verseoftheday

The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep." John 21:17 NIV Pete, I know you stuffed up. Let me down. Let yourself down. Three times you were asked, and three times you denied knowing me. But its OK. No matter how big your stuff up has been, my grace is bigger. No matter how you feel about it, my love absorbs it all... And now I've got things for you to do... things that mean you'll be working with people. People who make mistakes, who let themselves and others down. People who stuff up. So just as you've received grace, give it, as you've been loved...love people. #grace

Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." John 21:16 NIV Do you love me? That's not a question we would ask unless we were really concerned about our relationship... that someones actions indicated that they didn't... Do you love me? Would Jesus have call to ask that question of me today? He asked Peter 3 times, reflecting it seems the 3 times Peter denied knowing Jesus... how many times would he be asking me? How many times have I not stood up for what I believed... compromised like Peter because it was safer... was afraid of what others would think of me... Jesus is not accusing, but is gentle here... do you love me? And the unspoken heart behind the question is: "I love you" More than anything. #wordsofJesus #dearlyloved

Friday! Proverbs! A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but fools detest turning from evil. Proverbs 13:19 NIV Dreams come true. Nice. People get stuck in their negative ways. True. But am I this fool? Is it me that doesn't turn? And what is my longing? My career? Travel? To get married? Education? Looks? Money? Health? These can't be the ultimate longing of our soul, because these things will always let us down And how can we see Jesus in this? Well he railed against the religious who stayed stuck in their ways, that their good deeds would make them right with God... And he was the only one who in his own strength ciuld completely turn his back on temptation, live a perfect life And his ultimate longing, to be reunited with the Father, that must've been sweet to the soul...but there's more I think...when Jesus (the groom) is united with his bride (the church, us) that is the end game...what Jesus came to do will be fulfilled, and we will have all our lon

Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. John 21:12-13 NIV Was the ressurected Jesus hinting that the new heaven & new earth won't be too different from the original? Was the ressurected King modeling kingdom values and serving? Was he suggesting that a power breakfast is a good thing? Or simply that sharing food together, fellowship together is a good thing... I'm sure that Paul if he could would be all over Facebook, tweeting and snapchatting his prison food... using every piece of tech to get the good news out... But Jesus is a face-to-face guy. Lets have breakfast. I'm cooking. Let's meet. Sit down... what can I get you? just breathe I'm on your team I love you lets talk... #dearlyloved #childrenofGod

"I'm going out to fish", Simon Peter told them...So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.  Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore...He called out to them, "Friends, haven't you any fish?" John 21:3-6 NIV When Jesus asks a question its never to get information. Jesus knew their endeavour had been fruitless, their whole night invested for nothing. Was he just being polite? He wanted the disciples to know that success in life needed Jesus direction. Involved. Because its a relationship. Was Jesus interested in making their fishing business successful? These boys didn't do much fishing after that... He wanted them & us to see that we need to involve God in our decisions. We need God's guidance and direction and walking with us to be successful people, the people, the person he wants us to be. #somethingtochewon #wordsofJesus

Today is about remembering. Remembering those who gave their lives so that we enjoy the freedoms that we have. Yet. We're a long way from the Mother Of All Bombs in Afghanistan, a long way from Sarin gas attacks in Syria...yet in our communities we have stubbornly high rates of children being hurt and killed...stubbornly high rates of domestic violence... Because we forget. "The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. So it goes. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love

How can you think of saying to your friend, 'Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye', when you can"t see past the log in your own eye? Matthew 7:NLT When we see our own sin as logs, and others sin as specks, then we won't walk away in judgement, or look down from some lofty vantage point, or stand back, uninvolved... but we can run towards others in love...we'll jumpi in, we'll have compassion, want to know their story, & walk together in community... Ethnicity, vocation, education, age, culture...whatever the barriers between us, melt away when we know that we're all saved by grace. Grace alone. Grace. #kingdomvalues #lovepeople #inthistogether #grace

