Verse of the Day 10/20

 

Psalm 23:1-2  The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I lack.

² 

He lets me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.  Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

 

Along with the song "Jesus Loves Me", one of the first songs that I remember learning as a child was "The Lord is My Shepherd".  The other night I woke up in the middle of the night with that song in my mind.  It was a restless night for reasons that I am not even aware of.  It may have been that I knew that this psalm was coming up in my devotions, but whatever the case; the words of the song comforted me and made me think of the Psalm where it came from as David reflected on the Lord being his shepherd and what it meant to him.  He provides, he restores, he leads and He is pursuing us with His love,  it is out of realization of this that we follow Him.

 

 

Alexander Smellie in "The Hour of Silence" (1899) acknowledges that this is not of ourselves, out of our own discipline or our own sufficiency when he wrote:

 

"The Lord will provide HELP when I am helpless. Is it the discipline of my own inner life? Is it to escape this enticing world? I am sufficient for none of these things.
Sometimes my road is rough,
sometimes it is steep,
sometimes it is dark,
sometimes it is slippery.
My heart whispers discouragement, and says, "This is too hard for me!" But, when I come to the place, I find that God Himself has solved my difficulties, and puts to flight my fears!"

If you are restless over some situation, may we realize that we are not sufficient in ourselves, but we need to trust in the Lord, your Shepherd, may he put "flight to your fears", believing that He has solved our difficulties.  May this old simple song help you to do so and commit to live for Him always.

 

The Lord is my Shepherd, I'll live for Him always;

He leads me by still waters, I'll live for Him always,

Always, always, I'll live for Him always,

Always, always I'll live for Him always.

 

I'm so thankful for God's Word and how it reminds me of such songs and how such songs remind me of His Word.

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

Follow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 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 23

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

¹ 

The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I lack.

² 

He lets me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.

³ 

He renews my life;
He leads me along the right paths

for His name's sake.

⁴ 

Even when I go through the darkest valley,

I fear no danger,
for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff—they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
⁶ Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
as long as I live.

Verse of the Day 10/18

Verse of the Day 10/18

 

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12  To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, ¹² so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.  English Standard Version (ESV)

 

Today's read through the Bible passage was 2 Thessalonians 1 where we'll go for today's verses.  They tie in well with "the words of my mouth and meditations of my heart" that we've considered for the past couple of days.  Our thoughts will include our prayers, not only for ourselves, but especially for others.  If our thoughts, words and actions are being influenced, being guided by the Holy Spirit our prayers for others, their well being, will be part of our daily lives and walk.

It will all be with the goal that our Lord Jesus will receive the glory.

 

These verses can serve for a reminder to us in ministries and relationships with other believers.  We may work with toddlers during church services, work with our youth, lead or participate in Bible studies, small groups or in any number of church groups and organizations.  But wherever we serve, may we pray for those we serve with that God would "make them fit for what he's called them to be, that he'll fill their good ideas and acts of faith with his own energy so that it amounts to something." (The Message).  Those last few words should also serve as a reminder that if our work is to amount to anything in the long run, it will come out of power and energy that God provides and not of ourselves.  It will involved "giving of ourselves freely" in time and efforts in our church and in the community.

 

This is my prayer this morning, especially for the high school boys that my friend Jim and I work with, "we pray for you all the time—pray that our God will make you fit for what he's called you to be, pray that he'll fill your good ideas and acts of faith with his own energy so that it all amounts to something. If your life honors the name of Jesus, he will honor you. Grace is behind and through all of this, our God giving himself freely, the Master, Jesus Christ, giving himself freely."

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

Follow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

The Message (MSG)

^11-12 Because we know that this extraordinary day is just ahead, we pray for you all the time—pray that our God will make you fit for what he's called you to be, pray that he'll fill your good ideas and acts of faith with his own energy so that it all amounts to something. If your life honors the name of Jesus, he will honor you. Grace is behind and through all of this, our God giving himself freely, the Master, Jesus Christ, giving himself freely.

Verse of the Day 10/17

Psalm 19:14 May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to You,
Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.  Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Today's verse is the one that ended yesterday's devotional.  David is praying that his words and thoughts would be acceptable to God.  The word "acceptable" here is a term associated with the acceptance of property offered in terms of a sacrifice, an offering to God.

 

A couple of weeks ago in a sermon Pastor Bob gave an illustration of a "thought bubble".  It is like you see in cartoons where there is a bubble above the person indicating they are saying.  Bob asked what it would be like if others could see our thoughts.  Would they line up with our words and actions?  As Christians, at times we may be going through the motions of doing "Christian things" but our minds, our thoughts and our hearts can be elsewhere.  It is as if we were going through the motions of Christianity.  If the "thoughts and intents" of the heart are not in it, where is the sacrifice?

