verseoftheday

...and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God's provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. Philippians 1:18-19 NIV It doesn't get too much worse than a Roman prison! Yet Paul's faith was not wavering, but growing. When we're in a tough place, the pressure is on, we can hang onto the same things Paul did: The prayers of others. Other people can't pray for you unless you share what's going on with them. While it can be hard (humbling, scary) ask people you trust to pray for you. And if you've been asked to pray by someone you know, do it. It's easy to say, but takes some discipline and work to do. So write your prayers for others, send them, journal them, pray them... because it's how we love. #pray #lovepeople

But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Philippians 1:18 NIV Paul's in prison, and some people seem to be taking his place and preaching - some because it's the right thing to do - and others to gain power and prestige - some celebrity pastors it seems! Today they'd be on TV. Twitter. Instagram. But Paul didn't care so much about their motives as long as Jesus was being preached. As long as the Good News was getting out there. I can be quick to judge, but Paul says - are they preaching Jesus? If yes, be happy about it - after all none of us are completely pure of heart... #jesusatthecentre #thegoodnews #speaklife (No verseoftheday tomorrow - we're off the grid. Back on Monday :) )

Friday! Proverbs! Honest scales and balances belong to the Lord; all the weights in the bag are of his making. Proverbs 16:11 NIV Is this to with justice? Or business? I think this proverb is about how we do business, and that we do that justly, that God is intrinsically interested in how we do things. That we're fair. That we don't rip people off. My guess is that the person who owned scales and the bag of weights had the ability to favour one side of the deal. Not when God owns them. When I buy or sell, or exchange my labour or time with my employer, our God is interested in that exchange... #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon #justice #fairness #Godinbusiness

As they pass through the Valley of Baka... Psalm 84:6 NIV When we're in the valley, the valley of tears, we just want out. God fix this thing. Sort my problem. Restore my health, relationship, financial situation... get me that job... Get me out of this Valley. The Valley of Baka. The Valley of Tears. But the way here is "through". Through. And in his most famous Psalm David wrote this: Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me...even the valley of the shadow of death...we're not alone. Not alone in the Valley. Our God is with us Jesus knows all about the Valley of Tears, and will walk with us ... #tears #valleyoftears #through #inthistogether #psalms #psalm84 #with

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baka... Psalm 84:5-6 NIV The Valley of Baka is also called the Valley of Tears, the Valley of Mourning. It's a place of loss. Grief. Hurt. The valley is a place of danger, where we're vulnerable to attack. A place where our vision is restricted. And the Baka tree has sap that runs down the outside so it looks like the tree is weeping. Crying. The Valley of Baka is the Valley of tears. In our journey, there's going to be times when we're in this Valley. Maybe that's you today, maybe that's someone you know. It's good to know people have been in this place before (David wrote this in  535BC) and that God knows the reality of that place for us. Sometimes we're in the Valley of Baka and can't see a way out. #psalms #psalm84 #tears #valleyoftears #reallife

For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God's message without fear. Philippians 1:13-14 NLT Who was really in chains? Most likely Paul was chained up to a guard who was rotated 24/7. Every 8 to 10 hours Paul had another captive audience to hear the good news of Jesus! His heart and his actions gave others confidence too. People generally are interested in faith, life's purpose, God's love, & sometimes it just takes one bold person...we don't need to be afraid to talk about what's really important... Maybe there's a Paul where you live, study, work, or play, who's example gives confidence to share, or maybe that can be us? #goodnews #nofear

And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. Philippians 1:12 NLT Paul was in jail for his faith. Unlikely that was pleasant in any way... yet he saw good in it. He viewed every circumstance through the lens of how this could benefit his primary mission - telling people about Jesus. I tend to view my circumstances through the lens of how they impact my comfort, or achieving my home ownership goal, or my education goal, or parenting goal, or business goal...and I so easily forget that God may have some other more important things for me to learn, more important things for me to do... My lens may need a nudge away from Me... #upsidedownkingdom #loveGod #lovepeople #somethingtochewon

Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:35-36 NIV Free. Free indeed. Free of the expectations of people. Free to live for the audience of One. Free from the hurts, chains, failures, losses of the past. Free to choose a new way forward. Free from the grasping, dragging, constricting sin that is holding you back, holding you down. Free to live a life of love, of hope, of forgiveness and growth. When you accept Jesus, when by faith you take up his offer, when you choose to believe He is who He said he is, that He gave His life to make a way, to be the way for you, the slavery ends. You belong. You're family. And no matter what, you cannot be lost. God's family. You matter. And you're free. Free to thank Him, free to sing, free to serve, free to give. Free to love. Love like Jesus. #nolongerslaves #childofGod #dearlyloved #free #sunday #worship #this...

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best... Philippians 1:9-10 NIV Yes I want to know what's best. Yes I want knowledge. Yes I want insight. The path to get that is Love. Agape. Literally the love God prefers. The love that brought Jesus from heaven. The love that took Him to the cross. The love that held Him there. The love that withstood separation from the Father The love that took all my sin. That love. Giving, sacrificial, costly, other oriented. May that love abound in you and me, overflow... more and more. Loving like that leads to insight, to knowledge, to knowing what's best... Paul is praying that over the church. This morning I'm praying that for you. Is there someone who you can pray this prayer for? #prayer #inthistogether #love #lovelikeJesus

Friday! Proverbs! The lips of a king speak as an oracle, and his mouth does not betray justice. Proverbs 16:10 NIV If only this were true...we so want this from those with great authority and power in our world to speak truth, wisdom... and justice...but so often they just don't. Presidents. CEO's. Politicians. Celebrities! I wonder what Solomon would make of the kings of today... We can take heart that there is one king who did speak truth, who did speak life, who's mouth did not betray justice, and in Him we can trust. #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon #trustinJesus

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. Psalm 84:5 NIV Blessed are those who rely on their own strength? Blessed are those who have it all together? Blessed are those who never need anyone? Blessed are those who find strength in you (& the you is found in the previous verses - Yahweh) It's OK to acknowledge our weakness, our failure, our hurts... Our hearts are set on pilgrimage - literally the highway. The road The journey Our hearts are set on the journey. Where we are is not the destination, not the endpoint... Our strength is in God, and our mind is set on the journey - in that we find blessing :) #theroad #inthistogether #blessing #strength #lifeisajourney #psalms #psalm84

How lovely is your dwelling place,  Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord ; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young - a place near your altar,  Lord Almighty, my King and my God. Psalm 84:1-3 NIV Yahweh. Your place. I know that's where I want to be, I know you're God, you're who you say you are, but sometimes I just can't get close to you. Even the birds seem closer to you. In the deepest part of me I know you're God, and I'm crying out. I need you. Need your touch. Even though I seem far away right now, you are my King, my God. You are Yahweh. #paraphrase #writeyourownpsalm #itsoktofeelthisway #psalms #psalm84

And this I pray, that your love may abound more and more [displaying itself in greater depth] in real knowledge and in practical insight... Philippians 1:9 AMP What a prayer. What a blessing to have prayed over your life...there's no sitting around waiting for God to fix something, no waiting for my circumstances to change, but an abounding, overflowing, extraordinary love would be evident in your life...and it's love that leads to knowledge and practical insight. It's love that informs how we live. What a great prayer to tuck away to bless someone with, to pray over someone's life :) Paul wrote this to the church and it's recorded here for a reason...I think this reflects God's heart for each of us :) It's the way of love - not romantic love, but the tough, gritty, life changing, life giving love that took Jesus to the cross for us, that love, is what this blessing is all about, and it comes from God's heart to you and me today. #love #life #ble...

