Welcome to day 4 of #OctoberChallenge and I am going to tell my 5 most loved Bible verses today.
Shall we roll?
1. Lamentations 3:24 I say: The Lord is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in Him.
2. Galatians 2:20 And I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
3. Psalms 139:14 I will praise You because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know this very well.
4. Psalms 139:16 Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began.
5. Psalms 29:11 The Lord gives His people strength; the Lord blesses His people with peace.
That is my favourite Bible verse of all time. Where are yours? Meet me in the comment section
See you tomorrow
#dadkylexy #OctoberChallenge
All Bible quotations from Holman Christian Standard Bible Version via Youversion Bible App
Before marrying, we all had ideas about what married life would be like. We played out scenarios in our heads and spent our dating lives mulling desires in the backs of our minds. When we married, we made our spouses responsible for fulfilling those desires. “I do” was barely out of our mouths when we placed the burden of our needs on our spouses’ shoulders. That burden set our spouses and our marriages up for failure. Eventually, our desires became demands, and that’s when problems arise. What was once, “I hope our marriage…” became, “You promised to…” Demanding that your spouse meet your needs is a recipe for disaster. When our desires become demands or expectations, our marriage relationships begin to resemble contractual partnerships. In a contract marriage, promises are made, and both husband and wife look to each other to keep those promises. In that kind of marriage, everything is okay as long as husbands and wives do what’s expected of them—what they owe. But when they miss a payment, the penalties can be swift and severe. After all, contracts don’t often include clauses stipulating grace and forgiveness. The opposite of a contract marriage is a covenant marriage. In a covenant marriage, both husband and wife put the other’s needs first. Each spouse is committed to loving the other unconditionally and without demands. That’s the kind of love God shows us—the kind he has designed to be the fuel for thriving marriages. Unfortunately, not every marriage is a covenant marriage. And even in covenant marriages, it’s impossible for husbands and wives to completely meet each other’s needs. If we have God-given needs our spouses can’t meet, what can we do? Ignore those needs? Pretend they don’t exist? Suppress our desires in an attempt to be selfless? Should we just abandon the hopes and dreams we brought with us into marriage? In a letter written to the early church, the apostle Peter offers a different solution: Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6–7) God didn’t design your marriage so your spouse would meet all of your needs. Your spouse will meet some of your needs, but only God can meet all of them. His plan is for you to depend solely upon him. In thriving marriages, each spouse trusts God to meet their needs without making demands of the other. Your desires and dreams will always matter to God, even when they don’t seem to matter to your spouse. Bring them to God, and you’ll find that he gives you the strength and grace to carry on.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, 1 Peter 5:6 HCSB
Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4 HCSB
This article is from YouVersion 7 secrets to an awesome Marriage plan, day 9 under the title No Coasting.
The apostle Paul hits the nail on the head for us as we wrap up this nine day study. He says in Galatians 6:9, “Let us not weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” In lay terms, hang in there, never give up, and your marriage will thrive. Look at it this way.
Let’s compare marriage to a long distance race. The truth is that most of us did not prepare well for the race. We just jumped in and someone said go and we went. We did not train. We did not change our habits or behaviors. We just ran. So it is not surprising that not too far into the race some of us were ready to bail out. Others seemed to be hanging in, but they were really struggling. It comes down to this.
Everyone in the race needs hope. Hope that they can make it the distance. Hope that there are a whole lot of water stations along the route that refresh and energize them. Hope that their spouse is running side by side with them. Hope that their spouse is in it with them to the end. Hope in the truth that they are not running the race alone – God runs with them.
My prayer for you is that you have an Awesome Marriage. I often say that marriage is not rocket science. The 7 “Secrets” are not difficult. It is living them out day after day that can be difficult. I encourage you to persevere, because one day you will say it was worth it. One day as you look back you can see how far God brought you.
I wish I could tell you that Nancy and I have always had an Awesome Marriage, but I can’t. We have had some really rough times, and once were at the edge of divorce. In many ways, I am thankful that our marriage took the turns that it did, because otherwise I do not think we would have learned all that God wanted us to learn. Today our marriage is awesome. Here is your final takeaway: No matter where your marriage is today, God can make it awesome. All you have to do is turn it over to Him and walk faithfully each day in the path He sets before you. Take these 7 “Secrets” and let Him change them into steps that will build a marriage that you both will cherish and the world will look at and say, “What is their secret. They have such an awesome marriage.”� Then you can tell them all that God has done.