 

Pastor Greg Laurie writes, "some Christians have lost their joy.  They started off the Christian life with joy, but then something happened.  They just lost interest in the things of God.  They still do things they should as a Christian, but they are just going through the motions. And they are not very happy about it."

 

If you find yourself in such a place, stop, don't just go through the motions.  Turn things around.  May the Lord restore the joy of our your salvation, and may the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts line up, may our thoughts line up with our actions, with a heart for God.   

 

Psalm 51:12   Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and uphold me with a willing spirit.  English Standard Version (ESV)

 

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

 

Psalm 19:11-14

The Message (MSG)

^11-14 There's more: God's Word warns us of danger
    and directs us to hidden treasure.
Otherwise how will we find our way?
    Or know when we play the fool?
Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh!
    Keep me from stupid sins,
    from thinking I can take over your work;
Then I can start this day sun-washed,
    scrubbed clean of the grime of sin.
These are the words in my mouth;
    these are what I chew on and pray.
Accept them when I place them
    on the morning altar,
O God, my Altar-Rock,
    God, Priest-of-My-Altar.

Verse of the Day 10/16

 Psalm 46:1  God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.  English Standard Version (ESV)

 

Yesterday I quoted the old hymn "O God Our Help in Ages Past".  After I posted it today's verse immediately came to mind.  It goes beyond saying  that God is our help, He is a "very present help".  Sometimes we feel His presence and are thankful for it, other times we may not feel it, but by His promises and by our past experience we can know that He is there, and He is for us.

 

Those thoughts somehow led me to the old Beatles song "Help".  They sing of a time when younger, that they "never needed anybodies help in any way".  Many of us may have felt lake that at some point in our lives, especially when we were young (and foolish).  At some point we will cry "help, I need somebody, not just anybody, help you know I need someone".  The song continues "now I find  I've changed my mind and opened up the doors".  At some point in our lives that will happen to everybody.  If you are in need of help today, open up the doors to Him.

 

As Christians, we know who that "One" that the Beatles sang about is.  We have the God in Three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit with us as our help.  Perhaps you can pull up the old Beatles song on youtube or just sing it or think about it in terms of our Lord and Saviour.  Another hymn that you may think about would be "A Mighty Fortress" written by Martin Luther in relation to this Psalm.

 

I'll end today's devotional with another verse from Psalm 19 which read in the course of my Bible reading this morning and also came through as the Bible Gateway verse of the day.  When things like that happen I feel that I need to share it.

 

Psalm 19:14  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
    be pleasing in your sight,
    Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.  New International Version (NIV)

 

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

 

Psalm 46

English Standard Version (ESV)

God Is Our Fortress

46 God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.
² Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
³ though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.
⁵ God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
    God will help her when morning dawns.
⁶ The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
    he utters his voice, the earth melts.
⁷ The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

⁸ Come, behold the works of the Lord,
    how he has brought desolations on the earth.
⁹ He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the chariots with fire.
¹⁰ "Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!"
¹¹ The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

Verse of the Day 10/15

Verse of the Day 10/15

 

Ezekiel 48:35   The distance around the city shall be 18,000 [4 x 4,500] measures; and the name of the city from that day and ever after shall be, the lord is there.   Amplified Bible (AMP)

 

Through the ages, cities have been known for different things  Sodom and Gomorrah became known for debauchery and sin and they were destroyed.  Jericho with its high walls stood in opposition to God and the walls came down.  Today cities still have reputations.  LasVegas is still referred to by some as "sin city"

 

There may be cities that we've traveled to where we might want to live some day, if only for a season or a year or two.  We may dream of doing so.  But here on this earth the cities won't last forever and we won't live in any one place on this earth forever.  A lot of fairy tales end with the saying "and they lived happily ever after".  For the Christian, there will be a "happily ever after", it will be in a city that God has prepared for us and the joy and the glory of it is that, YAWEH, THE LORD IS THERE, and will be there forever.  We won't be disappointed.

 

O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
our shelter from the stormy blast,
and our eternal home.

 Under the shadow of thy throne,
still may we dwell secure;
sufficient is thine arm alone,
and our defense is sure.

 Before the hills in order stood,
or earth received her frame,
from everlasting, thou art God,
to endless years the same.

O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come;
be thou our guide while life shall last,
and our eternal home.

