Verse of the Day 10/28

Verse of the Day 10/28

2 Timothy 3:14-15  Keep on being faithful to what you were taught and to what you believed. After all, you know who taught you these things. ¹⁵ Since childhood, you have known the Holy Scriptures that are able to make you wise enough to have faith in Christ Jesus and be saved.   Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Today's verses came up in my read through the New Testament plan, this year in the Contemporary English Version.  We are probably most familiar with verse 16 which tells us that all Scripture is breathed out by God and is good for teaching, rebuke, correction and training in godly living, thoroughly equipped to face the day and any challenges that lie ahead.  Today's verses are a good lead in to that.

Many of us were raised "in the church" and if you're like me, some of your earliest memories are from Sunday school and learning all kinds of songs that taught us about the Lord and to put our faith, trust and hope in Him.  The first words above call and challenge us to "keep on being faithful" to these things and God's Word.  They are the things that made us "wise" enough to follow Christ early on and are the same things that will keep us "wise" in the faith and not be distracted, not be mislead into believing the falsehoods that may be tossed at you; some of them in the name of Christianity.

The other thought that goes along with "keep on" is that of diligence and perseverance.  There are plenty of things each day that can draw us away from our "quiet time", our time in His Word and in prayer.  A few days away and it become easy to drift way off course and put ourselves in danger.

May we listen to Paul's challenge to young Timothy, "keep on being faithful", hold on to what you have believed.  Not only that, reinforce it by continuing to apply what you've learned and what you know deep down and be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

--   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 Timothy 3:10-17 English Standard Version (ESV)

All Scripture Is Breathed Out by God

¹⁰ You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, ¹¹ my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. ¹² Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, ¹³ while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. ¹⁴ But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom^[a] you learned it ¹⁵ and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 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^[b] may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Verse of the Day 10/26

Verse of the Day 10/26

Mark 10:17  And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"  

English Standard Version (ESV)

In yesterday's verses we considered the statement in Romans 12:1 that God is good as the basic premise to our faith.  In today's passage, a rich young ruler approaches Jesus and wants to know how he can be assured of eternal life.  He approaches Jesus with the mindset that he has been a "good person" and has obeyed the law.  He poses the question with the attitude that he likely has met the requirements already.

Many people then and now that have seen the works of Jesus and the impact that He has had upon His followers would probably address Jesus the same way, admitting that he is a good person, a good teacher.  Their response would also be similar to his opinion.  It is easy to judge ourselves as being better than the next person or at least above the bar of most (conveniently setting our own bar).  Jesus response to the young man surprised him and cause him to go away discouraged.

Jesus could have been much harder on the man, He did not go through the whole list of 10 commandments.  He didn't need to.  We all fall short (Romans 3:23), but that doesn't mean that we have no hope.  We can be transformed as we read yesterday, our minds can be renewed, and our hearts can be changed when we turn from our own preconceived ideas and follow Jesus teachings and come to Him in faith.

If it comes up in conversation and someone asks you "what must I do to inherit, to receive eternal life", how would you respond?

May we be ready to share something from God's Word, such as:

Ephesians 2:8-10   God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. New Living Translation

--   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

Mark 10:17-22 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Rich Young Man

¹⁷ And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" ¹⁸ And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'" ²⁰ And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth." ²¹ And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." ²² Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Verse of the Day 10/25

   

Verse of the Day 10/25 

 

Romans 12:1-2  Dear friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. That's the most sensible way to serve God. ² Don't be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him.  Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 

As I read today's verses in the Contemporary English Version above, the first thing that jumped out at me was the statement "God is good".  It caused me to pause and think about that. It brought to mind the prayer learned as a child at the dinner table – "God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food, Amen".  I then thought of the simple chorus that we used to sing "God is go good, God is so good, God is so good, He's so good to me."  That prayer and that chorus and many other verses from church and Sunday school helped form the concept of God and who He is at an early age.  They helped shape the way I lived my live, helped me turn to Him in prayer, helped form the outlook on the world that He would develop in me.

 

My hope and prayer is that we will continue to teach our children, grand children and great grand children these prayers, songs and verses so that they too will start out life with those concepts, those beliefs as the framework of their world view.  But even if those things are not instilled in them then, there is hope.  God is capable or reaching anyone and as the English Standard Version (below) states in verse 2, prevent them from letting the world force them into its mold but rather to transform them by the renewing of their minds through His Spirit working in them through His Word.

 

For those that have that Christian world view, the verses remind us, encourage us and even beg us to offer ourselves, our lives in service to Him, trying to please Him in all that we do.

 

Read the passage below, think about what it means to you that "God is good" and how you may live for Him today, showing that your mind has been renewed.

 

Living for Jesus a life that is true, Striving to please Him in all that I do; Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free, This is the pathway of blessing for me.
	O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee, For Thou, in Thy [redemption],* Didst give Thyself for me; I own no other Master, My heart shall be Thy throne, My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for Thee alone.
2	Living for Jesus who died in my place, Bearing on Calv'ry my sin and disgrace; Such love constrains me to answer His call, Follow His leading and give Him my all.
3	Living for Jesus wherever I am, Doing each duty in His holy name; Willing to suffer affliction and loss, Deeming each trial a part of my cross.
4	Living for Jesus through earth's little while, My dearest treasure, the light of His smile; Seeking the lost ones He died to redeem, Bringing the weary to find rest in Him.

 

--   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

 

Romans 12:1-8 English Standard Version (ESV)

A Living Sacrifice

12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers,^[a] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.^[b] 2 Do not be conformed to this world,^[c] but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.^[d]

Gifts of Grace

³ For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. ⁴ For as in one body we have many members,^[e] and the members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. ⁶ Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; ⁷ if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; ⁸ the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads,^[f] with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.