verseoftheday

Ephesians 3:3, 6 NLT ...God revealed his mysterious plan to me...:Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body... Ok so what's the big deal here? So that the Church reflects who God is, it needs to include everybody, all ages, cultures, backgrounds, ethnicities, education, skills, gifts, dreams, personalities...it is inclusive, so I need to be prepared to connect across the barriers and differences too. #stepacrosstheroom #lovepeople

Ephesians 3:1 NLT When I think of all this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the benefit of you. . . While Paul was actually a prisoner in jail, his view was different...that he was really being detained by God so that he could share the good news...the inference being if God didn't want him there...well...he wouldn't be... How often have I wanted to be somewhere else? If only my location, my circumstances or my relationships were different...if only... Lord, what do you have for me to do here? Now? #loveGodlovepeople #prisonerofJesus #purpose #pray

Matthew 5:15 NLT ...In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. It's easy to lap up the praise when we do good...but Jesus is pretty clear...our good deeds that shine like that city on a hill should point people to God. Give Him the honour. Point people to God. #redletterwords #beattitudes

Friday! Wisdom. Proverbs 29:16 NIV When the wicked thrive, so does sin, but the righteous will see their downfall. Isn't that the way the world seems...that those who are selfish, against God, ignore truth, hurt or use people...they seem to thrive...but at the end its all different. When this life is over we can only take what we brought into this world, and the end of this proverb points to Jesus return when the only thing is about being right with him. #wisdom #proverbs #hope #allwillbemadenew #somethingtothinkaboutonafriday

Acts of the Apostles 20:24 NIV However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. Passionate. My only aim...one task, one race, to complete not what his parents, peers, church has set...but the task Jesus set...to simply testify about the good news of Gods grace... #keepingitsimple

1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. Words that speak to us in different ways depending on our circumstances... Faith Hope Love Maybe today you need some more of one of these ('cos sometimes we all do), or have you got some to share...to give...its by giving and sharing faith and hope and love that ours deepens and strengthen...these things only weaken if we keep them all to ourselves... #loveGod #lovepeople #givealittle #faithhopelove #day500

1 Corinthians 13:12 NIV For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. This verse promises so much more...its at the end of this great passage on love, but wait...there's more...one day we will be face to face with Love. With God who is love. Then we will know. The things we hold now by faith will be real. And there will be no words to describe it... #hope #love #loveGod

Could write your life goal in one sentence? Your mission? Purpose? Paul did and it's found in Acts 20v24. Everything in his life in his ministry converges on this one verse... My only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. #xroadspreacher #mission #purpose #whatsminemaybeitsthesame

Psalm 121:1-8 ESV I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?   My help comes from the Lord , who made heaven and earth.  He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.  Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.   The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. #hope #psalm121 #Godisonyourteamwhereeveryougo

Psalm 121:1-2 ESV I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? Just like the psalmist we all go through tough times...maybe this is you today...looking for help. David looks to the world, the created...stuff... And then he says:v2 My help comes from the Lord , who made heaven and earth. Looking to the Creator...it is not the things of this earth that will give real hope and satisfaction...it is knowing the creator. #turnyoureyesuponJesus #hope #lifegroupfaveverse

Friday already! Proverbs 29...we are up to v15 - this is a bit of a favourite for parents: The rod and reproof give wisdom, But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother. This proverb is the selfishness of our hearts and that applies to all of us. Without wisdom, we are all likely to make poor choices, when we just "get our own way" is not generally the path to wisdom. The ultimate source of wisdom is the Word, which will shape and direct us. #wisdom #proverbs #yourwordisalamptomyfeetandalighttomypath

Matthew 5:15 NLT No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. When you share light with someone else you lose nothing, when you share an idea you lose nothing, when you share love you lose nothing...but the liklihood is you will gain a friend, build a community, develop bonds that will last a lifetime... #givelighttoeveryoneinthehouse #bethatlight #letyourlightshine #dogood #lovepeople

