verseoftheday

Friday! Proverbs! By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will preserve them. Proverbs 14:3 ESV Words. From the rugby player who talks back to the ref and gets marched 10, to the politician who lies, to the person who shares someone else's affairs... this proverb reminds us that its our own words that get us into trouble... Gossip Speaking without listening Angry words Hurting words Words we wish we could retrieve... but it's too late and they're said... The lips of the wise - that's what we want to be known for - speaking life! Speaking words that preserve not only ourselves but others :) The thing about words is that we get to choose. Words. #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon #words #choose #speaklife

The righteous will flourish... They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green,  proclaiming, The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him. Psalm 92:12, 14-15 NIV Our culture says expectation you get less useful as you age...at some age, you're no longer as useful, no longer of value. But the Bible says something different. Not only will there be fruit, there can be freshness, green, growth...the key here is the source The Lord Our Rock In Him there is no shred of the corrupted, imperfect, prone to selfishness, hearts that we have. No, the Lord is upright. Truth Trustworthy He is the source of our fruit. It's in Him we need to sink, and keep sinking our roots, and we can stay fresh and green...full of Life There is no "use by" date in God's economy... #psalms #psalm92 #thrive #makesomemusic

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;  planted in the house of the Lord , they will flourish in the courts of our God. Psalm 92:12-13 NIV Grow like a Kauri... a mighty Totara... flourish like... It's not the what that's important here but the where. Where is this hymn writer planted? In God's house. In His place In prayer In the Word In His Community This is where we flourish, thrive, grow...and become useful...where we put our roots down. In our culture it's hard sometimes because we travel and move for all kinds of reasons. But God's word is portable. And if we seek out His people they can be found everywhere... #psalms #psalm92 #thrive

For surely your enemies, Lord, surely your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered. You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; fine oils have been poured on me. My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries; my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes. Psalm 92:9-11 NIV In this song, this poem, the psalmist is looking forward...seeing a time when victory is won... We can see Jesus ressurected - his strength is seen like the ox, his head annointed by the Father...and the last part there's a further looking forward... a time when everything is different, when all is made new. Who are my adversaries? My foes? Often they're my fears. They're the battle within, the voices of past hurts, loss, grief. Whatever it is for you it will be swept away by the torrent of Gods love,  banished forever. Something to look forward to :) #psalms #psalm92 #hope

Senseless people do not know, fools do not understand,  that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever. But you, Lord, are forever exalted. Psalm 92:6-8 NIV We don't have to look far to find evil in this world... just open any newspaper. Every day the selfish, those who would rather steal and destroy seem to flourish in our neighborhood, our country, & around the world. The Bible, this Psalm, this song, this poem sees the reality of the world we live in...but reminds us of the bigger story...that while evil may seem to flourish it's a temporary condition... While it might be our experience now, the eternal reality is different. #onedayallwillbemadenew #onlyKingforever #psalm92

How great are your works, O Lord ! Your thoughts are very deep! Psalms 92:5 ESV Ever been in a  conversation and our only  response is "wow that's deep!" I'm going to have to really think about that That challenges the way I see things That's beyond my current understanding... Not only are God's works great but His thinking is deep. Challenging When we think we know it all there's more...another level with God...reasons we've never thought of... I don't want a small God who is easily and completely understood...but a Big God, of mystery, of deep thinking, someone beyond. While I may not always "get" Him, understand or even agree, one thing I know - He loves. Loves us. #psalms #psalm92 #makesomemusic #sing #sunday #worship #thisisourGod

For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy. Psalms 92:4 ESV Sometimes we lose sight of God's goodness...we get buried in work, study, parenting...good things...but we lose the joy somehow. We stop singing. This song says to look up and out at the goodness of God's work. That could be the created world, the ecology, the animals, even the bugs make some people sing. It could be our humanity, the physical, the miracle of our minds...or the people...the wonder-full people in our lives... Maybe it's the way God has worked in your life or someone else's that makes you sing...or the fact that the Creator Of The Universe loves you...died for you... What makes you sing? #psalms #psalm92 #makesomemusic #sing

