verseoftheday

Friday! Proverbs! One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless. Proverbs 14:16 ESV I'm not wreckless and careless. I've got my favourite proof verse that says God's got to bless me. I've been good and I deserve it. I'm not reckless and careless with other people's stories, with their heart concerns. I don't rush to judgement, or talk about them to others... I'm not reckless and careless about the subtle idols of this world...what success looks like... I don't let the messages of popular music or movies influence me... what's acceptable...or "News" stories that frame the discussion in a particular way...from a worldview that does not include a personal, creator, who is the source of Wisdom... No, I'm not reckless or careless at all... #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon #bewise

Friday! Proverbs! One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless. Proverbs 14:16 ESV Ever been in a place where you've ignored the signs? Carried on regardless? Every year someone dies in the mountains skiing off trail, ignoring the signs... Or the ones in our body...sometimes pain is that sign... We see the consequences of drug use, alcohol misuse, but whatever it is, we think we can handle it... manage it, it won't manage us, this won't master me... But the wise see the signs. The wise keep their heads up, have a realistic view of themselves, think, take the counsel of others, and sometimes choose to turn away, turn around, to miss out, say no, find an alternative... #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon #bewise

He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets.  A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. Isaiah 42:2 NIV God's servant...he's going to bring justice but not by making a ruckus...this was written before the internet, before YouTube etc - how would you get your message out to people? Through the only mass media available...yelling in the street, making your voice heard in the marketplace. It seems this person is not going to have the loudest voice in the marketplace of ideas... he'll have another way... A bruised reed? A reed is not big, strong like a tree.  And it's already bruised, damaged... A smouldering wick...a candle at the end, not really giving any light... The bruised, the damaged, the use less... that's who this servant is about... #upsidedownkingdom

"Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations Isaiah 42:1 NIV God has always been about making a way...and it seems that it's through people...here it's Jesus. Through him comes the remarkable justice where he paid the price we should've paid...but it came through a person. I wonder then if when we look out at the problems around us and wonder what God is doing and why He doesn't fix it...if we are his way... we are his means of bringing justice even in a small way... #somethingtochewon #agentsofgrace #lovepeople

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 NIV This is a promise to God's people...and it seems like a long run promise. What did the people need to have going on? Fear. Dismay. Weakness. There are days when I have one of these and there are days when I have all three... When we fear, remember God is with us. When we're dismayed, remember who our God is. When we're weak, he offers His hand. His righteous hand. Righteous - morally upright, not just strong but right... #whenwefear #whenwedismay #someonetoleaninto

I am the Lord , and there is no other; apart from me there is no God... Isaiah 45:5 NIV Through this chapter God gives his credentials...and these words are repeated several times... I am the Lord There is no other Apart from me there is no God This is something the people needed to keep hearing...and so do we... We forget We try to reason Him away We try to replace Him with god's of our own making... Sometimes we might wonder what He's up to, or why He doesn't fix something we want fixed... If this is true - do I completely trust Him then? No matter what my circumstances. No matter what's going on in the world...do I still choose to say: You are the Lord There is no other #loveGod #faith #choose

..."Here is your God!" ...Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord , or instruct the Lord as his counselor? Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding? Isaiah 40:9,13-14NIV A counsellor, a teacher, an advisor, consultant, tutor...these people have studied or learned some knowledge that we don't have, & sometimes they seem to think in ways beyond us...but we study & learn & catch on & sometimes go further than our tutor... But who was God's counselor or tutor? No one. He is just...bigger... just...beyond! Yet He chose to share His heart, His mind with us... #hereisyourGod #worthyofworship

..."Here is your God!" ...Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Isaiah 40:9,12 NIV Powerful Personal And now Designer... measured, marked off...weighed... the earth and the universe are not tuned to make human existence and flourishing an accident but the deliberate work of the great designer. The materials of the earth that we use to make things are not there by accident (& because God made it we have a responsibility to look after this planet) When He made this place, He made it for us... #isaiah #hereisyourGod #worthyofworship

