verseoftheday

But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. Psalm 5:11 NIV In David's song he writes of those who are against him. Maybe they're bullying, lying about him... they're his enemy...but they're also God's enemy. And then this. Let all who take refuge in God be glad! It's almost like he sees himself as an enemy of God too. Before God his imperfections become more obvious. But. God makes a way. If we choose his refuge, God's protection is over us. No matter what we've done No matter who we are No matter what we're facing, how uncertain the future looks... His protection is over us & in that we can be glad. #psalms #psalm5 #iamachildofGod

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God... John 1:12 ESV Will you read the lyrics of this song out loud? You unravel me, with a melody You surround me with a song Of deliverance, from my enemies Till all my fears are gone I'm no longer a slave to fear I am a child of God From my mothers womb You have chosen me Love has called my name I've been born again, into a family Your blood flows through my veins I am surrounded By the arms of the father I am surrounded By songs of deliverance We've been liberated From our bondage We're the sons and the daughters Let us sing our freedom You split the sea So I could walk right through it My fears were drowned in perfect love You rescued me And I will stand and sing I'm no longer a slave to fear I am a child of God #dearlyloved https://youtu.be/3tOTTeiDpWU

An unplowed field produces food for the poor, but injustice sweeps it away. Proverbs 13:23 NIV Amazing how an ancient proverb can still capture the brokenness of our world today. Jesus in his very first public ministry declared that he had come to bring justice for the poor...more than that, he is justice for the poor (see Luke 4 v 18-21) As Jesus hands and feet in this world we should be helping the economically poor, because we know we're all equally spiritually poor Jesus is that unplowed field...that place where we can come without fear or shame and take freely...because we are all poor. He chose to let injustice sweep himself away. It certainly wasn't justice that took him to the cross. Justice would be me paying for my sin. Injustice is Jesus paying. And yet he chose it. Because He loves. Us. #dearlyloved #sunday #worship #thisisourGod

An unplowed field produces food for the poor, but injustice sweeps it away. Proverbs 13:23 NIV Futures traders in New York manipulate the price of coffee at the expense of subsistence farmers in Africa and Asia. Children are stolen or tricked out of poor families. Land is stolen. Drought devastates crops of the poor and we watch. International manufacturers pay as little as possible for the manufacture of premium priced label products. And we buy them. Complicit in sweeping away even the little that the poor have. Because they have no resources they're vulnerable to others who would threaten or manipulate or steal. Swept away by injustice. Those with little...even that is taken from them... God has a heart for justice. And so should I. #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon

Friday! Proverbs! An unplowed field produces food for the poor, but injustice sweeps it away. Proverbs 13:23 NIV An unplowed field? Does the land just produce enough for everyone without agriculture & technology? Doesn't seem so. Could it be that the poor don't have the resources to develop what they have? If only you had a tractor you could quadruple your output... if only you could get to school... to university... Or maybe it's a reference to Exodus 23v11 where in the 7th year you let your land lie unplowed and unused...so that the poor among you can get food from it. God put that in place so that those who have resources are committed to helping those who don't. That there was a mechanism that would allow them to harvest without fear or shame. God's heart is for those on the edge...on the margins...those without... And so should mine be. #lovepeople #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon

Lead me, Lord , in your righteousness because of my enemies - make your way straight before me. Psalm 5:8 NIV David may have had literal armies heading his way, but what does he ask for? That his ways, David's ways are made straight? Does he ask that God sort it out for him? It seems not. Lead me. Where you go I'll follow. In your righteousness. God you are good, my enemy is at the gate and I'm not sure I trust myself to do what's right. I'll do what's right by you not by me. Its not about the decision or the action but the heart motivation behind it. That's where I need you most. It's not about the easy or the safe. Show me how you want me to live like a straight road before me. Jesus said "love your enemies" Who's against you? #psalms #psalm5

But I, by your great love, can come into your house; Psalm 5:7 NIV It's a bit wintry now, so when you come into my house hopefully it's warmer than it is outside...   that you step out of the cold & into the warm... out of the darkness and into light... that you feel welcome... that there's some goodness, some love for you here... God's house is never full, the light is always on, the welcome is always warm... His arms are wide open for us... For you. #psalms #psalm5 #itsasong #dearlyloved