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:30-31 NIV Makes you wonder what else Jesus showed his team... John says there's enough here - enough for us to believe that Jesus is who he said he is, the fulfillment of prophecy & the law, who bore our sins to make us right with God, the perfect and complete sacrifice... And he's personal - we are the objects of his love, who wants us to meet with him and commune with him, who is preparing a new earth for us where all the hurt and loss and pain of this one is done away with...when his restoration project is complete and all will be made new... and all it takes is that we believe... #sunday #worship #thisisourGod #onedayallwillbemadenew #hope #believe

Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands..." Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." John 20:27-29 NIV Blessed. We who haven't seen, who weren't there, we're in a different category...blessed! There are days when having Jesus turn up in the room and hold out his hands would be... surprising? alarming? affirming? Because we've chosen to believe anyway, we have his blessing. His favour. And rather than touch me, learn about me from my Word Commune with me in prayer Listen to me within Be encouraged in community. And I've told you what to do... Love God, and be these broken scarred hands and feet loving people in this world... Blessed To be a blessing. #loveGod #lovepeople #easter #blessing

Friday! Proverbs! Whoever disregards discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored. Proverbs 13:18 NIV What a great proverb for parents wanting to get their kids to do the right thing... But what about us? Its the proud who think they know it all, & its the humble that take direction, listen to others who speak into their lives. Am I that person? Do I listen? And what about Jesus?  Can we see him in this? Jesus humbled himself to the Fathers will, & He took the ultimate correction, separation from God, bore the discipline that was meant for us, and is now the one who is honoured... #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon #humble #easter #Jesusatthecentre

Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." John 20:21 NIV You are it now. I'm heading off and you're my team on the ground. My plan of restoration, of making my kingdom known, my peace to all people, its now with you! We all have people and places we can speak the peace of Jesus into... Workmates, flatmates, classmates, patients, clients, customers...family members...enemies Maybe we need to go across the room, across town or across the world... Maybe its writing a letter, a txt, a song, a sermon or a book...painting a picture or someones house...but whatever it is...Jesus calls us all to mission in someway, somewhere... but its not off in the never never future sometime... its now. #wordsofJesus #easter #mission #sent #lord #allin #lovepeople

Then he said to Thomas, "...Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" John 20:27-28 NIV Tom got it. Eventually. Its not clear that he actually reached out, but in that moment he knew that Jesus was who he said he was. Everyone's journey is different, but the answer - my Lord and my God - the word for Lord is; kyrios - properly, a person exercising absolute ownership rights; lord (Lord). Tom is saying Jesus you're in charge now. Whatever you ask, I'll do. Wherever you send me, no matter the consequences...I'll go. Tom had been with Jesus, was a follower, but was holding something back...but now, now he's all in. Am I holding back? #easter #lord #allin

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas, :Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side..." John 20:26-27 NIV Mysteries. When Mary first met the resurrected Jesus, he said "don't touch me", a week later he says "touch me!" His body is clearly physical yet he enters the room without opening the door... What happened to Jesus berween "It is finished" & "Peace be with you"? Mystery. Is this what our ressurected bodies will be like? Still carrying our scars but not burdened with them? Mystery God has left some things vague & mysterious... and some things crystal clear... like... all of this is for the object of His Great Love. Us. #dearlyloved #easter #mystery #itsalovestory

Now Thomas... was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." John 20:24-25 NIV Yesterday at church I met a couple of people who only came at Christmas & Easter. "I've got my own beliefs" Just like Thomas, they want god on their terms and preferred a god of their own making... On Sunday I have no doubts. But sometimes on Monday there's a bit of Thomas in me... On Monday work, study, relationships, health, hurts, loss...life really, kicks off again. And we get to choose just like Thomas to demand God on our terms, or to embrace Him and believe on His #believe #faith #faithonmonday #easter

