verseoftheday

1 Corinthians 13:4 ESV Love...does not...boast; This week I have been impatient, unkind, envious...and... boastful :( The subtle boastful...giving my opinion when it wasn't needed, talking over someone...not listening... Love doesn't boast. This year, the "word of the year" is "selfie". We have made the subtle boast an artform...interesting world we live in... Often at this time of year we reflect on the last 12 months and have a think about what we want to do differently in 2014. Whatever the joys, trials, excitement, challenges, disappointments, wins, blessings that lie ahead, may we remain steadfast in our faith, determined to know more of our creator, and reflect his love and grace to those around us. #loveGodlovepeople #loveismyprofession #lotstolearn #2014bringiton

1 Corinthians 13:4 ESV Love is patient and kind; love does not envy... Patience, kindness...yep i can lift my game there...but love does not envy?!? It's so in your face what other people have & do with social media, the Fear Of Missing Out...and add to that relentless advertising all designed to make us want stuff...and then there is my neighbours house / car / boat / bike / relationships / job / lifesyle / etc... Contentment is the antidote. Looking at the blessings in your own life is the antidote. Meeting the needs of others is the antidote. Being thankful is the antidote. #lovedoesnotenvy

1 Corinthians 13:4 ...love is kind. There are days when i am not kind. How hard is it, just to be kind? . kind [kahynd] - adjective gentle; considerate That's what love is. Kind. Gentle. Considerate. For some this is easy, almost natural, and some of us, well we have to choose to be kind...Jesus gives us great examples of the way he interacted with people with  kindness...with love. #itsachoice

1 Corinthians 13:4 ESV Love is patient... If to love is my first profession, what does that look like? Patient. With children we teach "patience is waiting with a happy heart" Am i patient with...God? Do i wait on him with a "happy heart"? Knowing that he loves me even when he is silent, even when i don't get the answer i want or expect, even when its hard. Do i wait with a happy heart on my family, friends, workmates, classmates...maybe this loving people is not so easy... And sometimes we need to be patient with ourselves...give yourself a break - none of us get it right all the time :) #loveispatient #waitingwithahappyheart #plentytoworkon

John 13:34 ESV A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another... Holiday reading- Lynne is reading the life of Pi. Pi meets a preist and describes him as "a man whose profession it is was to love..." And that should be our profession. To love God & love people. In a profession you do prof development, you keep learning, improving...may you today ponder the important things in your heart as mary did, may you make your first profession to love :) #loveGodlovepeople

Luke 2:19 ESV But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. The baby, the shepherds, the wise men, the gifts, stories of angels...must have been quite a day for a young mum...there will be times when God's hand is clearly at work in your life, or in the life of those close to you...these are things to treasure in your heart...things to ponder... #treasuresoftheheart #mary

Luke 1-2 Been thinking about joseph and mary...they were called to a mission, in unusual circumstances, their families didn't understand, and it certainly didn't fit with the culture around them...if God calls you, it may be that your family don't get it, maybe they simply don't share your faith...or maybe the path you are walking is different to your peers, those around you...but if God is in it, there is no better place to be than walking with the creator of the universe...who's birth as a baby we celebrate today. Joseph and Mary kept the faith even though it must have been tough at times. Psalm 31:24 ESV Be strong, and let your heart take courage...

Luke 2 NLT ...All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census...He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant. All of Joseph's family would have been in town. This was where he came from, and everyone returned home for the census. So how come there was no where for Joseph and Mary? Was the shame of being pregnant and not married so great? Seems that it was. Jesus rejected even before he was born... #christmas #ordinarypeople #roadtrip #rejection #love

Luke 2 NLT ...All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census...He (Joseph) traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant. Ordinary people. Joseph and Mary were ordinary everyday people, just doing what needed to be done...heading back to Josephs hometown...families getting together, catching up...meeting the new girlfriend...ordinary people - not too different from us- with an extraordinary gift. #ordinarypeople #roadtrip #sharethatgift

Glória in excélsis Deo     et in terra pax homínibus bonae voluntátis.     Glory to God in the highest,     and on earth peace to people of good will.     We praise you,     we bless you,     we adore you,     we glorify you, ...     For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High... #sunday #praiseinlatin #christmashymn

Ephesians 1:11 NLT Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God... It's only children who get the inheritance :) #unitedwithJesus #childrenofGod #inheritors

Ephesians 1:8-10 NIV With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. One day all will be made new, wrongs will be righted, justice restored, peace will triumph...and the focal point of all of this is Jesus.

...there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift... Romans 3 We are all in the same boat... lonely or popular Successful or struggling Loved or rejected At peace or in turmoil Good or bad Angry or joyful Or some combination of any of these...we are all only made right by grace. #redeemed #justified #itsagift

Grace Grace that removes the stain and stench of sin Grace that provides a way A way of escape A way if rest A way of restoration Grace that is given freely... Grace that restores Grace that redeems Grace that releases me to worship Grace that repairs visions and dreams Grace that releases miracles #israelhoughton #thanksrach #grace

Psalm 27:12 ESV ...for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence. This is what sin has done to our world. We don't love our neighbour, we are jealous of them, they are our enemy, or we just ignore them. We don't love God with our whole heart. We put creation in his place. The temorary pleasures of this world. Sin causes us to set up our own little kingdom with me as the king. And when others don't do what i want i rage against them. Sometimes the quiet rage of bitterness Sometimes the rage of angry words and condemnation Sometimes physical & violence. This is what sin does to us all. We breathe out violence... So how come there is any peace? Any cooperation? Any love? Grace. Against the backdrop of sin, grace shines. Grace that restrains, grace that blesses. Grace that has its source in God, its embodiment in Jesus, and its outworking in our lives through the Spirit. #sermonoftheday #psalm27 #shelterfromthestorm #grace

