verseoftheday

Naomi said to them, "Each of you go back to your mother's home. May the Lord show kindness to you as you have shown to the dead and to me. May the Lord grant each of you rest in the house of a new husband." She kissed them, and they wept loudly.  Ruth 1:8-10 CSB Not so easy being women on their own in a culture set up around family and wealth, especially land, being retained in the male line of the family. Their tears speak of their loss. Their tears speak of their relationship with one another. Their tears speak of difficult decisions.  It's OK to have tears.  It's OK to have tears that we cry with others.  The place that these three are in is a tough place. Limited resources. Limited options. Naomi wanted the best for Orpah and Ruth and could only see one way forward. There are days, times when our losses are big, our resources seem limited, options are few, the world seems against us, and it's OK to cry.  Naomi, Orpah and Ruth give us a model and permissi

She and her daughters-in-law set out to return from the territory of Moab, because she had heard in Moab that the Lord had paid attention to his people's need by providing them food. She left the place where she had been living, accompanied by her two daughters-in-law, and traveled along the road leading back to the land of Judah. Ruth 1:6-7 CSB When Abraham for example was on the move there was an extended family and staff and livestock. A picture of prosperity. In this story there is no mention of any of that.  Ten years+ after the family moved hoping for a better future, there's now Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth walking back.  For Naomi it's going back to her place, her people. What will be going on for her?  A sense of failure? Loss? Lost mana? Hopeful that people she knew will welcome her back? What about Orpah and Ruth? What grief are they carrying? We don't know how their husbands died, husband's from a different religion and ethnic group. How would they be welcome

If I speak human or angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 1 Corinthians 13:1 CSB We were blessed to be at a wedding celebration yesterday and those wonderful verses about love a little further on in this chapter were shared. This first part though sets the scene: Don't be fooled by eloquent words. We can hear all the right words delivered in the most powerful way, if we're in church today we might hear the most engaging music, the best songs, but if there's no love, no real love, then it's just a sound that jars, a sound that's off, out of place. It's fake.  Paul here seems to be looking inward too.  If I speak without love, I'm just a jarring noise. We don't have to have the best words to love one another, just be open to see the person in front of us as an image bearer of our God, to see them in their humanity, their capacity, their worth, knowing that the image of God in me is not perfect, the humanity and capac

They entered the fields of Moab and settled there. Naomi's husband, Elimelech, died, and she was left with her two sons. Her sons took Moabite women as their wives: one was named Orpah and the second was named Ruth. After they lived in Moab about ten years, both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and the woman was left without her two children and without her husband. Ruth 1:2-5 CSB This is a story that is soaked in grief and loss.  It's easy to skip forward to the redemptive part and gloss over this, but the writer of this book asks us to sit with this.  They've lost their home, their people, and now Naomi has lost her husband and her children.  This is a story couched in loss and grief.  I wonder what I would be telling myself if this was me..."we should've stayed, should never have come here." "My life is a disaster." "Why does God hate me?" "What have I done to deserve this?" "We tried to fit in. The boys got married and every

Friday! Proverbs! My son, fear the Lord and the king;  Do not associate with those given to change; For their calamity will rise suddenly, And who knows the ruin those two can bring? Proverbs 24:21-22 NKJV Interesting! Interesting how the writer gives us the picture of God acting without warning, just like a king. So keep your distance becuase you don't want to get caught up with that! Who is it that we have to be careful not to get connected with? Change makers? What's wrong with them? Someone who is a subject of a king decides to change things, to make their own rules. Some versions of the Bible just put rebels or the rebellious in there.  The picture here is that the king finds out about the person trying to make their own kingdom, and comes over and sorts them out. My heart keeps wanting to make the rules, decide what's truth and error, when I'm all about my kingdom come, my will be done, there's a danger there.  Jesus was all about the Father's will being d

The man's name was Elimelech, and his wife's name was Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They entered the fields of Moab and settled there. Ruth 1:2 CSB Ephrathites.  From Bethlehem. The writer wants us to know something of their whakapapa.  The place, the land that they come from, and the people who they belong to.  Genesis 35 includes the account of Jacob and his whanau in this area when Rachel dies and is buried there. That chapter includes the generations that would follow.  At the very end of Ruth is the whakapapa of David, the line of Jesus, and we can see the connection of these people, Elimilech, Naomi, Mahlon & Chilion, and how their story is intertwined with God's Big Story, his redemptive plan. Our God works in and through the most unlikely of people and circumstances, in this case a family without the resources to weather a famine, on the move in tough circumstances.  Maybe that resonates

