verseoftheday

Mark 11:7-9 CEB They brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes upon it, and he sat on it.  Many people spread out their clothes on the road while others spread branches cut from the fields.  Those in front of him and those following were shouting,  "Hosanna!  Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!" Mark 11:7-9 CEB Hosanna literally means "save now". There's a procession thru the city with Jesus riding on this young donkey that's never been ridden, with crowds and chanting and waving palm fronds. Redemption is here. Jesus is going to save them now.  Everything will be different as they'll be set free - free from the Empire. Free from repression. Poverty  Being less than. This is the redemptive strand that they're expecting to follow... But they didn't see the signs Jesus gave them. Not a big horse symbolising power, but a small young donkey who'd never been ridden. No warriors. No weapons. No symbols if power. "Sa...

Mark 11:1-6 NIV As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them,  "Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.'" They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway.  As they untied it, some people standing there asked, "What are you doing, untying that colt?" They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go.  Mark 11:1-6 NIV This seems like a strange thing that Jesus is asking 2 of his team to do that day.  From our perspective of knowing what part this animal plays in the bigger story this little story makes sense in the Bigger Story of God's Redemptive Story. Sometimes though, we're prompted to do things that can...

Psalms 33:16-18 NIV No king is saved by the size of his army;  no warrior escapes by his great strength.  A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;  despite all its great strength it cannot save.  But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love... Psalms 33:16-18 NIV Whether we are relying on our own strength, our own resources, the power of things our culture has created, it's not enough. The redemptive strand is here though, throughout all generations, it runs through all cultures...Unfailing Love is where our hope lies. That takes the pressure off us.  Because our hope lies in Unfailing Love. We don't have to be perfect.  Because our hope lies in Unfailing Love. We can damp down that inner critic - because our hope lies in Unfailing Love. We get to start afresh, move into new things, try things, because our hope lies in Unfailing Love. What are we being invited to put down? Because our hope lies in Unfailing...

Sunday Psalms; Sing a new song of praise to him;  play skillfully on the harp,  and sing with joy. For the word of the Lord holds true,  and we can trust everything he does.  He loves whatever is just and good;  the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth.  The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created.  He breathed the word, and all the stars were born.  He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs. Psalms 33:3-7 NLT Sing a new song - the invitation here is to write your own! There's plenty of room for our thoughts and words and songs about our God. Perhaps following the pattern of this song might help: The psalmist writes about something of God's character: He is True and trustworthy, loves justice and goodness, and is Unfailing Love. Then the writer looks out at the created world and sees God's hand and writes about it. What is one aspect of God's character that we could write a about today? Just one phra...

[18] Whoever hides hatred has lying lips, And whoever spreads slander is a fool. Proverbs 10:18 NKJV When we look for Jesus in this Proverb he is the antithesis, the exact opposite of this. He didn't spread slander. He would stay silent or quote scripture, or ask a question. He didn't hide his hatred of death. He didn't hide that he stood against those who promoted their own righteousness and rule keeping and rule making as the way to be right with God. He didn't hide that he stood against those who treated others unjustly, and stood against the systems that led to poverty, to groups of people who were seen as less than. His integrity was total, he was the same all the way through, and his motivation was Love. And the crazy part? We are the object of His love! We are Beloved! #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon #itsaheartthing #rememberweareBeloved 

Friday! Proverbs! [18] Whoever hides hatred has lying lips, And whoever spreads slander is a fool. Proverbs 10:18 NKJV Interesting take on integrity- pretending to be OK with something, hiding our true thoughts or feelings makes us, makes me a liar! Ouch. The second part of this Proverb seems mich easier to agree with - however, when I look back over conversations that I've had I wonder how often I have been that fool who has repeated something without knowing it's true, without knowing the whole story... Getting back to Part 1 - I don't think this is a call to enter every argument that comes our way, but it's an invitation to keep checking in on our motivation- whats going on in my heart? Is there something in my heart that needs the Light and Grace of Jesus to speak Life to? What is lurking in my heart that needs bringing to the Light? What do you think? #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon #itsaheartthing #rememberweareBeloved 

Mark 10:51-52 NLT "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked.  "My Rabbi," the blind man said,  "I want to see!" And Jesus said to him, "Go, for your faith has healed you." Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road. Mark 10:51-52 NLT No mud packs, or washing, or seeing people walking like trees, simply instant change.  And Bartimaeus changed.  He simply followed Jesus. Even after Jesus told him to go. He followed. Jesus recognised something that the crowd missed completely-  the faith of Bartimaeus. Mark doesn't tell us how long  Bartimaeus had been blind, or how long he had heard about, believed in, had faith in, Jesus. For some period of time these two things overlapped: Blindness, poverty, exclusion. And Faith in Jesus. Bartimaeus was able to spark, develop, grow his faith in the dark. Where does Bartimaeus story encourage my faith where it's still dark? Where things are tough? (I wonder if this is what hea...