verseoftheday

Sunday Psalms; Pe Your laws are wonderful. No wonder I obey them!The teaching of your word gives light, so even the simple can understand. I pant with expectation, longing for your commands. Come and show me your mercy, as you do for all who love your name. Guide my steps by your word, so I will not be overcome by evil. Ransom me from the oppression of evil people; then I can obey your commandments. Look upon me with love; teach me your decrees. Rivers of tears gush from my eyes because people disobey your instructions.  Psalms 119:129-136 NLT While there seems to my ears some "over the top" language in this part of the Psalm, some things seem to jump out, maybe it that's because it's what I need to hear today... Your word gives light - so even the simple can get it - in our modern world we can tend to make things so complicated - maybe that's what I need reminding of, inviting into, the simple truths of God's story, His love, His desire to redeem and reconnec...

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants.  And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. Galatians 5:16-18 NLT Here Paul gives his manifesto for living in freedom, to get in tune with the Holy Spirit and to let Him not just be our guide (which is like an external thing) but to change our desires! To change what we want. Are we prepared, am I prepared, to give up that kind of control to God? "Jesus, allow the Holy Spirit reign in my life to shape and change my heart, my desires, to line up with You today, help me to let the Spirit win that internal battle, let me give Him more and more contro...

Friday! Proverbs! Wisdom will save you from evil people, from those whose words are twisted.  These men turn from the right way to walk down dark paths. Proverbs 2:12-13 NLT We sometimes hear this story that hurt people hurt people, and I know that people's lives and motivations are complex, but Proverbs cuts through this where someone's words have power over us in some way, they are choosing their path. At some point in their journey they've chosen that wrong is right, that what is not OK is OK for them, and they've stayed on that path. With intention. And Wisdom helps us see that.  We often need the Wisdom of community to help us see that. We need one another to help keep the vulnerable safe. We need God's heart revealed in His Word and by His Spirit to guide us, to help us see. And we too get to choose the path that we stay on, and it's OK to ask for help to shift if that is what we need to do. Proverbs says that Wisdom is available to us. We get to choose to...

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature.  Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.  Galatians 5:13-15 NLT Paul quotes Leviticus 19:18 to his readers "love your neighbor as yourself" - my guess is providing that connection with the law that was so important to the readers of this letter. He continues the invitation into freedom in faith in Jesus by adding to the freedom to serve one another in love, with the freedom to love my neighbor without biting, devouring  or destroying them. A workmate brought her 15mth old Rottweiler dog into work this week. There was no barking, growling, biting or devouring, just open inquistive exploring and meeting us all where we were at. Paul is...

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature.  Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.  Galatians 5:13 NLT Instead. Freedom in Jesus is not some "get out of jail free" card or some removal of consequences to our choices, but the freedom to become the people we were made to be. To serve one another in love. What does "serve one another in love" mean? Mmm. It seems to be intentionally vague, bit it is about community, one another, thinking about, considering, wanting the best, the good for others. An otherness mindset that holds everything in love. I know i can't do that without tapping into the source, the awa, the water of life. This "serving one another in love" is going to look different for everyone depending on our capacity, capability, it's not a thing or something we do, but a way of being in the world. Tapping into the source of love and ser...

This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough! I am trusting the Lord to keep you from believing false teachings. God will judge that person, whoever he is, who has been confusing you. Galatians 5:9-10 NLT When we hold on to something that is not the Gospel, when we make that small thing The Thing, then it impacts on all parts of us. That's the warning. And then Paul does something interesting - he doesn't go after the person who is giving this false teaching, he has spent time in this letter restating what's true and simply invites his readers and hearers to stick with that, to let God's spirit keep the community on track together. When we focus on what is True, what is false loses its power. When we focus on what is True, the lies we've believed lose their power.  Paul's letter is about the freedom we have in Jesus, when we accept His gift of Grace and express that faith in Love. Let's stick with that. #letters #G...

You were running the race so well.  Who has held you back from following the truth? It certainly isn't God, for he is the one who called you to freedom.  Galatians 5:7-8 NLT Ever been running, walking, moving in a direction and someone holds you back? Grabs your shirt. Gets in the way. Sends you in the wrong direction, down the wrong path, slows you down... In a race that's just illegal, against the rules, there'd be a disqualification. But in this life there's a lot of freedom, and Paul is warning that there are people who will exercise their freedom against you. To hold you back, steer you away from God's Truth, from Freedom. In our world these are often "the shoulds". The shoulds come from outside, social media, peers, friends, pastors, parents, family...and inside voices...and mostly the shoulds are good things, and sometimes they're conspiring to steal our shalom, hold us back from the freedom we have in Jesus. To express faith in Love. Love for G...

Sunday Psalms; Ayin Don't leave me to the mercy of my enemies, for I have done what is just and right. Please guarantee a blessing for me. Don't let the arrogant oppress me! My eyes strain to see your rescue, to see the truth of your promise fulfilled. I am your servant; deal with me in unfailing love, and teach me your decrees. ... Truly, I love your commands more than gold, even the finest gold. ... Psalms 119:121-128 NLT At the heart of this part of Ps119, nestled between the psalmists cries for help and putting his trust in God, is this: "My eyes strain to see your rescue, to see the truth of your promise fulfilled." In the midst of his troubles he is holding on to faith, and gives this very human response too, "I can't see You at work in this". Does that resonate? Health, finance, relationships, loss, tragedy, pressure, change, the world pushing in, and I'm holding on to faith, holding to the truth that our God is Good, but "I can't see...