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. John 20:19-20 NIV Fear is replaced by joy! What does Jesus say? Peace be with you. You're free now from the concerns and worries, free from fear that was keeping you locked in here. Free from fear of the consequences of others actions...because victory has been won. Death has been swallowed up by love. See my hands? The price has been paid. By love. The word peace here has a meaning of wholeness, when all the essential parts are together... My peace bought with a price, brings wholeness. #easter #eastersunday #worship #thisisourGod #peace #wholeness #hope

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders... John 20:19 NIV Between death and ressurection. Between loss and restoration We know what happens next, but the disciples on easter Saturday didn't, & they  are afraid. In lock down. When what was supposed to be victory looks like stunning defeat. Were they replaying conversations with Jesus - did he mean he was really going to die and really come back? They knew the horror of the crucifixion. That was real. We're done God is defeated. Jesus is dead. Lock the doors. Sometimes it can feel like we're living in Easter Saturday. Theres been no triumph. God is silent There is no hope It seemed that God had failed...but in fact had won the greatest victory. So if it feels like Easter Saturday... hang on... Hope has come #easter #eastersaturday #whenallseemslost #hope

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6 NIV Its our self orientation, our desire to rule ourselves, our self-ishness, thats what leads us astray...the desire to be our own god, or to make one in our image, one we can control, who does what we want... we want to go our own way... & that separates us from God. To restore that relationship someone had to pay. Forgiveness is costly. Think of a time when you've truly forgiven someone who's hurt you, caused a loss... It's costly...  you've absorbed their sin against you. And that's what was laid on Jesus on the cross...He absorbed all our sin - for all of us... #easter #goodfriday #itsalovestory #dearlyloved

Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.  But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:4-5 NIV By His wounds, we are healed. #easter #itsalovestory #nothingmoretosay

...He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain... Isaiah 53:2-3 NIV Movies and art depicting Jesus often show a good looking person...but Isaiah's prophecy here says otherwise - at best,  Jesus was ordinary. Despised Rejected Suffering Familiar with pain. At some point we've probably all experienced something of these things,  for some, maybe these words resonate with you too. Ordinary Despised Rejected Familiar with pain If they do then you know that Jesus understands, knows what it's like, & came to set things in motion to set it all right... #easter #onedayallwillbemadenew #hope

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV Easter. Hot cross buns, chocolate, time off work or study or at least you get double time! But it's so easy to miss what it's really all about...which is in two small words here... So That Jesus became sin for us, absorbed it all into himself on the cross (no wonder he didn't want to go there) So That we can be right with God. It's not our work, but a gift. Easter is a love story. Love that caused God to hatch his plan to redeem the world. Love that took Jesus too the cross And love that kept him there, to make a way... to be the way... for us So That We can be right with God #itsagift #itsalovestory #easter #dearlyloved

We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf... 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 NIV We are Christ's ambassadors. His envoy. As though God was making his appeal through us... not only are we the object of His love, but we're integral in His plan to take it to the world... Ambassadors, envoys, represent the place they've come from, it's values, what's important, what it stands for, & an effective one influences and changes the place (the foreign land) that they're sent to... We are part of God's redemptive plan! Ambassadors Envoys Representatives With a mandate to change the world... #lovepeople

We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 NIV If I paid your parking fine for you, you'd be grateful. What about if I cleared your student loan? Or your mortgage? It's easy to think that Jesus is just like some really wealthy person who paid our debt and it was easy 'cos he has so much wealth... but God made him who has no sin to BE sin for us. Somehow Jesus absorbs all sin into himself, takes it on... takes it in... & it cost everything. Why? Because He Loves. You & Me. #dearlyloved #sunday #palmsunday #worship #thisisourGod

So we are Christ's ambassadors... 2 Corinthians 5:20 NLT Envoys Sent on a diplomatic mission - representing God... In your home, flat, family, group of friends, workplace, business, social group...in your work...you and I are in unique places in the world...envoys, ambassadors, representatives... Tomorrow is Palm Sunday when Jesus came into the city as a King. The next weekend he was executed as a criminal. Yet his mission was the same despite the circumstances, He was God's envoy whether people were cheering for him, or killing him. Envoys Regardless of our circumstances Representing God in the world #envoy #hope #somethingtochewon

