Verse of the Day 5/11

Verse of the Day 5/11

1 John 1:1What was from the beginning,

what we have heard,

what we have seen with our eyes,
what we have observed
and have touched with our hands,
concerning the Word of life—
2 that life was revealed,
and we have seen it
and we testify and declare to you
the eternal life that was with the Father
and was revealed to us—  Holman Christian Study Bible

In today's verses the Apostle John begins his epistle in a similar way that he began the Gospel of John, going back to the beginning and relating it to the Word of God, here referencing the "Word of Life".  He is testifying to the truth of God's Word and to Jesus being the living Word that was from the beginning and came to us in the form of Jesus when He "moved into the neighborhood" (John 1:14 The Message).

As we read through the Bible, especially the Gospels we have the opportunity to read and understand what the Apostles saw, touched and heard from Jesus as He share His life with them so that they might let the world know about Him.  It continues to this day and we also have the opportunity to share with others what we have seen, heard and experienced concerning the Word of life.

I'm reminded of the old hymn "Wonderful Words of Life"

Sing them over again to me
Wonderful words of life
Let me more of their beauty see
Wonderful words of life
Words of life and beauty teach me faith and duty

Beautiful words, wonderful words
Wonderful words of life
Beautiful words, wonderful words
Wonderful words of life

Christ the blessed One, gives to all wonderful words of life
Sinner, list to the loving call
Wonderful words of life
Oh, so freely given, wooing us to heaven

Beautiful words, wonderful words
Wonderful words of life

If we've responded to the loving gospel call, we know what it is like to have the wonderful words of life.  May we then share with others what has been revealed to us about Jesus and the wonderful words of life that our joy may be complete.

1 John 1:4 We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.  HCSB

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

1 John 1:1-4

Holman Christian Standard Bible

1 What was from the beginning,
what we have heard,
what we have seen with our eyes,
what we have observed
and have touched with our hands,
concerning the Word of life—
2 that life was revealed,
and we have seen it
and we testify and declare to you
the eternal life that was with the Father
and was revealed to us—
3 what we have seen and heard
we also declare to you,
so that you may have fellowship along with us;
and indeed our fellowship is with the Father
and with His Son Jesus Christ.
4 We are writing these things
so that our joy may be complete.

Verse of the Day 5/10

Verse of the Day 5/10

John 20:30-31   Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples that are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and by believing you may have life in His name. Holman Christian Standard Bible

If you are following a read through the New Testament plan as I am, you may very likely be heading into the Gospel of John.  If someone asks me where to begin in reading the Bible, this book is where I will most often send them.  Today's verses provide some of the reasons for doing so.  The book refers back to the prophets that point to Jesus as the Messiah and give plenty of examples of why they should believe in His name and have the opportunity to receive eternal life.

One of the primary themes of the book is life.  We read of eternal life; abundant life; Jesus being the bread of life, the water of life and the light of life.

It points how we may be born again and have salvation in His name.  The book chronicles the miracles and signs that Jesus performed that showed that He had the power of God over nature, illness and ultimately death in His raising of Lazarus.

I this book we have the seven "I Am" statements, "I am the bread of life"; I am the light of the world; the gate for the sheep; the good shepherd; the resurrection and the life; the way the truth and the life; and the true vine.

If you haven't been reading in God's Word daily.  Perhaps this would be a good point to begin even if we are heading towards the middle of the year.  This book was written so that "you may believe Jesus is the Messiah."  If you haven't already received Him, my you turn to Him and have "life in His name."

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 20:26-31

26 After eight days His disciples were indoors again, and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them. He said, "Peace to you!"

27 Then He said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and observe My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Don't be an unbeliever, but a believer."

28 Thomas responded to Him, "My Lord and my God!"

29 Jesus said, "Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Those who believe without seeing are blessed."

30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples that are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and by believing you may have life in His name.

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Verse of the Day 5/7

Verse of the Day 5/7

1 Peter 1:24-25. For,

"All people are like grass,
    and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
25     but the word of the Lord endures forever."

And this is the word that was preached to you.  New International Version

You've heard the saying "April showers bring May flowers" and walking around neighborhoods and fields you'll likely see plenty of flowers blooming, trees blossoming and everything looks fresh and new.  But we also know that the heat of August will come along and those same fields can look really dry and ready to go up in flames if someone were to put a match to the dry foliage.

People spend all kinds of money in an attempt to stay "young looking" but cannot put off the inevitable aging process.  Our hair turns gray (or falls out) and our skin shows more wrinkles to the point where it can't be covered up by any amount of makeup.  For us guys, combovers just won't work.

But there is one thing that will endure and that is God's word.  It grows "richer, fuller and deeper" along with the love of God as we get to know Him better through the years in spending time in His Word and applying it's principles to our lives.

We won't last forever but the things that we do for Him, those treasures stored up in heaven will endure.

Yesterday we considered how God is "still listening".  Along with the opportunity to spend time in His Word endures so does the opportunity go go to Him even when our appearance fades.   I'm reminded of the Casting Crowns song, "Who Am I".

Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart

Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are

I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean (ocean)
A vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am...
I am Yours, I am Yours

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

1 Peter 1:20-25
New International Version
20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.[a] 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For,
"All people are like grass,
    and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
25     but the word of the Lord endures forever."
And this is the word that was preached to you.

Verse of the Day 5/6

Verse of the Day 5/6

Psalm 4:8 In peace I will lie down and sleep,

    for you alone, Lord,
    make me dwell in safety. New International Version 

This day in the United States, has been designated as the National Day of Prayer.  It is a reminder of the faith of our forefathers and how for generations, prayer has been an important act and responsibility of people of faith.  Many of us may remember learning to pray as a child; at dinner - "God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food", or perhaps when going to bed "now I lay myself down to sleep and pray the Lord my soul to keep."  Hopefully, those prayers helped ingrain in us the need and practice of daily prayer.