During the time of the judges, there was a famine in the land. A man left Bethlehem in Judah with his wife and two sons to stay in the territory of Moab for a while. The man's name was Elimelech, and his wife's name was Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. Ruth 1:1-2 CSB The book of Ruth opens with a family of refugees.  Economic refugees leaving a place of poverty seeking a better life.  The author doesn't give us the luxury of not knowing their names. They're not a group of unnamed people in the back of a truck or in a small boat on the Mediterranean, or a family desperately trying to get into a land far away that they've heard flows with water and sheep and kind people. They are Elimilech and Ruth, and their 2 boys, Mahlon and Chilion. It's easy to forget that behind every news story about refugees, every statistic of poverty and deprivation from around the world, or in our own country, there are real people. Behind every hospital admissi

This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which, if every one of them were written down, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written. John 21:24-25 CSB This week I was trying to read a paper written by Sir William Martin in 1851. Some of the language was hard to understand for a reader in 2022. To really understand him, I had to try and get into his shoes, someone living in NZ 171 years ago.  So as we've got to the end of John's gospel and want to tell John "just say 'I wrote it'", to really understand him we've got to try and understand the person who lived 2000+ years ago in what is now Israel... And John's final thoughts for us? There was so much more. There were conversations and meals shared and people we met and late night talks and tears and laughter and walking...lots of walking...and p

So Peter turned around and saw the disciple Jesus loved following them... When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about him?" "If I want him to remain until I come," Jesus answered, "what is that to you? As for you, follow me." So this rumor spread to the brothers and sisters that this disciple would not die... John 21:20-23 CSB And that's how the rumour started! "This disciple", the "one who Jesus loved" is the author, John. Funny how he won't just write "Peter turned around and saw me following..." The more important thing is that Peter has just been told by Jesus how he's going to die, and his way of processing that was to ask about the next guy - what about him then? (So grateful for Peter for saying out loud what's in his head!) Jesus uses Peter's response to remind him, (and us), to stay in his lane.  Peter, you follow me. You're not John, or Tom, or anyone else, you follow me.  The worl

"Truly I tell you, when you were younger, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don't want to go." He said this to indicate by what kind of death Peter would glorify God. After saying this, he told him, "Follow me." John 21:18-19 CSB Do you love me? Three times Jesus asked that question of Peter.  Each time he gave him an instruction; Feed my lambs Shepherd my sheep Feed my sheep Then we get this chat about how Peter is likely going to die, without a choice.  His last words for Peter recorded here are simply "Follow me", a repeat of his calling 3 years earlier. Here it is Peter, here's the great adventure, I've given you the ending, and the most vague idea I can about what happens in between, feeding, shepherding, doing what I have taught you to do as your Rabbi, your teacher.  Even though 2 weeks ago you vehemently denie

Jesus asked a third time, Simon son of John, "do you love Me?" Peter was deeply hurt that Jesus had asked him a third time,  "Do you love Me?" "Lord, You know all things," he replied. "You know I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep." John 21:17 BSB This 3 times repeat of the question seems to reflect the 3 times Peter was asked a similar question before Jesus crucifixion, when he hid behind a lie.  Jesus' questions have really got to Peter. Peter who jumps in fast, is being asked to look deeper within.  To stop hiding. Yesterday he was hiding by fishing. Nothing wrong with fishing, nothing wrong with work (Jesus blessed the work with a bounty of fish). But Jesus is really nudging Peter here and it's not comfortable.  It's almost like Jesus's question is asking Peter to shift something fundamental within him.  Yes to love Jesus. And to love people.  Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep. Peter, do you love

Friday! Proverbs! Don't fret because of evildoers;  don't envy the wicked. For evil people have no future;  the light of the wicked will be snuffed out. Proverbs 24:19-20 NLT Last week's proverb (24:17-18) includes the idea that His anger is towards those who are against you, and this goes a step further: evil people will have their light snuffed out. Not sure what that means but the picture of intervention by Yahweh to put out a lamp or a candle isn't a place I'd like to be. Have you ever put out a candle with your fingers?  This proverb is real about the world we live in. There are evil people who seem to get away with what they do, not only that but they seem to prosper.  And in this Proverb is a call to how we should respond: Don't be anxious. Don't fret. Don't envy what they have, how they live. If doing that was easy we wouldn't need this proverb. There's a wrong going on when evil people don't get justice, when they seem to be thriving