..."Here is your God!" ...He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart... Isaiah 40:9, 11 NIV The shepherd is not a kiwi farmer with thousands of sheep, rounding them up with dogs & a motor bike...this is an eastern shepherd who knows every sheep in his flock, every one is important. His wealth, status, future is contained in his sheep...he'll do anything to protect them, & when they're at their most vulnerable, he uses his own body to keep them warm... Jesus said "I am the good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep..." #isaiah #hereisyourGod

..."Here is your God!" See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. Isaiah 40:9-10 NIV There was a story written about a businessman who was so powerful that when he walked in the room he  seemed to bring his own weather system...but no matter how much power or authority a person might have, it pales into insignificance in the face of this description of God. He is completely self contained, in need of nothing...real and complete power and authority...over everything! #isaiah #hereisyourGod #worthyofworship

The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways Proverbs 14:14 ESV We're all on a journey, all walking...and this proverb speaks not about the destination but the result of how we journey. How we journey bears fruit...if my focus is on me and my comfort, then yes the journey might be easier, but maybe less fulfilling... If my focus is on others, then how I journey, how I spend my time, skills, gifts, money, will be different... How did Jesus journey? On purpose, to do God's will, to Love people...and to ultimately die a criminals death, rejected, broke, naked...but the fruit of that! Thats us! And no better way to be reminded, recharged, refocused about what really matters than when we choose to come together and worship the servant King... #proverbs #somethingtochewon #itshowwejourney #noretreat #dearlyloved #sunday #worship

The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways. Proverbs 14:14 ESV Someone once said that consuming the Proverbs was like consuming a barley sugar, a hard sweet that you roll around in your mouth and slowly extract its goodness...the words 'flinch' and 'retreat' have been rolling around in my mind since yesterday... Jesus, in the garden, considering what was coming, flinched. But he did not retreat. In the greatest act of love he stayed the course, he stayed on the cross, when he so easily could've walked away. Jesus chose to stay. To pay the price only he could pay so that we don't have to. This is love. A one way thing. An outpouring. There was no retreat for Jesus...becuase he loves us. You. Me. #proverbs #somethingtochewon #grace #noretreat #dearlyloved

Friday! Proverbs! The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways. Proverbs 14:14 ESV At first look we're either one or the other...a "backslider in heart" or a good person, but on reflection I'm both... The Hebrew word for backslider seems to have the meaning of to flinch, to retreat. And I do that. When prompted to do what's right I flinch. It might be costly. I retreat. I drift into ways of thinking that are not healthy or helpful...and that can bear fruit in my heart and in my actions and attitudes. And yet there is good to be found in all of us...after all we're all made in God's image and likeness and all carry some echo of Gods goodness. The hope in this proverb is that the more we submit to Jesus lordship in our lives, we get the fruit of that in our hearts...fruit is a good thing...it speaks of energy, of nutrition...of life! And as we all still have some "...

Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there. Matthew 19:13-15 NIV Jesus was willing to meet with children...just as they are...there's no "come back when you're grown up, when you understand the adult world, when you're "mature"...when..." So if you have little ones in your life don't hold them back from meeting Jesus or expressing their faith. Jesus was willing to meet everyone right where theyu are...all of us...its not about our performance or being good enough, come to Him as you are :) #upsidedownkingdom #youareenough #comeasyouare

Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there. Matthew 19:13-15 NIV The disciples wanted to be in control. Manage. Jesus should deal with the important stuff. The church leaders, the big ticket things...the big questions of the time. But Jesus. The small, the voiceless, they're just as important. It's so easy to put the world's priorities on our faith... But Jesus. These little people were ready to meet him...so he made room for them. He gave them time, touch, & in that told them they were valued...loved. Do I try to manage God's schedule...keep him in a Sunday only box? And miss the people he loves? #upsidedownkingdom #lovepeople

Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning." Matthew 19:8 NIV We so easily get stuck on the rules around the exceptions, when things are broken... (just listen to the way our politicians are being interviewed. We lose sight of what they're about overall as we try to trip them up on detail) But Jesus goes back to purpose. What are these relationships for, what do they reflect...and why the exception? Your hard heart. The word here for hard heart is dry...like an engine without oil...its stuck...not running how its designed... Jesus is the restorer, the oil of the Spirit can release that which is stuck, restore that which is broken...a taste of what God is about in the world and in our lives. That's what He is about, and what He wants us to be about... #agentsofgrace #restorers #oil

One day the Pharisees were badgering him: "Is it legal for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?" He answered, "Havent you read in your Bible that the Creator originally made..." Matthew 19:3-6 MSG When i have a question about faith or someone asks about a situation i tend to go to a "proof" text...see this teaching or this rule...just do that, follow that... But Jesus takes a different route. He starts with what his questioners know and understand. In this case the Old Testament. And he starts with the big picture. What was God's design for human flourishing? Its so easy to lose sight of Gods Big Story Creation Fall Redemption Restoration And where we are in that story...and just what underpins it...a personal Creator who loves us so deeply that He made a way, became the way, to bring about ultimate justice and restoration. To restore ultimate shalom. #wordsofJesus #onedayallwillbemadenew #hope

I also made provision for contributions of wood at designated times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me with favor, my God. Nehemiah 13:31 NIV The end. Where is Nehemiah? In typical Nehe style he's tidying up some last detail at the temple. Where to stack the firewood. He's at the temple at the heart of the city and this reflects his love for God, and his love for people. We don't know if he's old, dying, ill, or just knows he's finished here, but he simply prays to God, casts his past work and achievements and his future hope on the grace of his loving God. And those words? Repeated by a criminal dying slowly on a cross whose past work and achievements were absorbed by Jesus, as he put his future hope in the hands of his loving God. Its not our past that counts, but where we've put our faith & hope for the future... #thisisourGod #sunday #worship

When evening shadows fell on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered the doors to be shut and not opened until the Sabbath was over. I stationed some of my own men at the gates so that no load could be brought in on the Sabbath day. Nehemiah 13:19 NIV Nehe had to take some radical steps to bring about change in the life of the city. Sometimes we need to take radical steps to protect our hearts, to bring about change in our lives. What do I need to lock the gates to? Where do I constantly trip up? Where do i need a Nehe in my life to shut the gates for me? Give some accountability? It may be really obvious...that big thing. Maybe that person who drags ne down... Or the subtle things...the putting myself first, the judging, putting others down, the gossip, greed...wanting... Or the internal...where i let my mind go... Things that hinder our relationship with God, stop us getting to church... There's going to be something we need to shut the gates of our heart...

Friday! Proverbs! Even in laughter the heart may ache, and rejoicing may end in grief. Proverbs 14:13 NIV Sometimes we can be genuinely enjoying the moment but there's a deep ache in our hearts...a loss or grief, an anxiety or hurt, maybe an addiction or sin we're struggling with...somehow in a few short words this ancient proverbs sums up us modern people... And the second part speaks to the reality of this life...rejoicing...things are looking great, a win, a promotion, a milestone, something we've been longing for, working for, goes well...and then it goes wrong. People get ill, tradgedies happen, businesses fail...there's a long list. This proverb speaks to the reality of today, but we know that the laughter and the rejoicing are glimpses of what is to come, that one day all will be made new, that the losses, hurts, grief, disappointments, will all be undone... #hope #onedayallwillbemadenew

So I confronted the nobles of Judah. "Why are you profaning the Sabbath in this evil way?" I asked. "Wasn't it just this sort of thing that your ancestors did that caused our God to bring all this trouble upon us and our city? Now you are bringing even more wrath upon Israel by permitting the Sabbath to be desecrated in this way!" Nehemiah 13:17-18 NLT They'd forgotten that God had put these rules in place so that they would flourish. The sabbath was about rest, regaining shalom, peace in the life of the individual and the community, living out their belief in God. And it had become just like any other day to do business. They'd allowed the culture and practices of the world around them to weaken their devotion to God. I wonder how I do that? Allowed the measures of success of the world become more important than God's? Who really has first place? #shalom #peace #loveGod

