Showing posts with label Sunday Scripture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sunday Scripture. Show all posts

Sunday

Sunday Scripture - Ephesians 4 v 2


Sunday Scripture is just simply a thought or two on a Bible verse that may have struck me afresh or maybe for the first time or has always been special to me.


Today I am looking at Ephesians 4 v 2







 Today's verse talks about

        lowliness,

                  meekness,

                            longsuffering,

                                       forbearance

                                                   and love.


Such a lot of virtues to think on and try to put into action.


Can we do this by ourselves?

I don't think so.


I believe we need God's help to provide the lowliness, meekness, longsuffering, and love in our lives because they are not part of our human nature.


With His help we will be able to love others more like He loves them.

With His help we will come to the point where we will be able to


forbear one another in love


because that means to be patient with one another, have self-control in situations with each other, show restraint and tolerance in words and actions which is only possible through truly loving someone.


As always I like to make sure we are taking this verse in context so let's read the first 6 verses of this chapter

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

From this we can see that the theme here is unity, there should be no strife, no aggression, no impatience, etc. as we walk in the Spirit together and it is all because of love, the love that we all have received and the love which we are called to show to others - His love flowing through us.



It's Holiday time

          and the gardens are blooming

                    so I chose a flower to focus on

                                 when I was making a graphic for today's verse






Have you ever decided to ask God to help you grow these virtues in your life by the work of 
the Holy Spirit?


Have you ever decided to ask God to help you love others as He loves them?


This is an action on our part that God has told us we must do


but


we really need God's help because we cannot love others without it,



and we certainly cannot stand by them through everything without it.


Let's think on this as we go through this week.









Sunday Scripture - Proverbs 22 v 17-21


Sunday Scripture is just simply a thought or two on a Bible verse that may have struck me afresh or maybe for the first time or has always been special to me.


Today I am looking at Proverbs  22 v 17-21






Some Bibles will have a heading for this passage which will be something like


The Sayings of the Wise


Firstly let's read through these verses



Proverbs 22 v 17-21
17 Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise,
And apply your heart to my knowledge;

18 For it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you;
Let them all be fixed upon your lips,

19 So that your trust may be in the Lord;
I have instructed you today, even you.

20 Have I not written to you excellent things
Of counsels and knowledge,

21 That I may make you know the certainty of the words of truth,
That you may answer words of truth
To those who send to you?






Each of those verses gives us good advice


Listen to the knowledge and keep it in your heart really lets us know that this is a serious thing so we should not just listen and then forget, something of which I know I am very guilty.

It is good to keep this knowledge in our hearts, and then have these words ready to speak.  Again it is so important that we need not just keep it to ourselves but be ready to tell others.


Do you know the importance of Listening, Knowledge, Wisdom and Truth?


The Wisdom we have heard is not just for us to have knowledge but for us to know, understand and through this develop trust.

Not just good knowledge but excellent knowledge.

Here we have what is at the heart of it all - we will know what is the truth and we will be able to convey truth to others.
















Sunday Scripture - Psalm 34 v 1


Sunday Scripture is just simply a thought or two on a Bible verse that may have struck me afresh or maybe for the first time or has always been special to me.


Today I am looking at Psalm 34 v 1






This verse happens to be one of my favourite verses but I am not focusing on it today for that reason.

Today I have chosen this verse because it chose me; I woke up with this verse on my lips this morning and so I want to share it with you all.






I have mentioned this Psalm briefly in a previous Sunday Scripture Post in July this year but it was not the main focus of my post that time however if any of my church friends are reading this it may be of interest to them to read it as well.


I also wrote a Pondering the Psalms Post on this Psalm 3 years ago but in that case it was an overview of the whole Psalm but you may like to read it as well.


Today this verse kept repeating over and over in my head as I lay in bed and it impressed on me that no matter where I am this can be true for me.  Oh I have thought that at times before but normally I am thinking about the necessity of praising the Lord continually.


Today I'm on this other train of thought


Wherever we are this can be true for us, 

                whatever situation we are in this can be true for us, 

                              whatever frame of mind we are in this can STILL be true for us.



