Bible Verse of the Day

Monday July 18^th thru Saturday July 23rd

 

 

 

 

 

Monday July 18th 2016

Psalms 119:7

7	I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.

 

Psalm 119 has the unique distinction of being the longest Psalm in the Bible as well as the longest chapter. The theme of Psalm 119 is found in the first verse: “Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD.” The writer is unknown, however, some older commentators say it is a song of David, while some modern commentators say it is from the post-exilic period and probably written by Ezra or Nehemiah. The psalm is a praise of glorifying of God and His holy word so consequently it talks about scripture throughout the writing. There is some debate as to what verses specifically talk about God’s word, nonetheless, God’s Word is mentioned at least 171 of 176 verses and uses ten different synonyms, each with its own distinct and unique prominence.  

 I will praise you with an upright heart: The writer of this beautiful Psalm found it imperative not only to praise God but to assure that it was carried out with a “upright Heart.” To have an “upright heart” is not just to say the heart is not crooked, but without any motive or personal aspiration. Let’s suppose for a moment that you are having an issue with a brother or sister in Christ and it cannot be resolved. You decide to go to a family member of the Brother or Sister you have an issue with, so that they might talk to another family member, that might talk to the one you are at issue with. If you are led by the Holy Spirit of God to go and talk to this one, then you should go directly to them (Matthew 5:23-24). If on the other hand you do not have the leading of the Holy Spirit to talk to this one then we should not act as people of the world act, by taking back doors, shortcuts and manipulations.

As I learn your righteous laws: As we daily study and meditate on God’s Word, so that we may be sensitive and attentive to the leading of the Holy Spirit on our lives, to observe God’s direction and to resolve ourselves to follow in His plan. There should also be a prayer for grace to carry out that resolve in God’s way and in His time. It is crucial, imperative and essential that we know what God is saying to us. The only way we can know that is by having a knowledge of God’s Word. We will never reach the completeness of a knowledge of the Word in this life, but we should strive for that goal every day. 2 Timothy 2:15: Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

 

Tuesday July 19th 2016

Isaiah   41:10

10	So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

 

So do not fear: That we do not have to fear anything or anyone is a promise from God, However, do not fear is also a command from God. There are many verses of scripture in the Old and New Testaments that direct us not to fear (Psalms 34:4; 55:22-23; 42:5; 131:1; Philippians 4:6-7; 1 Peter 5:6-7; Proverbs 12:25; 3:5-8; Luke 12:22-26; Matthew 6:25-34; Romans 8:26-28; Philippians 4:19; 4:13; 2 Corinthians 11:23-12:10; Hebrews 13:6) to name a few. In this chapter of Isaiah verses 2-4 it tells us that God rules over the nations. When Pilate told Jesus of the power he had over Him Jesus reminded Pilate that he would have no power except the power given him from above (John 19:10-11). Verses 8-9 tells of how God chooses the ones that He loves. God is for us, who can be against us, (Romans 8:31). So since God rules over the nations, he has chosen us to be His children and He is for us, what reason do we have to worry or fear. Fear and anxiety come when we begin to limit our scope to the temporal and lose sight of the eternal. Everything on this earth, all the gold and silver, all the shiny trinkets, all the illusions and empty promises of Satan are all temporary, the Love and protection we know from our Lord and Savior is the only solid rock that we can stand on. He is our creator, our sustainer and our Savior and consequently, we do not have to fear, anyone or anything that this world or Satan might throw at us.

For I am with you: When we find ourselves alone we are more likely to be consumed with fear, anxiety and worry, however, we are never alone because God will never leave us of forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6;31:8; Joshua 1:5; 1 Kings 8:57; I Chronicles 28:20; Psalms 37:28; 94:14; Isaiah 41:17; 42:16; Hebrews 13:5)

Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you: God is saying to us that He is the only one and true God, of all power and glory. When people forget this there is a tendency to become “dismayed.” We have no reason to become dismayed, discouraged or disheartened because He is our God, he will “strengthen you and help you.”

 

Wednesday July 20th 2016 1 John 1:7 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light: There is a great message in these thirteen words. First of all, the word “walk” infers, to be in motion, the Christian life is not meant to stay on the side lines, but to be in constant Christian activity and action. In verse 5 of this chapter it tells us that God is the light. Jesus spoke of this during His earthly ministry, when He proclaimed, “I am the Light of the world” (John 8:12). In order for us to walk “in the light” we must walk in a life of obedience to God, shedding any unforgiven sin and be open and sensitive to the convictions of the Holy Spirit. If we were to move about in a lighted room, we might say that we are walking in the presence of the light. Since God is the “light” (1 John 1:5) we must live in God’s presence, allowing what He has revealed about Himself to affect and shape our lives. This can only come about through a strong prayer life and a deep study and understanding of God’s Holy Word. In contrast to “walking in the light,” is “walking in the darkness” (1 John 1:6). This would be to try to hide from God, and reject what He has revealed about Himself to the world, through nature and His Word.

We have fellowship with one another: It might seem more likely that John would have said, to have fellowship with God. This has already been covered through the first part of this verse, that we are walking with God in the light. It would be very difficult to have the right fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ if we were not in a right relationship with God, that is walking in His light. On the other hand, John is saying, that if we are truly walking in God’s light we will have a proper and good relationship with each other.  

The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin: Christians require a constant purification from sin since we are in constant sin (Romans 3:23; 3:10). The blood sacrifice of Christ Jesus on the Cross justified our sins, past present and future. All we need for salvation is to accept that sacrifice, we are saved through His grace and our faith in Him, plus nothing else. In our study of Galatians, we see Paul defending that in people that wanted to add something to God‘s Grace for salvation. In Pauls’ time it was the Mosaic Law, or certain parts of the law. Today it is such things as baptism, speaking in tongues, being part of a certain denomination, following certain traditions, and the list goes on and on. (Ephesians 2:8-9)   

 

Thursday July 21st 2016

Psalms 119:30

30	I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on your laws.

 

On Monday July 18^th the “verse of the day” was Psalm 119:7, you may refer back to that article for the general information about Psalm 119.

The second part of this verse explains the first part. The Psalmist is able to choose the way of faithfulness because he has set his heart on God’s Word. Consequently, he is in a right relationship with God, a daily walk in the light, that is God.

We do not, by chance, move into a right relationship with God, it is something we have to choose to do. We also have to continue to choose it on a daily basis, or we will become more susceptible to the fiery darts that Satan will be firing at us every second, of every minute, of every hour, of every day of our lives. This comes back to the importance of a daily, well-organized, disciplined study of God’s Word.

 

Friday July 22nd 2016

Matthew 16:13-16

13	When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
14	They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
15	"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
16	Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

 

The beliefs and views concerning who Jesus really was, encompassed a wide range of ideas. Herod Antipas feared that He was the resurrected John the Baptist, because he had John beheaded. There were those that believed that He was the fulfilment of the prophecy surrounding the return of Elijah (Malachi 4:5-6; Matthew 3:1-3; 11:9-10; 17:10-13). Some people saw some similarities between the ministry of Jesus and the ministry of Jeremiah. They were both critical of the state of the Nation of Israel and they both showed authority and suffered during their ministries. There were several other prophets that people believed that Jesus was. When Jesus asked His disciples who people said He was, no one said that people thought He was the promised Messiah, that view was a dangerous one to hold and even more perilous to voice.

Almost everyone in the land of the Israelites was hoping for a political Messiah, one that would finally cast off the chains of bondage that Rome was holding them under. The propensity in these varied opinions was to give Jesus a degree of respect but not to go as far as to say that He was the promised Messiah, the true Son of God.

It was all well and fine for His disciples to know what other people believed as far as who Jesus was, but Jesus asked them who they thought He was. Peter did not hesitate to convey to Jesus who he and the other disciples believed He was, He was the True Messiah, the Son of the living God. Peter understood that Jesus was not only God’s Messiah but that He was truly God in the flesh.  

Due to a lack of understanding of the Word of God today, there are many throughout the world that do not really understand what Peter had come to fully comprehend. Who Jesus is, and why He had to live an earthly life and die on the cross. This understanding can come only through a consecrated prayer life and a comprehensive study of the Word of God.

 

 

Saturday July 23rd 2016

Matthew 19:13-14

13	Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.
14	Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

 

In Chapter 19 Jesus teaches on a wide spectrum of issues, marriage, divorce, riches and discipleship. This particular verse of scripture focuses on the humility of children. Jesus had begun this illustration with the children as we see in chapter 18, when His disciples asked Him who would be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. At this point, as we have seen in our bible study classes, the disciples as well as most of the followers of Jesus were expecting a political Messiah. They were interested in who would hold the highest positions in the kingdom Jesus would soon inaugurate. From chapter 18, verse 2, Jesus called a small child to Himself and told the ones that were listening to Him that day, that if they did not become like this little child they would never see the Kingdom of Heaven. He was speaking of the humility of the little children; the dependence they have on their parents. This is how we as children of God should view our Father in Heaven.

It was a custom and tradition among the Israelites to bring their children to a Rabbi for a blessing. There is no evidence in scripture as to why the disciples rebuked the parents that day as they were bringing the children to Jesus, However, the simple fact that the disciples did do this, showed the necessity for Jesus to teach the lesson on humility that he taught that day.  

Fast forward to our verse of scripture here in chapter 19. Again Jesus was welcoming the children to make a point to all that heard Him that day, and everyday forward. He was speaking of several attitudes that is displayed in the children, humility, dependence, trusting and needy, and how this is what those that want to come to Him should display. Jesus did not teach, that day, that the kingdom belonged to the children, but it belonged to “such as these” Matthew 19:14. In chapter 18 Jesus was speaking only of the humility of the children, that would be required to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Here in chapter 19 he included several more virtues needed in order to see His Kingdom.