verseoftheday

I love the Lord, because He hears my voice and my supplications. Psalms 116:1 NASB Yahweh. God. From outside time and space. Who is. Who created all that we see and live in with the power of His word. He hears your voice. I was visiting family a week or so ago and there was lots of talking and noise, and in all the noise I said something to my cousin,  and my Aunty who is 93 and effectively blind now,  heard my voice and knew my name. Our God hears your voice. He knows your name. It may not seem that He does, and He may not do what we want when we want it, but we're not Him. We're part of the result of his Words. (I have no idea how that works) And We're important to Him Yahweh While He is from before, from outside, He entered in, bent down, made Himself small...and knows your name. And hears your voice. #known #important #loved #thisisourGod #psalms #psalm116

So when they got out on the beach, they saw a charcoal fire set up and fish on it cooking, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." John 21:9,12 AMP Jesus cooked them breakfast. Nice. Jesus had lots of meals with people, but is this the first one where he has cooked? Something has changed. Yes I'm still serving, last week I washed your feet, this week, brekkie. Jesus invitation to breakfast feels loaded. He's got things to say. Breakfast could take a while... What would Jesus have to say to me over breakfast? Would he gently remind me that my neighbours live in Sri Lanka too. Would he remind me of the Big Story of the Kingdom. Would he lay out the things he wants me to do. Would he hand me some food and just say "You're weary, just eat" Would he put his hand on my shoulder and say "I love you" Maybe somehow he would tell all of that. Jesus invites us to breakfast. Come and eat. I have what you need. #heis...

Friday! Proverbs! When a wicked man comes, contempt also does, and along with dishonor, disgrace. Proverbs 18:3 HCSB We saw this lived out in an extreme way 2 weeks ago in Christchurch. The wicked, the man with evil intent brought his contempt for a group of people he did not know and took extreme action. "Them" When I look in my heart I have the shadow of the same thing. Contempt for people I don't even know. I lump them together. Them. Scroll through the news headlines & so many of them seem designed to evoke disgrace. Shame. And we click on them. These ancient proverbs get in and dig around in my heart... I too am the wicked man. I too have dishonoured. Where does that leave me? In need of a saviour. Jesus took on my wickedness, the evil in my heart, took on my shame, and bore it on the cross. That's love. He didn't have to, and now I get to live on the other side of that redemption. What a place to be! And one day, the final shad...

And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." Mark 1:11 NIV Quite cool to have a voice from heaven...wonder what it sounded like? What language did God use? And why did He think it necessary to say anything? Was it a commissioning? Was God concerned that Jesus wouldn't front up? He'd just stay being a carpenter? I think that Jesus is more like us than we think sometimes. That in his humanity getting a word from his father in public was an encouraging thing, that perhaps even then Jesus was looking ahead to Calvary, and needed reminding. Just like us. You're my son. You belong I love you. You're loved With you I'm well pleased - strange phrasing for us - you're doing good, I'm proud of you. And that's just what he says to us. To you. Right now I'm proud of you You belong I love you And we can speak these same words into the lives of others.... #speaklife #justdoit #gospelofmar...

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity. Proverbs 17:17 NIV There is one brother who was born for a time of adversity. And he stepped into it. He didn't have to. But he chose to. Why? Because he thought that we were worth it. So worth it he left eternal goodness and humbled himself, shrunk himself, entered a world of suffering and hurt, & took it all on himself. Because he loves. You. He is the friend who loves at all times...loving is not just what he does, it's who he is. He is love. He doesn't stop When we don't get him, reject him, turn, go our own way, trip, fail...he loves at all times. In our flaws, in our stuff, He Loves. And that's why we sing. #sunday #worship #thisisourGod #chosen #adopted #redeemed #loved