When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said to him, "you know that I love you." "Feed my lambs," he told him. John 21:15 CSB Do you love me more than what?  The fish? His mates? Peter has worked out that when Jesus has a question there's always something deeper going on. Three times Jesus asks this question. Why would we ask someone the same question 3 times? Because they don't have the right answer, or maybe there's something deeper in the question that needs to shift in the person.  Peter has been up working all night, experienced a miracle with the fish, jumped in for a swim as he couldn't wait to see Jesus, had probably the best breakfast of his life. Jesus is unhurried. And it seems he wants Peter to slow down.  Peter who responds quickly, picks up a sword, jumps in the water, gets afraid and denies knowing Jesus, wants to walk on water. Je

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter... John 21:15 ESV It's quite a good thing to have a verse that's particularly important to you, a "life verse".  Maybe this is the one we need.  "When they had finished breakfast..." Jesus was not in a rush.  Jesus knew the value of sharing a meal. Jesus served.  Jesus went to the next level once everyone had some kai, after their needs were met.  May we know the value of sharing a meal. Of simply serving. Of checking that people's needs are met. Of not having to rush.  May we let that be enough. #resurrection #resurrectionlife

"Come and have breakfast," Jesus told them.  None of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" because they knew it was the Lord.  Jesus came, took the bread, and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish.  This was now the third time Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. John 21:12-14 CSB You can almost see the twinkle in Jesus eye as the disciples don't quite know what's going on here.  Their Rabbi, who they lived with every day, followed everywhere, was killed and raised to life, and now appears at the most random of times.  "Last time we saw Jesus it was all so serious, all about his wounds, and now those scarred hands are making us breakfast.  It's Jesus. But who is this Jesus? What's going on? What does all this mean for us? Jesus died for a reason. Resurrected for a reason.  And we're quite sure it wasn't to be our cook! Is this the kingdom he talked about? Mate that bread is good, try some! And

"Friends," Jesus called to them, "you don't have any fish, do you?" "No," they answered.  "Cast the net on the right side of the boat," he told them, "and you'll find some." So they did, and they were unable to haul it in because of the large number of fish. John 21:5-6 CSB These guys didn't launch a great fishing business off the back of that catch ('Rightside Fishing Ltd') or go on to be prosperous as a result. They all died for their faith. These guys didn't even know it was Jesus giving them fishing suggestions. 'We've been out working all night for nothing, and when we're almost back on shore this guy on the beach suggests the right side like there's something we're missing...and now we have this massive catch! How did he know? Who is this guy? Who is this voice from the beach? Who is this guy?' Signs. John's gospel was about signs that point to Jesus and this was a really person

When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them - fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread. "Bring some of the fish you've just caught," Jesus said.  So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore... "Now come and have some breakfast!" Jesus said. John 21:7-12 NLT One of my favourite Bible verses right there...Jesus says come and have some kai. He's saying I know where you've been. The dark nights are over (Ps23:4) The toiling is over. The doubts are over. The sun is rising, feel it's warmth, the light is flooding everything, and I've prepared food for you, (Ps 23:5) just what you need, and I Am here (Ps 23:6) Feel the land beneath your feet, while you've been out on the lake in the night I've been preparing something for you (John 14:1-2), inhale the smell of what I've prepared for you. Come and sit. Tell me what's going on, let me serve you.  It's time to rest, to recharge, to restore.  Let&#

"Friends," Jesus called to them, "you don't have any fish, do you?" "No," they answered.  "Cast the net on the right side of the boat," he told them, "and you'll find some." So they did,  and they were unable to haul it in because of the large number of fish.  The disciple, the one Jesus loved, said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" John 21:5-7 CSB If only we knew that after every dark night out on the lake, there was this guarantee of the dawn, and more blessing than we can count.  Maybe you have a story like that, where blessing has come, where looking back you can hear his voice, see him on the shore. Or maybe right now you're out on the lake toiling in the dark, and it all seems hopeless.  Never ending.  Even though the disciples experienced this material blessing in the here and now (heaps of fish) I think this is a picture of a deeper hope, when we will see Jesus face-to-face, when we will hear his voice without an

Friday! Proverbs! Don't rejoice when your enemies fall;  don't be happy when they stumble.  For the Lord will be displeased with you and will turn his anger away from them. Proverbs 24:17-18 NLT Ouch! It's not clear what "turn his anger away from them" means, but it does tell us that those who come against you, our God sees, and His anger is already their problem.  At the same time our God is monitoring our hearts! According to this proverb in some way God knows if I'm happy when someone trips up, trips over. This is not about people being held accountable for what they've done, or justice happening, this proverb isn't saying that shouldn't happen, or that we shouldn't be pleased if and when accountability and justice does happen. It's when something bad happens to those who come against us and what happens, or what we allow to happen, in our hearts. Recent media story; group of boys were caught ram raiding a store and while tryig to get aw

