Verse of the Day 6/12

Romans 1:21-22 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Claiming to be wise, they became fools,   English Standard Version (ESV)

Touring Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home in Virginia we were reminded of the famous quote from the Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal and that we all have rights, among them are "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness".  What guides that pursuit in our lives is often determined by what voice, what narrative, or should I say whose narrative that we listen to and follow.

In his book, The Good and Beautiful Life, James Bryan Smith writes, "All behavior is based on a narrative.  Positively, our cultural narrative can be stated in a number of different ways, "look out for number one" or "you only go around once, so take all you can" or "all is fair in love and war".  These are commonly used to justify immoral or unethical behavior."

Some will follow the worlds voices, calling for freedom and the right to do whatever they want with little or no concern for others.  That narrative will lead them down the wrong path that eventually, usually sooner than later, that leads to destruction, sadness, sorrow and emptiness.  God's Word offers us a better way and calls us to" love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind and love your neighbor as yourself" and He will end up living more abundantly.

Read the passage below from The Message, let's not be like those that "pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand."

We should desire life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, but realize that true joy can only be found in following Jesus and the narrative that we find in His Word.

Blessings,
Mike
Follow the verse of the day at www.mikesvotd.blogspot.com

Romans 1:21-23The Message (MSG)

Ignoring God Leads to a Downward Spiral

^18-23 But God's angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn't treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand.

Verse of the Day 6/11

John 17:3And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.  English Standard Version (ESV)

Last weekend as my wife Jean and I were heading off for our anniversary weekend we were listening to an oldies station on the radio and heard the song "Love Will Keep Us Together" by Captain and Tenile (  yes, I admit it, I actually sang along).  One of the lines goes like this, "I will be there to share forever, love will keep us together" through the different circumstances and trials in life.  In a marriage we are on a journey together, continually getting to know each other better, and love each other more deeply.

People have all kinds of ideas of what heaven will be like.  For many it will be some sort of eternal country club or amusement park with all of the excitement that you could ever want.  I don't know about you, but while I may enjoy some of those things for a time or a weekend, what I really want is to be at home together, to be "as one" together as God planned it to be.  In getting to know Him deeper, He keeps us together.

Max Lucado writes of this chapter, "God with us.  Don't we love the word "with"?  "Will you go with me?" we ask.  To the store, to the hospital, through my life?"  God says He will.  "I am with you always" Jesus said before He ascended into heaven (Matthew 28:20).  Search for restrictions on the promise, you'll find none."  He will be there to share forever, He will keep us together and we will get to know Him better day by day through eternity.

We should desire to get to know our spouses better day by day, year after year and we should all live to get to know Jesus better, to honor and glorify Him in doing so.

 

Blessings,
Mike
Follow the verse of the day at www.mikesvotd.blogspot.com

John 17:3The Message (MSG)

Jesus' Prayer for His Followers

17 ^1-5 Jesus said these things. Then, raising his eyes in prayer, he said:

Father, it's time.
Display the bright splendor of your Son
So the Son in turn may show your bright splendor.
You put him in charge of everything human
So he might give real and eternal life to all in his charge.
And this is the real and eternal life:
That they know you,
The one and only true God,
And Jesus Christ, whom you sent.
I glorified you on earth
By completing down to the last detail
What you assigned me to do.
And now, Father, glorify me with your very own splendor,
The very splendor I had in your presence
Before there was a world.

Verse of the Day 6/10

 

Psalm 90:2

Before the mountains were brought forth,
    or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
    from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

⁴ 

For a thousand years in your sight
    are but as yesterday when it is past,
    or as a watch in the night.  English Standard Version (ESV)

My wife and I celebrated our 34th anniversary over the weekend, it is hard to believe that it has been that long, the time has flown by and we've been blessed.  For our anniversary we decided to take a drive up to Virginia to see some of the historical sites.  As we drove north into Virginia we saw the "blue ridges" on the mountains, we saw the mist and the "smoke" reminding me of where the names blue ridge and smoky mountains came from.  These mountains are well worn giving testimony to their age, while not taking away from their beauty, actually enhancing it.

We then toured Appamattox where General Lee surrendered to General Grant and saw the room and table where this was signed.  They are long gone but we still can see the place, some of the homes restored and we could see the trails where the troops marched through the village and laid down their arms.  We sat under trees that some of these same soldiers would have sat under.  It brought a sense of wonder, in some sense it was like time had stood still, but we all know that time marches on.

