verseoftheday

Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am alone  and afflicted. The distresses of my heart increase;  bring me out of my sufferings. Consider my affliction and trouble,  and forgive all my sins.  Consider my enemies; they are numerous,  and they hate me violently. Guard me and rescue me; do not let me be disgraced, for I take refuge in you.  May integrity and what is right watch over me, for I wait for you. Psalms 25:16-21 CSB Maybe some part of this Psalm, this song written so long ago, resonates with you.  "Turn to me..." It feels that God has gone dark. He's facing the other way.  But at the same time he calls out to God. In his hurt, he doesn't turn it all inward, but cries out. It's OK not to be OK. It's OK to cry out. He is realistic about his own part (Consider my sins) in any suffering, and in the part that others (Consider my enemies) have or are playing in his distress. And comes back to seeking refuge in God. Waiting. I can overlay my ...

Friday! Proverbs! Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,  but the Lord  weighs the heart. Proverbs 21:2 ESV I not only do what I think is right, I can convince myself that what I want is right. I can find evidence to back myself up. (I only look in places that support my thinking) Let's try this:  Chocolate.  It doesn't take long to find the beneficial properties of chocolate, it comes from a plant so that makes it a vegetable & I can justify any quantity. Anytime. And I can do the same with any niggling desire... alcohol, drugs, sex, money, success, harm, follows, thanks, likes...power...  I can make anything right in my own eyes.  But the Lord weighs my heart.  He examines my heart. My motives. It's not the quality of my argument that he's interested in, but what's going on in my heart.  Is it "Thy Kingdom come" or my kingdom come. Who's ruling, who or what am I worshipping? That's what interests Him. The more I let him weigh, examine,...

Now many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of what the woman said when she testified,  "He told me everything I ever did." So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days.  Many more believed because of what he said. And they told the woman, "We no longer believe because of what you said,  since we have heard for ourselves  and know  that this really is the Savior of the world." John 4:39-42 CSB She didn't know it all, didn't have all the answers, but her faithful witness of what she did  know was all that was needed for others to find their way to Jesus. And it's the same with me. My story, no matter how small or halting it might be, the little bit of God's love and grace and forgiveness that I do know, that's enough. Just share your story of Jesus love. That's enough. And then others will find Jesus for themselves. (I wonder where Jesus stayed. In who's house? And how di...

"My food  is to do the will of him   who sent me and to finish his work," Jesus told them. John 4:34 CSB And to finish his work. This is Jesus fuel. To do the will of (our perfect heavenly) Father. And to finish His work. What an interesting thing to say.  What work did the Father start? Could this takes us all the way back through history, through God speaking through the prophets, through the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant, through the exodus and God rescuing his people, through the giving of the law, through the covenant with Abram, through the flood, and all the way back to the garden. To where Adam and Eve had chosen to listen to the lies of Satan,  and God made Himself small,  stooped down, and asked "where are you?" He pursued. He came looking. He knew. He came for us. And Jesus came to finish that work, so that, we can be finally and fully restored in nearness to God.  Jesus had just demonstrated it by going to Samaria. By meeting with ...

But he said,  "I have food to eat that you don't know about." The disciples said to one another,  "Could someone have brought him something to eat?" "My food is to do the will of him who sent me  and to finish his work," Jesus told them. John 4:32-34 CSB The disciples are looking for our friend now.  Did she feed Jesus?  We've been into town for food and someone else provided food anyway? Was Judas wondering if he could've saved some money? But Jesus has a completely different fuel that is powering his life on earth. Yes he has to eat, but he's not driven by success in the things of this world.  His fuel is to do the Father's will. (jump back to Ch3v16-17 to check out the Father's will) Jesus isn't fueled by the crowd, the response of the one person at the well, or the accolades from his team. It's doing the Father's will, and that's why he keeps checking in with Him, takes time out to be with Him, and keeps quoting ...

In the meantime the disciples kept urging him, "Rabbi, eat something." But he said,  "I have food to eat that you don't know about." The disciples said to one another,  "Could someone have brought him something to eat?" John 4:31-33 CSB Our friend came for water at the well. She didn't know who Jesus was, and he talked to her about living water. The disciples knew who Jesus was. But their eyes were still set on the wrong things. Those unspoken questions about why Jesus was even talking to her, he knew their hearts. They didn't ask her to stay and share some food. That didn't enter their minds. They just thought they'd got the wrong kai. So Jesus uses the food to get them thinking. Thinking about the Kingdom and Kingdom values.  To lift their heads and hearts out of what's temporary, to what is really important. And the really important thing to Jesus was that one person. That one person who was looked down on because of her gender, ...

Just then his disciples arrived, and they were amazed that he was talking with a woman. Yet no one said,  "What do you want?" or  "Why are you talking with her?" Then the woman left her water jar,  went into town,  and told the people, "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did.  Could this be the Messiah?" They left the town and made their way to him. John 4:27-30 CSB Her 1:1 with Jesus was interrupted when his team turned up. She left her water jar. Was that to be hospitable to Jesus disciples? Was it because she was in a hurry to tell her people about Jesus? Or was it because she could sense their judgement of her? See the look in their eyes,  the questions that the disciples wanted to ask came out in their body language...? Maybe it was all of the above. When she got to town our friend must have made a convincing case. This person of low credibility who was hiding herself at midday turns up and motivates the town to go and seek Jesus. They must...