"Friends," Jesus called to them, "you don't have any fish, do you?" "No," they answered.  "Cast the net on the right side of the boat," he told them, "and you'll find some." So they did,  and they were unable to haul it in because of the large number of fish.  The disciple, the one Jesus loved, said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" John 21:5-7 CSB The guys are close enough to see someone on the shore, to hear their voice across the water, but not recognise who it was.  They'd been up all night on the lake, yes they hadn't done a lot of fishing in the last 3 years, but they knew what they were doing.  And still no fish. The dawn was breaking, the shore beckoning. Even though they didn't recognise Jesus there must have been something in his voice that connected with them, prompted them to act, to move.  Only afterwards did they recognise Jesus.  After the miracle. Here's part of my story: My job had ended unex

Simon Peter said, "I'm going fishing."  "We'll come, too," they all said.  So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.  At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn't see who he was.  He called out, "Fellows, have you caught any fish?" "No," they replied. John 21:3-5 NLT The guys had been up at least part of the day, and then fishing all night.  All night labouring in the dark.  Nothing to show for all the effort. Can you relate? Sometimes life is like that, a slog, progress seems non existent, we are tired... And then the dawn breaks and heading for the shore and some cheerful guy yells out "heya! caught anything?" Jesus was lucky he just got "no". Maybe it was the sun rising behind him, maybe it was because they were tired, maybe it was because they weren't expecting Jesus, but they didn't recognise him, didn't recognise his voice across the water.  Can you re

Later, Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee. This is how it happened. Several of the disciples were there - Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples.  Simon Peter said, "I'm going fishing." "We'll come, too," they all said.  So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night. John 21:1-3 NLT Simon Peter was a fisherman.  The whole team have been walking with, listening to Jesus for 3 years. They've been part of miracles, crowds, walking with Jesus as he's welcomed into the city like a king.  Jesus has been crucified, and the resurrection has happened, they have the Holy Spirit, they've seen and met with the resurrected Jesus, and yet this account seems to imply that they didn't have much going on. Their Rabbi, their teacher who as disciples you followed everywhere had come back from the dead but now seemed a bit elusive.  Thin

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 John hasn't given us all the stories, and it makes you wonder about the good things that he hasn't shared, but his focus has been on helping us to see, to believe, that Jesus is who he said he is. Messiah. Son of God. That he is from before time, the agent of creation, God in a body just like ours who dwelt among us, God who knows what it's like to be us, God who came to make a way, to become the way for us to be in communion again with him, to restore what has been broken, our world, our relationships with one another, and our relationship with Him. So that we might have Life.  So when we waver in our belief John is saying look back through my book, the signs you need are all here. #monday #Godsgym #life

Do not lie in wait,  O wicked man,  against the dwelling of the righteous;  Do not destroy his resting place; For a righteous man falls seven times,  and rises again,  But the wicked stumble in time of disaster and collapse. Proverbs 24:15-16 AMP Can we see Jesus in this proverb? He's certainly not the "wicked", but he is the "dwelling of the righteous" that the Enemy, the world, and even his family and friends were against at times. Jesus was rejected by his own people, left alone in his suffering in the garden, disowned by those closest to him (eg Peter, Judas), faced starvation and temptation, humiliated and abused, felt rejected by God, and killed by crucifixion by the government with the blessing of his own ethnic and religious leaders, entered into death itself and absorbed the sins of the world.  And rose again to Life. Yes the righteous man falls seven times and rises again. And if we simply believe in Him, believe in Jesus, choose to follow Him, we get

Do not lie in wait,  O wicked man,  against the dwelling of the righteous;  Do not destroy his resting place; For a righteous man falls seven times,  and rises again,  But the wicked stumble in time of disaster and collapse. Proverbs 24:15-16 AMP For a righteous man falls seven times... This seems to speak to the reality of life, that we're going to get tripped up by Life ("in time of disaster and collapse") and the choices of others, the actions of others.  Bad things happen to good people. Accidents, losing your health, global pandemics, a bad grade, we can all be tripped up and find ourselves on the floor of life.  As followers of Jesus we should expect that. None of us are immune from the actions of others, the impact of the world, and our own poor choices.  But we do have a resource that helps us get up again: 1. Knowing that bad stuff happens  2. That we are known and held by our God who is good, and does love us. 3. We have a dwelling place, a resting place that ca

