verseoftheday

Hear my cry,  O God, listen to my prayer;  from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint.  Lead me to the rock that is higher than I,   for you have been my refuge,  a strong tower against the enemy. Psalm 61:1-3 ESV "Lead me to the rock that is higher than I." "Lead me." I don't know the way, can't see the way, could never find the way, without you. I can't do this on my own. Lead me. "To the rock" When things feel uncertain (like going back to Level 2/3), when there's change in our lives, especially change we haven't asked for, nothing feels solid.  We want solid. We want rock. "That is higher than I" This is not a place I can get to on my own.  It's beyond me. Beyond my ability or power to get there. I think this song is pointing forward not to a place, but a person.  Jesus is God in the flesh, the fullness of God in a form that we can grasp. He is the rock, the solid place, the place of safety, refuge.

O God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer!  From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Psalms 61:1-2 NLT When my heart is overwhelmed.  This word here is "ataph" & means turned aside, covered over, failed, faint, feeble, overwhelmed. I don't know what was going on for David when he wrote this, but there may be times when this describes you and me. My heart feels covered over. Failed. Faint. Feeble. Overwhelmed. In that God seems far away, at the ends of the earth, as far away as it's possible to get. And yet David still cries to Him. To Elohim.  The mighty God. That is faith in action. It's OK for us to feel overwhelmed, feeble, failed, a long way from God, because David did and it's in the Bible :) When our God is silent, seems to be as far away as it's possible to get, when our hearts are overwhelmed, cry out to Elohim anyway.  This is David's song. Sing to Him anyway. This can be the toughest exercise of our fa

Friday! Proverbs! Pleasure-lovers will suffer want;  he who loves wine and oil won't get rich. Proverbs 21:17 CJB This really is a window into the human heart...when pleasure becomes our goal, we can never get enough, never be satisfied.  There'll always be more.  A higher high, a bigger thrill, more. More. More than I've got. More than you've got. This proverb gives me a nudge to consider my motivations. It was written centuries before Jesus, but he lived a life in line with his Heavenly Father's will, and calls us to follow him. To not be in tune with our culture, but to follow him. And when we do he says we will not be hungry. We won't thirst. Our hearts will no longer need to chase "more". This proverb is a reminder to me that I won't really find peace or satisfaction for my soul in even the good things of this world if I put those things first. "Jesus, may I follow you today, in my choices, my words, my actions, may your love and grace be

When the festival was already half over, Jesus went up into the temple and began to teach. Then the Jews were amazed and said,  "How is this man so learned, since he hasn't been trained?" John 7:14-15 CSB The Jews here are the crew that want to kill Jesus, and here he is, in the temple, in the heart of their territory, and Jesus has surprised them. Surprised them by turning up in a place he knew he wasn't wanted. And surprised them with his teaching.  They couldn't understand  how Jesus became so knowledgeable, they struggled to put him in a box. To put a label on him. To manage him. Because he was being disruptive to the culture, to the way things were. Disruptive to the power structures.  Leading with love does that. Being concerned for the poor, the marginalised, the hurt, does that. Jesus had got under their skin, but he wanted more than that, he wanted to get to their hearts.  And Jesus is the same today...after our hearts. Let him surprise us today. #surpris

Still, nobody was talking publicly about him for fear of the Jews. John 7:13 CSB People had an opinion about Jesus but weren't saying it "out loud". Fear. The Jewish leaders must've had the ability to make people's lives miserable for anyone who spoke out. We can be afraid of all kinds of things. Some have real consequences & our fear can be a good thing to put boundaries or support in place, and some fears are about things that may never happen.  We all have fears. Fear of what people might think. Fear of rejection. 1 John 4:18 says that perfect love casts out fear, and one day we will know that love in all it's perfection and there will be no more fear. Can you imagine what that will be like? It's actually heaven! A life with no fear, because there is perfect love. For now we have imperfect love. God's love is filtered by the world, our experience, and our own hearts, and then there's the imperfect love that we have for one another... but tha

After his brothers had gone up to the festival, then he also went up, not openly but secretly.  The Jews were looking for him at the festival and saying,  "Where is he?" And there was a lot of murmuring about him among the crowds. Some were saying,  "He's a good man." Others were saying,  "No, on the contrary, he's deceiving the people." John 7:10-12 CSB Everyone had a view about Jesus. A perspective. Everyone put a label on him, to contain him. Just like today. Except that no one was saying he was irrelevant. And while they all had a view and a label, what they didn't realise was that he was right there. Among them. Just like today. Would anyone know Jesus was here from my words, my touch, my eyes, my actions... would anyone know Jesus was here? Would they know that he is not deceptive, but Truth, would they know that he is not a good man, but God dwelling among us. In us. How would they know? May today my choices, my actions, my words show ju

