verseoftheday

A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape. Proverbs 19:5 ESV Can we see Jesus here? He was the true witness (& yet was punished). Jesus was God walking amongst us, who he was, the way he lived, point us to God. Jesus was a true witness. When he said "It is finished", to love God & love people, that he's coming again, that love is the way, that he is the way, truth, & life, I believe him. He breathed out the truth (& yet did not escape). He took on himself what I deserved, and even in his last words, they breathed out love. He is the redeemer. The one who's love we cannot be separated from, who breathed out life and created this place, who breathed his last breath to redeem it, and one day will make all things new, all that is broken will be unbroken, all that is hurt, unhurt. Yes Jesus can be seen here. #redeemed #known #chosen #childofGod #dearlyloved

Friday! Proverbs! A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape. Proverbs 19:5 ESV If only this were true! That person who I know has not told the truth, they who breathe out lies (love that phrase; breathe out lies) just seem to get away with it... Where's the justice? And then, there's me. I've breathed out lies. And sometimes there's been justice, and sometimes not. Do I want more justice on me? And then there's the lies of the enemy, the father of lies, who would use anything to turn us from God. And then there's the lies of the world, our culture, which try to tell us what success looks like, how we should live. And then there's the lies that seem to have taken up residence in my mind, that pop up to tell me I'm not, and never will be good enough...maybe you have your own version of those... One day the father of lies will be punished. All that is broken in this world will be unbroken. And the ...

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. John 15:12-13 ESV Beautiful words that encourage us in how we are to (try) and live in this world. Today though, focus in on 5 words: "as I have loved you" You and I are the object of Jesus love. You are the loved one. The one he laid his life down for. Rest in that today. Step forward in that today! At LifeGroup last night the question was asked "if you could be anyone for a day who would you be?" Just for a day. A few famous people's names popped out, then someone said "someone who lives in real poverty". Suddenly the perspective changed. Jesus didn't just step out of the heaven for a day, but became one of us, took on all our stuff. He left heaven for our poverty, not just to experience it, but to absorb it! "as I have loved you" I can't be good eno...

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8 ESV Draw near to God. And He will show you where you fall short of the mark. As we draw nearer to God, our sin becomes clearer to us. Remember that James is writing to Christians, people who need to keep cleansing areas of our lives, not to gain salvation, but because of it. And as we draw near to God we start to see more clearly where we are double-minded. Wavering. Where our faith needs shoring up. Where our thinking is faulty. The action here is to purify. To remove impurities. To live by, and live out Kingdom values. These things are processes that take time, and begin with drawing near to God. So let's start, restart, there, knowing that we are dearly loved children, that nothing can separate us from His love, start there as we draw near... #james #Godsgym #drawnear #childofGod #dearlyloved

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8 ESV Monday! Time to hit the gym! Three things that we might "be" in this verse: -Far from God -Sinning (literally falling short of the mark) - double minded (jumping between the things of the world and the things of God) And three steps to take: - draw near to God. Without this the other things become just surface activity. Jesus took time alone with the Father. When do I do that? Take regular quiet time to talk to God. To meditate on His word, to let His truth sink in and rest in my soul. To listen. To wait. To draw near. Yes sometimes that happens in church when we're together, but if we're feeling far away from God, James says "draw near", get close. I'm going to work on that today, find some space to draw near. #james #Godsgym #drawnear #childofGod #dearlyloved

And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over." Mark 5:34 NLT Ch5 is an amazing day or so in Jesus life. Just had the storm. There's a demon possessed man A sick girl who died A sick woman who was healed. There's crowds, boats, walking around Jesus demonstrated his authority over nature, the spiritual, health, and even death. Some people were terrified and wanted him to leave, others crowded around, some bowed before him. Yet in the middle of all the drama, in the middle of the noise and jostling of the crowd, there's a moment when everything slows down, like in a movie when  all fades into the background and there's a focus on these two people. She's terrified, face down, and Jesus words are full of compassion: Daughter. My child. I see you I know you It's OK I love you I see your faith. In all the noise and drama, Jesus is personal. You think he doesn't see you, know you, care ...

Friday! Proverbs! From the fruit of a man's mouth his stomach is satisfied; he is satisfied by the yield of his lips. Proverbs 18:20 ESV Really? Ok so if you're a teacher or pastor or lawyer then your words do put food on the table. Even if you're a builder,  farmer, student or nurse you still need words to communicate with customers, suppliers, employees, tutors, patients. Our words are important But this proverb focusses on satisfaction. Our words are what satisfies. Our words whether we say them out loud or in our head, speak life into us, or not. Our words satisfy, meet, our deep needs. There's a song I'm listening to at the moment that has a line: "I am who I am because the I AM says tells me who I am" If I find those words that the I AM says about me, and speak those words out loud, something shifts inside. Could feel a bit like meeting those deep needs within... #dearlyloved #childofGod #important #known #delightedin #chosen ...

And He came home, and the crowd gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, "He has lost His senses." Mark 3:20-21 NASB So much success that you'd think those closest to Jesus would be trying to find a bigger venue. Let's fit more people in. But no. This thing was getting out of control...and it wasn't about the crowds, but about Jesus. Those closest to him, his family, didn't get him, didn't understand him, I guess at the heart of it, didn't believe him. If that's ever been your experience, where the people closest to you, your family even, don't get you, don't understand you, perhaps don't really believe you, then you're in good company. Jesus knows what that is like. He knows He knows rejection Our God, glorious, creator of all time and space...in his humanity knows and shares in our hurts, our rejec...