Friday! Proverbs! Do not lie in wait,  O wicked man,  against the dwelling of the righteous;  Do not destroy his resting place; For a righteous man falls seven times,  and rises again,  But the wicked stumble in time of disaster and collapse. Proverbs 24:15-16 AMP What's going on here in the mind of the wicked person? They're coming after your peace and your rest. Today we might call that a social media algorithm. We might call it compulsion to scroll, the fear of missing out, advertising driven wants, the "story" of our culture that says more, faster, bigger, is better... Who or what is coming after your peace and rest? And what's the difference between the person who gets tripped, falls, and stays down, and the one who gets up again? It's their foundation.  The righteous. The one who is right with God. That person knows that true peace and rest is not found in the stuff that others can take away. I'm gonna get back up again not because I'm stronger o

Rest in God alone,  O my soul,  for my hope comes from Him.  He alone is my rock  and my salvation;  He is my fortress;  I will not be shaken.  My salvation  and my honor  rest on God,  my strong rock;  my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people;  pour out your hearts before Him.  God is our refuge.  Selah Psalms 62:5-8 BSB David is reminding himself here of the truth, the truth of who God is, and David's relationship with Him; He is my rock He is my salvation He is my fortress He is my refuge This song David has written is a truth coach to himself and to his people. Not only does David share his truth coach with us, he gives us his way of connecting with God here;  To pour out our hearts before Him. This is not a wish list or a "why won't you fix this" but an outpouring of what we're holding, our thoughts, our emotions, our concerns and hopes and dreams. Speak them out loud to God, write your prayers to Him, pour it out - the image for me is a bucke

Rest in God alone,  O my soul,  for my hope comes from Him.  He alone is my rock  and my salvation;  He is my fortress;  I will not be shaken.  My salvation  and my honor  rest on God,  my strong rock;  my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people;  pour out your hearts before Him.  God is our refuge.  Selah Psalms 62:5-8 BSB The opening part of this song is a statement of where David is at, at rest in God alone. Then he talks about his circumstances, how others see him, and he responds with this passage; a reminder to himself and then to those around him to rest in God alone. David knows it. He looks at the world around him, and reminds himself again to believe it, and to actively rest in God alone.  I look at the world around me and sometimes I look to my bank account, property, business, intelligence, family, health as my rock, my refuge.  We all do it. With something.  And David is just the same, and it's OK to remind ourselves again of who our rock, our fortress r

I am at rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation,  my stronghold;  I will never be shaken. Psalms 62:1-2 CSB Salvation. A big chunk of this Psalm, this song David wrote, is about those who are pressing in, pushing in on him.  He starts with and returns to Salvation, to the one who saves, who delivers him from all the noise and pressure and drama of life, even while those things are still happening.  This song seems to hold faith in, belief in the one who saves in the midst of trying circumstances: David is threatened, attacked, seen as being weak (a leaning wall about ready to collapse v3).  Yet in all of that he holds firm to God Alone. God Alone is the source of salvation, of deliverance, and the result of salvation.  When do we need a rock or a stronghold? We need those things in the storm, or when our enemy is closing in, when the battle is on. If that's you today, be like David, start with God Alone, know that He is your salvation. 

I am at rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation,  my stronghold;  I will never be shaken. Psalms 62:1-2 CSB I am at rest.  Exhale. Sit quietly.  The word here is "dumiyyah"; a silence a quiet waiting repose (rest, restful, peaceful) My soul, our old friend "nephesh", the very core of who we are, my soul, me, is a silence in God alone.  A silence. There are moments when we are with someone and we know that we are fully accepted. That we don't have to strive or prove or do or say anything, that we are known and loved. A silence. Maybe that's an everyday thing, an occasional moment, or a time a long way back in your memory, in this moment as David penned these words, he was there.  Fully known And deeply loved  In Him there is no striving for acceptance, and our hope is, our hope secured in Jesus, is that our soul will know that silence as not a distant memory or a moment, but as normal. This is the renewal of all t

My child,  eat honey,  for it is good,  and the honeycomb is sweet to the taste.  In the same way,  wisdom is sweet to your soul.  If you find it,  you will have a bright future, and your hopes will not be cut short. Proverbs 24:13-14 NLT Can we see Jesus in this proverb written hundreds of years before he was born? He is the wisdom that is "sweet to your soul". He is the one to seek out, who gives nourishing and healing and hope.  It is in Jesus that our future is bright (even if today's circumstances are yelling something different right now). It is in Jesus that our hope is not cut short, because Jesus is our living hope, the one who entered death, absorbed it all on our behalf, so that we might have Life. Jesus is the one to seek out, and to let in to those inmost parts of us. #sunday #worship #thisisourGod