However, those the Father has given me will come to me,  and I will  never  reject  them. John 6:37 NLT This was part of our text last night at church.  We can all recall the pain of rejection from some time in our lives. Maybe it's raw for you right now. Jesus says that you will never be rejected by Him. The Greek seems to read never be cast out outside. That fear of rejection is one of our greatest fears, and Jesus says that you don't have to have that fear with me. Come as you are. You don't have to fix yourself, perform in some way, just believe.  Believe in Jesus. Step towards Him in faith. And you will never be rejected. How good is that! The flip side of that coin is acceptance. You and I are radically accepted. We are acceptable to the King of Kings. No earthly king will want to meet with me today, but The King does. #neverrejected #accepted #comeasyouare #believe #dearlyloved #lovelikeJesus

"Go up to the festival yourselves.  I'm not going up to this festival,  because my time has not yet fully come." After he had said these things, he stayed in Galilee. After his brothers had gone up to the festival, then he also went up,  not openly but secretly. John 7:8-10 CSB Sometimes little things in the Bible just jarr a little. Did Jesus change his mind about going to the festival? Did he deceive his disciples? Was he always intending to go, but keeping it secret was more important than his disciples knowing what was going on? Is there another reason? How long before Jesus went? Hours? Days? I don't know. Was it for the safety of his disciples? If they all went together Jesus would be recognised and Jesus wanted to protect his team? I don't know. This is a small thing to trust that Jesus had a reason that is not obvious (not obvious to me anyway) from the text. Trusting Jesus when the things in front of us don't make sense, when there's pain, unfixab

Jesus told them,  My time  has not yet arrived, but your time is always at hand. The world cannot hate  you, but it does hate me because I testify about it - that its works are evil..." John 7:6-9 CSB Why was Jesus hated? Because he spoke the truth about the evil that he saw. He spoke the truth. Let the light in. Sometimes Jesus spoke directly against what people were doing, and exposed the evil in their hearts. Sometimes Jesus spoke the Truth and let it sit with people. And sometimes his testimony was simply who he was, and his own walk in the will of the Father. (He also had this thing that we can't emulate which was to be the fulfillment of Scripture, to be Truth) Exposing truth, speaking truth, and walking in a way, living in a way that follows Jesus may well lead to us being hated, being "loved less".  It may mean choosing not to go some places, not to do some things, because that is not walking in a way that honours Jesus call on my life. Sometimes we have to s

Friday! Proverbs! Whoever wanders off the straight and narrow ends up in a congregation of ghosts. Proverbs 21:16 MSG This proverb felt so random that it has to be about creating a picture in our minds of our choices, and the paths those choices take us, and the destinations, the places that they lead to. Apparently our full cognitive brain that can help us weigh up consequences doesn't fully develop until our mid 20's, but even though I'm well past that, I don't always choose well. Setting boundaries is a good start, especially when I can't trust my own choices, whether that's a budget, an accountability person, deciding before I am asked that is not a good or safe person for me to be with or to go to, having a way of escape. Those boundaries should reflect who we are and who we want to be.  As a Christian my first call is to love God (Matt 22:37) to imitate him (Eph 5;1) to walk in a way that reflects that (Eph 4:1). Who do I want to be? We get to decide that

Jesus told them,  "My time  has not yet arrived, but your time is always at hand. The world cannot hate  you, but it does hate me..." John 7:6-9 CSB Jesus was hated. If that's been your experience, then know that we have a Saviour who in his humanity knows what it's like to be hated.  He knows. He knows the hurt, the rejection from being hated.  This word translated 'hated' here literally means "loved less". If you've been "loved less" than someone else, known the sting and hurt of that, we have a Saviour who knows. A Saviour who walks with us in the hurts of this life. For Jesus this wasn't just a one time event, but happened all through his life. Loved less. If that's your experience, you have a Saviour who knows. A Saviour who's arms are open, who wants to enter  in to those places of hurt and rejection, a Saviour who says "you will never be loved less by me". #dearlyloved #childofGod #restinthattoday #dearlylov

