Verse of the Day 5/23

Verse of the Day 5/23

Hebrews 4:12

 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  English Standard Version

When I was a teenager, I remember reading J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings" series.  They were the only books, other than the Bible, that I read through three times. I remembered thinking back then that there would be no way for a movie to be made that could bring those books "to life" on the screen that could capture the visions that I had in my mind.  Then as technology improved, Peter Jackson directed the movies of the same names and I was blown away. In many respects, he had a better vision of the books than I did. Even with this, the words written are not "alive", they were played out on screen but do not have power to live in us, those characters are not truly alive.

When I read today's verse, the New King James Version says "the word of God is living and active".  Other translations say "living and powerful" or something close, but I like the word "active" as used here.  The Word, through the power of the Holy Spirit is a alive.  It came alive in the form of Jesus Christ when; as John 1:14 states that the word came alive in Jesus when He came to earth and continues to live in the hearts and lives of His followers to this day.  The word lives within us, inspires us, teaches us, corrects and reproves us, renews and frees us and will do so for the rest of our lives.

Looking out from His throne

the Father of light and of men

Chose to make himself known

and show us the way back to Him

Speaking wisdom and truth

into the hearts of peasants and kings

He began to unveil the word

that would change the course of all things

With eyes wide open, all would see

 

CHORUS:

The Word is alive

and it cuts like a sword through the darkness

With the message of life to the hopeless and afraid

Breathing life into all who believe

The word is alive

and the world and its glories will fade

but Him truth, it will not pass away

It remains yesterday and forever the same

The word is alive    (The Word is Alive- Casting Crowns)

With that kind of power available to us, why wouldn't we want to spend time in His Word daily, draw our inspiration, guidance and hope from it and live lives that show that it is living and active in our hearts and by our actions?

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

Hebrews 4:6-16
New King James Version
6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, 7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, "Today," after such a long time, as it has been said:
"Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts."
8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Verse of the Day 5/19

Verse of the Day 5/19

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

 Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. 24 God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful. New Living Translation

Yesterday we considered how when we spend time in God's Word, we should be seeking what He would have us learn from what we are reading, being guided in prayer and following the promptings of the Holy Spirit in applying what we've read in our lives.  Doing so, day by day is part of the sanctification process, it is setting apart time time with God and His Word and His setting us apart for His service.

Today's verses come from Paul's benediction to the recipients of his letter then but also for us who are reading it today.  We are to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Verse 19 (below) states "don't quench the Spirit", when prompted by what we read we are to act upon it.  Ignoring those promptings are how we "quench" the Spirit.

Read the passage below.  If not the full passage, at least read these, there is no doubt that this is God's will for us.

! Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. NKJV

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 5:16-28
New King James Version
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.
25 Brethren, pray for us.
26 Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss.
27 I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren.
28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Verse of the Day 5/18

Verse of the Day 5/18

John 5:39-40   "You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! 40 Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.  New Living Translation.  

The scribes and pharisees boasted of "knowing the scriptures", but there's was a head knowledge and when the Living Word in the form of Jesus was right in front of them they could not see Him for who He was even though He was spoken of and pointed to from the very scriptures that they were supposedly trying to defend.  Before we are too quick to point fingers at the Pharisees, we need to take a look at ourselves.  How much time do we spend in the scriptures in personal devotions, Bible studies and listening to sermons about the Word but do very little about following, taking it to heart and acting upon it through the work of Jesus and the Holy Spirit in our lives.

As we read, study, and hear from God's Word we should be in prayer and seeking the Holy Spirit's guidance to apply it in our lives.  When we do, we will not be like the scribes and pharisees of Jesus' day.

As we prepare to spend time in God's Word, a simple prayer as expressed in this familiar chorus may help us to take the words of life and put them to use in our lives.

Spirit of the living God,
Fall afresh on me.
Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me.
Spirit of the living God,
Fall afresh on me.

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 5:31-40

New King James Version
31 "If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. 32 There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. 33 You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. 34 Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. 35 He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. 36 But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. 37 And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. 38 But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. 39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

Verse of the Day 5/17

Verse of the Day 5/17

1 Peter 1:3-4  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,     English Standard Version

The other day, we considered from Psalm 121 how "our help comes from the Lord", He is our strength, our help day to day, each day throughout our lives.  Today's verses from the Apostle Peter remind us again of this same thought with the addition of "hope".  It is not just a pie in the sky hope it is a living hope.  Though it may not be evident that it is coming or obvious to us, the hope is there and it is grounded in the reality of Jesus, His life, death and resurrection.

In times of darkness or desperation, left to ourselves and our own strengths (actually weakness) we may lose hope.  But wait, wait on Him, trust in Him and put your faith and hope in Him.  Seek Him in His Word and in prayer that you may experience deliverance from Jesus your living hope.

In yesterday's post in Facebook I showed a mountain scene in reference to Psalm 121.  You may have noticed that the most vegetation, the most greenery was actually found in the valley shown.  God's grace and His mercies flow down to us in the valleys and bring us back to life.

Yesterday in church we sang the following song by Phil Wickham which brought this together for me.

