verseoftheday

So if you consider me your partner,  welcome him as you would welcome me.  Philemon 1:17 NLT Philemon literally held the power of life or death over Onesimus. As a runaway slave, in that culture, Philemon could do whatever he wanted with Onesimus. Onesimus has zero power, and is possibly even the one who has given this letter to Philemon. But Paul knows Onesimus.  And Paul associates himself with the poor, the powerless, the vulnerable Onesimus.  And he uses the power of his relationship with Philemon to ask Philemon to take off his cultural glasses, to stop seeing Onesimus as his culture, his life until now had seen him, and to see Onesimus as Paul does: Equal. Worthy. Loved. Makes me wonder where my cultural glasses have not made other people clearer, but have distorted my vision. And it makes me wonder at Jesus who is advocating for us, who associates with us, who sees us, says we're worthy, and loved. Paul puts everything he has on the table for Onesimus. Jesus p...

When the grass goes away,  new growth appears, and the plants of the hills are gathered,  then the lambs will provide your clothes, and the goats will be the price of your fields. There will be enough goat's milk for your food, for the food of your house, and to nourish your young women. Proverbs 27:25-27 CEB This is a picture of a flourishing system, where everything works, where there is enough to meet everyone's needs, a picture of shalom, peace & prosperity, a picture of how the world should be.  How we want it to be. But our world is marred by all kinds of things, greed which hoards resources & takes without waiting or depletes others. Our world is marred by injustice. Our world is marred by loss and death itself.  So this proverb becomes then a picture of the hope that we hold. It was written centuries before Jesus yet we can sense it pointing to a redeemed world, a world where greed is gone, justice has rolled down and overwhelmed injustice, and where ...

Treat him not as a slave, but as more than your slave - treat him as a much-loved spiritual brother.  If he is loved by me in this way, he should be loved all the more by you, both as a human being and as one who belongs to our Honored Chief. Philemon 1:16 FNVNT  Onesimus has moved to being associated with, connected to, both the Apostle Paul, and the Honored Chief, to our God. In the eyes of the law, in the view of the culture, Onesimus is still Philemons slave.  But while he has been with Paul something in the spiritual, in his fundamental identity, has shifted. Something that cannot be taken away by the law, the culture in which we live, or even by death itself. Onesimus is now a child of God. Whatever shame he held for being a slave is now held in two other relationships, with Paul, and with God Himself.  Onesimus has been elevated.  Elevated to brother with Paul, to child of God. And that changes everything, forever. We've been elevated too, as followers of...

That is why I am boldly asking a favor of you. I could demand it in the name of Christ because it is the right thing for you to do. But because of our love, I prefer simply to ask you.  Consider this as a request from me - Paul, an old man and now also a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus. Philemon 1:8-9 NLT Paul could have leaned in his authority, but he prefered the strength if their relationship.  Paul could have demanded, required, but he preferred to ask. Paul could have exercised power, but preferred love.  I'm wondering how I approach others over difficult things, especially where I might have some power or authority... I don't know what motivated Paul to write his thoughts this way, but they can be useful for us to consider how we go about meeting people and expressing what we need. Authority v relationship  Demand v ask Power v love  #philemon #itsaheartthing  #somethingtochewon 

The Lord takes pleasure in all he has made! The earth trembles at his glance;  the mountains smoke at his touch. I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.  I will praise my God to my last breath! May all my thoughts be pleasing to him,  for I rejoice in the Lord. Let all sinners vanish from the face of the earth;  let the wicked disappear forever.  Let all that I am praise the Lord.  Praise the Lord! Psalm 104:31-35 NLT This song tries to grasp the world both as it is, and how it should be, how the song writer imagines it to be, fully restored and functioning how God intended.  It's a song that ends with both God and the songwriter seeing good in the world.  How easy is it for me to miss the good, the creative genius of God's design, the harmony, peace, shalom, of God's world, the work of peoples hands to construct a good place to live and work, the beauty of kindness, the joy in the small, the everyday... Let's not miss the good today. And prais...

You clothed the earth with floods of water, water that covered even the mountains. At your command, the water fled;  at the sound of your thunder, it hurried away. Mountains rose and valleys sank to the levels you decreed. ... You cause grass to grow for the livestock and plants for people to use. You allow them to produce food from the earth - wine to make them glad,  olive oil to soothe their skin,  and bread to give them strength. ... Then people go off to their work,  where they labor until evening.  O Lord,  what a variety of things you have made!  In wisdom you have made them all.  The earth is full of your creatures. Psalms 104:6,7,8,14,15,23,24 NLT This song sweeps through Creation, covers some specific parts of God's creation, declares it all to be good, and includes where people interact with God's creation and do something with it, make wine, olive oil, bread.  It even celebrates work. This song celebrates the story that we're part...

