verseoftheday

Friday! Proverbs! A lazy man's craving will kill him,  because his hands refuse to work  - he covets greedily all day long;  but a righteous person gives without holding back. Proverbs 21:25-26 CJB Often this proverb is used as a weapon to get someone to work...but really it's about the heart, and how our desires can take over.  When we want that thing above all else it affects our thinking all day...the thing we think will give us life actually doesn't because it's captured our heart.  Maybe it's that "A" grade, that car/boat/house, that business, that measure of success. Maybe it's that relationship, that baby, that desire for justice,  that "when this happens I'll be happy'. Good things that can and do speak life, when they take over our hearts,  steal life. And who or what is on the other side of this proverb? The righteous person.  And that person's heart is for others.  Giving is all about others. And in God's upsidedown king...

On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out,  "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. The one who believes in me,  as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him." He said this about the Spirit. Those who believed in Jesus were going to receive the Spirit... John 7:37-39 CSB The wall between people and God will come down,  the law will be fulfilled, sin will be eliminated, the Messiah is here,  and there's more,  God's Spirit will be in you. Like a spring. Blue Spring near Putaruru, or Pupu Springs near Takaka are places where pure water pours up out of the ground.  That's the picture here of God's Spirit pouring through us to bring life to the world... (Some days for me it seems like barely a trickle, but I wonder how much that's me restricting the flow?) Jesus is claiming here that everything revolves around him.  He's at the centre. So often I want to put me at...

Then on the most important day of the feast,  the last day,  Jesus stood and shouted out to the crowds; "All you thirsty ones, come to me!  Come to me and drink" John 7:37 TPT This feast is Hoshana Rabah, the feast of tabernacles, and on the last day of the feast these things happen: - 7 circuits are made that represent the 7 circuits of Jericho when the walls fell down, representing the wall between people and God coming down. - Some stay up all night reading the Torah, the books of the law, & all the Psalms. The law will be completed on the final day. - 5 willow branches are beaten flat to symbolise the elimination of sin. - Prayers culminate with a particular prayer expressing hope for the speedy coming of the Messiah. - every day a pitcher of water from the pool of Siloam is poured out to represent the water from the rock God provided in the wilderness On the last day of the festival, the wall between people and God will come down,  the law will be completed,...

When the Pharisees heard that the crowds were whispering such things, they and the leading priests sent Temple guards to arrest Jesus. But Jesus told them, "I will be with you only a little longer.  Then I will return to the one who sent me. You will search for me but not find me. And you cannot go where I am going." The Jewish leaders were puzzled by this statement.  "Where is he planning to go?" they asked. "Is he thinking of leaving the country and going to the Jews in other lands? Maybe he will even teach the Greeks! What does he mean when he says, 'You will search for me but not find me, and You cannot go where I am going'?" John 7:32-36 NLT The leaders didn't like people listening to Jesus, and they did not get him at all.  They heard at least some of his words but they didn't want to hear what he said through his claim to being the Messiah. They didn't want to see the real Jesus. They preferred their own version. And I have to be...

Many among the crowds at the Temple believed in him.  "After all",  they said,  "would you expect the Messiah to do more miraculous signs than this man has done?" When the Pharisees heard that the crowds were whispering such things, they and the leading priests sent Temple guards to arrest Jesus. John 7:31-32 NLT The people could see the signs. They could see Jesus for who he said he was, but those in power it seems could not. Were they blinded by what they might lose? Those with power wrote Jesus off. Sent guards to arrest him. They wanted to shut him down as he threatened the structures that they had built up. Threatened their empire. Jesus does that.  Threatens empires. Whether it's nations, or the empire I have in my own heart, where it's my will be done, my kingdom come. Jesus kingdom is upsidedown, and that doesn't sit well with those with power.  We get to choose to go with the Pharisees and get Jesus arrested, shut down.  Shut down his call to lo...

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Matthew 5:9 NIV Today in NZ we reflect back on war. The horrors of it. We remember those who lost their lives in wars. Our focus is on not forgetting. And it's good not to forget.  Good not to forget those who died so that we can have many of the freedoms that we enjoy today.  What do we do with that "not forgetting"? Unlike many around the world we are not faced with war, but many do face injustice.  Many do face violence in their homes. People suffer at the hands of others, and we so easily forget.  Jesus called us to be peacemakers, and that takes more than "not forgetting". That takes stepping towards injustice, towards suffering, and bringing peace. And that's what Jesus did.  Stepped towards us. To bring peace. And he calls us to follow him.  To be peace makers in our homes, in our families, in our communities takes work and effort and sacrifice.  Facing injustice, stepping...