Of course no matter where or when or in whatever frame of mind we are we must always keep any verse in it's context so let's consider the first 10 verses.


Psalm 34 v 1-10
I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
sought the Lord, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces were not ashamed.
This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,
And delivers them.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!
There is no want to those who fear Him.
10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.


As I was lying in bed thinking on this first verse two other verses joined my thoughts





which is of course the third verse of the Psalm.

As good as it is to Bless the Lord on our own as our personal act of worship it is also good to do so with others who love and trust Him too.  As we exhibit the right behavour of speaking verse 1 and then acting on what we have said and keeping our word others will be heartened and encouraged and there will be that bond between us as well as our bond with God.

And then

the 8th verse





Here we go that step further and make a plea to others to step out in faith and trust God, test His Word and find that it is True and He will Bless us as He has already promised in His Word.


In this Psalm we see how we go through from making a commitment to Bless the Lord ourselves, to encouraging others to do the same and then being an example and witness to others that they can trust Him too and all of us see the


Blessing and Goodness of God.













Sunday Scripture - Philippians 1 v 21


Sunday Scripture is just simply a thought or two on a Bible verse that may have struck me afresh or maybe for the first time or has always been special to me.


Today I am looking at Philippians 1 v 21






Often we would hear the phrase

                           "The Best of Both Worlds"

and I believe today's verse for Sunday Scripture is one of the best examples we can have of that phrase.






While we live on earth in fellowship with Jesus we are in the best relationship there is for us.  

We have the joy of our sins forgiven and peace with God.

We know His steadfast Love and His new mercies each day.

We experience His guidance and wisdom every step of the way.

We live with no fear of death because Christ has overcome it.

We are truly Blessed.


Because as Paul says in verse 6 of this same chapter

Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ


When we die we will still be in fellowship with Jesus but have the joy to see Him face to face.

We will live forever with The Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

We will know perfection in all things.

We will live a new life that cannot be described now because no-one can fully understand it now.

We are truly blessed to have such a future.


Can we have the best of both worlds?


Sometimes people talk only of looking to what is to come, that perfect life in Heaven.

But I think this verse wants to draw our attention to both lives so that we do not dwell on only what is to come but also on how we live with Jesus today.


We have Christ now today so let's "make the best of both Lives" and make today count for Jesus as Paul says in verse 27

that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel






Although Paul longed for Heaven in verses 24-25 we see he recognized that he had a role to play on earth to help others 

Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.
 And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith

and we also have a role to play on earth to help others.


Let's think on this as we read and even memorize today's verse.









Sunday Scripture - 1 Thessalonians 5 v 16-18


Sunday Scripture is just simply a thought or two on a Bible verse that may have struck me afresh or maybe for the first time or has always been special to me.


Today I am looking at 1 Thessalonians 5 v 16-18





For years now I have heard lots of talk about

 "What is God's Purpose in Your Life?"

or

 "What is God's Purpose for you?"



Often I think that this is directed more at women than at men because of the fact that

 we might be "stay at home mums"!

or

 we might be "housewives"!

or

 we might be sitting in our church wondering "what our role is"!




I think that we need to remember two things 
when we are tempted to start listening to or reading 
what someone else has to say 
about our role or our purpose in life.



FIRSTLY

THE WESTMINSTER SHORTER CATECHISM

No. 1.

Q. What is the chief end of man?

A. Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.



SECONDLY

The verses we are looking at today 




When we focus on God and what he has instructed for all of us,

when we are rejoicing in our Salvation,

when we are in constant communion with Him,

when we can see our way to be thankful to Him for all He does for us each day; 

other things will fall into place. 


What should we be doing?

Then we will know

when something is right for us to do 

or

when we should say yes to the 
specific, unique things
 God has for us.









So we are left with two questions: 
  

What should You & I be Doing?

&


Are we willing to go back to His instructions and focus on Him first?








Sunday Scripture - Psalm 16 v 8


Sunday Scripture is just simply a thought or two on a Bible verse that may have struck me afresh or maybe for the first time or has always been special to me.


Today I am looking at Psalm 16 v 8





This week I had a number of different things that had to be done.