Matthew 5:14 NLT You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. A city on a hill was a place of refuge, of security & safety...a destination looked foward to...a place of light in a dark world...Jesus is calling us to be that light. #bethatlight #letyourlightshine #dogood #lovepeople

Matthew 5:14 NLT You are the light of the world... You. And me. Not our neighbour, pastor, church, programme, giving...good that those things are...you and me, we are the light of the world... #letyourlightshine #dogood #lovepeople

Matthew 5:14-16 NLT You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden...a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see... Its not our intellectual ability, our carefully crafted arguments, our powerful sermons, our beautiful worship songs, our great churches that shine out...good that those things are...it is the good things that we do for others... #letyourlightshine #dogood #lovepeople

Ephesians 2:18 NLT Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us. As we journey through Ephesians together, the context again is that for Jews and non Jews, there is now no difference...we all have access to God...but for me the cool thing today is the restating of the trinity...and...that we can have access to God if we have simply accepted Jesus. No matter who you are, your background, ethnicity, no matter what you've done, your age, stage in life...the Way is still the same...

Friday!!! Proverbs 29:13 NASB The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The Lord gives light to the eyes of both. A few things to think about here... God's grace falls upon all. Rich or poor, good or bad... The Lord gives light to the eyes of both...no matter what your background, no matter what you have done, redemption is here...by choosing God anyone can move from darkness to light... In the ESV it reads... The poor man and the oppressor meet together; the Lord gives light to the eyes of both. One day the poor man and the (or is it his) oppressor will meet...in that meeting comes understanding through the light of truth. Who am I oppressing? Are the poor of the world being exploited because of thr purchasing decisions I make? How well am I allowing the Light give me sight? #friday #proverbs29 #somethingthinkabout

1 Corinthians 13:7-8 ESV Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. This is God's love for us. When reading these words I realise how inadequate our language is to capture all that this love is and means. That the God of the universe never ends...ok...but that He believes in me! Endured the cross and all that meant for me! Hopes for me. Just maybe...because this is how God loves me...maybe I can love people a bit more like this too... #mercylovegrace #loveismyprofession

Ephesians 2:4-5 ESV But God...by grace you have been saved... Grace. Unmerited favour. Getting something good, even tho we have done nothing to earn it or deserve it. As a child I have received grace from my parents. They have done things for me not because of what i might give back or to reward... Its an attitude, but more than that, it is active, it is action. God's grace towards us is active...because He loves us. #wow And it is the action of grace that saves. #mercylovegrace #maybeIcouldshowmoregrace

Eph 2v4 But God, being rich in mercy... mercy [ mur-see ]noun 1. compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power; 2. the disposition to be compassionate or forbearing:  3. the discretionary power of a judge to pardon someone or to mitigate punishment Our God is rich in mercy...towards us...towards me! His mercy has pardoned me, has made me right with God, my punishment borne by Jesus... (maybe I could be just  a bit more merciful then...) #mercylovegrace

Ephesians 2v17 NIV He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. Maybe you are a long way from God, or sometimes it just feels that way. Jesus came and not only preached peace, (see v 14 "For he himself is our peace...") He is our peace. Jesus came to us when we were far from him. He came searching for you and me. And if you are a Christian today, there are times when we still feel turmoil in our lives, when our concerns for today, hurts of the past, or fears for the future overwhelm us, and we are not at peace. Or maybe it's not being successful in the eyes of the world, or comparing ourselves with others that robs our peace... v 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Jesus is the way...to access our heavenly Father, through his Spirit. This is the trinity right there! And the way to peace. And Jesus made the first move. He came and preached peace. He made the way. Thank him for that today, and

1 Corinthians 13:7 NIV Love...always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Protect Trust Hope Perservere Do those words represent my character? Sometimes i dont protect those i could or trust people when i should...and i dont always perservere...sometimes i just give up on people...but these words are who Jesus is and who He calls us to be... God doesn't give up on us, He is always hopeful...and somehow, with little steps every day we too can be more like Him Love...always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. #always #youaredearlyloved