Prayer: Ask God to encourage and guide you as you work with Him to turn the “secrets” into steps.
Resource: Are you ready to really LEVEL UP your marriage? Get marriage inspiration from me every week that is easy to digest and impactful to your marriage. When you sign up for Marriage Multiplier each week you’ll receive an email from me that will include 4 simple things: 1 Idea from me, 1 Marriage Challenge for you to complete that week, 1 Marriage Resource to highlight, 1 Marriage Question to strengthen your marriage. You can learn more and sign up here. Also be sure to follow Awesome Marriage on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. I would love to connect with you!
David’s example suggests four things that you should continue to do during difficult times:
How long will You forget me, O Lord? Forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? But I have trusted, leaned on, and been confident in Your mercy and loving-kindness; my heart shall rejoice and be in high spirits in Your salvation.I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.
Psalm 13:1,5–6 (Amplified Bible)
1. Keep praying
David continues to cry out to God, ‘Look on me and answer, O Lord my God. Give light to my eyes’ (v.3). He pours out his heart to God. Don’t give up praying even when God seems far away.
2. Keep trusting.
‘But I trust in your unfailing love’ (v.5a). ‘I’ve thrown myself headlong into your arms’ (v.5a, MSG). It is relatively easy to have faith when things are going well, but the test of faith is when things do not appear to be going well.
3. Keep rejoicing.
He does not rejoice in the trials, but in God’s salvation. He says, ‘my heart rejoices in your salvation’ (v.5b). ‘I’m celebrating your rescue’ (v.5b, MSG).
4. Keep worshipping.
In spite of everything he has been through, David is able to see the goodness of God: ‘I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me’ (v.6). He remembers all that God has done for him.
As you begin to praise and worship God, it brings perspective to your problems. Sometimes, I find it helpful to look back on my life and thank the Lord for bringing me through so many of my own personal struggles, disappointments and bereavements, and to remember how, through it all, ‘he has been good to me’ (v.6).
Prayer for the day: Lord, I worship you today. Thank you for your goodness to me. For all the battles ahead, I trust in your unfailing love.
How to Be a Huge Success is a little book of quotations and tips from a variety of well-known ‘successful’ people. The back cover asks, ‘Are you on a collision course with fame, fortune or greatness?’ This is so often how ‘success’ is perceived in our society. Perhaps because of some of its negative connotations, sometimes in the church we are a little wary of the word ‘success’. However, ‘success’ is not a dirty word in the Bible. It occurs at least five times in our Old Testament passage for today (Genesis 24:12,21,40,42,56) – each time in a very positive light. Success is a blessing from the Lord (vv.31,50). Success is a good thing. However, the ministry of Jesus and the message of the Bible redefines success.
Psalm 8:1
Praise God for the success of his creation
In our galaxy there are probably over a hundred-billion stars like our sun. Our galaxy is one of a hundred-billion galaxies. When we consider the vastness of the universe it is easy to feel small and insignificant.
David starts and ends this psalm by worshipping God for the success of his creation (vv.19).
As he stares into the night sky, David says, ‘I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous, your handmade sky-jewellery, Moon and stars mounted in their settings. Then I look at my micro-self and wonder, Why do you bother with us? Why take a second look our way?’ (vv.3–4, MSG).
David marvels at the fact that human beings are the pinnacle of God’s creation – a masterpiece – made in his image. Not only does God love you and care about you (v.4), but he has given you extraordinary privileges: ‘You made them a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned them with glory and honour. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet’ (vv.5–6).
We have been put in charge of everything God has made. Knowing this, Christians should be at the forefront of the protection, preservation and care of God’s amazing creation.
Of course, God’s original plan for our dominion over creation has been distorted. However, in the New Testament, we see these verses are also applied directly to Jesus (Hebrews 2:8). In Christ, creation is restored (Ephesians 1:19–23; 2:5–6), and one day it will be complete and we will see everything under his feet (1 Corinthians 15:24–26).
