Verse of the Day 8/31

Verse of the Day 8/31

Galatians 3:27-28

Holman Christian Standard Bible

27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ like a garment. 28 There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

In Sunday's post we considered how we, as Christians, have been "crucified with Christ" and because of this we have died to our old self and have Christ living in us.

When we are saved John MacArthur writes that we are "immersed" or "placed into Christ", there is a union that takes place, we are "positionally" with Him, we should be like minded.  The second part of that, mentioned in today's verses, is that we are to "put on Christ".  When we are saved it will mean a change of heart which leads to a change in actions.  Practically speaking, we are to demonstrate His qualities in our lives.

One of the first ways that this can be shown is our outlook toward others.  Realizing that we are "all one" in Christ there are no longer to see the divisions, categories that the world sees.  We won't see others by nationality, gender, profession or status but we will be on equal standing before God.  We are all "Abraham's seed" (verse 29) and heirs through faith according to His promise.

Blessings, 

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

Galatians 3:23-29

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Before this faith came, we were confined under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith was revealed. 24 The law, then, was our guardian[a] until Christ, so that we could be justified by faith. 25 But since that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

Sons and Heirs

27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ like a garment. 28 There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, heirs according to the promise.

Verse of the Day 7/30

Verse of the Day 7/30

Galatians 2:20. New International Version I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Our church will be celebrating a baptism service at a local lake this afternoon where scores of people will be going under the water and coming up again to "newness of life."  The ceremony has symbolism in it but it is far more than symbolic.  Those going through the rite will be making a declaration, testifying that they are no longer who they used to be, they are letting those present and all who they tell of the event that they now have their Lord Jesus Christ living in them.  They will never be the same again.

If you have been baptized, you can read this verse and testify that you now "live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."  Step back for a moment and think of what the event meant to you however long ago; what it means for you today; and what it will mean for you for eternity.

1 I have decided to follow Jesus;

I have decided to follow Jesus;

I have decided to follow Jesus;

no turning back, no turning back.

2 Though none go with me, I still will follow;
though none go with me, I still will follow;
though none go with me, I still will follow;
no turning back, no turning back.

3 The world behind me, the cross before me;
the world behind me, the cross before me,
the world behind me, the cross before me;
no turning back, no turning back.

Have you made the decision to follow Him?  Testify, make a declaration to someone today/

Blessings, 

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

Galatians 2:15-21
New International Version

15 "We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles 16 know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in[a] Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
17 "But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn't that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! 18 If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker.
19 "For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

Verse of the Day 8/26

Verse of the Day 8/26

Psalm 104:31-32

New International Version

31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
    may the Lord rejoice in his works—
32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
    who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

My wife Jean and I took advantage of an opportunity to go to the mountains of North Carolina last week to escape the heat of the dog days of August and spend time with friends, relaxing and enjoying the outdoors (which for me include some golf).  Along the way we drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway known for it's beautiful vistas.  Seeing the morning mists on the mountains reminded me of today's verses.

Whether we are enjoying the mountains or perhaps the valleys such as the Grand Canyon we should step back and acknowledge God as the Creator of all of this and give Him the glory due Him.

John Piper writes, "God means for us to be stunned and awed by his work of creation. But not for its own sake. He means for us to look at his creation and say: If the mere work of his fingers (just his fingers! Psalm 8:3) is so full of wisdom and power and grandeur and majesty and beauty, what must this God be like in himself!….These are but the backside of his glory, as it were, darkly seen through a glass. What will it be to see the glory of the Creator himself! Not just his works! A billion galaxies will not satisfy the human soul. God and God alone is the soul's end."

If you find yourself admiring a beautiful sunset, mountain scene or the waves crashing on the beach, step back and think for a minute (or more) about the majesty and glory of God who formed all of this for our benefit and His glory.

Psalm 104:33-34

New International Version

33 I will sing to the Lord all my life;
    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
    as I rejoice in the Lord.

Blessings, 

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 104:31-34

New International Version

31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
    may the Lord rejoice in his works—
32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
    who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

33 I will sing to the Lord all my life;
    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
    as I rejoice in the Lord.

Verse of the Day 8/25

Verse of the Day 8/25

Proverbs 12:19

New International Version

19 Truthful lips endure forever,
    but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.

People will do just about anything to "get ahead" and will sacrifice honest, the truth in order to get the upper hand.  Quite often this leads to putting a "spin" on what is said and other times people, even leaders, simply tell flat out lies.  Sometimes they are spotted for what they are immediately, others will come out in the future and when they do there will be consequences.