Friday! Wisdom...Proverbs 29:12 NLT If a ruler pays attention to liars, all his advisers will be wicked. Leadership is a difficult thing...maybe you are a leader, or will be in some way in the future...this proverb for me is about who we listen to, who's opinion we value, who influences us...and if those people are not honest, don't live with integrity, then there is a widespread problem... So choose carefully who you listen to, and keep supporting the people in leadership in your life :) #friday #proverbs29 #loveyourleaders #choosecarefully

But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. (Psalm 3:3 ESV) Sometimes the stuff of life weighs us down...maybe its people, events, health, work, study...and our heads drop...David knew the One who would be able to lift up his head from despair. Should we not also turn to Him and trust Him to be the lifter of our heads? Sometimes we forget that He is the primary source of our encouragement. When circumstances cause our heads to drop, we can turn to God and know that He can lift us up, enable us to rejoice, and we can find courage and hope in Him. May this be true for you today, no matter what you face :) #lifterofmyhead #courage

1 Corinthians 13v6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. I don't delight in evil...or do I? Do I take some pleasure when something bad happens to someone I think deserves it...sometimes delighting in evil is such a subtle thing, especially in NZ where we do have this "tall poppy" thing... Rejoice with the truth. Jesus said He is the truth. What did he rejoice with? See Luke 15 - Jesus rejoices when the lost have been found! #iwasnotexpectingthat #loveismyprofession

Ephesians 2:15-16 NLT He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. Do you want to put an end to conflict? Countries, ethnic groups, families, individuals...you won't do it by rules and regulations, but only when everyone submits themselves to Jesus, when we all accept what Jesus did for us, when we have a shared value system, that is when peace will come. It's only through Jesus work will peace on earth finally prevail...and by getting more in tune with God and his values, can we as individuals end our hostility to others... #lovepeople #peaceonearth

Ps 27v1 The Lord is my light and my salvation: Whom shall I fear? We place our security in all kinds of things... The things we own. Money and investments Church Ourselves and our abilities. Or maybe you have no security and your life is a cycle of concern, fear & dread. The psalmist introduces us to the worlds best security system. The rest of heart and mind that we seek, lasting security, & resiliant hope are only found when we embrace the astounding reality of who you are as a child of God. You are the object of love of the Person who rules everything. You are secure for one reason: God exists and He is your Father. #Ps27 #shelterinthestorm #realsecurity #dearlyloved

1 Corinthians 13 v 5 Love...keeps no record of wrongs... But this is one of the things that I am good at! How much better would our world be if we all kept no record of being wronged...if we took each day, each event, each interaction with people on it's own merits, without referencing past hurts, or slights, or actions...our ultimate example is God the Father who chooses out of love to not remember our sins, to not remember our rejection of him, our lack of progress, our drifting away from Him sometimes...through the work of Jesus, we are forgiven, we are truly loved #dearlyloved #lovekeepsnorecordofwrongs #sunday #worshipHimforthattoday #loveismyprofession

1 Corinthians 13 v 5 Love...is not irritable... Oh man, just when I think I have a grasp of Love, just one word raises the bar again...'cos I have been known to be a bit irritable...and what takes me there? I get irritated when things are not done how I want them to be, and I get irritated at my own shortcomings, near misses, failures...but this speaks to a heart attitude of being irritable...what I do with my irritation? Allow it to fester, or take root? Am I characterised by being irritable (ie getting easily annoyed)? 1. Recognise it if this is you, 'cos this is not the way of love 2. How important are these things that are annoying us (don't sweat the small stuff) 3. Consider that maybe this person or situation is in my life for me to learn from...to develop my character...so talk to God about that, about our heart attitude, confess and ask Him to change our hearts #loveismyprofession