verseoftheday

Our Master Jesus has his arms wide open for you... 1 Corinthians 16:23 MSG Forgiveness He's made a way...The Way Free Freely given in the greatest act of love imaginable... Grace Not because we deserve anything, or can do anything to earn it... Adopted Chosen, not abandoned... Love His arms are open wide for all of us... #sunday #worship #thisisourGod

While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live. Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples. Matthew 9:18-19 NIV Somehow Jesus made time for...people! He'd been busy answering questions but when someone came to him in need - yep I'll come - all kinds of things run thru my head - why can't you...what about... why doesn't... why are my first thoughts negative or full of ways you could sort this yourself? Maybe Jesus knew more about people and situations than we do, but here he showed grace and got moving... Lord help me to not just show grace on the outside but have grace as my first response on the inside Amen #lovepeople #grace

Friday! Proverbs! A good person basks in the delight of God, and he wants nothing to do with devious schemers. You can't find firm footing in a swamp, but life rooted in God stands firm. Proverbs 12:2-3 MSG So what do you think of these Proverbs? 1. We're only "good" because of Jesus 2. I love the swamp analogy...where do we find firm footing...what we thought was solid ground has moved whether it's politics or culture or gender...in our world truth is what you want it to be...but in God's economy He is Truth. Our firm footing in the swamp... #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon

Lord , sustain me as you promised, that I may live! Do not let my hope be crushed. Sustain me, and I will be rescued; then I will meditate continually on your decrees. Psalms 119:116-117 NLT There are times when we need sustaining. The psalmist is crying out for help...is at the end of his own strength...it's OK to cry out to God. For us to be sustained we need shelter, food, water, rest, work...but we also need relationships... people...love... and hope. Even in times when we are at the end of our resources, our hope remains in the One who promises to return and make all things new... #hope #onedayallwillbemadenew

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near... Philippians 4:4-5 NIV Paul is wrapping up his letter with a final charge, and tucked in there are 4 small words:  "the Lord is near" I don't pretend to know how God's spirit dwells in and works in our lives but somehow we have God in us. He humbled himself to squeeze into human flesh to  live on the earth 2000 years ago, and humbled himself even further to squeeze into our hearts...walking with us thru whatever it is we face...the deposit, the first taste of what will come when the wall between heaven and earth will come down...when heaven invades earth for the last time...when all will be made new... #with #hope #onedayallwillbemadenew

Let your gentleness be evident to all... Philippians 4:5 NIV Gentleness is not something our culture promotes or admires outside of child rearing...yet here it is an instruction to the church...to all of us... When we're gentle with each other it says we're in this together - none of us get it right all the time, we all make mistakes and need forgiveness. When we're gentle with each other it says we can hold each other's hurts and burdens and dreams and stories without being critical or even having to fix them. It fosters trust Gentleness says your OK here. Safe. It's how Jesus was with those who were seeking, hurting, and in need of hope...and it's how we need to be... #lovepeople

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4 NIV But it's Monday. Sometimes it's easy to "rejoice" on Sunday...to be full of the joy of being a Christian, but why is it so hard on Monday? Has God changed? Have I lost my salvation? Has my status as a dearly loved, child of God changed? No. So determine to let Sunday spill over into Monday. Monday is another opportunity to live out our mission of helping heaven invade earth, being part of God's restoration project...to hold on to those memorial stones of God's work in our lives, and to choose to live in the joy of being redeemed. Paul wrote this from prison. He knew that to rejoice is a choice... #nolongeraslavetosinIamachildofGod #loveGod #lovepeople #monday

Two people are better off than one, for they  each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NLT Heard this verse at a wedding yesterday, but I think it has a much broader application for us...we all need someone on our team when things turn to custard...am I that person? Could someone say that if they fell, they wouldn't be alone becuase they could rely on me? Ruth and Naomi come to mind...not blood relatives, not from the same culture or ethnicity, yet committed friends. Be that friend. #lovepeople

You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word. Psalm 119:114 NIV A great verse to tuck away in our hearts... A town of refuge was a place that you could go - to be safe A shield protects in the hand to hand battle, the arrows, the swords... There are times when we all need to seek refuge, & we all have battles...whether it's the hurtful words from our past, our own thought life that turns against us, or the words and actions of others...maybe it's physical disability or pain that won't retreat...whatever it is for you & me, the psalmist asks where do you put your hope? The Word. The living Word. #jesusatthecentre #hope #onedayallwillbemadenew   #inthistogether

Friday! Proverbs! We finished Prov11 last week so let's start...ch12... If you love learning, you love the discipline that goes with it - how shortsighted to refuse correction! Proverbs 12:1 MSG If only we put into action what we already know...when it comes to wisdom, knowing God's truth, knowing  his heart... I just love to make excuses...when I'm older / wiser / know more / have more resources / finish my qualification / job / get this business up...then I'll live how God wants me too... If God is prompting us in areas of our lives, if his word is leaping off the page at us today...then live it out...make the change...today #loveGod #lovepeople #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon

