verseoftheday

"Healthy people don't need a doctor - sick people do". Then he added, "Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices. For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners." Matthew 9:12-23 NLT One of the ongoing battles Jesus fought was with people who believed that they could save themselves... If they kept the rules, were good, did the right things all the time, that thru their own efforts they'd be good enough... It's only when we know we can't get there, that only Jesus gets us there, that we find peace #wordsofJesus #inthistogether #weareallthesame

On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice...' " Matthew 9:12-13 NIV Ouch. I go to church on Sunday, give money, help out at... but Jesus is always interested in our heart - the why - his quote is from Hosea 6 where God compares his people's love to the morning dew that just disappears... He wants our hearts as much on Monday as on Sunday Go and learn...this is not a lesson that is instant, just change this, fix that... It's a heart orientation towards God that finds its expression in the love for others... #itsallabouttheheart #loveGod #lovepeople #wordsofJesus #mercywins

When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick..." Matthew 9:11-12 NIV Not sure why Jesus answers a question aimed at the disciples... Maybe he knew they'd have no idea and wanted to teach them something too... That Jesus mission was not about them, not about those who are already right with God, but about those who are lost, missing, who don't know... This is Jesus heart, and needs to be ours too... #whoneedsadoctor #wordsofJesus

Later when Jesus was eating supper at Matthew's house with his close followers, a lot of disreputable characters came and joined them. When the Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company, they had a fit, and lit into Jesus followers. 'What kind of example is this from your Teacher, acting cozy with crooks and riffraff?' Matthew 9:10-11 MSG Lit into Jesus! Gotta love the Message! So easy to judge from what we see on the outside... the Pharisees were more interested in the rules (the rules not only gave them power, but if you keep them, that makes you righteous) and completely missed Jesus heart and purpose... He came for those who need a saviour... The question is 'what is my heart and purpose and does it match Jesus'? #purpose

Friday! Already! Take your stand with God's loyal community and live, or chase after phantoms of evil and die. God cant stand deceivers, but oh how he relishes integrity. Count on this: The wicked wont get off scot-free, and God's loyal people will triumph. Proverbs 11:19-21 MSG Where we live is important. Get connected to a Christian community How we live is important. Living with integrity to God's word, not chasing the false promises of this world... Knowing how it ends is important...because it gives the suffering and hardship of this life meaning #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon #faith #hope #live

A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything - or destroy it! It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it... James 3:3-6 MSG We all have this power to speak life to others or not...every day we get to choose the words we use...and don't use #james #keepingitreal #speaklife

... Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. James 3:1-2 NLT We all make mistakes. None of us get it right all the time But...if we've got areas in our lives where we need more self control then perhaps we should start with our words...(& for me it's not just what I say but how I say how...tongue and tone!) Not that this is in an excuse for saying things we shouldn't but James is a realist and knows that none of us are perfect. As parents teaching self control with words was one of the most challenging yet worthwhile things to both teach and learn... Can I be perfect? No. Better? Yes! And what we learn controlling our words may well translate to other areas of our lives #james #keepingitreal