Wisdom will rescue you from the evil path, from people who twist their words.   Proverbs 2:12 CEB If there's a group of people that Jesus stood against it was those who deceived others, who twisted God's words for their own benefit, to maintain power.  Jesus came to redeem the world, and we personalise that which is OK, but he stood against the power structures that led to injustice, the systems that oppress & marginalise. The law repeated the need to care for the alien, the stranger, the poor, the widows, Jesus said he quoted Isaiah in Luke 4 that he had come to bring healing and freedom for the oppressed, Jesus brother James wrote that true religion is caring for orphans and widows (those without, in need). We can see Jesus in this proverb, He is the Wisdom that acts and rescues from those in power, and Jesus invites us to join Him in that work in our world too. This joining in always starts small, the kindness of giving someone our attention, choosing connection, s...

Friday! Proverbs! Wisdom will rescue you from the evil path, from people who twist their words.   Proverbs 2:12 CEB  This word translated "twist their words" is "tahpukah" which includes a meaning of deceit, if breaking covenant. This opens the door to a deeper level, the spiritual nature of relationships between people. There's more to each of us than mind and emotions and body, we are spiritual beings.  And we need Wisdom. As this Proverb reminds us, that there are those who would lead us on paths away from God, those who twist and use words and ideas to take us away from the freedom, love and shalom that exists in relationship with our God. Wisdom will rescue us.  That's quite an idea! Something to chew on this Friday morning! "May we allow Wisdom in, to show us those who might be leading us away from you, those who twist and deceive, rescue us from our own ability to deceive ourselves, keep us close to Your love, walking in Your path for us, finding...

So Christ has truly set us free.  Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law. ... But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us. For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love. Galatians 5:1, 5-6 NLT Paul's letter is trying to not just set the Christians in Galatia straight, but to set them free! They were being held down by some particular cultural practices. Makes me wonder what mine are...good things that become The Thing, like going to church every Sunday... When a Good Thing becomes The Thing, we've lost the freedom we have in Jesus. And then Paul wraps it all up with this: "What is important is faith expressing itself in love." Faith expressing itself in love. How am I going to do that today at home, at work, studying, holidaying, recreating, what...

Galatians 4:12-15 NLT You did not mistreat me when I first preached to you. Surely you remember that I was sick when I first brought you the Good News. But even though my condition tempted you to reject me, you did not despise me or turn me away.  No, you took me in and cared for me as though I were an angel from God or even Christ Jesus himself.  Where is that joyful and grateful spirit you felt then?  I am sure you would have taken out your own eyes and given them to me if it had been possible.  Galatians 4:12-15 NLT While Paul is a bit over the top with the eyes thing, something significant has shifted in his relationship with these people. Paul's response is not to hide from it or ignore it, but to restate the truth he has been teaching (that hasn't changed), and to name the problem: "Something has changed here and I don't think it's me. You were full of care for me and full of joy and something has changed" His letter already stated that he understands wh...

Galatians 4:8-12 NLT Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist. So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world? Galatians 4:8-12 NLT What gods do we end up being slaves to? What our culture tells us,  the "shoulds" that come from our upbringing, our peers, the place we live and the messages that we consume, the voice in our head, "success", and then there's our coping mechanisms, the things we turn to, our small or big addictions, all promising something. But now that we know God, or as Paul puts it "should I say now that God knows you", we're invited to challenge all that inner noise and all those external voices, and allow the freedom we have in Jesus to give us room to be ourselves, to breathe, to rest, to find ourselves again. In Jesus we don't swap one kind...

Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had. They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set. And that's the way it was with us before Christ came.  We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world. But when the right time came,  God sent his Son,  born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out,  "Abba, Father." Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child.  And since you are his child,  God has made you his heir.  Galatians 4:1-7 NLT This part appears to be written to Paul's Jewish readers cos th...

Sunday Psalms: S. Samek. Sustain me according to your word so I can live! Don't let me be put to shame because of hope.   Psalms 119:116 CEB This word for "live" is "chayah" which has this meaning if being alive, revived, restoring life.  What is it that drains us of life? Shame.  These psalms and songs aren't written to an individual, but to a community, and it's in the context of relationships with others that shame appears, and it's in community that we are restored and healed. Revived. Restored. In this verse God's word is "imrah", what is said. What does God say about you and to you? He says that you're made for relationship. Made in His image. Made to create and flourish in the place God has made. Made to be known and loved by Him David says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. What God says speaks Life and sustains, revives, removes shame. And He calls us to be his hands and feet in this world, to speak life, to sustain and...

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,  so that everyone who believes in him won't perish but will have eternal life. God didn't send his Son into the world to judge the world,  but that the world might be saved through him.   John 3:16-17 CEB Our God's Big Story is not one of judgment, it's Love. Love that enters in. Love that steps towards. Love that makes Itself small. Love that wraps us all in. Love that saves. The Big Story is enough to hold all our Stories, to hold our hopes and dreams and sorrows and losses. God's Big Story accepts us, says we are Enough, wanted, loved. When we get lost in the language of judgement whether it's the words of others or our own internal talk, the "shoulds", the "I should do/give/serve/attend, & do that more/better" that isn't what Jesus is saying.  He stooped down, joined us, not to judge, but to Love.  We are His Beloved. Rest in the Big Story today. #weareBeloved  #rest #shalom #sabba...

Friday! Proverbs! Discretion will guard you;  understanding will protect you.   Proverbs 2:11 CEB Some interesting words here: "mzimmah" is discretion, plans, purpose.  Ever thought of these things as protection? Up to now Proverbs has been telling us about the importance of Wisdom, so maybe these things, discretion, plans, purpose, are to protect us from un-wisdom. "tabuwn" is understanding, intelligence, insight, skill. Applying these things to not only our situations, but our inner world too, our thoughts and emotions, they can protect us from some of the unhealthy thinking that we have about ourselves. (Or is it just me with some stubborn inner critic?  This proverb invites me to plan for it- do these thoughts come when I'm tired? It invites me  be purposeful, knowing the Truth, reminding myself of what is True (which isn't always my thoughts) Where abouts in our lives could the purposeful and intentional application if Wisdom make a difference? What wo...

