It's March 19th and my 3/19 verse for the day is Acts 3:19, "Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away." (NLT) That's pretty strait forward. For this time of year, I like to call it Spring Cleaning 101.
What better time to get our house cleaned? Many of us have been hoarding up stuff all winter....some of us may even have to admit that it's actually been years or decades, instead of just a season or two, since we've had an overhaul. It's time to get the clutter out of our closets and change our attire...be "clothed" in Christ, if you will. I like the following version of this verse, "So change the way you think and act, and turn to God to have your sins removed." (GW)
Yes, God is willing to do our spring cleaning for free, but we can't just leave the house and expect to come back when he's done. The word "repent" is an action verb which means to feel regret or contrition. It's a prerequisite for the "so that" part of the verse above. The word "turn" is also and action verb. We are to regret that we are sinning and if we truly regret something, we should turn "away" from it, before we can turn "toward" God. It's pretty simple, but not always easy for us to get this right. We first have to want to.
There's nothing like a clean house to refresh the soul. I know the best cleaning service and I'd recommend Him to anyone. And He's FREE...you can't beat that!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Timeless Truth
The scripture I chose to share with you that corresponds with 3/18, is Ephesians 3:18 "And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is." (NLT)
This is music to my ears. It says that ALL God's people SHOULD know - through the power of His Holy Spirit that lives within all believers - that His love for us has no limits. We can't even measure it! Yes, may we all surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit to understand such unconditional love.
The verse before this one actually arrested my heart today, as I was probing into this chapter. Eph 3:17 says, "And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your heart as you trust Him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love." The Apostle Paul was writing these words to make Christians more aware of their heavenly wealth in Christ and to encourage them to start utilizing their power source (the Holy Spirit) in their earthly walk.
It may be the year 2011, but these words are so relevant for us today. I don't know about you, but I want Christ to be at home in my heart; I want my roots to go down so deep into His love that I reflect Him inside and out. I truly believe, and have experienced, that the key to living this way is through trust and surrender to the Holy Spirit. Yes, Lord, please give us the power to understand this. After all, all God's people should.
This is music to my ears. It says that ALL God's people SHOULD know - through the power of His Holy Spirit that lives within all believers - that His love for us has no limits. We can't even measure it! Yes, may we all surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit to understand such unconditional love.
The verse before this one actually arrested my heart today, as I was probing into this chapter. Eph 3:17 says, "And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your heart as you trust Him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love." The Apostle Paul was writing these words to make Christians more aware of their heavenly wealth in Christ and to encourage them to start utilizing their power source (the Holy Spirit) in their earthly walk.
It may be the year 2011, but these words are so relevant for us today. I don't know about you, but I want Christ to be at home in my heart; I want my roots to go down so deep into His love that I reflect Him inside and out. I truly believe, and have experienced, that the key to living this way is through trust and surrender to the Holy Spirit. Yes, Lord, please give us the power to understand this. After all, all God's people should.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
It's a DATE
Yeserday was March 16th. I'm a K-Love (Christian radio) listener and I heard them talking yesterday morning about sharing John 3:16 with others during the day and calling it 3:16 day. I am all about living in such a way that others don't even have to ask if we are a Christian, but I'm also about being obedient to God if He gives us an opportunity to share the reason for the hope that we have. Actually, I believe He gives us many, if we only look for them. Some people are not comfortable talking to others about the hope of the world. Me? I'll talk about Him to anyone who is willing to listen...and then some. After all He has done for me, I find it hard not to tell others about His love.
As I was thinking about 3:16, I had a thought that I would like to start diving into different scriptures representing every day of the month, just to see what nuggets I could share from God's word. I know that John 3:16 is probably one of the most recognizable scriptures in the bible. That, and the Lord's prayer in Matt 6:9-13. While many people may be skilled at reciting these passages, one has to wonder how many really ponder the words and believe the truth therein. I think we may all be shocked if we were to really know the answer to that.
As I searched for a scripture to go along with today's date, 3/17, God brought a beautiful scripture to my attention in 2 Cor 3:17:18. I really like the NASB version, "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit!!!(exclamation emphasis multiplied, and all mine:-) Talk about a nugget...this is golden. It's worth being unpacked at a later time, since it deserves a lot more than just a short explanation. For now, suffice it to say that the Lord and His Spirit within us wants us to live in the freedom He affords us and to become transformed to be more and more like Him. Can you imagine looking in the mirror and seeing Jesus? If Beth Moore were here, she'd say "Glory"! She's not, so I'll go ahead and say it for her. Glory!
We've been singing the Chris Tomlin and Christy Nockels song at church that mirrors this scripture. I'm not real good at posting links on here, so I'm pasting this in so you can copy it into your browser. It really brings the words to life. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNpusaxlDVc
I suppose I cheated a little by using two scriptures in 3:17-18, and I could say I'm done for tomorrow, 3/18, but God has really blessed me with this exercise and I've already started looking for 3:18 scriptures for tommorrow. There's a bunch of good ones, let me tell you. I may have a hard time sharing just one. I hope you join me on this adventure, because I know God can show us all great and wonderful things in His word - much better than I can come up with on my own. Tune in daily for His truth. It's a date!
As I was thinking about 3:16, I had a thought that I would like to start diving into different scriptures representing every day of the month, just to see what nuggets I could share from God's word. I know that John 3:16 is probably one of the most recognizable scriptures in the bible. That, and the Lord's prayer in Matt 6:9-13. While many people may be skilled at reciting these passages, one has to wonder how many really ponder the words and believe the truth therein. I think we may all be shocked if we were to really know the answer to that.
As I searched for a scripture to go along with today's date, 3/17, God brought a beautiful scripture to my attention in 2 Cor 3:17:18. I really like the NASB version, "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit!!!(exclamation emphasis multiplied, and all mine:-) Talk about a nugget...this is golden. It's worth being unpacked at a later time, since it deserves a lot more than just a short explanation. For now, suffice it to say that the Lord and His Spirit within us wants us to live in the freedom He affords us and to become transformed to be more and more like Him. Can you imagine looking in the mirror and seeing Jesus? If Beth Moore were here, she'd say "Glory"! She's not, so I'll go ahead and say it for her. Glory!
We've been singing the Chris Tomlin and Christy Nockels song at church that mirrors this scripture. I'm not real good at posting links on here, so I'm pasting this in so you can copy it into your browser. It really brings the words to life. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNpusaxlDVc
I suppose I cheated a little by using two scriptures in 3:17-18, and I could say I'm done for tomorrow, 3/18, but God has really blessed me with this exercise and I've already started looking for 3:18 scriptures for tommorrow. There's a bunch of good ones, let me tell you. I may have a hard time sharing just one. I hope you join me on this adventure, because I know God can show us all great and wonderful things in His word - much better than I can come up with on my own. Tune in daily for His truth. It's a date!
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