Then the leaders tried to arrest him;  but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come. Many among the crowds at the Temple believed in him.  "After all", they said, "would you expect the Messiah to do more miraculous signs than this man has done?" John 7:30-31 NLT All the signs were there. People could see that Jesus was who he said he was. All the signs were there. But it still took an act of faith, to believe in him.  To trust in him. There's days when this is easy. And there's days when it's not. When the effect of evil on people's lives is so great, when other people's choices affect us, when the world pushes in, there's days when I can let those take over.  But the signs for Jesus are there.  I see him in the created world, in the light of the dawn, the view from the mountains, the creative genius all around. I see him in others.  In a word of courage, an act of generosity, a gentle touch, a changed life, a renewed spi...

Friday! Proverbs! "Scoffer" is the name of the arrogant, haughty man who acts with arrogant pride. Proverbs 21:24 ESV This proverb almost seems over the top...this is a caricature of a person, no one could be all of these things... But I think the point is to encourage me to see this in me. I've been known to scoff. To hear someone's idea, thought, and scoff. Sometimes out loud. And sometimes inside. That haughty, arrogant person does reside in me. He is me. Not all the time, but that ugliness is there, and when it surfaces some days I run with it. Or the scoffing is happening before I can stop it...there must be something in me that likes it. Scoffing gives me power. This proverb describes an ugly person who we would want nothing to do with, yet, I find him in me. Ephesians 4:1-3 is my antidote. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is my guide. Jesus gave away his power and came as a servant, and he asks us to follow him. So...if you hear me scoffing, feel free to remind me of this ...

That provoked Jesus, who was teaching in the Temple, to cry out,  "Yes, you think you know me and where I'm from, but that's not where I'm from.  I didn't set myself up in business. My true origin is in the One who sent me, and you don't know him at all.  I come from him - that's how I know him.  He sent me here." John 7:28-29 MSG Jesus was teaching in the temple. Sometimes it would be great to have his sermon outline or notes...but we just get this gem... Where we come from is important, our whakapapa does matter, but Jesus really wanted to point out his Heavenly whakapapa too.  Who he is. Where he came from is important. Because if he's not sent by God, then his death would have no more meaning than mine, his ressurection no more value than Lazarus.  Jesus says to see him as he really is. Man. And God. God. And man. Grasping both at the same time feels elusive, but it was important to Jesus to be clear to his listeners back in the day.  The key t...

Some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, "Isn't this the man they are trying to kill?  Yet, look, he's speaking publicly and they're saying nothing to him. Can it be true that the authorities know he is the Messiah? But we know where this man is from.  When the Messiah comes, nobody will know where he is from." John 7:25-27 CSB Lots of talk about Jesus. Fake news. Gossip. Conspiracy theories. It's all here.  Our hearts get exposed by what we choose to pass on. There's more heart exposure here with the Jewish leaders on one hand letting Jesus speak, and on the other wanting him gone. The duplicity of those with power is seen by the people. It's nothing new.  We all have power somewhere. What do I do with it? We all have the opportunity to speak about others when they aren't around. What do I say? Underlying these conversations in this passage seems to be the question "who is Jesus?" Could he be the Messiah, the one we're waiting f...

"Stop judging according to outward appearances; rather judge according to righteous judgment." John 7:24 CSB Jesus is telling the religious/ cultural/ political leaders off because they are telling him off for healing a man. On the Sabbath. When he should have been napping, he healed someone instead. It's so easy to judge on what we see on the outside. It takes work, time, questions, a heart that wants to connect, to see and hear and know someone. To see who they really are, and who they're wanting to become. Jesus was challenging those around him to look at what he did. His actions, his life, who he was for, what his mission was. He said to judge him on that.  I'm sure that if Jesus had hurt someone, we would've seen his heart expressed in his actions, seeking forgiveness, making restitution, making things right, in humility bringing light and truth, love and grace. Unlike me, Jesus never had to do that. Today, this week, we're almost certainly going to m...

You turned my lament into dancing;  you removed my sackcloth  and clothed me with gladness, so that I can sing to you and not be silent.   Psalms 30:11-12 CSB This is a song about loss. Grief. Hurt. And it's about our God who meets us in our loss. This part of the Psalm the writer knows the change, the transforming that comes from God, that takes our deepest hurts and losses and shifts things. Turns lament. Removes what can sometimes be the sackcloth that we've gotten used to, and clothes us with something new. Maybe you've experienced this. Maybe right now you're longing for this, that the songs of lament are all you can sing right now. Then this Psalm is for you. Because it is full of the hope that we have in our God who transforms.  Hope. Hope is real.  Hope that went to the cross and when almost everyone thought was lost, was transformed.  Transformed. Changed. Change is possible. The psalmist was silent. Silenced by hurt, loss, grief, but that was...

