verseoftheday

Sunday Psalms; Psalms 34:1-3 NLT I will praise the Lord at all times.  I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the Lord;  let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the Lord's greatness;  let us exalt his name together. Psalms 34:1-3 NLT The context of this song, this poem, this psalm, is that David was on the run from Saul, running for his life, and had pretended to be crazy, out of his mind, so that Abimilech, the Philistine king, would not see him as a threat and let him go (1 Samuel 21-22). (David had killed Goliath and had his sword). I'm not sure if this poem is David thanking God for giving him the idea and using that to save him, or saving him anyway despite what he chose to do in that situation. But what stood out for me today was this phrase: "let all who are helpless take heart." In the midst of his opening part of this song praising God: "let all who are helpless take heart." He had felt helpless.  If we have ever...

With lots of words comes wrongdoing,  but the wise restrain their lips.   Proverbs 10:19 CEB Can we locate Jesus in this Proverb? Jesus was prone to "pesha", to revolt, to rebellion, but it was against injustice and against unjust systems. His revolt was not in the way people expected... When it came to the will of the Father he was completely aligned, no turning away, even in the Garden of Gethsemane when everything in Him wanted to... And when Jesus was before Pilate he was silent. When tempted by the Enemy he just quoted Scripture. And often Jesus would just ask a question... Asking a question, sharing Scripture, staying silent, perhaps that's the restraint of the wise that this Proverb invites us towards... #proverbs  #wisdom #somethingtochewon #itsaheartthing 

Friday! Proverbs! Proverbs 10:19 CEB [19] With lots of words comes wrongdoing, but the wise restrain their lips.   Mmm the word here "wrongdoing" is "pesha", which means revolt, a rebellion.  So if proverbs is an invitation into my own heart motivation then is this proverb asking me to consider where my words (thoughts, internal dialogue) has convinced me that wrong is right, that what is not OK is OK? If that's correct then the wise by restraining their own words look somewhere else for wisdom, for direction, to stay the course with God rather than go my own way? Too many words.  Mmm. Where am I prone to revolt - especially against God, rebelling against his call, instruction, values? If I am speaking less, this opens up room for listening, for the other... As we sit with this Proverb today, what is the Spirit prompting? #somethingtochewon #itsaheartthing  #proverbs  #wisdom #invitation 

Mark 11:9-11 CEB [9] Those in front of him and those following were shouting,  "Hosanna!  Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!   Blessings on the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!  Hosanna in the highest!" Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple.  After he looked around at everything, because it was already late in the evening, he returned to Bethany with the Twelve.   Mark 11:9-11 CEB I wouldn't make any kind of spiritual principle out of this, but after all the preparation of sending his team out to find the colt to ride on, the crowds, the chanting, Jesus got to the temple, had a look around, and went back to Bethany.  Couldn't he have started earlier in the day? Or is he perhaps, maybe, inviting us to just take things a bit quieter sometimes - letting us know that it all doesn't have to get done today... Where are we being invited to slow down? In a world that seems to value speeding up, perhaps being a lit...

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...