Lord, I see the vastness, beauty and success of your creation and proclaim: ‘O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!’ (Psalm 8:9).
Matthew 9:35
Pursue success modelled on Jesus
Jesus redefines success. If you want to know what true success looks like, study the model of Jesus – his vision, life and teaching. It is the kind of success that is not universally recognised as such.
Jesus was both admired and hated. Success does not necessarily mean popularity. Some admired him: ‘There’s never been anything like this’ (v.33, MSG). Others hated him. The Pharisees said, ‘It’s nothing but hocus-pocus. He’s probably made a pact with the Devil’ (v.34, MSG).
As followers of Jesus, you also may be both admired and hated. For example, because of his campaign to end the slave trade, it was said of William Wilberforce that he was the most admired and the most hated man in England.
In his Gospel, Matthew sets out the success of Jesus’ ministry (ch.5–9). He summarises, ‘Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and illness’ (9:35).
In word and action Jesus ushered in the kingdom of God, bringing the reality of God’s rule and presence into the lives of those around him. This is what Jesus-style success looks like and this is what you and I are called to emulate.
To achieve Jesus-style success you, like the twelve disciples, need to model your life on Jesus and share his vision:
1. The need is urgent
Jesus saw that ‘they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd’ (v.36). Today, we see millions who don’t know Jesus and are spiritually lost. In addition, we see millions who are starving, homeless, suffering from preventable diseases and without even the most basic education.
2. The motive is love
Jesus had compassion (v.36). This is the strongest word for love in the Greek language (derived from the Greek word for ‘guts’). It is used only of Jesus. It could be translated ‘he was gutted’ – his heart broke.Jesus was unconcerned about worldly categories of importance or success. Here we see him helping two very different classes of people – an important ‘ruler’ (v.18) and a woman whose menstrual bleeding would have made her unclean and left her on the fringes of society (v.20). Yet Jesus had compassion on them both.
3. The trigger is prayer
Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field’ (v.38). Pray for more people to be raised up who will follow Jesus and reap the harvest.
4. The potential is vast.
Jesus said, ‘The harvest is plentiful’ (v.37). Jesus has modelled what success looks like – proclaiming the kingdom and demonstrating its in-breaking into history. Now he calls you to follow his model – to share in his mission, multiplying its reach.
Lord, there is so much need in our world yet it seems that the workers are few. I pray that you would raise up and send out more workers to go out into the harvest field and change the world.
Genesis 24:12
Pray for success in guidance.
Abraham’s servant was not embarrassed to pray for success. He prayed a prayer that we can all emulate: ‘Give me success today’ (v.12). It was not a selfish prayer. It was a prayer that God would bless someone else, ‘show kindness to my master Abraham’ (v.12). He asked to be guided by God.
This is one of the most remarkable stories of God’s guidance. On Alpha¹, we talk about five ways in which God guides us, under the heading of ‘the five CSs’. In this passage, we can see an example of all these working together and especially the fifth one, ‘Circumstantial Signs’.
Commanding Scripture
Obviously, Abraham did not have the Scriptures that we have – but he did have the commands of God that later became part of the Scriptures. God commanded his people to only marry other believers in him. Abraham told his servant he must not get a wife for his son from the Canaanites, but from his own people (vv.3–4).
Compelling Spirit
The Holy Spirit leads us as we pray. Although the words ‘Holy Spirit’ are not used in this passage, it is clear that all the participants are in a position to be guided by God, listening to him and being led by the Spirit. Abraham’s servant prayed from his heart (vv.12,45), Rebekah appeared ‘before he had finished praying’ (v.15), and when Rebekah appeared, Isaac was out in the field where he had gone to meditate (v.63).
Common Sense
The choice of Rebekah made sense. She was clearly someone who was appropriate for Isaac. It so happened that she was ‘very beautiful’ (v.16). She was also ‘a virgin; no man had ever lain with her’ (v.16). Most importantly, she was clearly generous, gracious and kind. Her immediate response to the request for water was not only to offer it, but also to say, ‘I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking’ (v.19).
