verseoftheday

Hear my prayer,  O Lord!  Listen to my cries for help!  Don't ignore my tears.  For I am your guest - a traveler passing through, as my ancestors were before me.  Leave me alone  so I can smile again before I am gone  and exist no more. Psalms 39:12-13 NLT David's psalm is searingly honest - honest with God, honest with himself, there are no "right" words here, just real ones. Maybe you've never felt the way that David does and that's OK- remember this is a song he wrote not some set of instructions of how we are meant to be. What it does do is invite us to be honest too. Honest with ourselves. Honest with our God. If it's OK for David to tell God to leave him alone then he can handle our thoughts, fears, tears, griefs - even where we put blame... How do you imagine our God responding to David at the end of this song? I imagine Him hearing, taking a step closer, absorbing, gently and quietly holding space for David to express what he needs, knowing tha...

I said to myself,  "I will watch what I do and not sin in what I say. I will hold my tongue when the ungodly are around me." But as I stood there in silence - not even speaking of good things - the turmoil within me grew worse.  The more I thought about it,  the hotter I got,  igniting a fire of words: "Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.  Remind me that my days are numbered - how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.  My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;  at best,  each of us is but a breath." Interlude  We are merely moving shadows,  and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.  We heap up wealth,  not knowing who will spend it.  And so,  Lord,   do I put my hope?  My only hope is in you. Psalms 39:1-7 NLT Yikes! I don't like thinking about how short life is, that this life will end, but David gives us some insight into his inner world, his...

What the wicked dreads will come to him,  but what the righteous desire will be given to them.  When the whirlwind passes,  the wicked are no more, but the righteous are secure forever. Proverbs 10:24-25 CSB Can we see Jesus in this  Proverb? He was the one the whirlwind passed over, and by stepping through, being brought back from, death itself, he is the one who is getting what he desires - restored relationship with his people. Us. In this messed up and beautiful world, hope is here, that there is more...whether we're in the whirlwind, have been through it, or can see it coming, our hope is in the One who has already been through it all for us.  For us. #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon #itsaheartthing  #redemptivestrands #hopeishere 

Friday! Proverbs! What the wicked dreads will come to him,  but what the righteous desire will be given to them.  When the whirlwind passes,  the wicked are no more, but the righteous are secure forever. Proverbs 10:24-25 CSB Such rich pictures in this Proverb for us to sit with; What we dread, what our fears are, and what we want, what we desire. The whirlwind, the storm, that passes over and what remains. What does the whirlwind  represent? What or who is lost, and what or who remains after the whirlwind passes over.  At one level this Proverb is full of warnings and promises about life in the world, but when we turn it inward, and consider it in relation to our inner world, our spirit, what changes? And we can feel the redemptive strand here...something lasts forever... What part of this Proverb jumps off at you today? What is that about? #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon #itsaheartthing  #redemptivestrands #hopeishere 

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you.  Let them be a living and holy sacrifice - the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.  Dont copy the behavior and customs of this world... ... Bless those who persecute you.  Don't curse them;  pray that God will bless them.  Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.  Live in harmony with each other.  Don't be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people.  And don't think you know it all!  Never pay back evil with more evil.  Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable.  Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Romans 12:1-2, 14-18 NLT This part of Paul's letter seems to be an extension of this idea of what worship is, of what transforming life looks like. It's not a "to-do" list, but an invitation into a way of being, a way of livin...

Don't just pretend to love others.  Really love them.  Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.  Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.  Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.  Rejoice in our confident hope.  Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.  When God's people are in need, be ready to help them.  Always be eager to practice hospitality. Romans 12:9-13 NLT This isn't a set of rules we have to follow, a tick list, it's an invitation into a way of being, a way of living that reflects our God's love for us and grace towards us out into the world that we live in. These are not weapons to fire at others, or at ourselves. Grace over guilt. Maybe start with this and see what opens up: "Rejoice in our confident hope." Start with hope. Confident hope. (For more on this go back a bit earlier in Paul's letter and check chapters 6 & 8) And rejoice in that.  And I ...

Don't just pretend to love others.  Really love them.  Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.  Love each other with genuine affection,  and take delight in honoring each other.  Romans 12:9-10 NLT I wonder why Paul thought he needed to write this to the church in Rome? If he wrote this to my church what would have caught his attention? If he wrote this to me, what would he have noticed in me that needs this encouragement? What does Paul's encouragement invite is towards today? #letters #invitation #reallylovenopretending #holdontothegood #delightinothers