How great the chasm that lay between us
How high the mountain I could not climb
In desperation, I turned to heaven
And spoke your name into the night
Then through the darkness
Your loving kindness
Tore through the shadows of my soul
The work is finished, the end is written
Jesus Christ, my living hope

Who could imagine so great a mercy?
What heart could fathom such boundless grace?
The God of ages stepped down from glory
To wear my sin and bear my shame
The cross has spoken, I am forgiven
The king of kings calls me His own
Beautiful savior, I'm yours forever
Jesus Christ, my living hope

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 1:3-9

English Standard Version

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Verse of the Day 5/16

Verse of the Day 5/16

Psalm 121:1-2

 I lift up my eyes to the hills.

    From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,

    who made heaven and earth.  English Standard Version

Today's verses came up in a devotional this morning along with a picture of a mountain scene.  The psalm has been on my mind a lot recently.  This Psalm was read at my father's funeral service almost 10 years ago.  I came across it while going through things in preparation of my mom's upcoming memorial service.  I'll plan on reading it at her service as well.

One of the reasons that I'll use it at my mother's service is that it reminds me of the movie "The Sound of Music" which was one of her favorites, and some of the songs from that movie, in particular "Climb Every Mountain".

Climb every mountain
Ford every stream
Follow every mountain (every mountain)
Don't you ever give up, no oh
Climb every mountain (every mountain)
There's a brighter day on the other side
Follow every rainbow
'Till you find your dream

The verse asks the question "where does my strength come from?"   It does not come from the mountains, but from the Lord God, who made the mountains, who has the power and authority over everything on earth.  For those who put their faith in God through Jesus Christ, no matter what challenges we face today or for the rest of our lives here on earth, we trust that there is a brighter day on the other side, where we will see Jesus face to face and we will see the smiles on faces of those who have gone before us.

Read the Psalm 121 below.  May you realize and praise the Lord for being or "Keeper" and the shade on our right hand.  He's never far from us.

Numbers 6:24-26   The Lord bless you and keep you;

25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;

26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.  ESV

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 121
English Standard Version


A Song of Ascents.
121 I lift up my eyes to the hills.
    From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved;
    he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper;
    the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
    nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
    he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep
    your going out and your coming in
    from this time forth and forevermore.

Verse of the Day 5/14

Verse of the Day 5/14

Romans 15:4   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.  English Standard Version

In today's society there are plenty of new ideas or theories that are being promoted or sometimes forced upon us, with the thought in mind of benefitting a segment of society.  The message of the Gospel is one of peace, one of hope one of joy anchored in the Word of God that has been with us from the beginning.

"New ideas" are not new in history and history reveals some of the danger of these ideas that are not rooted in God or His Word. The ideas if put into practice will be measured in the course of history by what they brought forth.

VIctor Frankl writes, "I am absolutely convinced that the gas chambers of Auschwitz, Treblinka, and Maidanek were ultimately prepared not in some ministry or other in Berlin, but rather at the desks and in the lecture halls of nihilistic scientists and philosophers."  ("Victor Frankl at Ninety: An Interview," in First Things, April 1995, p. 41.)  In other words, ideas have consequences — consequences that bless or destroy. People's behavior — good and bad — does not come out of nowhere. It comes from prevailing views of reality that take root in the mind and bring forth good or evil.  (John Piper)

Days may be darkest
But Your light is greater
You light our way God You light our way

When evil is rising
You're rising higher
With power to save With power to save

You keep hope alive, You keep hope alive
From the beginning to end Your word never fails
You keep hope alive Because You are alive
Jesus You are alive

There's hope in the morning
Hope in the evening
Hope because You're living
Hope because You're breathing
There's hope in the breaking
Hope in the Sorrow
Hope for this moment
My hope for tomorrow   (You Keep Hope Alive - Phillips, Craig and Dean)

The message of the Gospel is hope, it is good news, proven through history.

John Piper writes, "Hope is not some vague emotion that comes out of nowhere, like a stomachache. Hope is the confidence that the stupendous future promised to us by the word of the Spirit is going to really come true. Therefore, the way to be filled with the Spirit is to be filled with his word. The way to have the power of the Spirit is to believe the promises of his word."

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 15:1-4

English Standard Version

15 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me." 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.

Verse of the Day 5/13

Verse of the Day 5/13

Mark 16:15  And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.  English Standard Version

In today's verse we have Jesus call to the disciples and to His followers through the ages, "go, into all the world and proclaim the gospel."  The imperative is "go".  In our day there are more ways that we can go, that we can reach out to the world and share the gospel, the good news.  It is not limited to distant travel, it can be among neighbors and friends.  We don't necessarily even need to leave our homes to share the gospel.  We can do it by phone and all kinds of platforms from social media, to email to Facetime or other methods.  The important thing is to be sharing His message.

Pastor Greg Laurie writes, "Jesus commands us as His followers to share our faith. But honestly, for some Christians, this has become the Great Omission instead of the Great Commission....The commission of the church isn't to wait for the world to show up. Rather, the commission of the church is to go to the world."

Don't wait for people to "show up", but "go", tell the story, share your faith with someone and use whatever method you can.

We've a story to tell to the nations,
that shall turn their hearts to the right,
a story of truth and mercy,
a story of peace and light,
a story of peace and light.

Refrain:
For the darkness shall turn to dawning,
and the dawning to noonday bright,
and Christ's great kingdom shall come on earth,
the kingdom of love and light.

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

Mark 16:14-20
English Standard Version
14 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. 15 And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover."
19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.]]