The eleven disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them.  When they saw him,  they worshiped,  but some doubted. Jesus came near and said to them, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.   Go, therefore,  and make disciples  of  all nations... ...And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28:16-20 CSB Jesus asks them to meet him on a hill. Why not in a room or anywhere else? Why on the mountain?  Lots of significant things happened on mountains, Moses met with God there, Jesus was crucified on a hill. But I wonder if Jesus wanted them there for the view.  He was going to meet with them for one of the last times ever, and maybe he wanted them to have that big view. To get that feeling we get when we look out over a landscape from a mountain.  When we look to the distance and breathe differently. When it seems like there are no boundaries, that anything is po...

Whoever guards his mouth and tongue  Keeps his soul from troubles. Proverbs 21:23 NKJV When we play this proverb forward to Jesus life, how does it come to life? Two things come to mind for me: Jesus after fasting for 40 days, alone and out in the wild, he was tempted by the devil. Jesus words were straight from scripture. That's how he tended his words and kept himself safe by being grounded in God's word. Sounds like a good example to follow. Second was when Jesus was before Pilate and did not speak. In that moment Jeuss knew that his soul was not being kept from trouble, but he was stepping towards it.  He was purposely putting his soul, his personhood in trouble for us. So that we might live. He took on all the trouble. Unguarded his heart. So that we might live. #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon #dearlyloved

Friday! Proverbs! Whoever guards his mouth and tongue  Keeps his soul from troubles. Proverbs 21:23 NKJV Our words are important. This word "guards" here is used in Genesis 2:15 where God put people into creation to tend it, to keep it.  It's used as a shepherd looks after their sheep. This is how we're to guard, protect, tend to our words. The things we say or write affect others. But they also affect us. This proverb connects the tending of our words with keeping our soul safe.  The word here is "nephesh", our soul, emotions, the essence of who we are  Our words affect our very person. The words we say. The words we write. And the words we allow to run around in our minds. Thoughts pop in, but it's what we ruminate on, what we leave unchallenged by truth, what we let sit. Those words get into our soul. When I gossip about others, when I repeat the lies I hear about myself (ruined, worthless, unloveable) and allow them a foothold, when I speak without t...

The eleven disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. When they saw him,  they worshiped,  but some doubted. Jesus came near and said to them, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.   Go, therefore,  and make disciples of all nations... ...And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28:16-20 CSB Here we go... Matthew's last words in his record of Jesus life... For some reason I picture them in a circle, arms on shoulders, Jesus and his team of 11 on a hill, worshipping and some doubting at the same time... And Jesus says I've got all the authority, so I've got this. You know where I've been : off defeating death.  You've got a job to do... go and repeat what I've been doing with you. Walk with people. Do you see it's all about relationship. And while we're on that, I'm going to be with you. You may not quite get how that's going to work, but will you trus...

The eleven disciples... they worshiped, but some doubted.  Jesus came near and said to them,  "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore,  and make disciples  of  all nations, baptizing  them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you... Matthew 28:16-20 CSB Jesus is back from death. He's the same...but different somehow. And he is now fully claiming what he hinted at during his life - he has all authority. He's in charge. He has all the power. And in classic Jesus fashion he promptly gives it away... Jesus comes close, and he uses all that authority over everything, he takes  his crew of 11, his crew of worshippers, some with doubts, and tells them to go and do what he has done with them. He doesn't answer their questions first, quench their doubts first, just says go.  Move. Can you see the picture?  12 people gathered close on a hi...