Jesus told them,  My time  has not yet arrived, but your time is always at hand. The world cannot hate  you, but it does hate me because I testify about it - that its works are evil.  Go up to the festival yourselves.  I'm not going up to this festival,  because my time has not yet fully come.  After he had said these things, he stayed in Galilee. John 7:6-9 CSB It's been a month since we were in John's gospel...and this morning what struck me in these verses is that Jesus didn't fight every battle. We would call this having boundaries. In this case Jesus boundaries included a place, and some people. For now at least he was simply not going there, not engaging. Jesus had his cosmic reasons (my time has not yet fully come), and also seemed to have a really human reason (they hate me). It's OK to have boundaries. People Places Events Thoughts Topics It's OK to have boundaries to keep us safe, and give the space to grow and thrive.  We don't have to fight every

I appeal to you,  instead, on the basis of love.  I, Paul, as an elderly man and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus, appeal to you for my son, Onesimus. Philemon 1:9-10 CSB "Jesus was the greatest act of listening and of entering into the world of another that has ever been.  He has called us to follow Him in his ways  'And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory...full of grace and truth' John 1:14" Diane Langberg "God, let me not be afraid to defend the weak because of the anger of the strong, nor afraid to defend the poor because of the anger of the rich. Show me where love and hope and faith are needed, and work in me  to help bring them to those places." Boz Tchividjian 15 Feb 21 Paul entered in.  Defended Onesimus.  He was stuck in jail and used the only things that he had available...his words and his authority, and he used them not to defend himself, but the one who needed defending.  Boz's prayer is a dangerous one.

v3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  v25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Philemon 1:3, 25 CSB Paul bookends his letter with two things: Jesus. And Grace. In between he asks a lot of Philemon, challenges his thinking, asks him to do something that's going to cost, and he advocates hard out for the power less Onesimus. But it's all couched in Grace.  Grace and peace to you, and may Grace be with you (whatever you choose to do) And it's not grace that he (Paul) gives, but the Grace that comes from Jesus.  Grace from knowing Jesus. Grace from knowing what Jesus has done for him, saved him from, and saved him to. Today we head into Level 2 restrictions which compared to being in a Roman jail are not too bad, if I was writing to that family who tested positive would I start and end with Grace.  Whoever I meet today, will I start and end with Grace. This Grace that doesn't depend on my goodness or my performance, but

So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would me.  And if he has wronged you in any way,  or owes you anything, charge that to my account.   I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it... Philemon 1:17-19 CSB Paul gives us a blueprint here on what to do when there is a victim.  Onesimus was enslaved.  And Paul is fighting for him with everything that he has.  For Paul any loss of reputation, any loss of income from Philemon is so minor in comparison to Onesimus being set free that he doesn't even mention it.  What would we hear today from the person with the power, the social standing, the wealth, from or about Philomen? Oh poor Philemon, this is going to affect his life and business...but Paul has none of that. Paul is all in, with everything he has, for the person who's life has been owned by another, for the person who is powerless, who needs rescue.  Just like Jesus.  We were powerless, needed rescue, and Jesus went all in for us. And he calls us to fo

Meanwhile,  also prepare a guest room for me,  since I hope that through your prayers I will be restored to you. Philemon 1:22 CSB Paul's an old man, locked up in jail, but his heart is full of hope. He is undaunted by today's circumstances. He's asking others to pray for him. He's expecting God's intervention.  What a way to live :) Paul's hope was not in his own power, his own strength, his own performance.  His hope was in Jesus. Today's circumstances can be daunting.  Frightening. Can seem unsolvable. For Paul the way out was through, he was looking forward in his mind to being restored to his community, to freedom, and he connected it to a small tangible thing - make up a room for me, 'cos I'm coming to stay with you. Whether it's growth, healing, change, it's one small tangible thing at a time. Today be full of hope, undaunted by today's circumstances, ask others to pray for you, expect God's intervention, & take the next st

Friday! Proverbs! To do justice [is] joy to the righteous, But ruin to workers of iniquity. Proverbs 21:15 YLT98 At first read this proverb feels good. Let those workers of iniquity, the ones who deserve justice be ruined. Not only does that put me on the side of the righteous, but I am one of the righteous. And then it starts to unravel me just a bit... because I see within me both of these people. I like to be able to use a proverb like this as a weapon, or to justify my superiority when someone who has hurt or harmed others rightly gets justice.  Justice should happen. And being part of making that happen is a good thing. But I cannot escape the truth that I too deserve to be on the receiving end of justice, so the work of doing justice, of holding one another to account for actions, words, harm that has been caused, is done with humility.  #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon #itsaheartthing

