Verse of the Day 2/19

Verse of the Day 2/19

Isaiah 43:1-2

New King James Version

The Redeemer of Israel

43 But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.

Have you ever heard someone, or perhaps yourself have said "i've been through it", or perhaps "I'm going through it". Another line is "i've been through the wringer".  It has to do with going through the storms and trials of life.  How do we get through?

Today's verses come to us as a reminder.  The Lord says, " I have redeemed you".  I have paid the price for you. I have called you, specifically, by name.  The prophet caps it off with "I will be with you".

We should take comfort from these verses.  While the storms rage, the seas churn He speaks peacce to us. We will not be overcome.

Joys are flowing like a river
since the Comforter has come,
who abides with us forever,
makes the trusting heart a home.

Refrain:
Blessed quietness, holy quietness
what assurance in my soul!
On the stormy sea speaking peace to me
how the billows cease to roll!

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

Isaiah 43:1-6

New King James Version

The Redeemer of Israel

43 But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I gave Egypt for your ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
4 Since you were precious in My sight,
You have been honored,
And I have loved you;
Therefore I will give men for you,
And people for your life.
5 Fear not, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,
And gather you from the west;
6 I will say to the north, 'Give them up!'
And to the south, 'Do not keep them back!'
Bring My sons from afar,
And My daughters from the ends of the earth—

Verse of the Day 2/18

Verse of the Day 2/18

Isaiah 41:10-11

New King James Version

10 Fear not, for I am with you;

Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'

11 "Behold, all those who were incensed against you
Shall be ashamed and disgraced;
They shall be as nothing,
And those who strive with you shall perish.

What does it meen to you to know that God is with you, every momment of every day? He is there in the good times and the bad.  He is there just when we need Him most.  He is not there to fight against us, He is for us, to strengthen and help lus, uphold us and deliver us from our fores.

When we have a friend who is there with us we should be talking with them.  Kowning that God, that Jesus is with us we should talk to Him in prayer and let Him speak to us through His Word and the Holy Spirit.

What a Friend we have in Jesus,
  All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
  Everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
  O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
  Everything to God in prayer!

2

Have we trials and temptations?
  Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged,
  Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
  Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness,
  Take it to the Lord in prayer.

3

Are we weak and heavy-laden,
  Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge—
  Take it to the Lord in prayer;
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
  Take it to the Lord in prayer;
In His arms He'll take and shield thee,
  Thou wilt find a solace there.

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

Isaiah 41:8-13

New King James Version

8 "But you, Israel, are My servant,
Jacob whom I have chosen,
The descendants of Abraham My friend.
9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,
And called from its farthest regions,
And said to you,
'You are My servant,
I have chosen you and have not cast you away:
10 Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'

11 "Behold, all those who were incensed against you
Shall be ashamed and disgraced;
They shall be as nothing,
And those who strive with you shall perish.
12 You shall seek them and not find them—
[a]Those who contended with you.
Those who war against you
Shall be as nothing,
As a nonexistent thing.
13 For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand,
Saying to you, 'Fear not, I will help you.'

Verse of the Day 2/17

Verse of the Day 2/17

Isaiah 40:30-31

New International Version

30 Even youths grow tired and weary,

    and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

Today's verses came up in my daily Old Testament reading over the weekend, they are a couple of my favorite verses in Isaiah and in the whole Old Testament.  As I get older In can relate to it more and more.  As we age we tire more quickly and who hasn't been to the doctor and have them ask you, have you fallen in the last 6 months?  One thing I've noticed in the last few years that when you are down on the ground it is a lot harder to get up now than it used to be.

When we're down on the ground or in the dumps spiritually, our hope is in the Lord. Only He can truly renew our strength to the point where we can soar. You will notice that the author said "soar" and not just fly.

Robins and sparrows fly. But when you look up and see an eagle or a vulture floating high above, you're looking at a bird soaring. Yes, the eagle has to do some flying in the beginning, but eventually it connects with the thermal updrafts and taps into their power. The difference between flying and soaring is relying on a source of power beyond oneself.  (Author unknown)

He truly is the wind beneath our wings.