He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us... 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 MSG When we're in the middle of it all its hard to see any good coming from our struggles...but with God nothing is wasted if we're willing to let Him work with us to bring blessing and encouragement to others...it may just mean we've gotta be a bit open and vulnerable to others... #lovepeople

Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before. Matthew 9:16 NLT Jesus is being asked why his team, don't follow the religious rules all the time... You can't just fix yourself up with a patch because there's a bigger thing going on where it's only new clothing, a new body, a new reality that Jesus is pointing too, when all will be made new, and the struggle, hurt, loss, grief and pain of this world won't just be patched up, but replaced...and it starts with the heart...not the outward with a bit of new behaviour/cloth, but with a change...a restoration of the heart... #wordsofJesus #onedayallwillbemadenew

Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life. Philippians 4:2-3 NLT Conflict happens with people in ministry, church leadership and even missionaries...note here Paul's way forward - he affirms them for the good work they've been doing and then asks a third party to help them find a way forward...for conflict to be resolved we've got to be willing to listen - to really hear the other person - & that sometimes means submitting to someone else to lead is forwards... #lovepeople

...I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work. Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. Philippians 4:1-2 NLT Conflict. For Paul to include this in his letter to the church it must have been significant...but it happens. Sometimes we need a third party to tell us - this has been going on long enough, everyone sees there's a problem between you two, I love you, I've appreciated the things you've both been involved in, but it's time the 2 of you sorted this. We're all on the same team here... Conflict happens. Choose to resolve it. #lovepeople

You who mourn will be comforted You who hunger will hunger no more All the last shall be first Of this I am sure You who weep now will laugh again All you lonely be lonely no more All the last shall be first Of this I am sure I don't know why the innocents fall While the monsters stand I don't know why the little ones thirst But I know the last shall be first I know the last shall be first #hymns #onedayallwillbemadenew #wordsofJesus #lovepeople

You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can't get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them... James 4:2 NLT I wonder about the mindset of people who do  terrible things like the killing of so many in Nice this week. And then James lays bare the heart of man We want what we don't have. I want what you have. And when that heart is unchecked, heartache and tragedy unfold in someone else's life. And yet...I have the same desires, the same thing in the human heart that fuels corruption, war, terror, is in me...cos sometimes I want what you have, what I don't have...we all need the gospel of grace to restrain and move us to be more like Jesus. In Him is freedom from the tyranny of our own heart... #somethingtochewon

Friday! Proverbs! Exploit or abuse your family, and end up with a fistful of air; common sense tells you its a stupid way to live. A good life is a fruit-bearing tree; a violent life destroys souls. If good people barely make it, what's in store for the bad! Proverbs 11:29-31 MSG I watched a guy on the news this week try and apologize for stealing money from the school he worked at...all he ended up with was a fistful of air... but in the midst of these Proverbs is the fruit bearing tree - it's fruit is of little value to itself - it's greatest value is when it's shared... so let's choose to share our gifts, talents, time, resources with, and in serving, others... #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon #lovepeople

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work. Philippians 4:1 NLT You are my joy - it's not the stuff we collect, the car we drive, where we live that counts - it's people & the relationships we have that joy comes from - & the investment made in the lives of others is his reward - seeing others get to know Jesus, grow in grace & faith in God. While we need the love of others...this is about an otherness orientation. Invest in people Love people Encourage people What does that look like for you & me today? #lovepeople

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you... Philippians 4:1 NLT Therefore...Ch3 is all about nothing compares to knowing Jesus, & pressing on, leaving behind whatever might hold us back, pressing on to a greater knowledge of and life in Jesus... And he starts Ch4 with the same theme...Stay true... There are days when we need this encouragement, when it would seem easier to give it all away...Stay true to God. On the days when it makes no sense - stay true to God In the moments when I want to give in to temptation - stay true to God In the hard times, when you feel like giving up - stay true. "I love you" #staytrue #dearlyloved #childrenofGod

He told them..."Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder - twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, What do these stones mean? Then you can tell them...These stones will stand as a memorial among the people... Joshua 4:5-7 NLT What are the memorials in your life of God at work? One key way to strengthen our faith is the reminders of answered prayer, of lives that have been changed, of God at work...to remind ourselves when things are hard and God seems silent & distant. What are our memorial stones? #memorials #joshua

Your laws are my treasure; they are my heart's delight. I am determined to keep your decrees to the very end. Psalms 119:111-112 NLT Determined. Sometimes it takes a real act of the will to live the way God would have us live...and Monday is often one of the hardest days... Love God - what does that look like for me today? Love People - what does that look like for me today? We're not going to get it right every day, but determine to try, to the very end of our days... #psalms #psalm119 #theroad #inthistogether #presson