Psalm 18:1-2  I love you, O Lord, my strength.
² The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
    my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
    my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.  English Standard Version (ESV)

 

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

 

Ezekiel 48:34-35

The Message (MSG)

³⁴ "On the west side, measuring 2,250 yards, three gates: the gate of Gad, the gate of Asher, the gate of Naphtali.

³⁵ "The four sides of the city measure to a total of nearly six miles.

"From now on the name of the city will be Yahweh-Shammah:

"God-Is-There."

Verse of the Day 10/13

 

Deuteronomy 33:25  Your bars shall be iron and bronze,
    and as your days, so shall your strength be.  English Standard Version (ESV)

 

We've been considering the importance of spending time in God's Word and in prayer, taking time daily to draw near to Him to find encouragement, hope and strength from Him.

 

We may find some degree of security in our homes with locks on our doors and perhaps even security systems.  But all of us as Christians realize that it is God that provides for our security, He is our strength and can prepare us to face the day. 

 

In our society we have all kinds of things to distract us, worries for the day and for tomorrow, next week and all the way to retirement.  That should not be the focus of our lives.  J.R. Miller has some good advice for us that goes along with today's scripture:

 

"Each day is, in a certain sense, a complete life by itself. It has . . .
its own duties,
its own trials,
its own burdens,
and its own needs.
It has enough to fill heart and hands for the one full day. The very best we can do for any day, for the perfecting of our life as a whole, is to live the one day well. We should put all our thought and energy and skill into the duties of each day, wasting no strength, either in grieving over yesterday's failures--or in anxiety about tomorrow's responsibilities.

We have nothing to do with life in the aggregate--that great bulk of duties, responsibilities, struggles, and trials which belong to a course of years. We really have nothing to do even with the nearest of the days before us--tomorrow.

Our sole business is with the one little day, now passing. Its burdens will not crush us--we can easily carry them until the sun goes down. We can always get along for one short day--it is the projection of life into the long future that dismays and appalls us. This lesson makes life easy and simple!"

 

May we live today that way and at the end of the day may we be able to sing:

 

The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning
It's time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes

[Chorus]
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

Follow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

 

Deuteronomy 33:24-28

The Message (MSG)

^24-25 Asher:

"Asher, best blessed of the sons!
    May he be the favorite of his brothers,
    his feet massaged in oil.
Safe behind iron-clad doors and gates,
    your strength like iron as long as you live."

^26-28 There is none like God, Jeshurun,
    riding to your rescue through the skies,
    his dignity haloed by clouds.
The ancient God is home
    on a foundation of everlasting arms.
He drove out the enemy before you
    and commanded, "Destroy!"
Israel lived securely,
    the fountain of Jacob undisturbed
In grain and wine country
    and, oh yes, his heavens drip dew.

Verse of the Day 10/12

 

Proverbs 10:18  Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips
    and spreads slander is a fool.  New International Version (NIV)

 

The other day we considered Jesus' call to hear and to listen, we are to listen to the voice of truth.  Today's verse speaks of lying lips and slander.  We are not to be a part of it and to avoid spreading it we should close our ears to it.

 

J.R. Miller writes, "In the case of slander, the listener is almost as bad as the speaker. The only proper response, is to shut your ears the moment you begin to hear an evil report of another from anyone. The person has no right to tell it to you--and you have no right to listen to it! If you refuse to listen--he will not be able to go on with his story. Ears are made to hear with, but on occasion it is better to be deaf. We all aim at courtesy, and courtesy requires that we be patient listeners, even to dull speakers; but even courtesy does not require us to listen to evil reports about a neighbor. Ears should be trained to shut instinctively when the breath of slander touches it, just as our eyes shut at the slightest approach of harm."

We won't have to go far into the day, whether it be in personal conversations or on the news or talk shows, before we will hear gossip, slander and other forms of malicious talk, aimed at bringing someone down and attempting to drag us into the fray and in doing so to drag us down.  We are to hear to listen with discerning ears and acknowledge and practice that "on occasion it is better to be deaf."

 

Paul had some instructions for Timothy in 2 Timothy that apply and should be good advice to us in the current "fray".  Avoid irreverent babble and when it comes to our speech may we "measure our words" (Proverbs 10:19 below)

 

2 Timothy 2:16  But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, English Standard Version (ESV)

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

Follow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 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 10:17-19

The Message (MSG)

¹⁷ The road to life is a disciplined life;
    ignore correction and you're lost for good.

¹⁸ Liars secretly hoard hatred;
    fools openly spread slander.

¹⁹ The more talk, the less truth;
    the wise measure their words.