Today's verse and the short passage below give us good insight into the subject of the truth versus lies.  Truths that are told will be remembered and treasured.  The "lying tongue" may be remembered but not in a positive way.

As with any of the Proverbs and the Bible as a whole, they speak the truth and those principles are enduring.  Our words will also endure when spoken in truth from a clean heart.

Remember these words:

Proverbs 12:22

New International Version

22 The Lord detests lying lips,
    but he delights in people who are trustworthy.

Blessings, 

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

Proverbs 12:18-22
New International Version

18 The words of the reckless pierce like swords,
    but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
19 Truthful lips endure forever,
    but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.
20 Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil,
    but those who promote peace have joy.
21 No harm overtakes the righteous,
    but the wicked have their fill of trouble.
22 The Lord detests lying lips,
    but he delights in people who are trustworthy.

Verse of the Day 8/23

Verse of the Day 8/23

John 14:16-17

New International Version

16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth.The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be  in you.

If you watch the news and the various reports that come out, if you are like me, there are many times when you wish that you could have confidence in what is being told.  You want the truth.  You don't want "spin" or carefully crafted words used as a substitute for the truth.

Today's verses are encouraging to us and they are humbling.  God the Father has given us the Holy Spirit as the voice of truth in our hearts and in our lives.  The Holy Spirit is the Helper, the One who comes along side of us and prompts us and reveals truth to us.  The question is, how well do we listen, how often do we follow the prescription of the truth in our lives?  All too often we listen to other voices telling us a different story, one that offers and "easy" solution that doesn't deliver as promised.

The truth is there, His Word and His help are there for us, they are in us and they WILL be in us.  May we pray that we will listen, believe and obey the voice of the Helper, the voice of truth.

 the waves are calling out my name
And they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. "Boy, you'll never win!"
"You'll never win!"

… But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!"
The voice of truth says, "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth.   (Voice of Truth - Casting Crowns)

Blessings, 

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 14:15-21
New International Version
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 "If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[a] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them."

Verse of the Day 8/18

Verse of the Day 8/18

Romans 15:13

English Standard Version

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

I just completed reading through Romans this morning.  Each year I look forward to the time when I will be going through it.  Today's verse and passage below are a major reason for this.

We may think that God is love, and that is correct.  But one of the ways that this is conveyed to us in through hope, a hope that is given to us; which we are filled with by the Holy Spirit living in us.  This hope is tied in with faith and helps us to "abound" in good times and through the bad.

My son Jeff has coined the phrase "hope is my favorite thing to have".  And when I think of him and that saying I think of today's verse.  Now, 38 years old, he has been disabled since he was 16.  But through all of his trials and challenges God has filled him with hope, peace, love and joy.  He amazes me.

The only other person that comes close to him in showing these traits is my wife Jean.  Battling cancer, this hope also abounds in her.

John Piper references Philippians 4:7, Jeff's favorite verse when he writes, "The people who enjoy the peace of God that surpasses all understanding are those who in everything by prayer and supplication let their requests be made known to God…..The key that unlocks the treasure chest of God's peace is faith in the promises of God. So Paul prays, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing." And when we do trust the promises of God and have joy and peace and love, then God is glorified."

Verse 4 (below) tells us that the scriptures were written "that we might have hope."

May the God of hope fill you with hope and all joy and peace in believing today.

Blessings, 

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 15:4-13
English Standard Version
4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
Christ the Hope of Jews and Gentiles
8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,
"Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,
    and sing to your name."
10 And again it is said,
"Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people."
11 And again,
"Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
    and let all the peoples extol him."
12 And again Isaiah says,
"The root of Jesse will come,
    even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;
in him will the Gentiles hope."
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Verse of the Day 8/15

Verse of the Day 8/15

Romans 12:9-10

New International Version

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

As I mentioned the other day, the book of Romans can be divided up into two sections, chapters 1 to 11 primarily dealing with teaching Christian doctrine and then chapters 12-16 dealing with the application of those doctrines in our lives.  Today's verses begin a short passage which goes under the heading of "love in action".  The verses are straightforward and easy to understand, however, they are not easy to apply in our lives.

This kind of love has to be active, living, put into practice.  Verse 11 below speaks of spiritual "fervor", it is the picture of water boiling over, it is so active that it boils over, it can be seen and it overflows.

Notice the adjectives used in the verses to describe such love.  Sincerity, being devoted and honoring one another with our love.

Read the passage below.  Spend some time thinking about what this would look like and prayerfully put it into action.

Blessings, 

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 12:9-21
English Standard Version
Marks of the True Christian
9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit,[a] serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.[b] Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it[c] to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." 20 To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.