Friday! Proverbs! A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a trustworthy envoy brings healing. Proverbs 13:17 NIV In this world of trouble, hurt, loss and destruction it's easy for us to want exactly what the Israelites wanted in the first century...a messiah to come in power and put everything right. Now. But God sent an envoy. envoy noun a messenger or representative, especially one on a diplomatic mission. Our ultimate trustworthy envoy is going to bring healing He started something that was not about external power, but about love. That love is the way of restoration, of healing, of hope...of life It may not fix the world how and when we'd like it to, but we choose to follow the envoy, Jesus, whose mission while complete is not complete, as we become his envoys to the world #envoy #hope #onedayallwillbemadenew #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. Luke 18:22-23 NIV Join me. Come with me on the journey. Put me first. This is the "one thing". It's commandments #1 & #2 that were not yesterday's list. #1 Put God first #2 Have no idols This guy had missed the most important thing. #loveGod He'd allowed a good thing (the things he owned, his money, wealth, the power, prestige, options, that brought with it) to become THE thing. His significance & his security was in something other than Jesus. And he couldn't give it up. "Follow me" is not a harsh command but a gentle request to walk with Him, to learn from Him, to figure things out together on the journey... #loveGod #wordsofJesus #followJesus

Jesus answered... "You know the commandments: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honour your father and mother" "All these I have kept since I was a boy" he said. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing..." Luke 18:19-22 NIV Did Jesus know he'd been good with these commandments? These 5 are more about our relationships with others. What about the ones Jesus hadn't mentioned? The other 5? No other Gods, not coveting? The things of the heart? This guy was an elder in his community. Respected, wealthy, religious and good. He'd lived by God's rules and believed he'd kept them all. He'd done it. But in asking his initial question he knew in his heart that there must be something more... #questions #questionsoftheheart

A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good - except God alone" Luke 18:18-19 NIV The word "good" here carries the meaning of inherently good. And just so there was no mistake Jesus made it clear that he is not just a good teacher, one of many, but God, in the flesh! The One who could not be looked on, who's glory and power was too much for people to handle...was now here...taking this guy's question. And his question is full of doubt...what do I have to do? Have I done enough? When will I know if I'm good enough? Am I good enough? #wordsofJesus #questions

A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered... Luke 18:18-19 NIV This question echoes down the centuries - what do I need to do to be saved, to be right with God? Beneath it there is a belief that there is more to this life than the here and now, there's something..."else". Is there purpose in the universe...is there purpose in my life...and is there any hope? In our time and place where are people putting their hope? Their faith? Work Education Appearance Health Money Success Religion Relationships ? People are searching and in their own way have the same question... Jesus answers this man's question with a question... Why is that? #wordsofJesus #questions #daylightsavingmesseswithme

...Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel. Matthew 15:29-31 NIV Chaos. People bringing their friends, their family members, people who may have had problems from birth, or accidents or illness...and lots of them... imagine the joy, the delight  in seeing your friend healed, the miracle of what was broken restored by the designer himself... The carers and the cared for delighting together...and praising... imagine the prayers, the songs... it's a taster, a glimpse of heaven... when all that's broken in us will be made new... when we will see Jesus & know... Imagine the prayers, the praise... #sunday #worship #thisisourGod #onedayallwillbemadenew

The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." Psalm 14:1 NIV When I believe at my core that there is no God, no creator, no designer, no purpose...and no hope...then I'll create my own god... or become my own god. Maybe today we'll be made to look a bit foolish by someone's hoax or prank - but let's not be foolish about the really important stuff... At the heart of it all is not just wisdom, or revelation, but a person. A person who looked foolish in the way he lived, and in the way he died. And that foolishness is what saved me. Jesus didn't have to do any of it...but he chose to because He loves. Loves us. Loves me. #aprilfoolsday #dontbeafool #dearlyloved #childrenofGod