....But I, by your great love, can come into your house... Psalm 5:7 NIV In his song of lament and sadness David has talked about all the evil people in the world & how they're not welcome in God's presence, how wrong doing cannot be tolerated by God... And then this; By Your Great Love. David knew that there is no other way than God's love that got him in. Not what he did or could do, but God made the way... His Great Love. #dearlyloved #itspersonal

In the morning, Lord , you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3 NIV At dawn...daybreak... Who's first in the morning? My "to do" list...exercise... food... coffee... Where does our mind go first in the morning? The share market, the news, social media... Is Snapchat or FB my goto place? For David it's God. In the morning you hear my voice - & as this is a song, maybe he's singing, or praying... or just talking to God Talk to Him about your plans, dreams, friends... what you want to achieve - but let Him hear your voice... #psalms #psalm5 #firstthingsfirst

"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." John 16:33 NLT Jesus has overcome. Does that mean no one gets sick? No one suffers? Jesus was preparing his team for suffering and loss...and the next thing that happened was he was crucified... Sin and it's consequences didn't just disappear People's actions and choices didn't just change. I've done it. Overcome. Yet still have to do it...still have to go thru death. I've won...yet still have to win...what's broken is fixed...but still needs fixing... And for us we have this sure hope, yet we've still got to live in this world where people are damaged, we make poor choices, there's sickness, loss, hurt...death... The race is won, yet still needs to be run...let's run it together :) #inthistogether #wordsofJesus #onedayallwillbemadenew #hope

A good person leaves an inheritance for their children's children, but a sinner's wealth is stored up for the righteous. Proverbs 13:22 NIV Jesus was the ultimate good person, and we are his spiritual children's children. Jesus not only left us an inheritance, He IS our inheritance. No one but an heir gets an inheritance No one but a child. We are the heirs. We are the children. Children of God. Adopted. Chosen. Bought with a price. Dearly loved! Our position is unshakeable... our future is secure... There is nothing that can separate us from the inheritance that is Jesus. Nothing can separate us from His love... #proverbs #dearlyloved #childrenofGod

Friday! Proverbs! A good person leaves an inheritance for their children's children, but a sinner's wealth is stored up for the righteous. Proverbs 13:22 NIV Yes good people save something and pass it on...and bad people...their wealth goes to the good. Really? Is that the way the world works? Good people can end up with nothing to pass on for lots of reasons... so inheritance and wealth must mean something else...something different to what we expect, something that can't be held onto by the sinner, but is kept for those who are right with God...we think of an inheritance as things, or money, or things that could be turned into money. But what else could it be? A legacy of values, truth, example? Maybe. Maybe the inheritance is a person. #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon

Listen to my words, Lord, consider my lament. Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. Psalm 5:1-2 NIV This is not the first time David has bought his problem to God...and whatever is going on, it didn't just start yesterday... He has a lament. A groaning. You don't groan over something small... Listen Hear me I'm praying I'm here again and this is not resolved Hear my cry for help (it's literally "hear the voice of my cry") Been there? Maybe today this is where you are at... Even tho it's hard, there seems to be no resolution, no response, no answer...the voice of his cry is still to his God and King. His faith doesn't waiver. If we're groaning, lamenting, crying... do the 3 things David did; keep coming back to God, keep your faith, & write a song... #psalms #psalm5 #lament #writeyourownsong #writeyourstory

Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God... Acts 2:46-47 NIV They went to church (every day!) They ate together! Good things happen when we go to church together. God can get to us in ways He does seem to in other places. And when we're having dinner together, we learn from each other, share each others stories, hold each others hurts, find solutions, forgiveness, healing... Community. People. Gods people. Glad  :) Sincere. Real. If Jesus wasn't in church, or walking with people, he was having dinner with them...or inviting himself to dinner. How hard is the christian life? Just get to church and have dinner together! #loveGod #lovepeople

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer... Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes... Acts 2:42, 46 NIV The early church was pretty serious about community... About learning together Worshipping together Praying together Eating together So don't just look at church as an hour or so on Sunday...but as a community to give in to, to share in the good, the hard, the sad...a place where we can pray for and with each other... Share a meal. Good things happen when we eat together :) Our world is on the move. People change location for study, work, family...all kinds of good reasons. But wherever you are for however long, invest in the people you're with... And. Welcome in the new... #lovepeople

