verseoftheday

I am on the verge of collapse,  facing constant pain. But I confess my sins;  I am deeply sorry for what I have done.  I have many aggressive enemies;  they hate me without reason.  They repay me evil for good and oppose me for pursuing good.  Do not abandon me,  O Lord.  Do not stand at a distance,  my God.  Come quickly to help me,  O Lord my savior. Psalms 38:17-22 NLT All of our emotions can be found in the Psalms - perhaps you've felt like David does here, maybe that's how it is today - this Psalm gives permission to feel what you feel  - that's OK. David's writing also gives us some clues about the way forward: He acknowledges what's going on in him by writing it down - try that if you haven't. He looks inwards to his own heart, looks outward to the choices and actions of others, and looks up - continues to look to our God in his distress. Perhaps we can follow David's pattern here. What do you think? #psalms #songs #rede...

Sunday Psalms; Psalms 38:6-11 NLT I am bent over and racked with pain.  All day long I walk around filled with grief. A raging fever burns within me,  and my health is broken.  I am exhausted and completely crushed.  My groans come from an anguished heart.  You know what I long for,  Lord;  you hear my every sigh.  My heart beats wildly, my strength fails,  and I am going blind.  My loved ones and friends stay away, fearing my disease. Even my own family stands at a distance. Psalms 38:6-11 NLT I'm not sure if David is experiencing all of these things at the same time or if he is writing his song to express a time in his life, to get God's attention, but he does have something to say. And he says it. Writes it.  Gets it out of his head.  Pain. Grief. Fever. Exhaustion. Anxiety. Body breaking down. Rejection. It's all here. And it's not directed away from God but towards Him, letting Him know what's going on. The invitation of t...

A fool finds pleasure in wicked schemes,  but a person of understanding delights in wisdom. Proverbs 10:23 NIV Can we see Jesus in this Proverb? He is the opposite of the first part, the anti-fool who took no part in the schemes of others, and yet submitted himself to those schemes for us.  Jesus is the "person of understanding," and when I think of him in this light, he was often going back to the Father, spending time in prayer, spending time alone. Being that "person of wisdom" isn't a one off thing or something that someone attains and stops - it's not a destination but a living journey. #proverbs  #wisdom  #somethingtochewon #itsaheartthing  #takethenextstep 

Friday! Proverbs! A fool finds pleasure in wicked schemes,  but a person of understanding delights in wisdom. Proverbs 10:23 NIV Easy to see this Proverb at work in the world - any day's media headlines show us the first part out loud - a bit harder to find the second part - the "person of understanding". But if Proverbs is really offering insight into my heart, I wonder where I take pleasure in, or think something is good or fun that is hurtful or harmful to someone? And where, when, (or even if) am I taking delight in "wisdom"? Biblehub defines wisdom as used here , the word "chokmah" as  "While fundamentally moral and spiritual, it embraces practical insight, technical skill, administrative aptitude, and relational discernment. Appearing about 149 times in the Old Testament, it undergirds Israel's worship, ethics, statecraft, and artistry" This is a broad term for embracing "life", taking delight in life, art, work, as well a...

Romans 12:6-8 NLT In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.  So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.  If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well.  If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging.  If it is giving, give generously.  If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously.  And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. Romans 12:6-8 NLT These lists of "gifts" have often been taught as prescriptive- "here's the list, where do you fit, you must have one of these, finding your 'gift' is important", but when reading this as a letter it comes across more as an invitation to use what you're good at, what you're skilled at, what you enjoy, to bless and encourage others. Perhaps this is what  "living sacrifices" looks like... The emphasis seems to be l...

Romans 12:1-8 NLT (Sometimes it's good to read it like a letter...) And so,  dear brothers and sisters,  I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you.  Let them be a living and holy sacrifice - the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.  Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don't think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.   Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ's body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.  In his grace, God has given us different gifts f...

Romans 12:1-2 CEB So,  brothers and sisters, because of God's mercies, I encourage you to present your bodies a living sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to God.  This is your appropriate priestly service. Don't be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God's will is - what is good and pleasing and mature.   Romans 12:1-2 CEB Paul invites us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind! Our thinking. Our judgement. What we need is the 5 steps to do that - where are they? Well I think they're found in the "So" that this little summary starts with. "So" takes us back over the letter so far, about new life being found in Jesus, about freedom from the old patterns, naming them and stepping towards God's patterns for us.  There are no easy formula or one-size-fits-all solutions because this is about a living relationship with a living God, and these are active things,...

