verseoftheday

I am on the verge of collapse,  facing constant pain. But I confess my sins;  I am deeply sorry for what I have done.  I have many aggressive enemies;  they hate me without reason.  They repay me evil for good and oppose me for pursuing good.  Do not abandon me,  O Lord.  Do not stand at a distance,  my God.  Come quickly to help me,  O Lord my savior. Psalms 38:17-22 NLT All of our emotions can be found in the Psalms - perhaps you've felt like David does here, maybe that's how it is today - this Psalm gives permission to feel what you feel  - that's OK. David's writing also gives us some clues about the way forward: He acknowledges what's going on in him by writing it down - try that if you haven't. He looks inwards to his own heart, looks outward to the choices and actions of others, and looks up - continues to look to our God in his distress. Perhaps we can follow David's pattern here. What do you think? #psalms #songs #rede...

Sunday Psalms; Psalms 38:6-11 NLT I am bent over and racked with pain.  All day long I walk around filled with grief. A raging fever burns within me,  and my health is broken.  I am exhausted and completely crushed.  My groans come from an anguished heart.  You know what I long for,  Lord;  you hear my every sigh.  My heart beats wildly, my strength fails,  and I am going blind.  My loved ones and friends stay away, fearing my disease. Even my own family stands at a distance. Psalms 38:6-11 NLT I'm not sure if David is experiencing all of these things at the same time or if he is writing his song to express a time in his life, to get God's attention, but he does have something to say. And he says it. Writes it.  Gets it out of his head.  Pain. Grief. Fever. Exhaustion. Anxiety. Body breaking down. Rejection. It's all here. And it's not directed away from God but towards Him, letting Him know what's going on. The invitation of t...

A fool finds pleasure in wicked schemes,  but a person of understanding delights in wisdom. Proverbs 10:23 NIV Can we see Jesus in this Proverb? He is the opposite of the first part, the anti-fool who took no part in the schemes of others, and yet submitted himself to those schemes for us.  Jesus is the "person of understanding," and when I think of him in this light, he was often going back to the Father, spending time in prayer, spending time alone. Being that "person of wisdom" isn't a one off thing or something that someone attains and stops - it's not a destination but a living journey. #proverbs  #wisdom  #somethingtochewon #itsaheartthing  #takethenextstep 

Friday! Proverbs! A fool finds pleasure in wicked schemes,  but a person of understanding delights in wisdom. Proverbs 10:23 NIV Easy to see this Proverb at work in the world - any day's media headlines show us the first part out loud - a bit harder to find the second part - the "person of understanding". But if Proverbs is really offering insight into my heart, I wonder where I take pleasure in, or think something is good or fun that is hurtful or harmful to someone? And where, when, (or even if) am I taking delight in "wisdom"? Biblehub defines wisdom as used here , the word "chokmah" as  "While fundamentally moral and spiritual, it embraces practical insight, technical skill, administrative aptitude, and relational discernment. Appearing about 149 times in the Old Testament, it undergirds Israel's worship, ethics, statecraft, and artistry" This is a broad term for embracing "life", taking delight in life, art, work, as well a...

Romans 12:6-8 NLT In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.  So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.  If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well.  If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging.  If it is giving, give generously.  If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously.  And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. Romans 12:6-8 NLT These lists of "gifts" have often been taught as prescriptive- "here's the list, where do you fit, you must have one of these, finding your 'gift' is important", but when reading this as a letter it comes across more as an invitation to use what you're good at, what you're skilled at, what you enjoy, to bless and encourage others. Perhaps this is what  "living sacrifices" looks like... The emphasis seems to be l...

Romans 12:1-8 NLT (Sometimes it's good to read it like a letter...) 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.  Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don't think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.   Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ's body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.  In his grace, God has given us different gifts f...

Romans 12:1-2 CEB So,  brothers and sisters, because of God's mercies, I encourage you to present your bodies a living sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to God.  This is your appropriate priestly service. Don't be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God's will is - what is good and pleasing and mature.   Romans 12:1-2 CEB Paul invites us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind! Our thinking. Our judgement. What we need is the 5 steps to do that - where are they? Well I think they're found in the "So" that this little summary starts with. "So" takes us back over the letter so far, about new life being found in Jesus, about freedom from the old patterns, naming them and stepping towards God's patterns for us.  There are no easy formula or one-size-fits-all solutions because this is about a living relationship with a living God, and these are active things,...