Horses have bits and bridles in their mouths so that we can control and guide their large body. And the same with mighty ships, though they are massive and driven by fierce winds, yet they are steered by a tiny rudder at the direction of the person at the helm. And so the tongue is a small part of the body yet it carries great power! James 3:3-5 TPT Our words are important. What we say, what we think. What words do I say (or think) about me? About you? About others? At my core, are words Beliefs Our words direct us, shape our path, set our direction. And the thing is this, we can choose them. We're not stuck with some of those words that we may have come to believe The Enemy is a liar. That's his thing. Lies Counterfeit Fake Not the truth The world, our culture has words for us and about us Are they true? Jesus is The Word. Logos The Truth Who does He say I am? His dearly loved child. Chosen. Important Redeemed Made holy Clean Accepted Words are im...

Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Psalms 51:6 ESV Truth & wisdom at our very core. It's hard enough to get to our heart, the secret heart. There's so much noise, distraction, pressure to "do", achieve...become The psalmist is sharing God's heart for us here...He wants wisdom at our core. Wisdom will help us make decisions, choices, behave, react, respond. Wisdom from the heart of God, in our hearts. And truth. Often there seems to be a mix. Truth And things that are not quite truth. Sometimes we call those lies Those words that pop into our minds that tell us about God and ourselves, but they don't quite line up with what God has revealed about himself, or just how much he loves us. Chosen Accepted Forgiven Adopted Loved In those truths there is room to get it wrong, to make mistakes, to not be perfect There is room to grow To be changed Love does that When you let God...

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy... Jude 1:24 NIV Not only can he keep us from falling. Not only will he present us, introduce us, without fault. He will do that with great joy! This is not some dour introduction, this is a party, an event of beauty and colour and Life! He knows your name He's held you up He's unbroken the brokenness, unhurt the hurt, unlossed the loss, and introduces you as beautiful, delighted in, loved. It's a glimpse of the delight that Jesus has in you, the love he has for you, a glimpse of Life! #jude #dearlyloved #childofGod

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault... Jude 1:24 NIV Without fault. I know that's not true, because I have them. Plenty of them So either this is all about some time in the future when I will be without fault. Or Jesus has absorbed all my faults and I am introduced as if they never existed... Maybe it's both. But either way it's what Jesus did that allows me to stand "without fault". It's only when he presents me that it's OK. Nothing else, no one else, can make me fault less. Nothing else, not my performance, my "goodness", or anything I can do is enough No one else can take my stuff on themselves and make me fault less The only place that happens is at the cross. And the only one who can hold us from falling, and stand with us, present us as faultless, is the only faultless one, who made himself "fault" for us. #dearlyloved #childofGod #scar...

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling... Jude 1:24 NIV What else stops me stumbling, from falling? When I fear I'm going to trip or fall, having something to hold on to, a guard rail, a wire rope, a bannister, a walking stick, a support. God's word gives us barriers, guard rails, things to stay away from for our thriving. It gives support as we journey. Ultimately it points us to someone. It's not a thing that stops us from falling, they're just pictures of a Who We're being pointed to Jesus. He is able. It's his hand that holds us In the Word, in the barriers, the support, the walking stick, is a person A person who provides Cares Loves #dearlyloved #childofGod #jude

Friday! Proverbs! A fool's mouth is his ruin, And his lips are the snare of his soul. Proverbs18:7 AMP Just when you want a nice uplifting Proverb we get this. The news tells me this Proverb is true. Personal experience tells me it's true. I never think that my own words are a snare for my soul. That's harsh. Sometimes it's the words I say out loud, about other people, things I think are funny or harmless. Sometimes its the words inside my head, the thoughts that pop up and I allow them to fester there. I give them space they don't deserve. These words can be a snare for my soul. The antidote? Paul tells us to take our minds captive - kick the lies to the curb Renew our minds - fill ourselves with Truth - who God is, and who I am. #childofGod #chosen #adopted #dearlyloved And I can listen to the words I say out loud (Love is not rude) and change them (Love is kind). If we can see a snare we can avoid it, and if we're caught, there is a way o...

...from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. James 1:17-18 NIV God is good. He is for us. He doesn't change. Yet there's evil, suffering, hurt, destruction in the world. The "anti" of who God is. So He must be allowing that for a reason (maybe lots of reasons!) One clue is found in this verse, & another in these first verses of James. He wants us to grow up. To be mature in our faith. Growing up includes fails, struggles, perservering. And then there's this verse. Chosen. And Some kind of first fruits. Do you remember the kid at school who was always the last one picked on a team because everyone knew they'd be an anchor? With our God, it's like He picks everyone first. He sees you Knows you Knows our strengths and our weaknesses and chooses us anyway. There are no favourites based ...

Don't be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:16-17 NIV Don't be deceived, misled. I need reminding because I am easily misled. Easily misled that God is not good. But James reminds us that He is. Good. He doesn't change. God reveals himself in Jesus. This is who God is. He came to seek us out, to save...because we were lost. He forgives He redeems He restores He loves. He does not change. He is good. Rest in that today - whatever is in front of you today. He is good. He is for you He loves. And He does not change. #dearlyloved #childofGod #james #james1

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Isaiah 26:3 NIV Isn't this what we all want? Perfect peace. This verse tells us that doesn't come from our external circumstances, what's going on, what we are facing. So, we can have peace in that. How? With a steadfast mind. The battle is in our mind, in our thinking! In the thoughts we choose to harbour and in the thoughts that we choose to jettison. To discard. To kick out. A steadfast mind does that. A mind that has determined it's orientation and direction. And there's two simple components in this verse. 1. Trust. A steadfast mind is one that trusts. 2. In what or who you trust. This verse tells us. It starts and ends with You. Yahweh. Our God. Trust in Him He is for you With you Made a way for you Loves Loves you. So today, choose to steadfastly trust in Him, and may you know His peace #dearlyloved #childofGod #steadfast