The eleven disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. When they saw him,  they worshiped,  but some doubted. Jesus came near  and said to them,  "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth." Matthew 28:16-18 CSB They worshipped Jesus. Some doubted. What was Jesus stance towards them? Did he tell them to sort themselves out? Blame? Accuse? No, Jesus came near. In the midst of our doubts and questions and things we don't get, choose to worship anyway. And Jesus comes near. Jesus comes near. And reminds them that he has full authority over everything.  Jesus who is here with them, also holds the universe together. And in their worship and in their doubts Jesus moves closer. I wonder if you can locate yourself in this story...worshipper, disciple, doubter, some combination...no matter what Jesus wants to come near. Sometimes it's me that keeps him away. #dearlyloved #childrenofGod #near

The eleven disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. When they saw him,  they worshiped,  but some doubted. Matthew 28:16-17 CSB This the start of the "great commission", and Jesus is going to start the church...this is Jesus team, who've been with him for 3 years, and now are standing with the ressurected Jesus. He's right there. And some doubted. Doubted. Wavered. Hesitated. Yet Jesus was right there. Having doubts is part of being human.  Wavering is OK. Hesitating happens. If we had zero doubts, what place would faith have? We don't know what was going on in their hearts and minds, those who were not wavering, or those who were.  Tim Keller talks about us being prepared to doubt our doubts, to investigate what's beneath our doubt.  Did they waver because they were afraid?  Scared? Scared for their future? Their own lives? The whole crucifixion, resurrection was too overwhelming? Did they doubt their own senses? I won...

Jesus said to her,  "why are you crying?" John 20:15CSB For all those who are crying. For all those who feel unheard. For all those who feel unseen. For all those for who justice seems impossible. For all those who feel lost. For all those who are alone. For all those who cannot speak. For all those who spoke and are not listened to. For all those who grieve. For all those who hurt. Jesus says I'm here. I see you. I'm with you.  I know your name. I love you. #sunday #worship #thisisourGod #heknowsyourname #hopeiscomingforyou #dearlyloved #lovelikeJesus

A wise man scales the city of the mighty  and brings down the stronghold in which they trust. Proverbs 21:22 ESV Yesterday we touched on those thoughts or beliefs that might be strongholds that the truth of God's word, the whisper of the Spirit, the love of Jesus, would tear down. I wonder what other unspoken ideas or biases that are lurking in my heart that in some way I am harbouring? Things that I might not see. The unwritten rules of my family, the culture in which I live and work and study and rest in. The lurking ideas about "them".  People from "there". I think it was Tim Keller who said something like this: God loves me as I am. He loves me too much to leave me as I am. Jesus doesn't storm my strongholds and wipe them out, he scales the walls of my heart and starts walking around inside my city walls, quietly asking, gently challenging, nudging. Jesus who came from the glories of heaven and washed feet gives me an example to follow. Paul, in the las...

Friday! Proverbs! A wise man scales the city of the mighty  and brings down the stronghold in which they trust. Proverbs 21:22 ESV We quite like this imagery of bringing down strongholds, of going up against the mighty. In this proverb there's a city in which the mighty, the strong reside.  And they must be doing something unjust for this wise person not to be able to just walk in. They have their faith in something.  A stronghold. It's not a warrior going in all guns blazing with power and might and deal with what is at the heart of injustice, but this proverb speaks of another route. Sending in a wise person. What do you relate the "city of the mighty" to? A country? An institution? A culture? What if it's me. There's things that I'm doing that are unjust, something that I'm relying on that I might not realise or see clearly. But the wise person on the outside can, and scales my walls and brings down that stronghold that I trust in: - that I'm n...

Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,  "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them what he had said to her. John 20:18 CSB This is literally the biggest news in the history of the world. And what does Jesus do? Ramp up his insta followers? Put a billboard up on the church building? Get the media in? Jesus meets one person, Mary, who can't even recognise him through her tears, a person of no profile, no power. Christianity starts with a one to one conversation, and someone willing to share their experience of meeting Jesus. Seems so simple. Jesus was OK with simple. Maybe today we can take a simple step in following Jesus.  Easter Sunday was big.  Yet Jesus made it small, personal.  In Revelation 21:4 it says that Jesus will wipe the tears from our eyes...that's close, simple, personal. Billboards are useful. Social media can be good. Big can have impact. Love is not found on a billboard or a social media platform, but in the small and personal. #easter #e...

Jesus said to her,  "why are you crying? Who is it that you're seeking?" Supposing he was the gardener,  she replied,  "Sir, if you've carried him away, tell me where you've put him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her,  "Mary." John 20:15-16 CSB Mary wasn't caught up in anyone else's drama, like the Jewish leaders. She wasn't like the disciples hiding away. She had one thing on her heart, she was seeking Jesus.  And she found him in an unexpected way.  So unexpected that she didn't recognise him.  Maybe today you and I might find Jesus in an unexpected place, or an unexpected person.  If we're looking. Image bearers of God are everywhere! Romans 1:20 reminds us that he can be seen in the world he has made. Like Mary, it's good to be seeking Jesus today. #easter #eastersunday #heknowsyourname #hopeiscomingforyou #dearlyloved #belikemary