Sunday Psalms; Let all that I am praise the Lord.  O Lord my God,  how great you are!  You are robed with honor and majesty. You are dressed in a robe of light.  You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens; you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds.  You make the clouds your chariot;  you ride upon the wings of the wind. Psalms 104:1-3 NLT This song starts with the same opening line as 103, so it's likely another song of David's. And this is a sweeping epic of who God is and the creation story. It's an invitation to look up. To look up from our day-to-day, to look up from the things in front of us, and even just for a few minutes, let the bigness of who our God is in. We're invited in to create our own pictures of who God is, perhaps putting down the images that others have painted for us, that church or a parent or some other person has generated. This psalm is here to engage our imagination.  To let God in. To see Him in His creat...

The Holy Spirit is the down payment on our inheritance, which is applied toward our redemption as God's own people, resulting in the honor of God's glory.    Ephesians 1:14 CEB But wait there's more! There's a Bigger Story going on here of which we get a part of now, a deposit, a down payment, but there's more to come! And our redemption story is all part of it, part of our God being glorified, made bigger.  In a world that can seem so incomplete, with lives that seem unredeemable, problems that seem unsolvable, hurts that seem unhealble, there is a Bigger Story being written, and we're part of it.  As we lean into God's Spirit, and allow Him to lean into us, hope becomes a little more tangible. As we reconnect with God's creation, with one another, with the deeper parts of ourselves, we connect more and more to this Bigger Story, and know that we are held, and that we are Beloved.  #depositpaid #hopeishere #youareBeloved #restintheBiggerStory

Friday! Proverbs! Take care to know the condition of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds. For wealth doesn't last forever, neither does a crown through all generations. Proverbs 27:23-24 CJB This seems like the "go to" verse for accountants and business advisors! This seems really practical, realistic, makes us think about our work, savings, business, assets, what we might be hoping to pass on to the next generation.  All good things.  And.  If Proverbs is about the heart, is there a deeper story here too? What if the "condition of your flocks" invites us to think about the condition of our hearts? What is it that God would have us pay attention to that we're passing on to others? What are the important values that can be lost? "Lord, what is it that you want me to check the condition of, to pay attention to in my life? What are the important things that could be lost if I don't stand up for them, who could be lost if I don't stand with...

Yes,  praise the Lord,  you armies of angels who serve him and do his will! Praise the Lord, everything he has created,  everything in all his kingdom. Let all that I am  praise the Lord. Psalm 103:21-22 NLT The word "praise" is "barak", to kneel, to bless. It's a verb. It's something we do, it's not an idea but an action, or practice. And in David's mind it is something that the angels do, that creation does, and that he wants to have emanate from the very core of who he is, his "nephesh", his soul, his personhood, his emotional centre, what we might call the heart.  This praising, blessing, kneeling towards God, is not something we do alone but we do with the angels and with all of creation.  Not sure what the angels are doing, but the created world is going about its everyday stuff as I hear the birds chirping in the early morning. Their praise is in the ordinary, in being who they are. Maybe that's the invitation at the end of this ...

He doesn't deal with us according to our sin or repay us according to our wrongdoing, because as high as heaven is above the earth,  that's how large God's faithful love is for those who honor him. As far as east is from west - that's how far God has removed our sin from us. Like a parent feels compassion for their children - that's how the LORD feels compassion for those who honor him.   Psalm 103:10-13 CEB Do you start to get the picture of just how big and wide and deep our God's love is? Maybe your parents were great and this picture of the compassion of a parent helps, but for many it doesn't. If you need to imagine the best parent possible, maybe that helps.  Maybe you can readily accept that God loves like this, but it can't apply  to me. David's song is an invitation to let the truth of who God is in just a little further, that His love for us is His choosing.  He has already chosen. And we are His Beloved. And as foreign as that might feel, ...

The Lord is compassionate and merciful,  slow to get angry  and filled with unfailing love. ... For he knows how weak we are;  he remembers we are only dust. Psalms 103:8,14 NLT This song is packed full of wonderful imagery as David tries to grasp who our God is, and who we are. We don't need reminding that in the grand scheme of the universe we are weak, small, limited...but David does remind us that our God has not forgotten that. He knows us.  When writing these songs David didn't know about Jesus, yet he was pointing towards him, our God who entered in to life as we know it, weak, small, limited.  He knows what it is to be human. What we may need reminding of today is that our God is: -compassionate  -merciful -slow to anger -full of unfailing love Are these the attributes of God that come to mind readily? That's why they feature in this song so we will remember, especially when we're tempted to believe that our God is not these things, David invites us...