But these verses indicate that those 150 years have gone by like a day and God is still the same as yesterday.  He is faithful, changing never.  The One who holds time in His hands is there watching over us.  He meets us at the place where we surrender our lives to Him, and He will lead us faithfully into eternity where we will give praise and glorify Jesus for all that He has done.

Here on earth, our lives too will fade and burn off like the wisps of the vapor on the mountains, but Jesus and His love will remain.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
There's just something about that name
Master, Savior, Jesus
Like the fragrance after the rain
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
Let all heaven and earth proclaim
Kings and kingdoms shall all pass away
But there's something about that name.

Blessings,
Mike
Follow the verse of the day at www.mikesvotd.blogspot.com

Psalm 90:1-11The Message (MSG)

A Prayer of Moses, Man of God

90 ^1-2 God, it seems you've been our home forever;
    long before the mountains were born,
Long before you brought earth itself to birth,
    from "once upon a time" to "kingdom come"—you are God.

^3-11 

So don't return us to mud, saying,
    "Back to where you came from!"
Patience! You've got all the time in the world—whether
    a thousand years or a day, it's all the same to you.

Verse of the Day 6/5

Verse of the Day 6/5

John 14:26-27 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. ²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.  English Standard Version (ESV)

Earlier in the week we had looked at Isaiah 1:18 which called for God's people to "come, let's reason together" in order to learn from Him, to learn to do good, to seek justice and to help those in need. 

I've quoted John 14:27 several times in the "Verse of the Day" over the years but had not started with verse 26, about the Helper, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit whom Jesus referred to here that would come alongside us "to represent Jesus and act on His behalf" (Amplified Bible below).  If we have put our faith and trust in Jesus and submit to Him, the Holy Spirit is present in our lives.  He is teaching us, leading us and causing us to remember what we have been taught in God's Word.

I like the final "amplifications" from verse 27 in the Amplified Bible, "stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed, and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated".  Do any of us need that advice today?   Settle into God's Word in these verses and let God, let the Holy Spirit settle you, and give you peace.

Yesterday we considered how our "staggeringly complex and diverse world" have rejected God.     Max Lucado writes, "Evil wickedness and deceit define how a world without God behaves.  Yet the righteous live according to God's commands.  Truth, justice and a passion for righteousness (right standing before God) please God.  His love is immeasurable."  In a world in turmoil may we show the peace of God in our lives as the Holy Spirit teaches us to "let not your heart be troubled" , nor let us fear for God IS with us and "His love is immeasurable".

I'll end with a couple more verses from Isaiah 35 which just happened to be in my read through the Bible reading for today.

Isaiah 35:3-4English Standard Version (ESV)

³ Strengthen the weak hands,
    and make firm the feeble knees.
⁴ Say to those who have an anxious heart,
    "Be strong; fear not!
Behold, your God
    will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
    He will come and save you."

--   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 14:26-27Amplified Bible (AMP)

²⁶ But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you.

²⁷ Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]

Verse of the Day 5/4

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Don't you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you,whom you have from God? You are not your own, ²⁰ for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.  Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

I was in a study group earlier this week that had just started going through Mark Labberton's book "Called to Flourish".  When I read the following quote it really struck me.  He writes, "Today in a staggeringly complex and diverse world, the overarching biblical narrative that includes creation, fall, redemption and fulfillment has frequently been rejected and denied.  The issues seem too many and the evidence too little for them.  The secular, street level view seems the most reliable: Humanity is here on it's own".

Year by year, even day by day, it is easy to see that we live in a staggeringly complex and diverse world and I agree with his statement about  the "worlds" view of the Christian "narrative" is rejected and denied, I would add to that opposed.  There is a growing opposition and even animosity to Christian faith and the gospel message.  The commonly accepted position as mentioned was that the world and everything in it is here on it's own.  The Bible tells us something different.

As I read the statement and these thoughts came to mind, today's verse came to mind.  The world is not it's own and it is not here on it's own.  God created it, brought it into being and still is in control.  Not only that, in all the chaos around us that has its roots in the rejection of Him, He has already paid the price for it's deliverance, it's salvation through the life giving sacrifice that Jesus made for all of us.