Galatians 3:29 CEB Now if you belong to Christ, then indeed you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:29 CEB So now the promises God made, the covenant, has been expanded and we're all included. By faith in Jesus we all now whakapapa to Abraham.  Paul couldn't be clearer to his readers that the distinctions that they were being taught to maintain between Jews whose bloodlines traced back to Abraham, and "Gentiles" who didn't, those distinctions are swept away. We're all included in God's promises. We're all heirs now.  All included. There's a release from the burden of the law.  There's letting go of things that are no longer needed to make them right with God. As we sit with those ideas today, what is it that our God might be inviting you to let go of today?  Something that's a barrier to wholeness with Him? What could He be inviting us to release today? #letters #Galatians  #faithinJesus #fullyalivenes...

Galatians 3:26-29 CEB You are all Gods children through faith in Christ Jesus. All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek;  there is neither slave nor free;  nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Now if you belong to Christ, then indeed you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:26-29 CEB Paul sweeps away all the differences between those who might read or hear this letter read to them. Paul dismantles the social and religious barriers that people everywhere and in every time put up.  What about us? "Them" & "us" is so easy right?  People who look like me, think a bit like me, agrees with me, does Church how I like it...and Paul reminds me that there is no "them". There's only us.  Only us. #letters  #Galatians  #faithinJesus #fullyaliveness #weareBeloved  #thereisonlyus

You are all God's children through faith in Christ Jesus. All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  Galatians 3:26-27 CEB It would seem that in the church Paul was writing to there was a lot of energy going into judging if someone was a what we would call a Christian - God's children. It's not ethnicity or religion or what rules we've kept or haven't kept, but faith in Jesus. That's it. Have you put your faith in Jesus? Then we're clothed with Jesus, He is our uniform, our marker, our protection, our comfort. It's faith in Jesus that gets us clothed & covered. I have this inclination to add things to Faith in Jesus, an "and" or "but" or a "then you must", but Paul is asking me here to resist that. Faith in Jesus. This not only leads to a radical acceptance of others, but the really radical acceptance of ourselves, in all our humanness and limitations and frailties. Faith in Jesus is e...

Psalms 119:105-112 CEB N. Nun Your word is a lamp before my feet and a light for my journey. I have sworn,  and I fully mean it:  I will keep your righteous rules. I have been suffering so much - LORD, make me live again according to your promise. Please,  LORD,  accept my spontaneous gifts of praise.  Teach me your rules Though my life is constantly in danger,  I won't forget your Instruction. Though the wicked have set a trap for me,  I won't stray from your precepts. Your laws are my possession forever because they are my heart's joy. I have decided to keep your statutes forever, every last one.    Psalms 119:105-112 CEB This is the whole segment of Ps 119 (remember there's 22 segments, each one representing a letter of the Hebrew alphabet). The thing that jumped out was the intentionality: Even though - I will. Even though - I will. The psalmist "even though" will be different to ours, the invitation is the same: To choose to stay in the ...

Sunday Psalms; Psalms 119:105-107 CEB N Nun Your word is a lamp before my feet and a light for my journey. I have sworn, and I fully mean it:  I will keep your righteous rules. I have been suffering so much - LORD, make me live again according to your promise.   Psalms 119:105-112 CEB This beautiful idea of the lamp & light is actually written in the context of suffering, of affliction, of being stuck, down, depressed.  When we're in darkness is when we need light.  When everything seems black we need a lamp, to get a glimpse of the next step. It's there that we need the reminder that there still is light, that it exists.  The word "anah" carries this meaning of afflict, oppress, depress, and to respond. And the reposnse is what the psalmist is doing here: coming back to what is True. When it feels like we're stuck in the dark, the world is against us, we need something solid, a path, and light to get us there.  Here's 2 of mine: Ephesians 1:4-14 G...

Galatians 3:26 CEB You are all God's children through faith in Christ Jesus.  Galatians 3:26 CEB The Galatian Church had false teaching creeping in & Paul was standing against it. He was reminding the Galatians that it's not bloodline that makes you right with God, and it's not some strict adherence to the law either, but it's faith in Jesus. No matter what our story includes the work Jesus did for us is enough. No matter what our bloodline, where we were born, brought up, whether we even know who our parents are or not, no matter who we are, it's faith in Jesus that makes us right with God. Does that seem too easy? And yet there were people who literally walked around with Jesus, saw the miracles, who didn't put their faith in Him. It can be difficult to give up my faith that if I just do enough, am "good" enough, give up my faith in me and place it in Jesus.  In our churches there is quite an emphasis on "making a step of faith" or that...

Friday! Proverbs! For the Lord gives wisdom;  from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk blamelessly, guarding the paths of justice and preserving the way of his faithful ones. Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart,  and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; Proverbs 2:6-10 NRSV This is the middle of a long piece of writing about Wisdom, still seems to be part of the introduction to the Proverbs themselves. This passage reinforces the source of Wisdom, and repeats what Wisdom can do in the life of a community or a person. The heart of God is revealed not in that Wisdom will become something pleasant for us, but in what we will understand: Righteousness  Justice Equity Good paths. These ideas are bigger than me, bigger than my life, but speak to "us", God's heart for People, for us to live in community, together...

Galatians 3:24-25 NLT Let me put it another way.  The law was our guardian until Christ came;  it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. Galatians 3:24-25 NLT The law was our guardian. The CEB version uses the word custodian. In the Greek Paul uses "paidagogos" which means guardian, tutor, instructor, someone in charge of a young person's morals and life choices. This is not a word about power, command, demand, but includes care, nuture, wanting the best for someone, and now the law has been absorbed into faith in Jesus. Now it's faith in Jesus that cares, nurtures, wants the best for us.  Faith in Jesus is our guardian, our custodian, our tutor, instructor.  Somehow, God is in us. Faith in Jesus is our foundation on which Life grows and flourishes, the foundation on which we can grow into that fully aliveness that we were created for...that you were created ...