With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." Acts 2:40 NIV Peter had been preaching Jesus. Messiah Saviour His death His resurrection And now pleading & warning - don't get stuck in the thinking of this world, this generation... His world was full of moralists who made the rules you had to live by... then there was the "any God will do"... And are we really much different? Moralists Cynics Those who make up their own belief system Truth is what you make it, what you want it to be... "Save yourselves" from all this says Peter...if Jesus is who he said he is, then stick with Him While we're the object of God's love, we're not at the centre of the story - Jesus is. #thewaythetruththelife

Standing near the cross were Jesus" mother... When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, "Dear woman, here is your son..." John 19:25-27 NLT Jesus loved his mum. And in one of his last acts reached out and provided her with support from his very best person on earth. So give your mum some love today. And if you can't, if you're mum is no longer with you, give someone else's mum some thanks, some strength for the journey. And maybe today as our society reminds those who want to have children and can't, those who have stillborn, miscarried, lost a child... reminds them of what they haven't got, perhaps there's someone today who needs a word of love and courage from you or me... #lovepeople #mothersday

Proverbs 13:21 NIV Good things... There's nothing wrong with good things. But. When we love God to get good things...well then we're loving God for ourselves...for what we can get We can't love God for the stuff. Job 1v11 shows that Satan thinks that Job only loves God because of the stuff he's got. Take it away and he won't love you. It can't be for the good things of this world that we love God. We need to love God because of who He is. Whether we gain or lose, in this life, the ultimate good thing, is not found in work, health, long life, money, spouse, property, qualifications, beauty...even children... It's found in Him. And the work He does in our hearts And it finds its expression in worship, in serving, in giving...and in everyday acts of grace... #goodthings #somethingtochewon

Friday! Proverbs! Trouble pursues the sinner, but the righteous are rewarded with good things.    Proverbs 13:21 NIV Yes that's so true...your sins will find you out, if you keep doing the wrong stuff, you'll get in trouble... and the good, well things always work out for them right? Sometimes. And sometimes the person who cheats, takes a short cut, rips us or someone else off is the one who prospers. And its the good people, those who do the right thing, they're the ones who get sick, who can't get a job, whose business fails... So if the good, the righteous, don't "win", then what is this about? Is it just a taster for when Jesus returns and all will be made new? Or is it that the "reward" is really a heart thing? And "trouble" is a heart thing? It's a troubled heart that pursues the sinner...that there's more to this life and one day a reckoning with the Creator... And the righteous, those who are made right with G...

"The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off - for all whom the Lord our God will call." Acts 2:39 NIV And who does God call? 1 Tim 2v6 Jesus gave himself as a ransom for all... Hebrews 2v9 Jesus died for everyone 1 John 2v2 It was for the whole world John 12v32 Jesus said, I'm doing this, dying on the cross to draw all people to me 2 Peter 3v9 God is patient. Why? Because he wants everyone to come to him... This gospel, this good news, is for all people, for all time & he doesn't want anyone to miss it. No matter who you are. No matter what you've done. We don't have to be good enough or successful enough or anything enough... And whether we've been a christian for 5 minutes or 5 decades, we all sometimes need a reminder of God's all encompassing, all covering, all redeeming love for us. #dearlyloved

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off..." Acts 2:37-39 NIV They understood that Jesus is who he said he is,  God in the flesh, that he was killed for us, and in his ressurrection defeated death... once they got that,  they knew there was a next step... an acknowledgement of who we are and our position. Repentance And forgiveness flows into our lives, not from anything we've done or could do, but from what Jesus did. Jesus is who he said he is. And its by grace we step into new life with Him #forgiven

"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah." When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Acts 2:36-37 NIV The people who heard  Peter got it. They understood that Jesus is who he said he is - and when you get that it demands action. Because if Jesus is who he said he is, then there's a creator, design, purpose, God who is Love, Fall. Sin. Relationship broken God who is Love Jesus, God's son Humbled, became one of us Birth Perfect life Death on the cross Love Ressurected Death defeated Restoration project underway Kingdom based on Love #onedayallwillbemadenew The Big Story And we're part of it. When you get it, that Jesus is who he said he is you've got to choose... #iamin