So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart... God knows how much I love you... Philippians 1:7-8 NLT Paul and this group of people have been through some things together, they've done life together, and he's not holding back how important these people have been in his life, and how important they are now (even tho he's in prison a long way away) Lessons? Stick with people. Stick with the people God has put in your life. Stick with your community. Today walking away, moving away is so easy... And tell people how important they are to you. Don't wait til their funeral! Someone in your life needs to know today that you love them, maybe like Paul's team it's someone a long way away, maybe someone who's been on your team...or someone God pops into your heart to bless and encourage today... #lovepeople #speaklife

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:4-6 NIV Joy. Joy in hardship. Joy despite circumstances. What is Paul's source of joy? Knowing that there are others striving for the sake of the gospel, others who have kept the faith despite opposition. Paul was in a tough place, but his joy came from knowing that hadn't dented the faith of the people in his life. So keep the faith with those who are in a tough season. And out of this, there's growth. Knowing that God is at work in the lives of people gave Paul joy in the midst of his trial. God has things to teach us in the storm... #faith #joy #sunday #worship #thisisourGod

Friday's Proverb...on Saturday...oops... In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. Proverbs 16:9 NIV Somehow, in God's way, and His timing, His purposes are getting achieved, and AT THE SAME TIME we get to make our plans, and have the freedom to choose what to do! The more we follow Jesus, the more we live like He did, love like He did, our thinking changes, our values change, what we hold as most important changes, and our plans and choices will take us in a pathway established by God... This wee proverb gives me courage & hope, that somehow, my plans are going to line up with where God wants me... #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon

I thank my God every time I remember you. Philippians 1:3 NIV What a beautiful thing to say to people you know... Do you have someone like that in your life? Someone you just thank God for when ever you  think of them? What's that's person like? What are that person's attributes? Could those attributes be things we could work on...so that one day we could all be that person someone is thanking God for when they think of us! #somethingtochewon

Paul and Timothy... to all God's holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi...Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:1-2 NIV Ok so this is a greeting written in a letter, but this greeting says I care about you, you're important. Be blessed, encouraged, strengthened. Loved. How good am I at greeting people? Sometimes I don't even look up from whatever screen has my attention. The person in front of me is almost certainly more important. And I want them to know they're important. I want them to be blessed, encouraged, strengthened. I want them to feel loved. And this greeting, this blessing by Paul, reminds me that the things that clamour for my attention are not as urgent as loving the person in front of me... #lovepeople #greetingsareimportant

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2 NIV Blessings. Is this a blessing you need this morning? Maybe it's not just the crazy weather that's knocking you around...may you know a taste of the peace of God today, a calmness of heart that comes from knowing you're a dearly loved child of God. May you experience the touch of His grace today, even if the winter weather chills your bones, may you know that our God is for you, and He is With you. Blessings :) Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ #dearlyloved #childofGod

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus... Philippians 1:1 NIV Paul & Tim. This life works better when you live it with others :) These two were serving God together, and that's a pretty good model for us too... Join a team, put your hand up to serve, find a mentor... ask. Or maybe you can take someone with you, replicate the good...identify someone's gifting and encourage them in that, help to remove the barriers to to their growth, their  success...give them a platform, a springboard... #somethingtochewon #inthistogether

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God's holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi... Philippians 1:1 NIV Paul is writing to a church he started in this place called Philippi (in Greece today - part of the Roman empire). This city was important to Rome as it controlled gold mines, & was on a major trade route. Retired Roman soldiers were sent there to live. Paul writes to the church there and identifies himself & Tim as a servants of Jesus. Doulos. Bond-slaves. Someone with no rights who belongs to another. Paul's readers will have got that - for us to meet someone in the street and day "Hi, I'm a slave of Jesus" may not be helpful, but if I wrote to a church, my church, how would I introduce myself? Name, age, marital status, job, course of study, where I come from...things I love doing... & somewhere down the list I might say "follower of Jesus". For Paul, his relationship with Jesus was his key identifier, everything e...

