verseoftheday

Philippians 4:6-7 MSG ...Instead of worrying, pray Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good will come...when Christ displaces worry at the centre of your life #shapeyourworriesintoprayers #worship

Ephesians 4:32 ESV Be kind to one another... One Another # 10 This is not rocket science...just be kind.  Kindness is an antidote to selfishness. It's a way of strengthening relationships and communities. It's an expression of God's love for us. And it's easy (or is it always easy? Some people in our lives it can be hard to be kind to...so it's a choice...) #keepitsimple #bekindtooneanother #lovepeople

It's Friday! (just in case you hadn't noticed!) This is the last proverb in ch 29 Proverbs 29:27 ESV An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked. What is with the language here? So strong...we are seeing this in the middle east as groups believe that they are righteous use that to justify violence towards others...but often in the Bible someone who's ways are straight are straight in the ways of the Lord. If you are a Christian and living that out you won't be universally loved. Just sayin. #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon #keepyourpathsstraight

Ephesians 4:1-2 NLT ...I ( Paul )...beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling...Be patient with each other... So how did humility & gentleness go yesterday?  Looking back I was not as gentle as I could have been a couple of times...today it's be patient with each other...not everyone moves at the same pace, gets to conclusions at the same time...so give those around you time and space to breathe...and be patient with yourself too...none of us get it right all the time...just breathe... #bepatient #worthyofourcalling

Ephesians 4:1-2 NLT ...I (Paul)...beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling... Always be humble and gentle. Humility Not being proud, arrogant, but being modest, thinking of others... Gentleness Not rough or viollent, but treating others kindly, amiably... For some this is easy...for me there is a constant need to watch my words and my tone, because often I'm not gentle, and not humble. May today those two words permeate our hearts and all our interactions today ... be humble and gentle... #worthyofourcalling

Ephesians 4:1 NLT Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God What is this calling? The Therefore takes us back to ch3 Ephesians 3:20-21 NLT Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen. Our calling is to know God, to allow Him to work in & thru us, to make God bigger, to glorify Him, to work it out in community thru the Church...to show His love & grace to the world in ways that impact this generation and those to come. Wow. #donebylunchtime #loveGodlovepeople

Ephesians 4:1 NLT ...I, a prisoner for serving the Lord... This Sunday there is a baptism at our church, and I will do my best to be there because amongst other things a baptism is about facing our fears. We are afraid of all kinds of things. Spiders, small spaces...etc...but when we choose to face those fears they often shrink away...but the fear of rejection, that those we care about will think less of us, our family,  friends will think us weird,  that is a much harder fear to face, and when someone i know is baptised they are often facing that head on, a reminder of how important my faith is Paul was actually in jail for his faith We can and should take courage from that, even jail didn't diminish Pauls faith but strengthened it #faith #keepthefaith

Matthew 25:34-36 MSG Then the King will say... Enter, you who are blessed by my Father!And here’s why: I was hungry and you fed me I was thirsty and you gave me a drink I was homeless and you gave me a room I was shivering and you gave me clothes I was sick and you stopped to visit I was in prison and you came to me. #itsallworship

Matthew 25:40 NIV The King will reply, Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. We like to do big things, important things, but if we miss helping those around us who are the overlooked, the ignored, the left out...if we fail to give someone a meal if they need it, a drink, give some clothing, or simply haven't bothered to go visit someone who is sick then we have missed the heart of the gospel Little acts of love towards those who are poorer, less popular, less connected, are what Jesus calls us to :) Who are "the least" in your life? #wordsofJesus #givealittle #davidfriendconcert7pm2niteXroads #getthereifyoucan

Isaiah 43:10 NLT ...You have been chosen to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God... All around us we see attempts to put other things in place of God...often it's our own picture #selfie Or education, work, family, spouse, house,  money, sport, fame... But we have been chosen...chosen to know God and understand that he alone is God (and worthy of our worship) #chosen #loveGod #faith #keepthefaith

Isaiah 43:10 NLT ...You have been chosen to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God... All of the small decisions that we make add up...the everyday responses, the way we treat the barista, the checkout operator, the person who cut us off, our family...whether we spend some time in prayer,  give a little, choose to bless someone...smile...all those little decisions add up, so choose to follow God in those everyday decisions and actions... #internwisdom #thanksEJ #faveverse

Psalms 91:2 NLT This I declare about the lord : He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. at church a couple of weeks ago a few people shared some of their life story, and ended with a fave verse This one was all about allowing God to take you from your comfort zone...to say yes to Him, even tho it might be hard or scarey, and even if we don't see results straight away.  One day there will be a harvest and we just have to do our bit that God has called us to. If God alone is our place of refuge and safety, we can... #getmeoutofmycomfortzone #faveverse #thanksSam

Ephesians 3:16-19 NLT I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Wow. Read that out loud.  Feel Paul 's passion & emotion as he paints an extravagant picture of God's love for us. For me. For you. #dearlyloved #youaredearlyloved

Jeremiah 31:31 NIV The days are coming, declares the Lord , when I will make a new covenant... We were at a wedding yesterday (it was fab) and the focal point of the day is all about making promises. Covenants. In so many ways these promises are like the promises God makes with us...He loves us, wants the best for us, and through Jesus gave everything for us. Our God is a God of promises.  #sunday #worship

Mark 9:50 ESV ...be at peace with one another. One Another # 9 Simple words, but sometimes hard to live out... To be at peace with one another we may need to put aside our needs and agenda for the benefit of others. To choose what is best for someone else rather than me. May these words of Jesus work in our hearts today... #oneanothers #wordsofJesus #lovepeople

Friday already! Proverbs 29:25 ESV The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe. What will people think? The fear that "people" will think we are strange, weak, ugly, poor, stupid, not cool, social misfits...Proverbs tells us its a trap.  And that doesn't sound good. The escape route? Trust in God. Follow his word. Don't get trapped by the fear of what people think of you, but love God, do the good things he has for you to do. #proverbs #wisdom #wisdomtoliveby #youaredearlyloved #you'reawesome

Matthew 5:27-28 ESV You have heard that it was said 'you shall not...' But l say to you... if you look with intent...you have already stepped over the line your heart.  With God it's all about the heart. Jesus is challenging us about our thought life and our heart motivations...and it is so easy for these to get twisted and corrupted This is very hard teaching, and so often I have to ask myself why did I do that or why did I say that...what am I thinking? What is my motivation?  On Sunday we looked at Romans 8 and how God's Spirit works in our hearts - we need to let him, give him the freedom to challenge and work on our heart motivations.  #inthistogether #Godisonourside #beattitudes #wordsofJesus

2 Corinthians 1:7 ESV Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. Sufferings,  comfort, and hope. And it's all about sharing! If you are struggling under loss or grief or hurt, then share it. Someone else will be able to provide the comfort that comes from God, the experience of being through something similar, and know that there is hope. This is what the Christian community should be like. There will be times that we all need love and support and comfort, and times that we can give it. I love that "our hope for you is unshaken" because it is rooted in God's love and in the mutual support of the community. #inthistogether #hopeunshaken #lovepeople #faveverse #thanksHannah

1 Thessalonians 5:11 ESV Therefore encourage one another and build one another up...just as you are doing. One Another # 8 Build one another up Gotta say it is so much easier to tear down, to spot weaknesses, to mock, ridicule, belittle. Our humour is often sarcastic...and we seem to like cutting down tall poppies. Guilty Father in heaven, help me today to look to build others up, to look for and encourage success and the good in others. We are all called to this, but some of you are good at this and already doing it, and Paul saw that in people he knew too "just as you are doing"...keep on encouraging and building up :) #oneanothers #lovepeople

Romans 8:31 NLT What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? What things? Part 3 v6-9 ...letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace...For the sinful nature is always hostile to God...But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. The law couldn't save us God made a way thru Jesus sacrifice for us. He gives us His Spirit to replace our sin nature His Spirit leads to life and peace the more we let Him into our life. Yep...God is for us. #Godisonourside #wonderfulthings #sunday #worship

1 Thessalonians 5:11 ESV Therefore encourage one another... One Another # 7 Encourage 1. To inspire with hope, courage, or confidence; hearten. 2. To give support to; foster: 3. To stimulate; spur: We can do this! We can put courage into others with our words, and our actions.  You may be called to lead. Do it in a way that encourages others. Maybe to teach, to listen... Maybe today you and I could actively encourage just one other person - who could that be? Send them a message, write a note, share something with them (food?), invite them somewhere, give a hug, do some random act of kindness...today be deliberate about encouraging one another. #oneanothers #lovepeople

Friday! Proverbs 29:24 NIV The accomplices of thieves are their own enemies; They are put under oath and dare not testify Strange proverb this. I am my own enemy if my close friends, the people i look to for direction and wisdom, who I model my life after, who I look up to, are deliberate law breakers in some way. And the second part...because I look up to that person, from a misguided sense of loyalty I can't or won't see the truth about them Sometimes there are people in our lives who are just not good for us, a bad influence, we need to be free of, to put distance between us so that we can see the reality of who they are.  What do you think? #somethingtochewon #proverbs #wisdom #dontbeyourownenemy

Ephesians 5:2 ESV And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering... Hope you enjoyed the Queens birthday. A day when we honour people who have done great stuff with knighthoods etc,  & some of those awards are for people who have given their time energy skills in the service of others, which is great. As Christians Paul is encouraging us to do that and more. To give love in a way that imitates Jesus love and sacrifice.  We can probably think of great examples Eg Mother Teresa...but in my little corner of the world, with the people in my life, the people in front of me...can I love them like this? As a fragrant offering to God? Do I need to give something up for someone else? #lovewithoutmeasure

Ephesians 5:1-2 NLT Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do...Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us... This loving people thing sometimes is hard. It's not always fun It might even change the course of my life.  Am I prepared to do that? Give something up? For God? For others? The first Lutheran missionaries to PNG shipped their belongings out in coffins, because they knew they were not going home. It's love that took Jesus to the cross for me. And I am supposed to imitate Him But the success of the world pressures me to look act think live different to that. What would it look like if we all loved like Jesus? #wasn'texpectingthat #loveGodlovepeople

Ephesians 5:1NLT Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do... Hosea 3v1 Then God ordered me Start all over Love your wife again... Love her the way I, God, love... And this is how we should love. When it gets hard, lonely, scary, when we get stomped on, let down, disappointed,  hurt, when we are out of our depth, lost...Love the way God loves. He didn't give up, give in, let me go, but made a way... #Godisonourside #lovewithoutmeasure #lovepeople

Romans 8:31 NLT What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? What things? Part 2 v3-4 The law of Moses was unable to save us...so God did what the law could not do.  He sent his own Son in.. and in that body God declared an end to sin control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us... Yep...God is for us. Jesus. Coming to earth. Dying.  Taking on my sin. Didn't have to, but chose to. For us. That's love. #Godisonourside #wonderfulthings #sunday #worship