; a lot like Jonah.  Many times we head the other direction, because like Jonah we "panic".  Our life often referred to as a Christian as a walk and we are to walk by faith.  Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, "Faith is a refusal to panic.  Do you like that sort of definition of faith?  Does that seem to be too earthly and not sufficiently spiritual?  It is of the very essence of faith.  Faith is a refusal to panic, come what may."  Saying "I'll walk, you lead" also sounds earthy but when acted out it looks very much like waling by faith, refusing to panic.

--   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    

Jeremiah 7:21-26 English Standard Version (ESV)

²¹ Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: "Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh. ²² For in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to your fathers or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. ²³ But this command I gave them: 'Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.' ²⁴ But they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward. ²⁵ From the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt to this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day. ²⁶ Yet they did not listen to me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers.

Verse of the Day 6/15

Verse of the Day 6/15

Colossians 4:5-6  Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. ⁶ Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.    English Standard Version (ESV)

As I read these verses and the short passage yesterday I couldn't help but think of how sound this advice is for us as Christians in the current environment.  It starts with "walking in wisdom", walking, not running around like a chicken with it's head cut off.  Walking is done at a pace and with wisdom it means being in control of your actions and words and following what we discussed yesterday WDJD; what did Jesus do.  That is truly how to make the best use of our time.

Now, for the tougher part, letting our speech be gracious; seasoned with salt.  Being gracious is being forgiving, it is pardon with power, power to change and power to overcome.  It is brought about with this seasoning.  Salt, when used properly, brings out the flavor in food, it enhances it brings out the best.  So it should be with our speech.  Too much salt and you want to spit it out.  Once too much has been poured on, the food cannot be taken back to it's original form.  Salt when put on an open wound will sting and hurt.

When you look at the world around us today; from politicians of opposing parties; to different sides on just about any issue; the way to bring about needed changed isn't by throwing barbs - words or worse; it is by using "gracious speech".

As we go about our day, our business this week, as we have social interaction, may we have these verses in mind and apply them in our lives.  Let's start first by praying before we head out.  Read the short passage below from the Contemporary English Version or from your favorite translation.  Let it speak to you with grace, seasoned by salt.

--   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    

Colossians 4:2-6 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

² Never give up praying. And when you pray, keep alert and be thankful. ³ Be sure to pray that God will make a way for us to spread his message and explain the mystery about Christ, even though I am in jail for doing this. ⁴ Please pray that I will make the message as clear as possible.

⁵ When you are with unbelievers, always make good use of the time. ⁶ Be pleasant and hold their interest when you speak the message. Choose your words carefully and be ready to give answers to anyone who asks questions.

Verse of the Day 6/14

Verse of the Day 6/14

Jeremiah 9:23-24?? Thus says the??Lord:?????Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches,??^24??but??let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the??Lord??who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth.??For in these things I delight, declares the??Lord.????????? English Standard Version (ESV)

In reading today's verses, there are several things that can "jump out" at us and draw our attention.?? Boasting, on our part, would be front and center.?? The word "justice" should also stand out.?? Many people today are calling out for justice for themselves without thought of their own actions and injustices rendered against others.

Many people have "hair triggers" when it comes to anger and calling out for justice, it doesn't take much to set us off with collateral damage that can't be taken back.?? What would our world look like if the opposite were true, that we were ready to show grace and love even in the most trying situations?

John Piper writes, "God loves to show mercy. Let me say it again. God loves to show mercy. He is not hesitant or indecisive or tentative in his desires to do good to his people. His anger must be released by a stiff safety lock, but his mercy has a hair trigger. That???s what he meant when he came down on Mount Sinai and said to Moses, ???The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love??? (Exodus 34:6). It???s what he meant when he said in Jeremiah 9:24, ???I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.???

Steadfast love is a loyal love; it comes from someone who is devoted to another.?? May we be able to boast not of ourselves but of the fact that we know Him;?? the One who shows this kind of love to us.??