Jesus said to her,  "why are you crying? Who is it that you're seeking?" Supposing he was the gardener,  she replied,  "Sir, if you've carried him away, tell me where you've put him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her,  "Mary." John 20:15-16 CSB Jesus has been through Gethsemane, the betrayals and rejections, the trials, the bearings and abuse, the crucifixion, the separation, he's absorbed the sins of the whole world, defeated death, and been raised to life...and the first person who sees him mistakes him for the gardner. And Jesus doesn't care. His heart is for the person in front of him.  He doesn't correct her, remind her what this is all about, tell the whole story...he just gently speaks her name. (What an example to follow) And that is the love and care that Jesus has for us. For me. For you. No matter what else is going on in your world today, Jesus is right there, happy to be mistaken for the hired help, gently sp...

Jesus said to her,  "why are you crying? Who is it that you're seeking?" Supposing he was the gardener,  she replied,  "Sir, if you've carried him away, tell me where you've put him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her,  "Mary." John 20:15-16 CSB When Jesus asks a question it's not usually because he wants information. "Why are you crying?" I was at a memorial service yesterday and tears came at one point. If Jesus asked "why are you crying?" I would know why. What about you? When is the last time you cried? Jesus question gently acknowledges our tears. He's interested in our loss. He's here, with Mary, in her tears, not rushing, and says in his actions it's OK to cry. Who or what's been lost hurts.  I'm here for you in this. It's OK not to be OK, and I'm here. "Who are you looking for?" Tell me about the person you've lost. Who is it? I can hear your story, your hurt. A...

Jesus said to her,  "why are you crying? Who is it that you're seeking?" Supposing he was the gardener,  she replied,  "Sir, if you've carried him away, tell me where you've put him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her,  "Mary." John 20:15-16 CSB Resurrection. Jesus is back! Back with such power and authority that...he's mistaken for someone who looks after the cemetery.  Who digs graves.  Who fills them in. Who tends to the dead. Maybe Mary just wasn't seeing too well through her tears.  Notice who's not here in this picture: Almost everyone.  No disciples, no soldiers, no Jewish leaders, no Roman authority, just one person, with tears in her eyes, looking for Jesus. And after going through the trials, the abuse, death by crucifixion, and having the sin of the world infused in him, and now brought back from death by the God's power, having literally just saved the world, we still have the gentle, loving, personal, cari...

The next day, which followed the preparation day, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, "Sir, we remember that while this deceiver was still alive he said,  'After three days I will rise again.' So give orders that the tomb be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come, steal him, and tell the people,  'He has been raised from the dead', and the last deception will be worse than the first. Take guards,  Pilate told them. Go and make it as secure as you know how. They went and secured the tomb by setting a seal on the stone and placing the guards. Matthew 27:62-66 CSB We know what some of the people in Jesus world were up to after his crucifixion.  Making sure that this really was the end of Jesus, that he would be heard of no more.  I wonder what Peter was doing? What Mary was doing? What Barrabas was doing? Even though it all seemed over, that hope, that love for Jesus may have been kept alive only in the h...

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Genesis 1:2 CSB It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three, because the sun's light failed.  The curtain of the sanctuary was split down the middle.  And Jesus called out with a loud voice,  "Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit." Saying this,  he breathed his last. Luke 23:44-46 CSB Darkness. Before light existed. Darkness. When light was extinguished, sucked out of the day. Darkness. When The Light was extinguished. Interesting that Jesus didn't give in to the darkness, didn't give in to death or evil, but gave up his spirit, his life, to his Father.  Remember Abraham and Isaac, and God provided the lamb...this time there was no (other) lamb.  Jesus was it.  In the darkness. Alone  And the only reason he was there was for us. You and me. Us together, and e...

Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15 CSB Which one of these is harder for you? Stepping towards someone who is hurting and sitting with them in that place, without having to fix it, that can seem hard to do. Loss and grief are part of this life, and weeping with those who weep is redemptive and good. Rejoicing, being happy for someone seems easy, until you're rejoicing over a friend's baby and you're struggling to conceive or had a miscarriage. Celebrating business success with someone when you're broke. Rejoicing in someone's "A", when a "C" feels a long way off for you. Being genuinely happy for others success, rejoicing with them regardless of where I'm at, for me is a heart attitude that still needs work.  I have to own those thoughts or feelings of jealousy or "what about me?", name them for what they are, pray, & go to my truth coach (usually 1 Cor 13:4-7) & see what love would do. And...