He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle's! The Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly. Psalms 103:3-6 NLT This song is David in full flight considering the way God has been at work in his life.  He's feeling good, strengthened, and all is well with the world.  And when we hear David's song, perhaps there's parts of it you can sing with David today, and parts you can't.  Perhaps justice seems unattainable, or your strength is waning, that disease is not healed, maybe your sins seem too big to be forgiven. At the same time as David seems to be writing about his own experience, we're getting a glimpse of how the world will be when Jesus returns a second time, when the Kingdom he ushered in is fully present, fully functioning, and we will know what forgiveness completely is, we will experi...

Sunday Psalms: Let all that I am praise the Lord;  with my whole heart,  I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord;  may I never forget the good things he does for me. Psalms 103:1-2 NLT This song starts with a repeat of "Let all that I am praise the Lord". Some days this is where we are at, happy to praise Him, ready to "let all that I am" speak praise to our God, sing praise, live out my life in a way that honours and praises.  And then there's other days when I need this as a reminder: "Let all that I am praise the Lord" because there's so much pushing in on me right now, world events, my nation's problems, my work, business, housing, money, health, relationships, fears of the future, the haunting of the past, and I need a reminder to simply let all that I am praise the Lord.  To let my focus be on Him.  Just for a moment.  A minute. A few minutes. Maybe going to church could be part of that too.  Collectively letting al...

As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside privately and told them what was going to happen to him.  "Listen," he said,  "we're going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law.  They will sentence him to die. Then they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked,  flogged with a whip,  and crucified.  But on the third day he will be raised from the dead." Matthew 20:17-20 NLT Jesus wanted his team, those closest to him, to know what was going to happen next.  It seems he wanted them to be prepared.  To be able to hold the hope of what's at the end as they go through the watching him be betrayed, sentenced, mocked, abused, and killed.  I wonder if Jesus needed to tell them, to let those he knew best what was ahead because he needed them with him. Jesus wanted community in the most difficult of times. It's no wonder that we do too.  We're in...

Friday! Proverbs! You cannot separate fools from their foolishness, even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle. Proverbs 27:22 NLT A fool in Proverbs is someone who mocks wisdom, who rejects direction & instruction.  There is hope in the work of grinding grain that you can get to the good and useful parts.  With a fool, someone entrenched in their own wisdom, the person who wants to stay there, it seems impossible to get to the good, to "fix" a fool, to make them "see the light" or the folly of the path that they're taking. It's a reality check on the human heart.  But if Proverbs is a heart thing, and rather than a weapon to use on others it's a view into what might be in me, then what are the ways that I am so entrenched in that are foolish? Where do I mock wisdom? Where do I reject direction & instruction? Where are the places that my heart needs to be softened towards our God who loves? What do I know is true about being bel...

"For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard..." Matthew 20:1 NLT This story that Jesus tells is in response to the disciples questions from Ch18:1 about who's going to be the greatest in the Kingdom, and 19:25 about who can be saved, and 19:27 where Peter says "we've given up everything to follow you (Jesus), what will we get?" They were still seeing Jesus in some kind of transactional way. We do all this work for this New Kingdom you keep talking about, what do we get in return? Jesus tells a story in reply of what the Kingdom of Heaven is like (most of Ch19), a story that seems to be designed to stir the disciples up, to look at Jesus and others thru a different lens, to experience what feels like the unfairness of Grace.  Welcome to the Kingdom where Grace rules, where Love wins, where the hierarchies, transactions and ideas of power in the culture, of who is important, are tipped on the...

Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God's people.  Philemon 1:7 NLT We're learning things all the time from this short letter. We're learning about Paul, that he notices people, that he remembers what they're like, what their strengths are, and is specific in his encouragement.  We can be like Paul too. Notice people. See strengths in others. Be specific in our encouragement. And we've learned something about Philemon too. He's a kind person.  He loves people with actions. We can be like Philemon too. Even when others aren't kind, we can choose to be, and when we love others it brings joy. Paul experiences joy because of the love and actions of Philemon, and he remembers that, it's still important, even though he is in prison.  Maybe our lesson is to love others as well as we can, and let the joy bubble up when and where it's needed most... #Philemon #lovepeople #joy #bekind #no...