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord

[Pre-Chorus]
Our God, You reign forever
Our hope, our strong deliverer

[Chorus]
You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint
You won't grow weary.    ( Everlasting God Brenton Brown/Ken Riley)

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

Isaiah 40:25-31

New International Version

25 "To whom will you compare me?

    Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
    Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
    and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
    not one of them is missing.

27 Why do you complain, Jacob?
    Why do you say, Israel,
"My way is hidden from the Lord;
    my cause is disregarded by my God"?
28 Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

Verse of the Day 2/14

Verse of the Day 2/14    

John 13:34-35

New International Version

34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Happy Valentine's Day!  Today is a day where love will be expressed perhaps more than any other day across the country, in the form of cards, texts, emails and notes attached to flowers given to celebrate the event. Few will probably carry out love to the extent that Jesus states here in today's verses.

In this passage Jesus speaks of this love while predicting the denials of Peter. It could not have come easy, but that is how this love is. It will be hard at times.  It is a love that shows devotion, compassion and mercy as can only be provided through the grace and power of Christ and the power of the Spirit working in us. It is a love with weight behind it. It is a love that survives through "thick and thin".

I'm reminded of what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians, while not using the word love, the verses convey another quality of love, that of renewal day by day in spite of the "momentary troubles" of life.

2 Corinthians 4:16-17 New International Version  16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

The love of God is greater far
  Than tongue or pen can ever tell.
It goes beyond the highest star
  And reaches to the lowest hell.
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
  God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled
  And pardoned from his sin.

O love of God, how rich and pure!
  How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
    The saints' and angels' song.

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 13:31-38

New International Version

Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial

31 When he was gone, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him,[a] God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.

33 "My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

36 Simon Peter asked him, "Lord, where are you going?"

Jesus replied, "Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later."

37 Peter asked, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you."

38 Then Jesus answered, "Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!

Verse of the Day 2/12

Verse of the Day 2/12

Psalm 84:10-11

New International Version

10 Better is one day in your courts

    than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
    the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
    from those whose walk is blameless.

My daily reading in the Psalms this morning was in Psalm 83. Knowing that Psalm 84 was right ahead I chose today's verses, I couldn't wait for tomorrow to read on ahead. My morning quiet times are some of my favorite times, looking forward to what the Lord will have for me each day spent in His Word.

While grace is not spoken of in the verses, verse 11 speaks of God's favor and honor and that He doesn't hold back from giving us what we need.  Charles Spurgeon writes, "Grace in all its forms he freely renders to his people: comforting, preserving, sanctifying, directing, instructing, assisting grace, he generously pours into their souls without ceasing, and he always will do so, whatever may occur. Sickness may befall, but the Lord will give grace; poverty may happen to us, but grace will surely be afforded; death must come but grace will light a candle at the darkest hour. Reader, how blessed it is as years roll round, and the leaves begin again to fall, to enjoy such an unfading promise as this, "The Lord will give grace." 

Did you catch that one statement above, "he always will do so"?  We can count on it 

Verse 10 speaks of being a "doorkeeper" in the house of God. Today, we might call that person a greeter.  They are happy to be there and welcome all with a smile. I bet that you can picture some of the greeters at your church as you read this.  Perhaps, you are one of them. The next time you see them, smile, thank them for their ministry as you enter the sanctuary.

In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise, give me Jesus

Give me Jesus
Give me Jesus
You can have all this world
But give me Jesus

When I am alone
When I am alone
When I am alone, give me Jesus.  (Give Me Jesus - Fernando Ortega)

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 84

New International Version

Psalm 84[a]

For the director of music. According to gittith.[b] Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
    Lord Almighty!
2 My soul yearns, even faints,
    for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
    for the living God.
3 Even the sparrow has found a home,
    and the swallow a nest for herself,
    where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
    Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
    they are ever praising you.[c]

5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
    whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
    they make it a place of springs;
    the autumn rains also cover it with pools.[d]
7 They go from strength to strength,
    till each appears before God in Zion.

8 Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty;
    listen to me, God of Jacob.
9 Look on our shield,[e] O God;
    look with favor on your anointed one.

10 Better is one day in your courts
    than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
    the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
    from those whose walk is blameless.

12 Lord Almighty,
    blessed is the one who trusts in you.