Galatians 3:21-22 NLT If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it. But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God's promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.  Galatians 3:21-22 NLT Paul continues to repeat his themes in different ways. The law is not wrong, not broken, but we aren't perfect, we're human, and trying to obey the law as the way to make us right with God doesn't get us to the fully aliveness that believing in Jesus does.  It doesn't get us to freedom. The opposite of freedom is captivity, oppression, constriction, holding down, holding back. Freedom that comes from faith in Jesus, that he is who he said he is, that it's his redemptive work that makes us right with God leads us to freedom. To shalom. To peace. To flourishing. Because nothing can separate us from God's love, not our ability or inability, not our achievements or failures. We're Beloved. Jesus actio...

Galatians 3:11-12 NLT So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law.  For the Scriptures say,  "It is through faith that a righteous person has life." This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, "It is through obeying the law that a person has life." Galatians 3:11-12 NLT Why is this important for us today? Surely we're not like the Galatians thinking life comes from completing the requirements of the law? There are parts of us that do though right? We judge others and we definitely judge ourselves. My inner critic seems to enjoy telling me I'm not doing enough, not doing what "they" are doing, and as a result I'm not good enough, not enough. And the answer is do more, be better. Paul says life, "zao", to be fully alive comes not from the law, but from faith.  This fully aliveness comes from knowing we are Beloved, accepted, wanted, in all our humanness, and that comes from fa...

But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say,  "Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God's Book of the Law." So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law.  For the Scriptures say,  "It is through faith that a righteous person has life." Galatians 3:10-11 NLT This appears to be the root of the problem that Paul is trying to address with the Galatian Church. They're being taught some kind of hybrid gospel that continues to emphasise the law, the rules, keeping all the rules all the time, perfectly, is the way to be right with God. We can't. None of us can. Why is this such a problem in the church in Galatia?  For the same reason it's a problem for us, it's what Tim Keller called our "self salvation project". We are tempted in different ways in our own cultural setting to believe we can do it oursel...

Psalms 119:97-104 NLT Mem. Oh, how I love your instructions!  I think about them all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are my constant guide.  Yes, I have more insight than my teachers, for I am always thinking of your laws.  I am even wiser than my elders, for I have kept your commandments. I have refused to walk on any evil path, so that I may remain obedient to your word. I haven't turned away from your regulations, for you have taught me well. How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey. Your commandments give me understanding; no wonder I hate every false way of life.  Mem. This part of the psalm reads like everything is a wee bit exaggerated...does he really think of God's law all day? Is he really wiser than his enemies and his elders and have more insight than his teachers? This reads like a teenagers overexcitement! Overexcited in a good direction tho! Maybe its an NZ culture thing but maybe we're a bit underex...

Galatians 3:8-9 NLT What's more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would make the Gentiles right in his sight because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said,  "All nations will be blessed through you."  So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith. Galatians 3:8-9 NLT Right from the beginning our God always included everyone. Paul is writing to people who believed they were special because they could whakapapa to Abraham. And Paul is saying no, take another look, God's heart snd intent was way bigger than bloodlines.  There is no "better than" in God's economy, there is no "them", there's only us. There's only us. #letters #Galatians  #faithlines #freedominJesus  #thereisonlyus

Friday! Proverbs! My child,  listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom,  and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver;  seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. Proverbs 2:1-5 NLT Tune your ears. Concentrate. Cry out. Ask. Search. Seek. Wisdom and insight, understanding God, these things take more than turning up at church and listening to a sermon, more than glancing at a Bible verse on our way through breakfast. This is couched in the language of invitation, of a good parent encouraging their child onto a path where they know is thriving and flourishing. A path that may not seem as attractive as other options in the short term, but the path that every good parent would want for their child: Insight. Understanding. We're invited to tune our ears...it's like going into the bush and ...

Galatians 3:5-7 NLT I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law?  Of course not!  It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ. "In the same way, Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith." The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God. Galatians 3:5-7 NLT Paul quotes Genesis 15 to his audience because the old way is gone, the children of Abraham are no longer contained in bloodlines but in Faith lines.  Our inheritance is from a Faithline to God. It's no longer about the family you were born into, the laws you've followed, what you've done, it's about faith in Jesus and what He has done. We get to rest in the Faithline. Interesting to sit with this on Waitangi Day and think about nations and peoples and the history of the place we are in, the stories that bind us together, and the Big Story that contains us all, and welcomes...

Galatians 3:1-3 NLT Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you?  For the meaning of Jesus Christ's death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. Let me ask you this one question:  Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses?  Of course not!  You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?  Galatians 3:1-3 NLT This seems to be the heart of Paul's concern for the Galatians, they put their faith in Jesus, and then went back to putting their faith in their ability to obey the rules. To be good enough in their own actions. The Gospel, the Good News of Jesus says that we're beloved.  Let's start there. Our faith in Jesus makes us right with God. How we then live is in response to those 2 gifts of Love & Grace. We are Belove...

Galatians 2:20 NLT My old self has been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.  So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God,  who loved me  and gave himself for me.  Galatians 2:20 NLT Paul has just explained about how just keeping all the rules, just thinking that was what God wanted, did not lead to Life. Trusting in the rules, in his own ability to keep them, has been abandoned for trusting in Jesus, trusting in His Love that leads to Life, that trusting in our God who Loves Us changes everything and we get to discover, little by little, the way that we have lived to please others, to meet our culture or society expectations, even our church's expectations, does not always lead to Life. Paul acknowledges too our embodiedness. That we are an embodied soul, that our physicalness is an intrinsic part of who we are (no less important than our mind, or spirit). What is the freedom in Jesus that this letter migh...