We are called to glorify God in our bodies.  It goes back to those thoughts of being holy, being set apart by God for His works for which we have been created to do (Ephesians 2:10).  Our bodies are God's sanctuary, His dwelling place here on earth.  Our lives should be examples of the fact that we are not here on our own.  If that were the case life would have no point, no meaning.  But it has a point and it has meaning and we are to be God's instruments in letting the world know that there is meaning, there is hope, there is a bright future, one that goes far beyond this lifetime and into eternity.

--   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 Corinthians 6:19-20Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹⁹ Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own,

²⁰ You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for,made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body.

Verse of the Day 6/3

Philippians 2:12-13  So then, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. ¹³ For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose.  Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

For ages the debate has raged within Christianity regarding election, predestination and our free will, our accountability for our actions.  I read the following quote yesterday from Charles Spurgeon who must have dealt with this topic over his decades of preaching God's Word in the late 19th century.

"There it is--man is a free agent in what he does. He is responsible for his actions, and truly guilty when he does wrong--and he will be justly punished too; and if he is eternally lost the blame will rest with himself alone.

But yet there is One who rules over all, who, without complicity in their sin, makes even the actions of wicked men to subserve His holy and righteous purposes. Believe these two truths and you will see them in practical agreement in daily life, though you will not be able to devise a theory for harmonizing them on paper."

The quote brought me back to a church that we were members of that had split over this issue this debate  (before we started attending).  I remember the ruckus that took place when the interim pastor announced a series on "John Calvin's Bible".  He ended up not going through with the series.  His intention was to try to settle the matter and to show what Charles Spurgeon is saying here.

Our call our challenge is to work out our salvation, to reason together with God and with others in these matters.  Not  to take sides, not to berate and belittle but to come to our own understanding.  We are to agree on the tenets of our faith and hold on in faith, persevere in the things that we don't understand or haven't yet come to grips with.

How they can be made to agree, I do not know, or care to know. I am satisfied to know anything which God chooses to reveal to me--and equally content not to know what He does not reveal.  - Spurgeon

In these areas may we persevere "with self distrust, serious caution, tenderness of conscience,... and timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ."  The Amplified Bible.

--   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    

Philippians 2:12-13Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹² Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed [my suggestions], so now, not only [with the enthusiasm you would show] in my presence but much more because I am absent, work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self-distrust, ^[a]with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ).

¹³ [Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while ^[b]effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and ^[c]delight.

Verse of the Day 5/2

Verse of the Day 5/2

Leviticus 19:2 "Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.    English Standard Version (ESV)

In writing Sunday's devotional I thought of but did not post the words of the old hymn "Take Time to be Holy".  The hymn definitely feels old fashioned.  You probably won't hear many sermons these days where the congregation is called to be holy, it might seem to be to "legalistic" for the modern age.  But if we change that word to set part we may have a different thought.  The word holy means to be set apart, dedicated to God.

Isaiah's call in his first chapter was "come, let's argue this out" and make a decision to learn to do good, seek justice, be a defender, an encourager to be set apart to do the Lord's work.  Stop the charade and do something.

Then I went ahead and looked up the hymn and the reference to today's verse.  Like Isaiah, Moses called the people together and challenged them to set themselves apart from the rest of the people, he did so by saying "be holy".  Read the hymn, it still rings true and has a message for us today.

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.
Make friends of God's children, help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;
Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, let Him be thy Guide;
And run not before Him, whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,
And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.

Wouldn't we all be better off, be better people, better Christians if we'd slow down some, and take some time to set aside for God, to read, to feed and then to act on His Word?  The world rushes on, let's try not to get caught up in or be overwhelmed by the rat race which no one ever wins.  Set yourselves apart.

⁴ "Don't take up with no-god idols. Don't make gods of cast metal. I am God, your God.  (v.4 The Message)

--   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    

Leviticus 19:1-4The Message (MSG)

"I Am God, Your God"

19 ^1-2 God spoke to Moses: "Speak to the congregation of Israel. Tell them, Be holy because I, God, your God, am holy.

³ "Every one of you must respect his mother and father.

"Keep my Sabbaths. I am God, your God.

⁴ "Don't take up with no-god idols. Don't make gods of cast metal. I am God, your God.