The word for the day taken from “The Verse of the Day” in Biblegateway.com is “Encourage.”
Once again, I begin my day by looking at today’s Verse of the Day for May 23, 2022, according to Biblegateway.com:
Romans 15:2 (New Living Translation)
We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord.
The Amplified Bible, Classic Edition puts it this way:
Let each one of us make it a practice to please (make happy) his neighbor for his good and for his true welfare, to edify him [to strengthen him and build him up spiritually].
The Verse of the Day also brought to mind I Thessalonians 5:11 as rendered in the identical versions:
New Living Translation:
So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition:
Therefore encourage (admonish, exhort) one another and edify (strengthen and build up) one another, just as you are doing.
These verses inspired me to write words of encouragement, expressed in this original poem:
Encourage One Another
So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NLT)
.
Don’t stop now—keep on pursuing
Keep seeking His face
Don’t get weary in well-doing
You must keep the pace
Seek and you shall find
The strength to be transformed–
Renewed in the spirit of your mind
Encourage yourself
And encourage one another
Build each other up
Every sister and brother
Speaking the truth, we grow up
Therefore, encourage one another
I found the accompanying video “Encourage one another” which is a compilation of the same verse from I Thessalonians 5:11 and other scriptures and words of encouragement from Kimberly Culpen. May we all be strengthened and encouraged today.
Instead of beginning our day with the Word of the Day posted May 19, 2022, on Biblegateway.com, I thought of a previously posted “Quote of the Day,” which we can apply today and every day, especially during these extremely stressful and overwhelmingly tense times in which we live. Brian Adams offers this remarkable statement about the “art of patience” which believers must learn to perfect:
“Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement, and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success.”
As believers, perfecting the art of patience involves learning to wait on the Lord. The closing verses of my favorite psalm come to mind:
Psalm 27:13-14 (NKJV)
I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14 Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!
Note the Bible offers this definition of patience, meaning endurance or perseverance, steadfastly bearing up under and remaining faithful while waiting. Patience or perseverance is a fruit of the spirit that should be evident in our lives, as we wait on the Lord.
James 5:11 provides an excellent example of the word for patience translated as a verb and as a noun in a particular individual who embodies the character trait of patient endurance. The New Living Translation offers this rendering containing a familiar phrase that encompasses a character trait most often associated with Job:
11 We give great honor to those who endure suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.
The Book of Job is a classic example of the principle of first usage and first spiritual principle, which highlights as particularly important the first time we find a concept in the Bible. Some Bible scholars believe that the first book written was the Book of Job, believed to have been composed by Moses. Job, whom Chuck Swindoll described as a “man of heroic endurance,” was, indeed, a real person, and his story is one of the first demonstrations of spiritual principles, one of the first being that God is “full of compassion and tender mercy” and that he rewards those who demonstrate “patience.” Although we recognize that “Patience is its own reward,” God also rewards patience, as so clearly demonstrated at the end of the Book of Job. Recall Job 42:10:
And the LORD turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends: also, the
LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
The topic of the need for patience in our lives brings to mind a statement by Graham Cooke whose words inspired this poetic response:
A Prayer for Patience
“My suggestion for people in a season of birth or upgrade
is to write out a prayer for patience and pray it every day.”
Graham Cooke
For you have need of steadfast patience and endurance,
so that you may perform and fully accomplish the will of God,
and thus, receive and carry away [and enjoy to the full] what is promised.
Hebrews 10:36 (Amplified Bible)
We look back and pause and then look ahead to see
Clearly who God is and who He has called us to be.
We still journey down the road less traveled by
And pray that patience may serve as a trusted ally.
We must say “No” to the pressures of this life
And say “Yes” to the rest God gives, despite the strife.
As we stay our minds on Him, we abide in peace.
When we praise God, works of the enemy decrease.
May we remain and not fall by the wayside as some
But like Job wait until at last, our change shall come.
Patient endurance seems delayed for some reason,
But fruit abounds to those who wait in their season.
We pray that in this time of transition and shift
That we embrace waiting as a wonderful gift.
We close with another reminder from Scripture about patience from Hebrews 10:36-38 (NLT):
36 Patient endurance is what you need now so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.
37 “For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. 38 And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”
Karen Clark Sheard and Donnie McClurkin offer a stirring rendition of a song to capture the essence of our discussion on the art of patience: “Wait on the Lord.”
The Verse of the Day for May 15, 2022, comes from Ecclesiastes 11:5 in the New Living Translation:
Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.
This verse reminds us that God, the creator of the universe, is far beyond our ability to comprehend. In thinking about this verse, the word “unsearchable” comes to mind, a term uniquely applied to the Lord, God Almighty:
Romans 11:33-36 (NLT) also reveals His incomprehensible nature:
33 Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!
34 For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice? 35 And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back?
36 For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.
In the Book of Job and in the Psalms, we find similar sentiments expressed:
Job 5:9 (NLT):
He does great things too marvelous to understand.
He performs countless miracles.
Job 11:7-9 (NLT)
7 “Can you solve the mysteries of God?
Can you discover everything about the Almighty?
8 Such knowledge is higher than the heavens—
And who are you?
It is deeper than the underworld*—
What do you know?
9 It is broader than the earth
And wider than the sea.
The Psalmist also notes the incomprehensible nature of the Creator in Psalm 139:1-6 (NLT)
1 O Lord, you have examined my heart
And know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel
And when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say
Even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
Too great for me to understand!
In describing the ways of God, one of the terms used is “unsearchable” which is also translated “indelineable, marked by being impossible to plot, travel, or trace to the end of, therefore, incomprehensible or impossible to understand.”