Sunday Psalms; Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live... Psalms 119:77 NLT When the world seems empty; Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live... When all seems lost; Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live... When it seems I'm at the end of my resources; Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live... When I can't see a way; Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live... When it makes no sense; Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live... When things are good; Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live... When there is plenty; Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live... When I am loved; Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live... Whatever is behind me; Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live... Whatever today holds; Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live... Whatever is in front of me...surround me with your tender mercies so I may live... #sunday #worship #psalms #psalm11...

Galatians 2:15-16 NLT "You and I are Jews by birth, not 'sinners' like the Gentiles. Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law.  And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law.  For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law." Galatians 2:15-16 NLT Paul is telling the readers of his letter who are hearing from false teachers just what he told Peter when he was off track too: Our religious heritage won't make us right with God. Obeying all the rules won't make us right with God. These things are attractive and can seem attainable.  It's faith in Jesus that makes us right with God. Not which church we go to, how often we go, how we were baptised, what we give, how we serve, whether we've made good choices or terrible ones, it's faith in Jesus that makes us right with God. Faith in Je...

Friday! Proverbs! "You ignored my advice and rejected the correction I offered.  So I will laugh when you are in trouble!  I will mock you when disaster overtakes you - when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster engulfs you like a cyclone, and anguish and distress overwhelm you. When they cry for help, I will not answer.  Though they anxiously search for me, they will not find me. For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the Lord. They rejected my advice and paid no attention when I corrected them. Therefore, they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way, choking on their own schemes. For simpletons turn away from me - to death.  Fools are destroyed by their own complacency. But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm." Proverbs 1:25-33 NLT Yikes! Pays to remember that "wisdom" is not God, not a force or a person, but in this piece of writing "wisdom" is given the characteristics of a person. To make ...

When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised.  But afterward,  when some friends of James came,  Peter wouldn't eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter's hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. Galatians 2:12-13 NLT Controversy  Conflict Arguments  Hypocrisy People being led astray There's lots going on here inc choosing to talk direclty to people about their behaviour that is impacting others in their faith. However I'm interested in the "why" Why did Peter change the way he was? Because he was afraid.  Fear of what others would say to him, think about him, fear that others would judge him in some way, see him as "less than", associated with a different social & ethnic group. Fear.  Fear of people who he knew held strong views.  Ever done just what P...

In fact, James, Peter, and John, who were known as pillars of the church, recognized the gift God had given me, and they accepted Barnabas and me as their co-workers. They encouraged us to keep preaching to the Gentiles, while they continued their work with the Jews. Their only suggestion was that we keep on helping the poor, which I have always been eager to do.  Galatians 2:9-10 NLT Paul gives some more of his CV, adds some more credibility to his position in this letter to the churches. And then there's this little add on from James, Peter & John to Paul to keep on helping the poor. From the very beginning this has been at the heart of the activity that Christians were doing, calling each other to, encouraging one another in. The word Paul uses here is "mnemoneuo" which means to remember, to call to mind, to be mindful. In all the preaching and teaching and good things that might be going on, James, Peter & John are reminding Paul it's easy to forget the he...

Galatians 2:7-8 NLT Instead, they saw that God had given me the responsibility of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as he had given Peter the responsibility of preaching to the Jews. For the same God who worked through Peter as the apostle to the Jews also worked through me as the apostle to the Gentiles. Galatians 2:7-8 NLT Paul has been giving his readers a lot of background about his life and journey, preaching the good news of Jesus to non-Jewish communities, and this little summary is how church leaders in Jerusalem saw him. What's the lesson for us here? Perhaps it's this; Paul stayed in his lane - preaching to the Gentiles - he was good with that, knew that was God's call on him, and stuck with it.  It's so easy to be pulled into ministry or activity or away from what God might have for us by our ego, by some desire of our own - stay in the lane God has put you in. (That doesn't mean we shouldn't serve in areas that don't come easily for us o...

But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles.  Galatians 1:15-16 NLT Chosen. Not because of what he had done, acheived or what he could do as an adult. Chosen when in his Mum's womb, chosen before he took a step, chosen before he took a breath, chosen before he had breath. It was later, much later in his life that God revealed his particular calling. Chosen before he was born. God's grace is big enough for all of us, for each of us, for you. There's days when we feel unchosen, unknown, unloved, unloveable, unworthy, unenough.  We can rest, just as Paul did, knowing that we are known, are chosen, are loved, and that makes us enough, worthy (even if we don't believe it). God's Marvelous Grace is Enough. Rest in that. #Galatians  #letters #chosen #rest

Sunday Psalms: Yodh You made me;  you created me.  Now give me the sense to follow your commands. May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy,  for I have put my hope in your word. Psalms 119:73-74 NLT This is just the first part of this stanza of Ps119, but it's this idea that the Psalmists plea to God is that others would find in him a cause for joy that stopped me. What do you think of that idea that we can be a cause or source of joy for others? This is not something I've ever asked of God. I wonder if I'm prepared to do that? Is there someone in your world who is a cause for joy in you? Why is that? Would it be helpful to them if they knew that? "May someone else find in me a cause for joy today. Amen." #dangerousprayers #psalms #psalm119

Galatians 1:10 CSB For am I now trying to persuade people, or God?  Or am I striving to please people?  If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.  Galatians 1:10 CSB Paul has just stated his reason for writing this letter, that people are teaching a different gospel, false teachers, that people are turning to this, and makes clear how strongly he feels about those who teach these false doctrines. It's  in that context that he writes about not being a people pleaser. The gospel of Grace, the gospel of Freedom in Jesus that Paul stands for is way more important to him than trying to keep people happy with him. Maybe a reminder that this Gospel of Grace and Freedom is ours too, when we feel obligated to prioritise the happiness or feelings of others we get to stand on the Good News that we are held firm by Grace.  Nothing gets to separate us from God's love.  Nothing. #letters #Galatians  #Grace #Freedom 

Friday! Proverbs! Wisdom shouts in the streets. She cries out in the public square. She calls to the crowds along the main street, to those gathered in front of the city gate: "How long,  you simpletons,  will you insist on being simpleminded?  How long will you mockers relish your mocking?  How long will you fools hate knowledge? Come and listen to my counsel. I'll share my heart with you and make you wise. I called you so often, but you wouldn't come.  I reached out to you, but you paid no attention." Proverbs 1:20-24 NLT The writer creates this picture of Wisdom being a person who has tried everything to get our attention. Everything. And now we have this caricature of a desperate person crying out in public, able to be ignored as fringe or talking nonsense. Yet Wisdom has tried everything to get our attention, to pull us away from staying in our simple-minded pursuits.  Our distractions. What would Wisdom be crying out to you and me today? What would wi...

Galatians 1:6-7 CSB I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel - not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.  Galatians 1:6-7 CSB It didn't take long for some false teaching to find its way into the church. And it didn't take long for those early Christians to start following that teaching either. And this without YouTube or Instagram or any of the other ways that we get information today. What this letter reminds us of is our tendency to listen to what we want to hear, what seems easier or more attractive, that we are so easily swayed... Paul's clue here is that Jesus is at the centre. Whenever we move Jesus from the centre of the Good News, the Gospel, then we are right in Paul's firing line. Paul reminds us here that it is a gospel of grace.  Maybe that's the reminder we need today that it's by Gra...

Galatians 1:3-5 CSB Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father. To him be the glory forever and ever.  Amen.  Galatians 1:3-5 CSB Paul's blessing of Grace and Peace is more than a nice thing to say, it's firmly rooted in what Jesus did. Jesus rescue mission for us is at the heart of Paul's letter, and is the foundation on which Grace and Peace sit. In this world that is at times so full of anti-peace, that seems to want anything but peace for us, that seems to hold so much anti-grace, we need a foundation that is bigger than us, big enough to hold all that this world throws at us. Jesus rescue mission is that Big Enough Story. Jesus rescue mission for the world is how we can get to experience Grace and Peace, and how we get to share it.  Because of Jesus Rescue Mission I have experienced Grace and do have Peace (somedays it really i...

May God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.  Galatians 1:3 NLT This might read as some kind of standard greeting in a letter, but imagine how different our conversations might be if we greeted one another with this: "May God the Father  and our Lord Jesus Christ  give you grace  and peace." It slows things down, anchors us in who our God is, centres us on Jesus, and creates a space of safety, acceptance, belonging, and love. Maybe we should try it. I wonder what would shift if we didn't say it out loud, but "spoke" it inside, in our spirit, our wairua...maybe we should try that with the people we meet today: "May God the Father  and our Lord Jesus Christ  give you grace  and peace." Maybe it's what you need to hear today, let Paul's greeting from him and his people to the churches in Galatia sink in today... "May God the Father  and our Lord Jesus Christ  give you grace  and peace." May we know the Grace and...

This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead. All the brothers and sisters here join me in sending this letter to the churches of Galatia. Galatians 1:1-2 NLT Paul sets the scene for this letter by giving his readers some of the story of his authority in writing to them (& a little theology for them too). But Paul also shows us that he is no "Lone Ranger", he's got community, and his people are with him in this letter. For many of us our culture is quite individualistic, an important cultural feature. For others, the collective, whaanau, are more important. Wherever we sit with that Paul shares his individual authority, but also it's source in the Bigger Story of who God is and His action in the world, and how embedded he is in community with others. The Big Story. My story. Community. They're all important components of...

Sunday Psalms: Teth You have done many good things for me, Lord, just as you promised. I believe in your commands;  now teach me good judgment and knowledge. I used to wander off until you disciplined me; but now I closely follow your word. ... Psalms 119:65-72 NLT This part of Psalms 119 seems to follow the pattern of acknowledging God first, then stating the problem: The writer "wanders off", drifts, makes poor choices, gets distracted from God's heart and intent. Knowing God's word is good, but we need something else, some deeper understanding that will call us back when we have wandered off, that will hold us close when we're inclined to wander off. 'Father in heaven,  Give us your heart for this world, for others, for ourselves, so that when we're inclined to wander off, we will know that we are held by Unfailing Love. Amen' #Psalms  #psalms119 #weareBeloved 

Jesus came and told his disciples,  "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.  And be sure of this:  I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20 NLT This is the last words of Matthew's gospel, the last words he gives us of what Jesus said, a final reminder that Jesus is who he said he is, that he is sending his people, his team, to represent him to the world, and the final promise that he is With them (Matthew nor Jesus tell us how that works but it's written here). Perhaps one of those reminders is what you and I need today: Jesus is who he said he is.  Confidence.  He has something for us to do.  Purpose.  He is with us. Comfort. He chooses to be with us because we are the object of His Love. Beloved. #wordsofJesus #red...

Friday! Proverbs! My child,  if sinners entice you, turn your back on them! They may say,  "Come and join us. Let's hide and kill someone! Just for fun, let's ambush the innocent! Let's swallow them alive, like the grave; let's swallow them whole, like those who go down to the pit of death. Think of the great things we'll get!  We'll fill our houses with all the stuff we take. Come, throw in your lot with us; well all share the loot." My child, don't go along with them!  Stay far away from their paths. They rush to commit evil deeds. They hurry to commit murder. If a bird sees a trap being set, it knows to stay away. But these people set an ambush for themselves; they are trying to get themselves killed. Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money; it robs them of life.  Proverbs 1:10-19 NLT Seem familiar? Sometimes it is others who are calling us, and sometimes it's our own desires, and sometimes it's the promises that "the world...