And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ.  Philemon 1:6 NLT Paul is literally in jail.  He's in a Roman prison, and yet his prayer and his hope is that the good things "we" have in Jesus will be a catslyst for Philemon and the house church he's writing to. We. Us. Together. We. It's our shared experiences, our combined faith, the unity that comes from "us", multi generational, multi ethnic, multi experiences, our journey's and our lives matter in the "us".  None of us don't matter, are less than, less worthy, less important. We all bring something. And that shared faith is the springboard for generous action. That's what Paul wants his readers to experience, and invites us into, a shared faith that prompts generous action - together. We.  All of us. #Philemon  #sharedfaithequalsgenerousaction #dontgoitalone #inthist...

I always thank my God when I pray for you, Philemon, because I keep hearing about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God's people.  Philemon 1:4-5 NLT Philemon's testimony is given by others. His reputation is faith in Jesus and love for others. I wonder if we tend to see the externals (she's a great teacher, he's a wonderful worship leader) and miss character, heart, the whole person?  Whatever it is that Philemon does, others see faith in Jesus and love for others, and that's what Paul recognises as important. It's a heart thing. Our culture, our world wants us to focus on performance, rewards performance, yet, even as we look at the Olympics and marvel at human performance, it's the moments when we see people's hearts, what makes them tick, the emotions, hear what's important to them, that is what sticks and makes the games special. Paul's sharing of what he knows of Philemon's heart and motivation is an invitation to go...

Sunday Psalms This Psalm, this song is written for those who feel overwhelmed, who may not have the words to describe how it is, and need to hear it in the Bible... This is written by a person who knows distress and deep, long lasting sadness: Psalm 102 NLT "Lord, hear my prayer! Listen to my plea! Don't. turn away from me in my time of distress. Bend down to listen,  and answer me quickly when I call to you. For my days disappear like smoke,  and my bones burn like red-hot coals. My heart is sick, withered like grass,  and I have lost my appetite. Because of my groaning,  I am reduced to skin and bones. I am like an owl in the desert,  like a little owl in a far-off wilderness. I lie awake,  lonely as a solitary bird on the roof. I eat ashes for food.  My tears run down into my drink ... My life passes as swiftly as the evening shadows. I am withering away like grass." ... Maybe something resonates - "yes that's me", and if not you, it will describe s...

Jesus replied,  "I assure you that when the world is made new and the Son of Man sits upon his glorious throne, you who have been my followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life. But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then." Matthew 19:28-30 NLT Jesus students had really been wrestling with what the benefits were going to be from following Jesus, how the future, this new Kingdom was going to work out, and what was in it for them.  They were just being human. I don't know what these 12 thrones are all about, or what 100 times more really means, but it's clear that the world will be made new, there will be justice, the systems and power and the way people are v...

Friday! Proverbs! The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,  so a person is tested by being praised. Proverbs 27:21 NRSV Since when is being praised a test? Gold is heated in a furnace, for the purpose of removing impurities,  and heated to turn it into liquid so it can be shaped into something else (like a gold coin or ring). The crucible is where silver is melted so it can be reshaped. And this proverb compares that process to being praised.  So how does praise heat things up for us? How does the praise of others re-shape us? Is that a good thing? We praise people for performance (ever been to a concert, or just watch the Olympics). If Proverbs is about the heart, what is the purifying work, the heating and reshaping that goes on in my heart from praise?  (This is the only time this Hebrew word appears in the Bible btw). If I'm only ever praised for my performance then that can become how I see "me", my identity. And if my performance ever slips, the...

From Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus,  and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our dear friend and colaborer,  to Apphia our sister,  to Archippus our fellow soldier,  and to the church that meets in your house. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!  Philemon 1-3 NET All the old hierarchies and religious structures have gone. Paul, Tim, Philemon, Apphia, Archippus, a house church. Women and men in leadership, a church community that meets in a house, "we're all in this together" feel to Paul & Tim's letter.  I've been going to the same church for 50 years, but it doesn't look or operate the same way. Every once in a while it can be helpful to ask if our structures, churches, ways of doing things have got a bit stuck, are there hierarchies or power structures that just need dismantling and putting aside. And it's the same in us as in the church. Where am I relying on a tradition and missing Jesus? What are my biases about ...

From Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus,  and Timothy our brother... Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!  Philemon 1-3 NET Grace and peace to you. Do you need to hear that today? Grace and peace to you.  What ever is in front of you today, the pressures, challenges, opportunities, Grace and Peace to you.  Over your emotions,  & thoughts, Grace and Peace to you. Over the myriad of decisions we have to make today, the choices and priorities, Grace and Peace to you.  Paul and Timothy are not proclaiming this blessing from their own strength, their own hearts, but invoking, calling on the heart of our God, the person of Jesus, to be Grace and Peace in the lives of their readers.  May the same Spirit bring you Grace and Peace today, remind us of our identity (we are Beloved), remind us of our status (children of God), remind us that in our humanness, we are enough, accepted, known, and dearly loved.  Grace and Peace ...

From Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus,  and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our dear friend and colaborer,  to Apphia our sister,  to Archippus our fellow soldier,  and to the church that meets in your house. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!  Philemon 1-3 NET Paul & Timothy are writing together, to Philemon, Apphia, Archippus, and their house church. What a beautiful, wrapping-everyone-in, start to this letter. Paul isn't leaning on his authority or qualifications, but connecting himself to Jesus.  It's on his connection to Jesus that he takes as his identity marker, the "who I am".  Identity seems complicated as we have so many things that are components, some even seem to compete. There's whakapapa, qualifications, experiences, work, interests, achievements, relationship to others (parent, child, sister, uncle, cousin, friend, enemy, etc). There's who we're connected to, who we're associated with (especially...

Jesus looked at them intently and said, "Humanly speaking,  it is impossible.  But with God  everything is possible." Matthew 19:26 NLT Jesus's students (the disciples) had just heard the interaction with the man who kept all the rules and still felt incomplete.  They'd just heard Jesus talk about camels and needles, and their question was; "Then who in the world can be saved?" They were starting to understand that its not their actions that make them right with God, it's His. They're starting to understand that they're loved because they're people.  They're starting to understand the mission Jesus is on that turns so much of what they knew upside down.  The Kingdom is not reliant on them doing enough, doing more, being perfect, meeting requirements or expectations, but on God making himself small enough, stepping towards us, holding out his hand for us to grasp. It's about the King giving Himself.  He is doing the Impossible. And Jes...

I will sing of your love and justice,  Lord.  I will praise you with songs. I will be careful to live a blameless life... I will lead a life of integrity in my own home. I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar. I hate all who deal crookedly;  I will have nothing to do with them. I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors.  I will not endure conceit and pride. I will search for faithful people to be my companions. Psalms 101:1,2,3,5,6 NLT I can't imagine this song being sung in church as we experience it, but maybe the practices of our faith together need to be stretched a bit...I can imagine us repeating this together and together examining and sharing what it means in our world to sing of God's love, and God's justice. What does living a life of integrity in my own home look like? What are the "I will" statements that we want to live by? And what are the "I will not" statements where we need to place our boundaries? The Psalmist he...

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God"s grace that you have been saved!)  Ephesians 2:4-5 NLT There's so many layers to this part of Paul's letter, maybe it's the layer of Grace that you need today, that it is God stepping towards us, His love-in-action for us that makes the path to wholeness and connection possible. Maybe it's the mystery of how all this works that you want to sit with today. Maybe it's the enormity of God's love for us that you need to let sink in. Or maybe today you just need to hear "But God...". But God can speak into your circumstances today. But God can minister to the hurting parts today. But God had already made a way. But God will. But God is. Maybe there's something in my life today that needs to hear "But God..."  Let Him into that place, let his compassion and love sp...

Friday! Proverbs! A trustworthy person will receive many blessings,  but one rushing to get rich will not go unpunished. Proverbs 27:20 CJB This proverb seems to go along Ok until we get to the last word. How does the idea of blessing vs punishment work? The Hebrew word here is "naqah" which according to Bible Hub means "to be empty, or clean". This word is used about cities being plundered or cleaned out, about being free from guilt or punishment. It seems to mean that choosing to live a life chasing after wealth as a priority has an impact on relationships (they are not as trustworthy - their focus and priority is not on people) and it has consequences that are not mirrored by the person who prioritises being trustworthy. We can put some modern context around this (like how does this play out at work), but Proverbs is about the heart, about what's happening in me.  When I'm trustworthy, there's blessings that flow.  When I'm rushing to achieve some...

Then Jesus said to his disciples,  "I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. I'll say it again - it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!" Matthew 19:23-24 NLT The rich person who had come to Jesus, it seems knowing who he was, was doing all the right things to get eternal life, knew that there was something else missing. He was incomplete. Because something else had captured his heart - for him it was wealth.  And Jesus repeats this teaching he must've told his disciples before about camels and needles and just how difficult, impossible it is, for us, people, humans, to give up all the things that capture our hearts.  We're all rich.  None of us can squeeze thru the eye of the needle.  Cos if we could, we would be able to redeem ourselves, save ourselves, be holy ourselves. I think this story is about teaching the disciples (& us) about Grace...