Your laws are my treasure; they are my heart's delight. I am determined to keep your decrees to the very end. Psalms 119:111-112 NLT Do I delight in God's word? The Psalmist may have only had the first few books of the Old Testament...but we know that God's word points to one person - to Jesus. He is The Word. The word that spoke at  creation, & who speaks life to us today The Word who came in love, who wants nothing more (& nothing less) than our heart's to be oriented towards him - to delight in him as he delights in us... #psalms #psalm119 #theroad #inthistogether #presson #jesusatthecentre #sunday #worship #thisisourGod

The wicked have set their traps for me, but I will not turn from your commandments. Psalms 119:110 NLT Traps. What is it that traps us? Is it comparing ourselves with others, wanting what someone else has... is it what we allow ourselves to think about...or do...what traps us? The psalm writer knows that the traps are there, but the way to see and avoid them is to know God's word, read it, learn it, hide it in your heart, allow it to shape your thinking, actions, attitudes...& choices. Don't wait for Sunday to open God's word, & as we read, ask God to reveal the traps we're susceptible to... Jesus was the master at seeing what trapped people & what would set them free... #trapsandhowtoavoidthem #stickwithGodsword #jesusatthecentre

Friday! Proberbs! Whoever seeks good finds favor, but evil comes to one who searches for it.  Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf. Proverbs 11:27-28 NIV Seeking Trusting Sometimes it's good to take a hard look at ourselves - what is it I'm really seeking after - & what is it I'm really putting my trust in...God's word asks us to probe the motives of our hearts... Thriving If we look for the negative, it's easy to find, but we can choose to seek the good, choose to put our trust and faith in God daily...and in that we will really start to thrive... #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon #thrive

But there's far more to life for us. We're citizens of high heaven! We're waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He'll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him. Philippians 3:20-21 MSG No matter what's going on for you & me, it's temporary. Especially if it's sickness or aging or things going on with our health...this is our hope! There is more to this life for us! Paul had some health issue that he'd prayed for healing...so he knows what that struggle is like... #onedayallwillbemadenew #faith #hope

But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. Philippians 3:20 NLT Some days I'm with Paul on this for the right reasons...and sometimes this world seems so dreadful, hurtful & painful that the sooner Jesus returns the better...and then there's times when this world is a good place, there is joy, delight, goodness, love...glimpses of how it could be...but no matter how I'm feeling about this world (or the next) this is where my ultimate hope rests...in my citizenship of heaven - I have a passport that guarantees entry...& one day...will be going home... #onedayallwillbemadene #hope #glimpses

But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives... Philippians 3:20 NLT It's like having a passport for a country you've never been to, but just heard snippets about...in fact no one you know has been there...there are stories of how good it is...just the knowledge that one day you'll get to go...to go home... There's a German word with no direct English translation which helps capture this... Sehnsucht the inconsolable longing in the human heart for we know not what; a yearning for a far, familiar, non earthly land one can identify as ones home #onedayallwillbemadenew

I have suffered much O Lord; restore my life again as you promised... My life constantly hangs in the balance, but I will not stop obeying your instructions. Psalms 119:107, 109 NLT Suffering. Life hanging in the balance. While he asks for restoration (which is a good thing to ask God for) the psalmists highest value in the midst of what he's going thru is to remain true to God's word...this passage starts with the word as a lamp and light... No matter what, stick with Jesus and what he calls us to. #lightoftheworld #nomatterwhat #onedayallwillbemadenew

I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws. Psalm 119:106 NIV I'm comitted. No turning back. I've chosen God's path and I'm going to follow it...no matter what... This is not about the church you attend or the version of the Bible you like, but our heart orientation towards God. The previous verse is about God's word as a lamp, we like that, but will we today, as the psalmist does here, reconfirm our commitment to follow it? #psalms #psalm119 #theroad #inthistogether #presson #comitted Hope you're getting some value from verseoftheday, but if you no longer want to receive it that's OK, just let whoever your getting it from know and they'll drop you off the list :)

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? James 4:1 NIV Whether it's Brexit, over sport, money, land, water...or the more mundane, close to home...what causes fights and quarrels?  What makes me angry at you? James nails it. Usually it's because of something I want, jealousy, coveting, wanting...something that's going on in my heart...the battle of the heart is where all is won and lost... Only when we align, and keep realigning our hearts with God, will we win the battle in our own hearts... #james #keepingitreal #faithandworks #inthistogether

Friday! Proverbs! People curse the one who hoards grain, but they pray God's blessing on the one who is willing to sell. Proverbs 11:26 NIV Look beneath the grain to the heart -  cornering the market for your own gain, to drive up the price, to maximize profit even tho it might hurt someone else...choosing not to sell because there's a bigger gain to be made... Even tho this person will win financially, they lose. They're cursed not blessed. Being successful in business or work or whatever is not the issue, it's about our heart towards others as we go...as we live this life, in every area of life... #lovepeople #somethingtochewon