We are getting a new kitchen so the old one was being removed this week and the tiles taken up from the floor which meant a lot of packig things up and moving things to use in other rooms.

But some things I had to do were simply because I just was too easily distracted by other things during the previous week and so didn't get round to these things.

Oh how easily distracted we can be!

Our attention flitters from 

      one thing to another, 

            one person to another, 

                  one blog post to another, 

                        one TV programme to another, 

                              one song to another,

                                    one thought to another......



Who do we flitter to instead of looking to God?



We need to have a determined attitude to keep our focus on God.

We need to be able to say






Is this not a great declaration to set in the face of the devil!



Oh yes things will still surround us and we will have to think of other things and other people but if we can truly say the first part of this verse 


I have set the Lord always before me:

then we will be able to hold on to the second part.  



because He is at my right hand I shall not be removed.


We will still be looking to Him,

have His guidance at all times 

and 
have His presence 

so we will not be enticed away by the other gods of this world.



Oh how easily distracted we can be.


What a wonderful position to be in because then we can also say 


Psalm 16 v 11
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. 





                                                      


Are you determined to set God always before you?






Sunday Scripture - Hebrews 12 v 14


Sunday Scripture is just simply a thought or two on a Bible verse that may have struck me afresh or maybe for the first time or has always been special to me.


Today I am looking at Hebrews 12 v 14





The first thing that struck me when I was considering the verse for this week was the fact that within each of the last 3 verses in this Sunday Scripture series, there is a mention of one of the Fruit of the Spirit.

The first one had PATIENCE,

                 the second one had JOY

                       and now this one has PEACE.

I don't think this is a coincidence because the Fruit of the Spirit is very important in our lives and we should show this daily.


The other main word in this verse is HOLINESS.


I believe that there are two relationships here in this verse, the PEACE in is about the relationship between us and others and the HOLINESS is about the relationship between us and God.


Yet the two cannot be completely distinct from each other.




How can we possibly expect to be sanctified and lead holy lives if we do not live in Peace?


How can we who are naturally sinful and selfish live in peaceful relationships if we do not have the presence of the Holy Spirit with us each day as He helps us to live and grow more like Jesus?



What do we need for a true relationship with God and man?


Our Christianity cannot be complete if we do not have 
the right relationship with man and with God.


We are not to be completely apart from the world but we are to be God's representatives in the world showing peace and holiness to touch the lives of others.

In other words we are to be Christlike as we live with the hope of coming into the presence of Christ Himself.  And that links back again to that earlier Sunday Scripture that also mentioned patience.

Today's verse is a strong word on how we should live towards God and towards man and if we learn to live holy lives then the peace will be there as a result.  We cannot be holy and yet at odds with others, the peace will be the outworking of the holiness and through this the fruit of the Spirit will be seen.









Sunday Scripture - John 16 v 24


Sunday Scripture is just simply a thought or two on a Bible verse that may have struck me afresh or maybe for the first time or has always been special to me.


Today I am looking at John 16 v 24





Obviously this verse is about praying and receiving and Jesus had just previously been specifically talking to His disciples about a time when they would be sorrowful and He would not be with them.

I love that Jesus was saying something very personal between them but this should also be personal to us.

Up until then the disciples could ask Jesus any questiions they had but there was going to be a time when they would have to pray to God about everything. 

Jesus has power to answer all our prayers & grant us the desires of our hearts but He was not strutting His own importance here; instead He was showing how it is about us because He wants good for us.




So is our Joy Full?


Not - are you joyful?       But - IS YOUR JOY FULL?

He is talking about joy that only He can give us and that no-one else can take away from us v. 22



19 Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’?20 Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. 21 A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.23 “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.25 “These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. 26 In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you;27 for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. 




Do we hold back and not confide all to God? 

I don't think He wants us to have to stay in any sorrow because He has a great Joy for us.




Do you really have joy?


We really do need to approach the Father as Jesus has instructed and receive what He is longing for us to have.







PRAYER
Dear Father, help us to come to you about everything, knowing that your will for us is to give us the best we can each possibly have because you know what we require to have full, overflowing, real joy that will touch the hearts of others as well.
In Jesus name, 
Amen.