Epaphras,  my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus,  sends you greetings,  and so do Mark, Aristarchus,  Demas,  and Luke,  my coworkers.   The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Philemon 1:23-25 CSB This letter starts with Paul and Timothy and ends with naming their team. We are not designed to go through this life alone, and having a team that you can lean into, a community around you who can share one another's burdens and joys, struggles, wins, grief, and successes. I don't know if Paul is related to any of these people, but they're important to him. Lean in to one another.  There's times when we all need someone. This is the church. In the small, walking together.  Be on another's team. And today if you need help, reach out.  You can reach out to me (or whoever you get this message from today). We're all just walking each other home :) #lessonsfromphilemon #loveonesnother #walkingeachotherhome

For I have great joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother. For this reason, although I have great boldness in Christ to command you to do what is right,  I appeal to you,  instead,  on the basis of love... Philemon 1:7-9 CSB I find it's so easy to use the Bible as a quick fix; take these 2 verses and call me tomorrow. Or to hammer someone; "just read this verse". And that leads me to use phrases that start with 'if only you'd done what I said', 'why didn't you', etc. And sometimes we have a blind spot that allows us to lead with those kind of questions, or uses the Bible as a weapon against someone. Paul knew that Philemon loved people, he'd seen or heard of the refreshed hearts.  It seems that when it came to Onesimus. Philemon was going to lead with the law, with his authority.  He's got a blind spot.  And in that blind spot Paul encourages him to lead with love. Where

Yes, brother,  may I benefit from you in the Lord;  refresh my heart in Christ. Philemon 1:20 CSB Paul was getting nothing from this. If anything he was losing the benefit of having Onesimus help him while he is in prison. He has a bigger Kingdom view. He's not territorial or wanting to keep things or people but is happy to rejoice whenever Jesus Kingdom is advanced. And how is that happening here? Paul is anticipating a slave owner welcoming his runaway slave back as a brother. He is anticipating Philomen's heart change being lived out in a way that will cost him financially and socially. Because the Kingdom we are part of is the Kingdom of the heart. And we should celebrate the taking of ground in the hearts of others (even if it doesn't benefit us, it might even cost). Paul is an old man in prison writing a letter he hopes will be delivered to someone he hopes will change. He is hope full. He knows Philomen, and can see the next heart step for him, and is full of hope th

And if he has wronged you in any way,  or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul,  write this with my own hand:  I will repay it... Philemon 1:17-19 CSB Can you imagine being Onesimus in this.  There's a price to pay for his actions, and someone else, Paul, is prepared to pay. Onesimus may have been completely unaware of the contents of the letter that he may well have been carrying. Unaware that someone else was prepared to pay whatever it cost. Even if he didn't know it, it was no less true.  Paul was prepared to pay.  So often I hear God's truth and don't really believe that it can be true for me. I can believe it for others, but sometimes the way I see myself (if only you knew me, knew my thoughts, what I've done, I can't be good enough. Can't be enough) shapes the way that I see Grace. Grace can't cover me, not with my thoughts, what I've done, I'm not good enough.  But God has already written the letter that says He will pay.

So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would me.  And if he has wronged you in any way,  or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it... Philemon 1:17-19 CSB Paul's love for Onesimus is outrageous. Onesimus is a runaway slave, who's actions may have a financial cost, and a social cost. Philemon would be within his rights to demand/take Onesimus' life. And Paul says "I'm standing in his place. Whatever the price, I'll pay it." Who says that? I wonder if Onesimus knew Paul wrote this? How would he feel knowing someone was prepared to love him so sacrificially? Would he have said "How could I pay Paul back? I don't deserve this!" Paul is in prison so his ability to pay is limited, but his stepping in between, his no matter what, that is outrageous love. We have a Saviour who did just that for us. A Saviour who is not limited by human capability. A Saviour who said "whate