Today’s blog post also brings to mind a previous entry focusing on the “Word of the Day” which turned out to be “research,” whose root is “search,” a term related to what God continually does to the human heart.
Research, in its most literal sense, means to “re-search” or to “search again. God, our Father, as the ultimate “Researcher” conducts this grand “research project” whose primary purpose is for the advancement of human knowledge about God, that we might “fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” In the process we discover, interpret, and develop knowledge, which we apply as we grow in our understanding of the Creator and His vast universe. This original psalm centers on “searching” or “trying,” as in examining closely and scrutinizing in detail in order to render some kind of assessment or evaluation. Introducing the work is a section of Scripture from Romans 8:27-28 (NKJV):
27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose
God Searches
Romans 8:27-28
God searches the depths of each soul and probes each heart,
To uncover each motive and extract the pure,
Discarding dross, thus perfecting the refiner’s art.
The word of prophecy stands as even more sure,
The touchstone to measure the essence of all life.
All else shall fail, but the Word shall ever inspire.
This two-edged sword, sharper than a finely honed knife–
Living, powerful, piercing each thought and desire,
Penetrating soul and spirit, joints and marrow–
Probing deepest emotions, dispelling the dark.
Life-giving and powerful, swift as an arrow
That finds its target and that always hits its mark
Reaching its own perfection, to its fullest extent,
The Word of God prospers wherever it is sent.
In thinking about God as “the ultimate researcher,” I also recall Psalm 139 where the Psalmist recognizes that God knows all about the most intricate and delicate complexity of His matchless creation. Spiritually speaking, we can view all of Psalm 139 as an invitation to deepest, divine inspection, as the celebrated psalm closes with this heartfelt request:
Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT} :
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
He who is unsearchable, whose ways are past finding out, searches the hearts of His creation.
We close with Gwen Smith offering a contemporary song of worship “Unsearchable”:
On today, Mother’s Day, May 8, 2022, I express my gratitude to God for my wife, Brenda, the mother of our two daughters, Melissa and Angela, and the grandmother of our grandson, Kingston. Happy Mother’s Day to a special Lady, affectionately called, Mom, Mommy, Mimi, and My Beloved Brenda.
I love you and God bless you
On Mother’s Day and Every Day
For My Beloved Brenda
Brenda Joyce, the wife of my youth in whom I rejoice…
On Mother’s Day and every day, I thank God for you.
At times words fail, and so I say, “If only you knew.”
I try to reassure you in all I say and do.
Again, I say, “God bless you. You make me feel brand new.”
Reflecting upon our lives since the day we first met,
His love still enriches and sustains us yet.
That He answered each of our prayers, how can we forget?
Brenda Joyce, the wife of my youth in whom I rejoice…
God deeply touched our lives so that we might also share
This “Sunday kind of love,” one that is, indeed, so rare.
Through every storm of life, He sheltered us in His care.
Though we try to describe it, it is beyond compare.
The world ever changes, but God’s love is always there,
Brenda Joyce, the wife of my youth in whom I rejoice…
On Biblegateway.com, the Verse of the Day for May 5, 2022, comes from Philippians 4:6-7 to remind believers not to worry about anything but to pray about everything. I am revising and re-posting a previous entry that we can apply today and every day of our lives.
Here is the rendering of this celebrated passage in the New Living Translation (NLT):
Philippians 4:6-7
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 13:15 (NKJV) also offers this reminder:
By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
The most dramatic reminder to live in continuous thanksgiving we find in I Thessalonians 5:18:
Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ.
The King James Version renders the verse this way:
In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
To facilitate memorizing this particular verse, I composed a Scripture Memory Song “In Everything Give Thanks”:
In everything give thanks,
In everything give thanks,
For this is the will of God
In Christ Jesus concerning you.
Repeat
When things in life don’t seem to turn out
Just as we think they should,
We know that God still has a grand plan
And works all things together—
He works all things together for our good.
In everything give thanks,
In everything give thanks,
For this is the will of God
In Christ Jesus concerning you.
The sun shines bright or the darkest night,
No matter what the mood,
We still give thanks always for all things.
In the name of Jesus Christ,
We keep an attitude of gratitude.
In everything give thanks,
In everything give thanks,
For this is the will of God
In Christ Jesus concerning you.
Every situation offers an opportunity to be thankful, no matter how bright or bleak life may be. We can always find something to be thankful for, if for nothing more than that we are alive or that our situation could be worse. We can begin with thanking God that we are alive and then adding to the lengthy list of blessings we are enjoying at that moment. Each time we set our minds to be thankful, we are doing the will of God, which is the innermost desire of every believer. To give thanks is to do the will of God.
J. Rufus Moseley speaks of “an attitude of gratitude and boundless goodwill.” For believers, thanksgiving is a magnificent and joyful “response-ability;” that is, our ability to respond to God’s love and grace. We endeavor to demonstrate our gratitude to God from the fullness of our hearts, overflowing with thanks. More than merely occasionally expressing how grateful we are, we desire to maintain a continual “attitude of gratitude,” a lifestyle that some have called “thanksliving.” The essence of our attitude of endless gratitude I express in this original psalm:
Thanksliving
What shall we render to the Lord for all
His grace? What can we say to offer praise
Worthy of His glory? How can we call
With all our being upon His name and raise
A new song from the depths of our heart?
We must do more than mouth a platitude–
To express our soul in words is an art;
Yet words cannot express our gratitude.
Mere words are empty and without merit.
“Thank you” too soon becomes a hollow phrase.
So we must worship God with our spirit
And must give thanks well for all of our days.
To live is to give thanks with tongue and limb;
With each breath, each move, let us live thanks to Him.
Listen to this scripture memory song based on Philippians 4:6-7 from Integrity Music
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