verseoftheday

Mark 7:30 NLT [30] And when she arrived home, she found her little girl lying quietly in bed, and the demon was gone. Mark 7:30 NLT  All was made new. Restored. Healed. Imagine this mum who has gone and found a Rabbi she had heard about, probably tried every other resource she had access to, maybe this felt like a "last resort" to find a way for her daughter and her home to experience peace. And she met Jesus. And when she got home, it was home again. Everything is OK. She must've felt that she can breathe again. And grateful! Perhaps this story is here for us for when our life seems in turmoil, that there's no "fix", that we can be sure that one day we too will see Jesus, and shalom, peace, balance, will be restored. All will be made new. All hurt unhurt. The pressures gone. The anxities gone. And we too will be left with peace and gratitude... #gospelofMark #GoodNews #weareinaBigStory #weareBeloved  #redemptivestrands #hopeishere  ##onedayallwillbemadenew

Sunday Psalms; Psalms 9:9-10, 13, 18 NLT [9] The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed,  a refuge in times of trouble.  [10] Those who know your name trust in you, for you,  O Lord,  do not abandon those who search for you. ... [13]  Lord,  have mercy on me.  See how my enemies torment me.  Snatch me back from the jaws of death. ... [18] But the needy will not be ignored forever; the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed. Psalms 9:9-10, 13, 18 NLT As we look for the redemptive strands in the Psalms they are wound in and out of this one. This song of David's declares that our God is our shelter and refuge at the same time acknowledging the realities of life. He cries out to be snatched back from the "jaws of death" means he is not yet in that place of safety. And he declares again in v18 his Faith. Faith that even as he continues to call out, he is not and will not be abandoned. Our circumstances may try to tell us something, that we are aband...

Mark 7:25-26, 30 NLT Right away a woman who had heard about him came and fell at his feet. Her little girl was possessed by an evil spirit, and she begged him to cast out the demon from her daughter. Since she was a Gentile, born in Syrian Phoenicia... ... And when she arrived home, she found her little girl lying quietly in bed, and the demon was gone. Mark 7:25-26, 30 NLT In between the 2 parts of the story here there is a dialogue between this woman and Jesus that is intriguing. Jesus makes a statement, and the woman responds to his statement that seems to show that she gets the differences between them, that she knows what she is asking. And when I "listen" to this dialogue I see a kind and inquiring Jesus. Often we see Jesus stepping over cultural and religious boundaries to meet with people, and in this account it's this woman from Syria who steps towards Jesus.  My wondering is that this story is here to get us, me, to think about what I am doing when I step toward...

Friday! Proverbs! Proverbs 7:1-3, 23-25 NLT Follow my advice, my son;  always treasure my commands.  Obey my commands and live!  Guard my instructions as you guard your own eyes.  Tie them on your fingers as a reminder.  Write them deep within your heart. ... He was like a stag caught in a trap,  awaiting the arrow that would pierce its heart. He was like a bird flying into a snare, little knowing it would cost him his life. So listen to me, my sons, and pay attention to my words. Don't let your hearts stray away... Proverbs 7:1-3, 23-25 NLT This Proverb uses an example of someone being caught in a trap, led astray. This is not written to a naive child, but to us. What is it that seems good, but when we line it up against God's Truth is a trap, is going to take us in an unhealthy direction, take us away from God's best for us. Start with what we already know in God's Word, and hold onto that...let what we already know to be true be our guide... #proverbs #w...

Jude 1:1-2 NLT This letter is from Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love. Jude 1:1-2 NLT What jumps out at you from Jude's greeting? For me it's not the bit about who Jude is...it's this: Called by God. God loves you. Held by Jesus. What a place to be.  Perhaps I need to turn off the news feeds, the noise, the bombardment of messages we allow into ourselves and sit with these things that Jude's ancient letter invites us into: Called by God. God loves you. Held by Jesus. Which one of those truths do you need to rest in today? Called by God. God loves you. Held by Jesus. Pick one. Called by God. God loves you. Held by Jesus. #Jude #letters #speaklife  #takewhatyouneed

Mark 7:24 NLT [24] Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre. He didn't want anyone to know which house he was staying in, but he couldn't keep it a secret.  Mark 7:24 NLT Boundaries. Jesus needed them. In his humanity he had limits just like us. Just like us. (And just like us he found it difficult to keep them when others needs keep pushing in). If we feel guilty for some reason about wanting to have boundaries in our relationships with people, remind yourself that it's Biblical! Jesus did it. Went off and prayed on his own. Wanted to be unknown for a bit. Let people leave unhappy. Stood up for injustice. Told the Truth. All types of boundaries. What do you need for your well-being today? #gospelofMark #GoodNews  #invitation 

Mark 7:5, 14-15 NLT [5] So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked him,  "Why don't your disciples follow our age-old tradition?  They eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony." ... [14] Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear.  'All of you listen," he said, "and try to understand. It's not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart." Mark 7:5, 14-15 NLT The Pharisees had travelled to meet with Jeuss and  noticed that the disciples weren't following their traditional rules of handwashing. Jesus gave them a telling off for how hypocritical they are about their own rules. And then calls in the people to listen: It's a heart thing. I'm interested in your heart. The rules, the traditions may all be good, helpful, worth keeping, but they aren't the thing.  The heart is the thing Jesus was interested in.  And in the emphasis on keeping the rules, the Pharisees ha...