I also discovered that the Levites had not been given their prescribed portions of food, so they and the singers who were to conduct the worship services had all returned to work their fields. Nehemiah 13:10 NLT The pastors and the worship leaders weren't getting paid...so they had to go back to work...and the community drifted away from God. Sometimes we think our church leaders and worhsip leaders are there to make us feel good, but they have a job to keep us on track, to keep us in tune with God, to recognise when we're drifting, making poor choices...and we need to keep supporting them. The singers who led worship were important then too...good things happen when we worship together as a community and these people are an important part of community life :) We need them to be brave, bold, free to share God's heart... #encourageoneanother

I became very upset and threw all of Tobiah's belongings out of the room. Then I demanded that the rooms be purified, and I brought back the articles for God's Temple, the grain offerings, and the frankincense. Nehemiah 13:8-9 NLT Just turfing things out, stopping the negative, dealing with the sin is not enough...it's what we replace it with... Nehe demanded that the things of God were returned to the spiritual centre of the community. In the same way we need to keep God at our spiritual centre. We can't just leave a vacuum at the centre...or fill it with our own stuff -  choose to fill it with the goodness, grace and beauty of God, His creation, His truth, His wisdom...in every room at the centre of who we are... #jesusatthecentre

When I arrived back in Jerusalem, I learned about Eliashib's evil deed in providing Tobiah with a room in the courtyards of the Temple of God. I became very upset and threw all of Tobiah's belongings out of the room... Nehemiah 13:7-8 NLT Eli had given Toby a room & Nehe was not happy. In Ch2 & Ch6 Toby was the enemy... intimidating & threatening. And now he's operating at the very centre of the spiritual life of the city. No wonder Nehe was unhappy. But what do I let in to the centre of my life that really is the enemy. That needs turfing out just like Tobiah? Maybe it's what i listen to or read or watch, the social media, the gossip, where I let my mind go...that person who drags me down...the focus on outward appearance... What needs cutting off & kicking out? If Nehe had a good look at the spiritual centre of my life would he say: "that's got to go. Now." #whohaveirentedaroomto #nowisgood

The two choirs that were giving thanks then proceeded to the Temple of God, where they took their places...They played and sang loudly under the direction of Jezrahiah the choir director...and the joy of the people of Jerusalem could be heard far away... Nehemiah 12:40,42,43 NLT There was music, and singing...and it was loud! So loud it could be heard a long way from the city... What do we sing the loudest for? What really engages our emotions? When we talk, what animates us? What have we got plenty to talk about? What am I loudest about? We are loudest for that we love the most. Last week in church some people behind me weren't from the line of professional choirs from Nehe's time. But they sang loudest in thanksgiving to who they loved the most...and that made it beautiful. God doesn't want our praise because it's perfect, but that it's from the heart... #sunday #worship #thisisourGod #loud #loveGod

Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honouring each other. Romans 12:9-10 NLT This week the 597 empty pairs of shoes has been a heartbreaking reminder of the loss of hope in our community...& as the week drifted on it went to over 600. Mike King said that when he was under pressure he just needed someone to come thru the door & tell him he was loved and valued...& no one did. Who needs to hear that from you today? Who needs to see your face? Know you're shoulder is there to walk beside, your arm to strengthen, your touch of friendship? When we really love, it can get untidy & costly...but it's what we're all called to do... Who needs to hear from you today? #lovepeople #agentsofgrace

Friday! Proverbs! There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, But its end is the way of death. Proverbs14:12 AMP Thats an attractive offer /option /person... This proverb is all about thinking. Thinking beyond the immediate, what Edward de Bono calls CAF Consider All Factors. Take a step back and CAF because the path may not be good for you - we have a bias in our decision making that stops us thinking too hard when what's in front of us is attractive...we discount the risk, the downside, what could go wrong, how it might affect other people...what we believe is right & wrong... #discernment #think #choosewisely #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon