Bible for the Day #35

Ephesians 5:3   Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Love & Respect

I have heard people say, “respect? Shouldn’t a husband respect his wife too?”

I believe that if you read the verse clearly, you will see that both sides are represented here.  Now follow me, this may seem confusing but read it slowly if you have to.

When speaking to the men, it states, “love his own wife as himself”.  The question to the men is, do you love yourself?  Because if you love yourself you have respect for yourself.  Therefore if you love your wife as you love yourself, it implies you respect her as well.

It is the same when speaking to the women of love.  I believe the verse could have been written this way because what men want is respect and what women want is love.  So the verse was worded in a way to imply love and respect for both from each other.

If the man loves his wife, he respects her.  If the wife respects her husband she loves him.

Please let me know what you think in  the comments below

 

 

 

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Bible for the Day #34

James 5:16  Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

This verse tells us that healing comes through praying for each other and confessing our sins to one another.  Who would’ve thought?  The next time I need healing of any kind, financial, physical, emotionally the first thing I will do is grab my husband or my prayer partner and confess my sins and pray.

But if you notice that is not all of the verse.  It also says that the prayer of the righteous person is powerful and effective.

Who do you want to pray for you?  A righteous person or a weak-willed person?  I want the strongest prayer warrior I can find on my team.  But how do I know who is a righteous person?  The Bible gives us that answer.

Romans 2:13  For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 

Now what I think and what God thinks are two completely different things.  Because as a human I look at outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.  When I say I look at “outward” appearance I mean “who is my friend” or “who do I usually hang out with or who reads their Bible, and who is usually at church?”  These things may be important but those things are not the deciding factor of who is righteous.  The Bible tells us in Romans 2:13 that a righteous person obeys the Bible, they do what the Bible says.  I believe this also means that the advice they give me may be hard, but it will be godly advice.  And I know that their prayers will be powerful and effective.  If you want a real prayer warrior on your team, find someone who lives their life by the Bible and befriend them.  Proverbs 27:17 tells us that As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.  

You become like the people you hang out with most often.  Is anyone seeking you out as their friend?

And all God’s people said AMEN.

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Bible for the Day #33

Psalms 8:1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
One of the greatest ways to worship God (I Feel) is in song. I wanted to list a few of my favorite.  I love singing to God during my Bible time and sometimes just in the middle of the day I’ll break into song and worship him.   What are some of your favorite songs for worship?  Leave them in the comments below.

All Sons and Daughters / Great are You Lord thanks to Integrity Music photo from newreleasetoday.com

Big Daddy Weave / Overwhelmed thanks to BDWmusic photo from KLove

Elevation Worship / Come to the Alter thanks to Elevation Worship photo from KLOVE (2017)

Click on the links and listen on YouTube.  I hope you enjoyed these songs and got a little taste of what I listen to for worship and I hope you enjoyed them.  Thank you to YOUTUBE for making it possible to see the enjoy this wonderful music.

This was so fun, I have to do this again.

 

Bible for the Day #32

Photography by April Teesdale

Isaiah 55:6  Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call on him while he is near.

The Hebrew word for “seek” is “darash” which means to follow for pursuit, to seek specifically to worship.   This verse implies that one day, God will not be available to us.  One day we will decide to change our lives and look to him for answers, comfort and perhaps salvation, but he will not be there.

God has always been available to us all we have to do is call on him.  This verse tells us that one day we will pray and he will not be there.

This verse is a plea to the ones who do not know Jesus as their Savior.  Right now God is near.  He is so close that if we call on him he will answer us.  If you have not done so, why?  What is your excuse?

Bible for the Day #31

II Peter 3:9   The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

When we come before the Lord in prayer we may feel that it is so urgent, that we need an answer by the weekend, or your test results will be in and you need them to be good.  There are times when we do need an answer fast, but even if we don’t get the answer we want in the time allotted there is always a reason.  I don’t know what it is and you may never know either, and that is okay because Romans 8:28 tells us  “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

In other words, there are things going on behind the scenes, there are other people or situations involved, people and things you may never meet or know.

Sometimes we think God is slow to answer prayer, but again, you don’t know all God is doing to orchestrate the things going on around you.  When Jesus walked the earth it was said that they were living at the end of days, and people are still saying it today.  We think, wow, the end of days has lasted 2,000 years.  Think about that. God’s timing is not like ours.  To God, 2,000 years is like a few days.  Now don’t get discouraged, I’m just making a point that our time isn’t like God’s and he does work good for those who love him.

So know, that if you are waiting for an answer from God, he is working it out.  And even if it is not the answer you hoped for, “he works for the good of those who love him” so whatever the outcome, “good” will come of it.

 

Photography by April Teesdale

Bible for the Day #30

Photography by Kal Loftus on Unsplash

Bible for the Day #29

Isaiah 49:16-18   I will not forget you!
¹⁶ See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
    your walls are ever before me.
¹⁷ Your children hasten back,
    and those who laid you waste depart from you.
¹⁸ Lift up your eyes and look around;
    all your children gather and come to you.
As surely as I live,” declares the Lord,
    “you will wear them all as ornaments;
    you will put them on, like a bride.

Because of their captivity in Babylon, God’s people wondered if God had forgotten them.  He answers them in Isaiah chapter 49 and although we see it everywhere, we see his love for his people here as well.  Verse 16 he tells them, “I will not forget you, see, I have engraved you in the palms of my hands.” God was telling his people I have a plan for you, and one day Jesus will take your place, and the place of all.  God had a plan for us from the very beginning.

It doesn’t matter what you go through, respond to Jesus.  No matter what situation hits you head on, know that God had a plan from the beginning and he will get you through this as well.  Remember he has engraved you in the palms of his hands.

Photography by Billy Pasco on Unsplash

Bible for the Day #28

Mark 11:22-24

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. ²³ “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. ²⁴ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

What a powerful verse. It starts off by saying to have faith in God.  This verse isn’t about you.  It isn’t about having all your desires answered.  It is about God and having faith in him.

• Do you believe what the Bible tells you?
• Do you believe it is true?
• Search your heart.  You know that God can do anything, but do you believe he will?
• This verse tells us that he wants to answer our prayers.  We just need to have faith and believe.

 

Photography by April Teesdale

Bible for the Day #27

Photography by Jeshua Bonilla