"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah." When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Acts 2:36-37 NIV Peter's speech about who Jesus is, his death and his resurrection ends with this...Jesus is the one you've been waiting for, the one you've been searching for. It was him. He was right here. In our world, there's still a searching and a looking and a hoping that there's more to this life...that there's purpose & meaning...and that something is going to last... And the answer is still the same. Its a person Its Him. He was right here. Jesus is who he said he is #jesusatthecentre #theanswerisaperson

Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. Proverbs 13:20 NIV Pick a spot 15km away. Imagine starting to walk there! Who do you want to journey with you? (Some people will just get you into trouble, do nothing but complain, etc - fools) The ultimate person to walk with is Jesus. How do we do that? His Word - read it, absorb it, learn it, let it wash through and over us His Spirit - his voice we need to hear His community - living with, supporting, learning with His people His mission - the journey is to be walked out in the  world, living our faith in whatever and wherever we are, being Jesus hands and feet in the restoration project, loving the people in front of us... #walkwiththewise #jesusatthecentre #sunday #worship

Walk with the wise and become wise... Proverbs 13:20 NIV At LifeGroup we were looking at a passage of scripture and I saw manipulation and cynicism Someone else saw grace and encouragement. They're 30 yrs younger than me. The preacher at church on Sunday is 25 yrs younger than me, and I'm going not to critique, but to learn... my favourite worship leader is a generation younger... Wisdom is often found in those older than us, but is not a factor of age, or success in this world, but of someone's orientation to, and walk with God. I can be so busy talking that I miss the wisdom in others...sometimes I just need to listen more... Walk with the wise whereever you find them & choose to journey with them even if its just for a season... #walkwiththewise

Friday! Proverbs! Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. Proverbs 13:20 NIV So true! The challenge for us in our world where people move around a lot, is finding the wise to walk with and identify the fools... This is not about the people we know, but about the few who we journey with. The person we marry. The friends who we go to for advice. The people we spend the most time with... And when we move to a new location we have to re-form our community Signs of the wise: How they treat others Do they treat others with respect, honour, honesty... especially when no one's looking... How they see themselves As the centre of the universe? Or saved by grace? How they see God... The key principle here is that the people we walk with, journey with, will influence us. #choose #walkwiththewise #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon

When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus answered, " If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me." John 21:21-22 NIV This journey, this life, its about you and me Peter... its about the gifts, blessings and opportunities I've given you... all you have to do is choose to follow me, to walk this road together with me... no matter where it takes us. Will you listen for my voice, take my direction, live out Kingdom values in the big and small things of life? Just follow me. #itsajourney #theroad #jesusatthecentre #with

Then he said to him, "Follow me!" Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. ... When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?" John 21:19-21 NIV Gotta love Peter as he says out loud the things that we often just think. Jesus has reinstated him, given him the job of leading the church, & let him know its going to end in ignominy and death... His first words? What about John? What about the next guy? That person? That person with the great life - everything works out for them...what about them? Peter responds just like me sometimes...God has "this" for me...but what about them? Peter, just like me, doesn't get it right all the time, but he is learning (slowly like me) but he's just had a reminder of the breadth and depth of Gods love and grace towards him, that same love, that same grace, extends to us...esp when we don't get it right... #dearlyloved #itsajourney

Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!" John 21:19 NIV Will you walk the same journey I walked... will you be OK when you're rejected, lonely, tempted, challenged... Will you follow me to invest in the lives of others? Will you learn about Kingdom values - and how to live them out? Will you follow me if I call you across the room, across town or across the world? Are you up for it even if its not exciting or glamourous? Will you feed my sheep? Love people even when its hard, costly, messy... even when the rewards are few and the wins... well you may not even see the wins... Even when the outlook in this life is bleak, will you follow me? #choose #followme #wordsofJesus #loveGod #lovepeople

"...I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God... John 21:17-19 NIV Pete, not only have I got work for you, its going to lead to imprisonment and death... Peter had a glimpse of his and it wasn't great... but no matter what he had recommitted to following Jesus. No matter what the future held, his faith would hold. Because Peter knew that his ultimate future was way more secure, way more certain than anything this shaky world could offer... Our future too is secure in Jesus...no matter what - so we can get on with what He has for us without fear... fear of what others think, of failure, or even of losing our lives... #nomatterwhat #ourfutureissecure