Psalms 37:28, 37, 39 CEB [28] The LORD loves justice. He will never leave his faithful all alone. They are guarded forever... ... [37] Observe those who have integrity and watch those whose heart is right because the future belongs to persons of peace.  ... [39] The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;  he is their refuge in times of trouble.   Psalms 37:28, 37, 39 CEB This psalm of David's is full of the future of the "wicked". And through the psalm is the invitation to stay the course with our God. The realities of David's enemies and the wicked in the world are there, and there is continuing trust in our God and returning again to Him, to following His call to His people to walk in integrity and peace, and to stay faithful to God's Big Story... He Loves Justice. He will make things right. Not sure how, but I trust Him with that, trust Him with the Big Story, trusting that "He is my refuge even in times of trouble" and I will continue to see...

Sunday Psalms; Don't get upset over evildoers;  dont be jealous of those who do wrong, because they will fade fast,  like grass;  they will wither like green vegetables.  Trust the LORD  and do good;  live in the land,  and farm faithfulness.  Enjoy the LORD,  and he will give what your heart asks.  Commit your way to the LORD!  Trust him!  He will act and will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,  your justice like high noon.  Be still before the LORD, and wait for him. Psalms 37:1-7 CEB Welcome to the upsidedown Kingdom! David's song is pointing to something deep, a story that says the thing you farm, trusting in God, the things you grow, doing good in the land, something about these things will last.  David invites us to sit or stand or lie in our bed before our God. To wait. Before Him. To Trust Him. And as we do that, something shifts. Trusting our God, waiting before Him, might take practice, repeti...

The LORD's blessing makes a person rich, and no trouble is added to it. Proverbs 10:22 CEB When we look for Jesus reflected in this Proverb we see Him stepping away from the place of blessing, leaving heaven, leaving the Father, leaving richness, and moving towards Trouble. He did this so that this Proverb could be real for us. Love steps out of the place of blessing for the Beloved.  Love makes a way.  Becomes the way. What a story we are in... #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon #itsaheartthing #weareBeloved 

Friday! Proverbs! [22] The LORD's blessing makes a person rich, and no trouble is added to it. Proverbs 10:22 CEB The word here translated "trouble" is an interesting one: "'Esteb" which as these words seem to do carry a range of meanings - an earthen vessel, an idol, painful toil, grief, wearisome work. The riches of the world seem to have some or all of these things attached - but not the riches that come from our God's blessing. The riches that flow from His blessing are unencumbered. If Proverbs is a mirror looking in, I can see the temptation in my own heart for the riches of this world, and how easy it can be to miss the blessings from God. What about you? Perhaps today this Proverb is inviting us to consider what really matters... #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon #itsaheartthing 

Romans 12:1-2 CEB So,  brothers and sisters, because of God's mercies, I encourage you to present your bodies a living sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to God.  This is your appropriate priestly service. Don't be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God's will is - what is good and pleasing and mature.   Romans 12:1-2 CEB As priests then, what is Paul asking us to look for around us? The patterns of the world. It literally means to this "age" - the ideas that drive our culture - be aware of them, because Kingdom values, of which we are now Priests, may well be different. He's not calling the church in Rome to step out of the world, but to notice it, allowing Kingdom values to transform. Here's an example if you have 5 mins - a lady in Prague who set up an Embassy of the Kingdom of heaven - if being a "Priest" is too loaded a term, maybe Ambassador sits better....

Romans 12:1-2 CEB So,  brothers and sisters, because of God's mercies, I encourage you to present your bodies a living sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to God.  This is your appropriate priestly service. Don't be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God's will is - what is good and pleasing and mature.   Romans 12:1-2 CEB Paul uses the priestly connection, priestly metaphor here, placing his readers, Christ followers, as priests.  Priests who have access to the Holy of Holies, access to the presence of God, who bring sacrifices, who atone. But it's all shifted - we're not to bring a lamb or a bird or some other token or symbol, but ourselves.  Our whole self. This is more than an intellectual or spiritual exercise, it's a physical one too.  What we do matters. A priest brings a sacrifice to atone, hoping it is good enough, pure enough, enough. In Jesus the atoning h...

Romans 12:1-2 CEB So,  brothers and sisters, because of God's mercies, I encourage you to present your bodies a living sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to God.  This is your appropriate priestly service. Don't be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God's will is - what is good and pleasing and mature.   Romans 12:1-2 CEB "So", "therefore", "summing up what I've been writing to you about" - this famous passage of Paul's letter does not sit in isolation from all that he has written up to now, all that he has been saying about new life being found in Jesus, about freedom from the law, his heart for those who don't know or have rejected Jesus, all of the last 11 chapters. So. Brothers & sisters. The word here is "adelphous" which in different contexts means family, brethren, whanau, those joined together by a covenant, an inclusive ter...