In our Pastor Bob's message this morning he mentioned that "WWJD" bracelets that were popular some years ago.?? The key thing is that to know what He would do we have to know Him as He is revealed in His Word.?? Bob stated that it would be better to consider "WDJD" asking "what did Jesus do".

As you see all the images in the news these days it is obvious that this is the furthest thing from the mind of most.?? May we do our part to know what Jesus did and to put it into practice.??

--   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

Verse of the Day 6/12

Verse of the Day 6/12

Psalm 139:11-12 Or suppose I said, "I'll hide

in the dark
    until night comes
    to cover me over."
¹² But you see in the dark
    because daylight and dark
    are all the same to you.    Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Sometimes  you see the storm clouds building and gradually darkness overcomes you as the storm hits.  We want to take cover, seek shelter to wait the storm out.  As we go through various storms in life it can feel the same way and we just want to withdraw, to go away and hide by ourselves.  Sometimes we may even want to hide from God, but He "sees in the dark".  He has no trouble seeing us where we are at any time.  Nothing can hides and nothing can separate us from Him.  We should take comfort in that

Those dark times are commonly when we may be questioning God about the present storm, the present circumstances.  It is in those times that we need to have the grace of God in our lives.  Pastor Matt Chandler writes, "The greater your knowledge of the goodness and grace of God on your life, the more likely you are to praise Him in the storm."  By God's grace, may you be able to feel His goodness, His grace and His presence in this storm.

It is not our time to hide in the dark.  We have things to to by His grace and power.  Thomas Brooks writes:

Ah, beloved, have not you need to improve your time--who have so much work to do in so short a time:
  your souls to save,
  a God to honor,
  a Christ to exalt,
  a Hell to escape,
  a race to run,
  a crown to win,
  temptations to withstand,
  corruptions to conquer,
  afflictions to bear,
  mercies to improve, and
  your generation to serve!

"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12

We have a "generation" to serve.  Many of us have several generations to serve -our kids, grandkids and parents generations along with our own.

--   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 139:9-14 English Standard Version (ESV)

⁹ If I take the wings of the morning
    and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me.
¹¹ If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me,
    and the light about me be night,"
¹² even the darkness is not dark to you;
    the night is bright as the day,
    for darkness is as light with you.

¹³ For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
¹⁴ I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.^[a]
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.

Verse of the Day 6/11

Verse of the Day 6/11

Matthew 10:29-30  Aren't two sparrows sold for only a penny? But your Father knows when any one of them falls to the ground. ³⁰ Even the hairs on your head are counted.   Contemporary English Version (CEV)

I don't know exactly why these verses came to my mind this morning but the verses and the short passage below are good reminders for us in times of uncertainty that God is in control and He has His eye on things, most importantly, us.  If he provides for the wild creatures which we often think of as being insignificant, just think how much He must care for us, enough to send Jesus to die for us and to rise from the dead to show us that He has the power even beyond death itself.

I like the heading to the passage in the NKJV below, "Have No Fear".  What is causing fear and anxiety in your life today.  Say those words to yourself "Have No Fear.

Whenever I read these verses I cannot help but think of and listen in my mind to the Darnell Harris version of "His Eye is on the Sparrow".  Read the words below and remember as verse 31 states, "you are more valuable than many sparrows". 

Why should I feel discouraged?
And why should the shadows come?
Why should my heart feel lonely
And long for heavenly home
When Jesus is my portion?
And my constant friend is He
You know, his eye is on the little sparrow
And I know he cares for you and me
His eye is on the little sparrow
And I know God is watching over you and me

I sing because my soul is a happy
I sing because I'm free
For His eye, it is on the little sparrow
And I know He's watching over you and me

May you sing because you are happy and free because He is watching over thee.

--   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    

Matthew 10:26-33 English Standard Version (ESV)

Have No Fear

²⁶ "So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. ²⁷ What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. ²⁸ And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.^[a] 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?^[b] And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. ³⁰ But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. ³² So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, ³³ but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.