So if you consider me a partner,  welcome him as you would me. Philemon 1:17 CSB Paul,  the apostle, the pastor,  is asking Philomen,  the slave owner, the one with power, the one who has been wronged by his slave taking off,  to welcome Onesimus, the slave,  as he would welcome himself.  How you think of me, how you see me, how you value me, is how I am asking you to think of Onesimus. How I am asking you to see Onesimus. How I am asking you to value Onesimus. Paul is asking that his value is put on Onesimus. How does that feel for Onesimus?  The unseen. The unvalued. Seen. Valued. No matter what Philemons response is, Onesimus is seen. Is valued. The person who really counts in Onesimus' life sees him.  Values him. Paul does that by putting his own worth, his own reputation, his own value on O. Saying that even tho I'm at a distance, held here in prison, I am with you.  Even if O never got to read this letter or hear of its contents, he is seen, he is valued, he is loved. Thi

Friday! Proverbs :) A secret gift soothes anger,  and a covert bribe,  fierce rage. Proverbs 21:14 CSB Sometimes the Bible just surprises!  It certainly is a mirror that reflects the human heart! What parent has not used this strategy with an angry child... But this is not written to children.  It's written to me. Someone who gets angry. It's written to me.  Someone who justifies being angry, even when the cause is not righteous at all, because my anger can be placated by...what Solomon calls a secret gift or a covert bribe.  That could be getting my way. Getting what I want.  Justifying my behaviour.  My kingdom come. My will be done. The word here for anger is an odd word that is about your nose or face. It's the anger that flares in a moment. It's my childish anger placated with a bribe of ice cream.  That anger can still be found in me but is of no value.  The anger at seeing injustice in the lives of people we care about does not disipate with a gift.  Jesus was of

I wanted to keep him with me, so that in my imprisonment for the gospel he might serve me in your place. Philemon 1:13 CSB So that he (Onesimus) might serve me in your (Philemon's) place. Philomen, Paul's beloved friend and co-worker, and he sees Onesimus, my son, my very heart, in the same light, Paul sees them as the same.  He doesn't see their age, where they're from. Their economic power. Their social standing. One is a slave. One a slave owner. One runs a church, the other is a runaway. He looks past all the externals that I so quickly use to label people, to categorise, to keep at a distance. He looks to the person who he knows, the heart. Paul sees the person who he loves. Who else does that? Our God sees people like that.  He sees the person who he knows, the heart.  Our God sees the person who He loves. He sees more than our circumstances, more than our story, and sees us, the person. This is OK in general, it's even OK for others, but what if it's true

Once he was useless to you,  but now he is useful both to you and to me.  I am sending him back to you - I am sending my very own heart. Philemon 1:11-12 CSB What an odd thing to say about a slave "once he was useless to you". Paul must be getting at something other than his usefulness to work for him...perhaps it's about Philemon's heart. This person who you owned, who you saw as less than you, as less than, this person has something to teach you. By choosing to welcome him as you'd welcome me, something important will happen in you. See Onesimus as you would see me. Who are the 'less than' that I need to see? What does God want to shift in my heart? What border does He want me to open just like Paul wanted Philemon to open? Who is Jesus saying to me "I'm sending you my heart, welcome this person as you'd welcome me". #itsaheartthing #upsidedownkingdom

I always thank my God when I mention you in my prayers,  because  I hear of your love for all the saints  and the faith that you have in the Lord Jesus. Philemon 1:4-5 CSB I wonder what Paul & Tim would write if he was writing to me? To my church? To my small group? He's being relentlessly positive here and I often drop into being critical, so let's not do that. If Paul & Tom were to write to us today what would be the positive things they would highlight? For the church that met at Philemon's place it was love for people and faith in Jesus. I wonder what that looked like... But maybe the more important question is what would that look like in my church? In my small group? In my life? Loving people Faith in Jesus Those known for faith in Jesus often faced hardship. Suffering.  Loving people is risky. Untidy sometimes. But that's what this crew were known for. As we open our borders in '21 just a little, may our faith in Jesus grow, and may we love people jus

I appeal to you...for my son, Onesimus. I became his father while I was in chains.  ...I am sending him back to you - I am sending my very own heart.   ...So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would me. Philemon 1:9-10, 12, 17 CSB Onesimus may well have carried this letter from Paul to his owner, Philemon. I hope Onesimus got to hear it when it was read, because if he did he would hear of the love Paul has for him, that Paul did not care about his status as a slave, any shame that attached to him, Paul was happy to take on.  Onesimus would hear that Paul chose him.  That Paul loves him. That Paul gave him all the rights of being his son. That Paul, even though he's currently in jail, stands with Onesimus.  No matter what. And this is what God's love letter to us says: I choose you. I love you. I give you all the rights of being my son. All the shame that you carry I'll take now. I'll stand with you, no matter what. #dearlyloved #childrenofGod