Better is a little with righteousness Than great income [gained] with injustice. Proverbs 16:8 AMP Better. The Hebrew word here for better is "towb" and appears 271 times in the Bible. In Genesis 1:4, God looks at the light the He has created and says it is "towb". Good. Beautiful Better The light has appeared directly from God and carries His attributes, His righteousness. Here in this proverb, what is good, beautiful, better is contingent on how it's been gained - with injustice or righteousness. That includes the "how" but also the heart behind it. A heart of righteousness. A heart right with God. How we live. The decisions we make Better is a choice. Today choose Better Choose Good Choose Beautiful. #better #good #beautiful

Better is a little with righteousness Than great income [gained] with injustice. Proverbs 16:8 AMP Injustice could mean how our business or lifestyle damages the environment, who makes our clothes or grows our coffee and are they being paid fairly. When I buy the cheapest, knowing it's exploiting someone else, then it's my gain at someone else's expense. Or the planet's. The word for "better" here can also mean "beautiful". Beautiful is a little with righteousness... Choose better. Choose beautiful :) #somethingtochewon #better #beautiful

Friday! Proverbs! Better is a little with righteousness Than great income [gained] with injustice. Proverbs 16:8 AMP How easy it is to justify our actions because the end result is a win for us. A win for me. When I overcharge, underdeliver, take short cuts, rip-off, steal, not tell the whole story, leave out some vital info, misrepresent...and gain from that... But the wisdom of Proverbs is crystal clear. When that win is at someone else's expense, well it's not "better". Contrary to our culture's marketing, more is not always better. Sometimes less is better, because of the way we get it. Better for the heart, better for the soul, and that makes us better... #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon #better

Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." John 20:21-22 NIV Peace be with you. Know that no matter what this life throws at you - just have a think about my last week! - it's going to work out OK - I'm the evidence of that! Peace be with you. I am sending you, just as I was sent. You have a purpose. Your life has meaning. Yes I spent thirty years building, then it got real for three years, and these last three days! Wow. Just wow. Will you join me now? Who knows where the adventure might take us! (actually I've got a pretty good idea :)) I've got stuff for you to do, people for you to love. Life 2.0 - will you jump in? And the best part? Stay close 'cos when you breathe in, it's gonna be me you breathe in! In a mysterious way I'm coming with you, in you, we're in this together now. #easter #ressurectionlif...

Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." John 20:21-22 NIV Ressurection day and there's 3 things that Jesus gives (3 gifts?); Peace Commissioning And the Holy Spirit Jesus breathed on them. An echo of God breathing life in Genesis 2, here is Life 2.0, ressurection life, life with God in a whole new way And now, the apostles are ready to go, to be the genesis of the New Testament church, to be God's representatives in the world. And Jesus gives us those 3 things too... peace, work to do, and the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us. We don't just go to church, we are the church, Jesus' representatives in and to the world... #peace #senttoserve #life2.0 #breathofGod #thechurch

Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." John 20:21 NIV Peace. Peace from knowing that Jesus is who he said he is, peace from knowing that everything he said is true... And then. A commissioning. A call to action. Jesus came not to be served, but to serve, and his team are here being sent out in the same way. And so are we. Sent to serve. Peace first. Then sent. When Jesus gave his team the example of serving by washing their feet, he didn't go across town or around the world, but started with those closest to him. That's where it starts, love and serve those in your house first. #peace #peacebewithyou #sent #senttoserve #lovepeople

Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." John 20:21 NIV There are times when we just need to keep hearing these words from Jesus... Peace be with you. The peace that comes from the ressurected Jesus. The peace that comes from knowing that no matter who we are, no matter what we've done, we've been atoned for, the price has been paid, once for all, once for all time. The door to that peace wirh God is Jesus, and we just have to step thru. He was with them, in the room, and said "Peace be with you" Listen for His voice today, may we all hear those words from the ressurected King... #peace #peacebewithyou #theressurectedkingisressurectingme

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" John 20:19 NIV In a moment everything changed. Jesus was back. Back from the dead. It may be April 1, but this was no joke...the world will never be the same again... "Peace be with you" No longer fear, no longer do you need to lock yourselves away, in the end, no one can really hurt you because I am who I said I was... Peace. The word here for peace is "eirene" from the root word to join. It's about wholeness. All  the essential parts are joined together; peace. Thru the ressurection of Jesus all the essential parts (God & his people) are now joined together...peace. Peace with God that is only available thru the ressurected King. This morning, Jesus says to you and me, and anyone who puts their faith in him, "peace be with you" #s...