Then Jesus said to them,  "Don't be afraid!  Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee,  and they will see me there."  Matthew 28:10 NLT After Jesus cry of abandonment and despair from the cross, these are the next words of Jesus that Matthew records for us: "Don't be afraid" Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. The women Jesus was talking to had experienced their world tipped over. They too had experienced abandonment, loss, despair. And here is Jesus with strength, comfort, hope and love; Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid, there actually is more. Don't be afraid death has been defeated. Don't be afraid, out of despair and hopelessness new life can be found, not when, or what you expected it to be. Don't be afraid, and I have something for you to do... #wordsofJesus #redletterBible #weareBeloved  #dontbeafraid #hopeishere  #thereismore 

Matthew 27:46 NLT At about three o'clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice,  "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" which means  "My God, my God,  why have you abandoned me?" Matthew 27:46 NLT While the circumstances around Jesus saying this are unique and extraordinary, and the significance of Jesus expressing this has layers of mystery to them, there's a humanness here that here that we can relate to: We feel that God has abandoned us. It feels like what we have lost sight of God, that what seemed like solid ground is dissolving, and we feel lost. Abandoned. In this moment Jesus couldn't seem any further away from being the Messiah, Saviour, Lord. He is dying, being crucified, immobile, and expresses his heart in this way: "My God, my God,  why have you abandoned me?" Jesus question doesn't give an answer, but it does give us permission to ask the same question if we need to.  When we feel powerless, that the world is against us, that God is sil...

Matthew 27:11 NLT Now Jesus was standing before Pilate, the Roman governor. "Are you the king of the Jews?" the governor asked him.  Jesus replied,  "You have said it." Matthew 27:11 NLT If there is one thing that remains firm when the world seems shaky, one thing we can hold onto when it feels like we cannot stand, when the things we face require courage that we do not have, it is that Jesus is who he said he is. And he faced what was unfaceable, stood when no one else could, for one reason: Love. Our God so loved the world. So loved. Love. And we are the objects of God's love. Some days it may not feel like it, we may not even want to be. We might be full of sorrow, despair, loss. We might be full of joy, hope, wonder, or we might be holding some mixed up combination of all the things at the same time, and in that, the truest of true things remains: Jesus is who he said he is. He entered the story because Love compelled him. We are Beloved. Hold on. #wordsofJe...

1 Timothy 5:1-2 NLT Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father.  Talk to younger men as you would to your own brothers. Treat older women as you would your mother, and treat younger women with all purity as you would your own sisters. 1 Timothy 5:1-2 NLT Why would Paul think he needed to write this to Timothy? Isn't this just common courtesy, manners, how people should see one another and care for one another? Since this letter is to help Timothy stand against false teachers in the church then that false teaching must've been infiltrating every part of people's lives...a bit like the influence of social media and the ideas that seem to so easily gain traction, or the insidious way that viewing pornography changes the way we see people. Whatever was going on in Timothy's world, Paul needed to set or reset this baseline. I'm wondering where my baseline needs to be reset? Is there language, thoughts, ideas, that ...

Sunday Psalms; Heth. Lord, you are mine!  I promise to obey your words! With all my heart I want your blessings.  Be merciful as you promised.  I pondered the direction of my life, and I turned to follow your laws. ...  Evil people try to drag me into sin, but I am firmly anchored to your instructions. ... O Lord, your unfailing love fills the earth;  teach me your decrees.  Psalms 119: 59-64 NLT  This part of Ps119 starts with a thing I've said to God plenty of times too "I promise to obey your words, I want your blessings". And then there's some self reflection: "I pondered the direction of my life, and I turned to follow your laws". I want God's blessing,  yet when I sit back and think about my choices, I can see I need to change some of the things I'm choosing. Then there's the choices of others, those who would try to "drag me into sin". That might be friends, colleagues, family members, social media influencers, the music, shows I...

Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. Give your complete attention to these matters.  Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress. Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching.  Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you. 1 Timothy 4:14-16 NLT Remember this letter is from Paul to Timothy as he helps the churches in Ephesus to deal with false teachers. So what can we take from this bundle if ideas that Paul is giving Tim? - Use your gifting. - Keep focussed. - Don't hesitate to crack into the work. - Keep self reflecting. - Stick close to what is True, for your own sake and for others. What resonates with you today? If Paul was writing to us, to me, I wonder what he would write? And perhaps that's another way of looking at this letter, is there someone in your life who needs a "P...

Friday! Proverbs! My child, listen when your father corrects you. Don't neglect your mother's instruction. What you learn from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your neck. Proverbs 1:8-9 NLT I've heard the first part of this proverb used as a weapon to get children to do what the parent wants.  But nothing in the first 7 verses, the introduction, does it indicate this is a parenting manual. This is about gaining wisdom, discernment, insight, so that we might live a life of justice & fairness, a life in line with God's heart. The presumption here is that there were gems of goodness and truth found in the people who raised us. That might be our biological family, adopted, fostered, or those adults who showed the care and love for us that we needed. Dig out the gems of goodness from them and hold on to those. For some that will be easy, for some it might take some determined excavation, but in all of us is the echo of God's voice, the im...

Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you.  1 Timothy 4:14 NLT Elsewhere in his letters Paul talks about everyone getting some kind of spiritual gift, not so much for themselves, or ourselves, but for others, for building up and encouraging others.  The "how" of this seems a bit unique for Timothy, but the intriguing part today is the "do not neglect" part.  I'm sure Timothy won't have forgotten the day this happened, but juat like all of us, Timothy may have  been distracted from sharing this gift, or diverted into other things, or discouraged by someone's comments or opinions. Finding that place where our heart sings in communion with God, where we are blessed and being a blessing, where we are exercising what God has given us, sharing what He has blessed us with, working out our vocation, stepping out in faith in some way, maybe even just trusting Him enoug...