Friday! Proverbs! Whoever walks in uprightness fears the Lord, but he who is devious in his ways despises him. Proverbs 14:2 ESV How we live, the every day choices that we make, reflect on how we see God... if I cheat, cut corners, lie, gossip, do unfair deals to benefit me, then I'm not being clever or just doing what everyone else does... I'm being devious and in that despising God! Thanks Proverbs for putting it like that... But when I choose to do what's right, when I give without seeking reward or return, when I listen without needing to speak... walk in uprightness... I'm saying that God, His values, Truth, is important. Walking with Him is what I want to do. To see people as he sees them. To see and live in this world how He wants me to...that's what I want to do... #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon #inthistogether #itsajourney

It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High,  proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night... Psalm 92:1-2 NIV In the morning proclaim God's love for you...and at night His faithfulness... what a way to choose to bookend our days! Start with no matter what today holds God loves you, He's chosen you...and end with how faithful...review your day and reflect on God at work in your heart, responses, maybe someone you met, some encouragement you got, direction, guidance, or simply knowing God is With us... Love in the morning Faithfulness at night Not a bad way to choose to live...and in between, make some music... #thelongchoosing #proclaim #makesomemusic #faithful #psalms #psalm92

It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High,  proclaiming your love in the morning... Psalm 92:1-2 NIV Great strategy of David's that we should try... Proclaim God's love in the morning... start the day with a reminder of God's love for You. The One who has a You shaped space in His heart...the One who loves... Normally when we proclaim love it's our love for someone else, to tell or remind someone of our love for them, but here we are called to proclaim God's love for us...to remind ourselves...that we're dearly loved. Would it change our day if we started with that proclamation? Would that set us up to make some music? #dearlyloved #proclaim #makesomemusic

It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name... Psalm 92:1-2 NIV Did you make some music yesterday? When we work in our area of gifting, when we do good for the communities in which we live and work and study...when we love the people in front of us...music :) What about that first sentence tho... "It's good to praise the Lord" even on a Tuesday. Praise isn't just for Sunday, just in church... What good things have we got to praise God for? What can I praise Him for? Try it now :) #makesomemusic #agentsofgrace #praisetheLord

It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name... Psalm 92:1-2 NIV "There's something about music that joins our physical world with the spiritual" Sometimes when we worship together as a community God speaks and works in us in a special way...I'm grateful for our musicians and songwriters for the way they help us worship and connect us with God & each other. But I can't make music. Missed a gene or something. Maybe when I exercise my gifts in serving God or his people, that too is making music Maybe when I am a generous friend, a kind boss, a gentle responder, that's making music. Maybe when I go out of my way for someone else, keep loving when nothing comes back, that's making music. Whenever​ I forgive. Even when I'm not forgiven. Give expecting nothing When I love. Maybe that's music #makesomemusic #agentsofgrace

It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High,  proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night... Psalm 92:1-2 NIV Last night we were at a 30th Wedding anniversary party & this verse was shared with the emphasis on faithfulness...the choosing every day for 30 years reflects God's choosing to love us every day... And the commitment these two people made to each other about the next season of their lives reflects God's on going commitment for our future... Jesus is preparing a place for You :) He's committed to our future and is completely faithful to deliver on that. #dearlyloved #faithful #sunday #worship #thisisourGod #gooddaytosinghispraises

The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down. Proverbs 14:1 NIV There's enough pressure on us, on our "house" from the outside - the storms of life that buffet, the hurts, disappointments, losses - without us adding in our own by comparing, by destroying ourselves. Not only do we have a God shaped space in our heart, but He has a You shaped space in His, that only You can fill. We can never live up to all the expectations of this world - but it all changes when we know we're loved by its creator. That's what the wise build their house on. The foundation is not my ability or strength or goodness or appearance or achievement or even someone elses love. All those things can let us down. Our foundation is that despite our weaknesses and failings we're God's dearly loved children. #dearlyloved #hope #home #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon

Friday! Proverbs! The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down. Proverbs 14:1 NIV A house is a place of nurture, growth, development, hopefully a place of peace, a place we can return to... home. But this doesn't seem to be about a physical place...so maybe it's about our heart. A place of nurture, growth, development... peace. The foolish, we are own worst enemy...we allow the thinking of this world, the expectation of others to shape how we see ourselves, we don't have hope in anything bigger than us...and it destroys from the inside out. The start point for the wise is this: You are unconditionally and completely loved by God. Then our inner self can become that place of nurture...of peace... built on the hope of the gospel #dearlyloved #hope #home #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-7 NIV "so that" God's word is not just about knowledge or knowing God's moral law, or making us better people...it's "so that" we're equipped for the things God has for us to do! We get ourselves equipped for work or business or sport, and even for recreation. We train, buy equipment, study... prepare. God's word is the equipping place for the 2 things God has for us to do: Loving Him Loving People He's made us unique, and we have a unique place in the world. And we're uniquely loved by a personal God So That #Godbreathed #equipped #sothat #unique

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness... 2 Timothy 3:16 NIV These are words that are all about change. A fave verse is 1 Cor 13 - love is patient, kind, keeps no record of wrongs... I can read that as nice words or as Paul suggests here to teach me, correct, train me... Love is patient. Could I have shown more patience today? How about kindness? Or keeping a record of wrongs against me (I'm so good at this tho...) As we meditate on His Word we see not just our shortfall, but God's grace. We can't ever get all of this all right all the time. Then if we read the OT stories of God at work we see His patience, His kindness, & we see His grace... In Jesus we see patience, kindness- & he died to expunge my records of wrongs...took it on himself. That's grace So will I read God's word allowing it to change me? #Godbreathed #justgottareadit

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV So often I like to pull these verses out because You have something that needs sorting out. This is my prelude to hitting You over the head with some moral code... some rule... But this is a letter that Paul has written. A letter I'm reading. And what's the context? Grace. God's goodness in difficulty. Grace. If there's one thing I need to learn more about, it's grace... #Godbreathed #justgottareadit

All Scripture is God-breathed... 2 Timothy 3:16 NIV God breathed theopneustos (from "theos", God and "pneo" breathed out) Paul is telling us that God breathed out His word. The Bible is more than a collection of writings, stories, accounts, poems & prophecies, but the breathed out word of God. And if we read it, we allow God's breath to speak into, to speak life into...us. "If only God would speak to me!" Well He has. He's breathed out His Word so we can breathe it in. Just gotta read it... #Godbreathed #inspiration

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12-13 NIV We learn the most about ourselves in two situations. When we're under real pressure. When life hurts. In adversity. And when we have success. When we win, we get that "A", that promotion, that big sale... because that's when our hearts get carried away with how good we are... we take all the credit and give none to God or others. We forget to live generously. And we want more. More of whatever that good thing is. More. And we need to keep connected to Him who gives strength. Lean in to God Lean in to his community #thesecret #notsecretnow #realstrength #dearlyloved

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12-13 NIV V13, the last part of this is often used to motivate people in work or sports... to push themselves to great feats... But in the context Paul wrote it's about how we respond in success or failure. In good times and in bad. When I'm hurting. Struggling Defeated When it all seems too much, too hard... we need to keep connected to Him who gives strength. Lean in. Lean in to God Lean in to his community #thesecret #notsecretnow #realstrength #dearlyloved

Friday! Proverbs! The righteous eat to their hearts' content, but the stomach of the wicked goes hungry. Proverbs 13:25 NIV What? This isn't really about food is it...but maybe it is about our appetites. If our only satisfaction is found in the pleasures of this world...if we're only living to please ourselves...there is never enough. "I'll be happy when..." doesn't actually work. When we get "it" it's not long til the satisfaction fades and we want more... Paul knew in Phil 4 about the secret of being content. If our hearts are oriented towards God and our lives towards others...then we start to need less. Whether we have plenty or little, our hearts can be content... #wisdom #somethingtochewon #eattoyourheartscontent #whoknewthatwasintheBible

But now thus says the Lord... "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine..." Isaiah 43:1 ESV Redeem. gain or regain possession of (something) in exchange for payment. We're now in God's possession. Nothing can snatch us away...so we have no reason to fear. We can't be rejected. We can't be lost. Failure is not fatal or final because we have been accepted by God. His heart is for us. And the payment? The cross. Jesus was rejected so we won't be. Jesus was lost so that we can't be In what seemed to be the most epic fail of all time... the price for our redemption was paid. Once and for all. For all time. Because He loves. He knows your name... #dearlyloved #childrenofGod #itsalovestory #redeemed #nofear

But now thus says the Lord... "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine..." Isaiah 43:1 ESV God knows your name. Try saying that out loud... "God knows my name!" He's redeemed me. Paid the price for me. Not some heroic save-the-world way that just happened to include you & me in it... No. It's personal. He's a personal God. He knows you, loves you, chose you...He knows your name. Your not a number, a member of some group or ideology to Him, it's not about your genealogy, your ethnicity or culture...it's not your family or where you live... It's you. He knows your name. #dearlyloved #childrenofGod

When Peter saw this, he said to them: "Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?" Acts 3:12 NIV How easy to at least take some credit...I would have... Yep I spent 3 years studying with Jesus and learnt a lot, 3 years of sacrifice...and yes I could've just walked past this man like you do every day, but I stopped and look now God has healed him... But not Peter & John. Its not us. It's the gospel, the good news of Jesus death and resurrection, it's faith in Jesus...it's always about that...take your eyes off us and back on Jesus! #Jesusatrhecentre #faith #thegospel

"God sent into the world a unique person - neither a philosopher nor a general (important though they are) - but a Saviour, with the power to forgive.  Forgiveness lies at the heart of the Christian faith.  It can heal broken families, it can restore friendships and it can reconcile divided communities.  It is in forgiveness that we feel the power of God's love." Since it's her birthday this is a message from the Queen she gave at Christmas 2011... for the Queen, Jesus is at the centre, Jesus as Saviour! And in Him and through Him is forgiveness found, & forgiveness worked out in our lives. Quite a cool message for Queens birthday... #Jesusatthecentre #forgiveness #grace

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us... 1 John 4:10 NIV Yesterday I met Chloe. And suddenly there's room in my heart for one more person... Chloe has no idea who I am & probably has no memory of our meeting as she's just 2 weeks old... But she's loved. Her parents love for her is unconditional and uncontrollable... Whether you and I know it or not we are unconditionally and uncontrollably loved by the creator of the universe. To Him you are precious. His heart has room. For all. For me. Even if we don't see it, feel it... remember it...it's true. He loves us. #dearlyloved #childrenofGod #sunday #worship #thisisourGod

Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them. Proverbs 13:24 NIV Loved, but hated at the same time. Loved. But our sin...it's gotta go... The only way is to be holy... perfect... And we can't. No matter how hard we try... Jesus became the way, took on our sin...absorbed it all on the cross so that we are now seen as perfect... holy. And now we are just loved. And our motivation to do right has changed...it's not to gain salvation or even to try and keep it. We're sons and daughters of the living God and nothing can change that now. No we want to do what's right because of salvation. We accept God straightening us up because He's right and because He's saved us. #dearlyloved #childrenofGod #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon

Friday! Proverbs! Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them. Proverbs 13:24 NIV A favourite verse of  parents...but what is this really all about? Our hearts. Left to our own way, without any guidance, any boundaries, no instruction about what's right and wrong, when we think we're the centre of the universe...we become self oriented, self centred, selfish - ugly (even to a parent) Loved, but hated at the same time. It's only as our hearts are shaped by truth, learn about what's right, who God is, the preciousness of others... how to really love... is true beauty revealed. And it takes someone who really loves us to shape us in that way - even if it hurts along the way... #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon #itsaheartthing

Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg... ...Then Peter said, "... what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk..." While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them... Acts 3:2,6,11NIV You can read the whole story in Acts 3 of this severely disabled man who was healed. "While the man held on to Peter and John..." Just a glimpse of the emotion that must've been flowing thru him as he realised he'd been healed. That his destiny had changed. No longer a beggar at the gate. And he hugged Peter and John and hung on. Sometimes we need someone to hug and hang on to... Peter was always pointing to Jesus, who had changed his ultimate destiny, no longer a beggar, an outcast, so hang on to Him, the one who truly is Beautiful. #dearlyloved #Jesusatthecentre