John 8:12 NIV When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” We were at a 21st birthday on Sat and this verse was shared. All of us should reflect the light of life that comes from the "light of the world". Let yours shine a little today:) #lightoftheworld #thislittlelight #thanksEm

Ephesians 1:7-8 NIV In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. re·demp·tion [ri-demp-shuhn] 1. act of paying off a debt 2. deliverance; rescue 3. deliverance from sin 4. atonement for guilt 5. repurchase, as of something sold 6. paying off, as of a mortgage #dictionary.com #redeemed #forgiven #grace #sunday #grateful

Ephesians 1:6 NLT So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. Ephesians 1:1-5 God has blessed us with spiritual blessings. Loved us Chosen us Adopted us And our response? To praise him for the grace he has poured out...so no matter what our circumstances are today, or how we feel today, we are the recipients of his grace :) #praiseGodtoday #dearlyloved

Friday=wisdom Proverbs 29:2 NLT When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan. How true this is. Around the world we see the tyranny and misery inflicted on people when those in power think about themselves first...but all of us have authority in some way, big or small, at home, work, in our community...now or in the future...do the people around us rejoice at our Godly use of that authority? #somethingtothinkabout #lovepeople

John 3:27, 30 NLT John replied, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven...He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less." To glorify God is to make him bigger...on Sunday the speaker at church said this: "Heaven measures greatness by how humbled we are before God." John's mission was to proclaim Jesus...and in the process become less...how well am i doing at that? #greatness

1 Corinthians 9:24-25  ...So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. An athlete listens to their coach. Who has the biggest influence in your life? The thousand voices? The greatest coach is Gods word, his prompting in our lives...but if we hear it but don't action it...we are just kidding ourselves... #runtowin #listentoyourcoach #liveit #loveGodlovepeople #arisechurchinterns #youareanathlete

1 Corinthians 9:24-25  ...So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. An athlete discards the things holding them back (Heb 12:1) What is holding you back? Things from the past? Choices today? Fears for tomorrow? Maybe its time to discard what holds you back, gets in the way of your relationship with God... #lightenyourload #arisechurch #youareanathlete

1 Corinthians 9:24-25 NLT Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. Run to win. To win an athlete must eat the right food and drink enough water...Jesus is the living water...and the Bible is spiritual food...run hard after God :) Get into the Word today... #arisechurch #youareanathlete

"They tell me who I am. They tell me what life is about. They tell me how to invest my time They tell me how to use my resources They tell me how to conduct my relationships They tell me what is true and untrue They tell me what the good life looks like They tell me what I should be and do and want They offer me a comprehensive system of wisdom that's well thought through and attractive on many levels, but that competes with the true wisdom that can only come from God. It's so easy to be taken captive. It's so easy to have divine wisdom corrupted by human wisdom. It's so easy to breathe in the polluted air of a culture that no longer thinks that God is, let alone that he is wise" Teach me your way, O Lord and lead me on a level path because of my enemies Psalm 27:11 Our enemy is the thinking of this world that is fighting for our hearts and minds... #shelterinthestorm #psalm27 #battleforourheartsandminds

Teach me your way, O Lord and lead me on a level path because of my enemies Psalm 27:11 Why do we need help to keep on a level path? Who are my enemies? Is it about the wisdom of God v wisdom of the world? "Every day a thousand voices speak into my life. and the vast majority of those voices have not gotten the flowers of their insight from the wisdom garden of the Lord" #shelterinthestorm #psalm27 #battleforourheartsandminds #moreonthistomorrow

Teach me your way, O Lord and lead me on a level path because of my enemies Psalm 27:11 I know that I want God's wisdom, but how often do I actually pray this prayer? Teach me your way? Maybe we did this once or twice in our life...or we dug deep into God's word for a time... His wisdom is so deep and so vast that we need more than a lifetime to mine it's treasures. So, today, will you pray with me for wisdom that comes from God? To know more of His Way... #shelterinthestorm #psalms #keepingitreal #realwisdom #pray

Shelter in the storm #3/3 You and I were just not hardwired to make it through this fallen world on our own. We were meant to exist with eyes filled with the beauty of his presence and hearts at rest in the lap of his goodness. This is what I love about the Psalms. They put difficulty and hope together in the tension of hardship and grace that is the life of everyone this side of eternity. #difficultyandhope #hardshipandgrace #psalms #keepingitreal

Shelter in the Storm #2. There is a God of awesome grace who meets his children in moments of darkness and difficulty. He is worth running to. He is worth waiting for. He brings rest when it seems like there is no rest to be found.

Want to share some extracts from a book "a shelter in the time of storm". In the intro the writer acknowledges that sometimes there are mysteries in this life we may never solve l, but there are 3 key things we do know: #1. We really do live in a fallen world. We haven't been given a ticket out of the brokenness of this world simply because we are the children of God. The world we live in is simply not operating the way God intended. #hopeinabrokenworld

Psalms 136:1 NLT Give thanks to the Lord , for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Last nightchurh for the year last night...Thanksgiving on Thursday...so much to be thankful for. Good to cultivate a thankful spirit...regardless of today's circumstances. Send God a note of thanks today...and to someone in your life you want to thank. Don't wait til Christmas... #thankful #Godisgood This is my desire you to honor you Lord, with all my heart I worship you All I have within me I give You praise All that I adore is in you Lord I give you my heart I give you my soul I live for you alone Every breath that I take Every moment I'm awake Lord have Your way in me

Acts 2:38-39 NLT Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, and to your children, and even to the Gentiles —all who have been called by the Lord our God.” #promises