The busyness of life in our modern world can fill up our days and nights and we may find ourselves drifting away from daily prayer and from God Himself.  A day like today may be what we need to get back in the habit of coming to the Lord with our prayers, not just simple prayers that we learned as children, but prayers rom the heart.  We need to remember that God is still listening.

I'm reminded of the Steven Curtis Chapman song which poignantly sums it up.

I would lay me down to sleep
And pray the Lord my soul to keep
And though I never saw Him there
I believe He heard each prayer
For God was great, And God was good
And I knew if I spoke the words
He would be listening

The years can take us far away
From the simple child like faith
But I am longing to return
To the place where I first learned
That God is great, and God is good
So, I will speak the words

God, our Father, once again
I bow my head to pray
You are my Father and my friend, and You hear every word I say
A prayer for forgiveness, A desperate cry for help
Or praise flowing from a thankful heart
Like each time before, I come knowing You're still listening.

God is still great, and God is still good!

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 4
New King James Version
The Safety of the Faithful
To the [a]Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.
4 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have relieved me in my distress;
[b]Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.
2 How long, O you sons of men,
Will you turn my glory to shame?
How long will you love worthlessness
And seek falsehood? Selah
3 But know that the Lord has [c]set apart for Himself him who is godly;
The Lord will hear when I call to Him.
4 Be[d] angry, and do not sin.
Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah
5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,
And put your trust in the Lord.
6 There are many who say,
"Who will show us any good?"
Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.
7 You have put gladness in my heart,
More than in the season that their grain and wine increased.
8 I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;
For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Verse of the Day 5/5

Verse of the Day 5/5

1 Corinthians 2:3-5. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God's power. New International Version

Continuing in the theme of "teaching the truth in love", today's verses show us that Paul was not trying to win people over to his faith by a well developed system of words, but by a "demonstration of the Spirit's power", and in doing so, showing how much he truly cared for them, speaking from experience of how much God cared for Him and wanting to share that experience.

I quoted from the song "Teaching the Truth in Love" the other day and the line that keeps coming to mind is "while holding pure motives and showing that He cared."  It describes Jesus life and was reflected in Paul's life and should describe the lives of Jesus' followers today.

Author and motivational speaker John Maxwell states, "no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care."  The best way to win people over, is to teach the truth in love, demonstrating the Spirits power in our lives, and showing that we care.

 

Sometimes it's hard to know exactly how to share our faith, we may struggle to find the words, but when we speak it needs to be the truth, spoken in love.

Sometimes it's hard to know exactly how we are to share
With the Master's words of confidence
Directly do we dare
Shouldn't we water down the message?
Should we tell them only parts?
Will they see Him in our message?
Will they see Him in our heart?

Are we teaching the truth in love
Telling it like it is (like it is)
Are we holding pure motives
Showing that we care
Are we teaching the truth
Are we teaching the truth in love   (Teaching the Truth in Love - Accapella)

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

1 Corinthians 2
New International Version
2 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.[a] 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God's power.

Verse of the Day 5/3

Verse of the Day 5/3

Psalm 107:13-1 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

    

and he saved them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness,
    and broke away their chains. New International Version 

In yesterday's post Chuck Swindoll referenced " those who are in a difficult strait, under pressure, up against a wall, facing a test".  We may easily say that these same people were in some form of trouble, some of them may have actually been is some kind of bondage or addiction.  They faced daily anxiety being pulled in different directions and felt the chains of bondage as something that for them, left to themselves, they could never be delivered from.

We may know some of such people, perhaps we ourselves may look up on ourselves as ones who have been delivered from the bondage of sin and addiction of our lives. If so we can definitely relate to when the psalmist writes and "broke away their chains".  Not simply broke, but broke away, it gives the picture of leaving it behind, those chains are gone.

In our church service yesterday we sang the Chris Tomlin version of Amazing Grace.  I had read these verses in my devotions yesterday and when I heard the words of the song, they brought all of this together for me.

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures

My chains are gone, I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love
Amazing grace

Praise Him today for His unending love and amazing grace that has set us free.

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 107:10-16. Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness,



    prisoners suffering in iron chains,
11 because they rebelled against God's commands
    and despised the plans of the Most High.
12 So he subjected them to bitter labor;
    they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness,
    and broke away their chains.
15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
16 for he breaks down gates of bronze
    and cuts through bars of iron.

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

Verse of the Day 5/2

Verse of the Day 5/2

1 Thessalonians 1:2-3. We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.  New International Version

I'm sure that you've asked people to pray for you at times in your life and I'm also sure that people have asked you to pray for them.  The standard response in both situations is to let the other person know that you indeed will pray for them or are praying for them as you write or send the response.  Today's verses are a reminder of what taking an extra step in offering encouragement and thanks to that person can do.

Think of ways that you may be able to do that, stating perhaps how you've been encouraged by their hope, faith, love and endurance shown in the past and that you're praying that God will continue to strengthen them in the current challenges being faced.

Pastor Chuck Swindoll writes, " For those who are in a difficult strait, under pressure, up against a wall, facing a test—perhaps the greatest in their lives—we ask that You remind them that the saint who advances on his or her knees never retreats. Help them remember that You are still on Your throne and they are still at Your footstool . . . with only a knee's distance between the two of you."

If someone asks you to pray for them today, please do so and while responding encourage them in hope, in faith and in love.

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

1 Thessalonians 1:2-8
New International Version
Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians' Faith
2 We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 3 We remember before our God and Fatheryour work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
4 For we know, brothers and sisters[a] loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joygiven by the Holy Spirit. 7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The Lord's messagerang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it,