Counsel of the Saints
One of the ways in which God guides us is through godly advice (‘saints’ is used here in the New Testament sense to describe all God’s people). Although Isaac and Rebekah’s marriage was very different from the modern western marriage, in that it involved a large element of arrangement, there was also an element of choice. Rebekah was asked, ‘“Will you go with this man?” “I will go,” she replied’ (v.57). Isaac chose to marry her and ‘loved her’ (v.67). They were following the counsel of the saints in the sense that everyone around, especially their parents, recognised, ‘This is from the Lord’ (v.50).
Circumstantial Signs
This is one of the clearest cases in the Bible of God guiding through circumstantial signs. The servant asks for a sign and was given exactly what he asked for (vv.12–26). However, as we have seen, the sign was not random. It was a test of Rebekah’s character, which she fulfilled.
As a result of being guided by God, not only was their meeting a great success, but more importantly, so was their marriage.
Lord, I pray that you would multiply this wonderful example of successful guidance amongst us. May there be more and more couples coming together and being able to say, ‘This is from the Lord’ (v.50).
Pippa Adds
Genesis 24
I have always loved this story. It is very romantic. Isaac was heir to great wealth, but he was possibly rather lonely. His half-brother had been sent away. His mother had died. But God provides this brave woman. She leaves her family. She marries someone miles from home whom she has never met. But God answers very specific prayers to guide them to this decision. Isaac goes to a lot of trouble to find a woman who shares his faith, which is so important in marriage. And I love the fact that Isaac loved her at first sight.
The start of a new year brings many possibilities, which makes it the perfect time to create new Bible reading habits. But, busy schedules, family obligations, and conflicting priorities can make studying Scripture feel challenging at times.
Person reading Bible. Source: YouVersion website.
Thankfully, there are steps you can take toward consistently reading God’s Word.
Here are 4 Bible habit hacks you can do with YouVersion:
1. Make it stick
The easiest way to create a new habit is by linking it to something you already do consistently. So if the first thing you do in the morning is reach for your phone, try reflecting on YouVersion’s Verse of the Day. When you combine a new habit with an already established one, it gives your new habit more “stickiness.”
Tip: Make YouVersion the first app you see, and get instant access to the Verse of the Day, by enabling the Verse of the Day widget on your phone. Learn how to enable widgets here.
2. Make it automatic
The best way to build a habit is just to start. And as you get started, don’t focus on the amount of time you’re reading or listening to Scripture, just focus on doing it regularly. Once you complete two days in a row, go for three. Once you complete three days, try for five, and keep going until you’ve built a Bible streak.
If you’re starting to build a consistent Bible habit, pick a time to study that works for you, and set up daily reminders to spend time in God’s Word.
Tip: Keep up your momentum by viewing your Bible streak on your YouVersion Home Feed. You can also set up Plan, Prayer, and Verse of the Day Reminders here.
3. Stay connected.
You’re more likely to keep studying your Bible if you do it alongside someone who cares about your spiritual growth.
Plans with Friends offers a simple, easy way to make sure you continue building your Bible study habit.
There are thousands of Plans in YouVersion, so simply pick a Plan that interests you, and start it with Friends. At the end of each Plan day, you’ll be given a space to chat with your Friends about what you discovered.
Tip: You can do a Plan with anybody! Simply share a Plan link on social media, or share a Plan with someone within the app. Get started by choosing a Plan, and follow the prompts to invite Friends to join you.
4. Make it feel new.
Sometimes, the reason we get in a Bible reading rut is because what we’re doing feels too familiar. Switch up how you engage with the Bible.
If you typically read Scripture, try listening to an audio Bible. If you tend to study Scripture in one specific version, switch to a different version for a month and see if anything new stands out to you. Or, try reading in a new order to gain a fresh perspective.
Tips: To easily compare Bible versions, tap a verse, and then select the ”Compare” button that appears. And, you can listen to any portion of Scripture with audio Bibles.
Making the Bible a part of your everyday life doesn’t have to be daunting—and thankfully, we don’t have to do it alone. God loves to come alongside us to encourage and empower us by renewing and transforming our minds. He reveals Himself to anyone searching for Him.
As you commit to studying Scripture regularly, remember that the God who created you can also enable you to break through the resistance that holds you back, so that you can consistently engage with His living and active Word.
Courtship Forum 