Romans 11:33-36 CSB Oh,  the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God!  How unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways For who has known the mind of the Lord?  Or who has been his counselor?  And who has ever given to God, that he should be repaid?  For from him and through him and to him are all things.  To him be the glory forever.  Amen. Romans 11:33-36 CSB Paul has been wrestling in this letter with being Jewish, God's chosen people, who have also rejected Jesus, and how out of that faith has come to Gentiles, the rest of us who aren't Jewish- and this is his conclusion to all that: How great our God is. We can't expect to figure Him out completely, we can't outgive Him, counsel Him, or fully know Him. And that's OK. We get to sit with mystery, uncertainty, doubt, not knowing, and being able to hold to what is known, what is True, that it's our God who made the way for us to be right with Him, and we are in fact, dearly ...

Sunday Psalms; Psalms 36:5-10 CSB Lord,  your faithful love reaches to heaven,  your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,  your judgments like the deepest sea.  Lord,  you preserve people and animals. How priceless your faithful love is,  God!  People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They are filled from the abundance of your house.  You let them drink from your refreshing stream. For the wellspring of life is with you.  By means of your light we see light. Spread your faithful love over those who know you,  and your righteousness over the upright in heart. Psalms 36:5-10 CSB David's psalm starts and ends with his concern about someone who's words and actions are evil and this person holds no fear or dread of God. And this middle part is David's response - a beautiful reflection of who God is, of where refuge is found in someone Bigger, in a Bigger Story. When this world seems too much, wh...

The lips of the righteous feed many,  but fools die for lack of sense. Proverbs 10:21 CSB Can we see Jesus in this Proverb? His are the words of the Righteous One who not only feeds us, but saves us! But the second part of this Proverb, Jesus is the opposite, the antithesis - it's not for a lack of sense, of "leb" of heart, of will that he died, but because of his heart (that is for us), and it was an act of His will. I wonder if there's somewhere that our heart, our leb, our will, is encouraging us to act today, somewhere where we have power? It may be self care, rest, reflection, creation, advocacy, care, connection...or perhaps it's those words of goodness that get to nourish someone (and maybe that someone is you?). #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon #itsaheartthing #invitation  #speaklife 

Friday! Proverbs! [21] The lips of the righteous feed many,  but fools die for lack of sense. Proverbs 10:21 CSB Mmm at first glance this seems straight forward...until we discover that word translated "sense" or in some versions "wisdom" is our old friend "leb", the heart, the inner essence of who we are, the will, the wairua. So fools die for lack of heart! So this is not literal but its all figurative of something... For me (today anyway) it seems to be saying that if our words speak life into the world, they need to come from a place of life, a heart that is beating life... If my words are simply AI generated, soaked in Reels or other people's thoughts and ideas, then this Proverb is saying that's a path towards something in us dying...what do you think? God's vision of our thriving is our fully aliveness- not perfection, but aliveness. How can we get our hearts pumping with more of that today? #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon #itsahear...

Romans 10:13-15 NLT For "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him?  And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him?  And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?  That is why the Scriptures say,  "How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!" Romans 10:13-15 NLT Paul's heart is for his people who are caught in their rules based religion and is writing to the church in Rome to invite them in some way to become the "beautiful feet of messengers who bring Good News". Perhaps the invitation to us is to join in, to in some way become a messenger of hope, of faith, of Good News. How could that look for us, for me? To be part of the redemptive story... #letters #redemptivestrands  #messengers  #sent

Romans 10:8-13 NLT ...And that message is the very message about faith that we preach:  If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord  and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,  you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced." Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:8-13 NLT Shame, guilt, doubt, have I done enough, am I good enough, if God knew what I am really like there's no way I'm good enough... Paul continues in his letter writing to the church in Rome sharing his love for Jewish people and wanting them to be able to step around the rock of their own "self salvation project" (as Tim Keller describes it). ...

Romans 9:32-33 NLT ...Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law instead of by trusting in him.  They stumbled over the great rock in their path. ... "But anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced." Romans 9:32-33 NLT Never be disgraced, (the word here is "kataischuno" which means) disgraced, humiliated, shamed. Disgraced. Humiliated. Shamed. Perhaps of all the things we fear, these are the things we fear most.  We know what shame is, and there's no way we can stand before God in shame, so we have to do more, obey more, be more right, more righteous... But Paul says here that is the great rock in the path that we tumble over, that trips us up. Paul invites us back to righteousness by faith, by trusting in God, by allowing us to be fully human, and Beloved.  We get to put the shame, the fear of shame, the fear of disgrace, the fear of not being enough, the fear of rejection by our God down, because in Jesus we are fully accepted and ...