Suddenly, Jesus' words flashed through Peter's mind:  "Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me. And he went away, weeping bitterly." Matthew 26:75 NLT  I appreciate that Peter's story is recorded here for us. It speaks to the genuineness of the gospels (if I was Peter I would've made Matthew delete this part of the story). But I really appreciate it because Peter realised he had done exactly what he said he wouldn't, that he'd become the person he didn't want to become, and Jesus' words came up for him, something in Peter's spirit reminded him of Jesus words. Why do I appreciate it? Because there's been times when I have realised I've done what I said I wouldn't, that I've become the person I didn't want to be. This story of Peter's is a very human story, whether it's in something big or small one we can, have, or will, relate to.  We can let Jesus be our conscience, our reminder...

Matthew 26:62-64 NLT Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus,  "Well, aren't you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?" But Jesus remained silent.  Then the high priest said to him,  "I demand in the name of the living God - tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God." Jesus replied,  "You have said it.  And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at Gods right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven." Matthew 26:62-64 NLT Sometimes its OK to say nothing. Jesus then entered the conversation, but from his own angle, bringing his own emphasis. When faced by the powerful Jesus didn't take their bait and try and battle them. He was confident in himself and the path that he was on. Does any of that resonate with you today? And then there's the story itself, Jesus declaring again that there's more, there's something bigger going on here. The powerful who were demandi...

1 Timothy 4:11-13 NLT Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them. Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young.  Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. Until I get there,  focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them. 1 Timothy 4:11-13 NLT Sometimes we make the way of faith seem so complicated, and here Paul is laying out for Timothy how to go about being a pastor, leading a church, walking with people... 1. Stay close to the Bible. Teach from it. 2. Your teaching should be encouraging. 3. Live it out. Your life, your day-to-day is an example of what you teach.  Faith Love Purity.  As Paul invites Timothy into this way of being in his community, so this letter is inviting us into a way of being in 2025. Perhaps it's investing time in God's word. Perhaps it's being encouraging. Perhaps it's living out our day-to-day ordinary ...

Sunday Psalms; Psalms 119:49-50, 59, 61, 64 NLT Zayin Remember your promise to me;  it is my only hope. Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles. ... I pondered the direction of my life,  and I turned to follow your laws. ... Evil people try to drag me into sin, but I am firmly anchored to your instructions. ... O Lord,  your unfailing love fills the earth;  teach me your decrees.  Psalms 119:49-50, 59, 61, 64 NLT There's a decent chunk of self reflection going on here, how God's word speaks to the psalmist, the writer considers the direction their life is on and knows that there are choices, that the choices of others have an impact on your life, that there are anchors that we can hold to in the storms, and that he is loved, and the way forward is the way of love. The new year is often a time of self reflection and maybe there's some useful ways of doing that here... the psalmists self reflection pulls us up into the Bigger Story, the story th...

Ephesians 5:1-2 NLT Imitate God,  therefore,  in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ.  He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Ephesians 5:1-2 NLT As a new year kicks in some people like to hold a word for the year, some commit to making changes (resolutions), some go to a favourite verse or Bible passage that has been meaningful, some to writers and thinkers to inspire or encourage us e.g. this one from Rainer Maria Rilke; "And now we welcome the new year.  Full of things that have never been." If nothing has leapt out at you in the first few days of 2025, then perhaps these words from Paul will be helpful: Imitate God in everything you do. And why? Because we are His dear children. We are Beloved. We Belong. We are Accepted. We are Enough. What does imitating God look like in 2025? Love. Loving others.  Loving others because we are Loved, Acc...

Friday! Proverbs! The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;  fools despise wisdom and discipline.  Proverbs 1:7 CSB  "Fear" is the word "yir'ah" which covers the whole range of meaning from terror to reverential awe depending on the context. It's a foundational relational idea that holds the sovereignty and authority of God and is seen as guiding and protective. So a big word.  A word that invites us to see who God is first. When we start to consider Him, who is outside time, space, our reality, who made our place, designed us in all our intricacy, and who declares that He Is Love, and that we are Beloved, so loved that Jesus entered the story to make a way of restoration of relationship with Him, as we sit with these things we start to get an idea of what "yir'ah" is...the beginning, the start point, the only place we can really begin to "get" our God and get to know Him, Yahweh. #proverbs  #wisdom  #somethingtochewon #begi...

Ephesians 4:24-25, 28-29, 31-32 NLT Put on your new nature, created to be like God - truly righteous and holy. So stop... If you are a _____, quit ____.  Instead.... Don't____   Let everything... Get rid of all ____ Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted... Ephesians 4:24-25, 28-29, 31-32 NLT If Paul cared about New Year's Resolutions he may well have referred us to this part of his letter to the people in the church in Ephesus. Here he invites them into new life with Jesus. Invites them to put off the Old Life, and like a new jacket, put on New Life. He then gives some examples of doing that by choosing to stop some activity or way of being, an Old Life practice, and replace it with a New Life practice.  These New Life practices are not an end in themselves, but are initmitely connected to following Jesus. In our culture at this time of year there's an invitation to change something. Paul's wisdom is not to stop or start something new, but to replace. To put ...

Matthew 26:55-56 NLT Then Jesus said to the crowd,  "Am I some dangerous revolutionary, that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me?  Why didn't you arrest me in the Temple?  I was there teaching every day. But this is all happening to fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures." At that point, all the disciples deserted him and fled.  Matthew 26:55-56 NLT Jesus is very clear, he's not a danger to anyone. There'll be no overthrowing of the Romans, no "new year, new you", no new resolutions, but a continuing to step into his calling, his vocation, his reason for being. And his team, his friends, his closest people, left. Fear, realisation that Jesus had really meant all he had said, the power of the culture, of the Empire might have seemed too big, too frightening. But Jesus continued in his path.  As 2025 starts maybe it holds something new. Perhaps it holds a continuation of your calling, vocation, commitment. Commitment to a p...