datethewordtest

Category: Verse to DATE

  • Verse to DATE the Word on August 13 (8/13) is Proverbs 8:13

    “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the 
    evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.” – Proverbs 8:13
    Worth noticing the NLT – 13 ” All who fear the LORD will hate evil. Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance, corruption, and perverse speech.”

    REJECTING the things that He Rejects. 

    A relationship with God that is grounded first and foremost with the fear of the Lord will see a person having reverence for God and respect for God. In fearing God, one is not AFRAID of God as much as one is in AWE of God. With reverence and respect for God one will see a change in how one thinks and acts. Growing in reverence of God brings about a knowledge of what God loves as well as what God hates.  When one has the fear of the Lord one will determine decisively to love the things He loves and hate the things He hates.

    Let us make no mistake that there are things that God does hate. The verse indicates that pride and arrogance and evil actions and a filthy corrupt crooked mouth are hated by God.  God hates EVIL.  Proverbs 6:16-19 reveal more things as it reveals “These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 A false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.“

    As we grow in becoming more like Christ we are going to be growing in resisting the thing that God hates.  A reverence for the Lord will lead us to resist, yes Reject the things that He Rejects. 

    How is your reverence and respect for God changing you?  

    Our verse to DATE the Word on August 13 (8/13) is Proverbs 8:13. It says, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.”
    NLT – 13 ” All who fear the LORD will hate evil. Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance, corruption, and perverse speech.”

    What are your “I hate” statements having read Proverbs 8:13?

    Continue Strong growing in love with what God loves and developing a hatred for what He hates,
    And Remember to DATE the Word

  • Verse to DATE the Word on August 12 (8/12) is John 8:12

    “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who 
    follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” – John 8:12
    I AM the LIGHT for the WHOLE WORLD – Jesus

    Throughout the Gospel of John, we find John telling us WHO JESUS IS.  This starts in John 1 where He is the Word and continues in chapter 1 where John the Baptist proclaims that Jesus is the Lamb of God. As one continues reading through the Book of John one will discover that Jesus is the Water of Life and He is the Bread of life. He is the Door to salvation. He is the good Shepherd. He is the Resurrection and the Life. He is the Vine. Here in our verse to consider He is the Light of the world.

    Without LIGHT, there is no life.   LIGHT is tied to having LIFE!  Jesus tells us by describing Himself as the LIGHT that He is the provider of life.

    Please note that as Jesus describes Himself here as LIGHT, He says “of the world.” A. T. Robertson writes that Jesus was at the feast of Tabernacles in the Court of the Women.  In this court, there was a brilliant candelabra and there was the memory of the pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night. With this setting, Jesus makes this supreme and exclusive claim of Him being the LIGHT of the WHOLE WORLD, a world of Jews and of Gentiles.  He is the LIGHT to and for everyone.

    As we DATE this aspect of one of the great I AM statements of Jesus, ponder just how important it is to have LIGHT.  Consider it against the alternative of DARKNESS.  DARKNESS is associated with DANGER, and it brings DESTRUCTION.  Recall the difference between light and darkness based on how one lives as taught in Proverbs 4. “But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. 19  The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.  (Proverbs 4:18-19)

    Even with the destruction that comes with darkness, we find ourselves perplexed at how many reject the LIGHT in order to continue to live in DARKNESS.  Jesus said, “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.  “John 3:19 

    Have you made the turn from DARKNESS to LIGHT as spoken of in Ephesians 5:8; “For you were once darkness, BUT now you are light in the Lord?”  Do you have a story of being changed as Peter writes in 1 Peter 2:9  “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light?“

    As we consider Jesus as the Light of the world we must not forget that He now expects us to not only walk in the light but be the light to the world.  See Matthew 5:14-16.

    Our verse to DATE the Word on August 12 (8/12) is John 8:12. It says, “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

    Continue Strong walking in the LIGHT
    And remember to DATE the Word
     

  • Verse to DATE the Word on August 11 (8/11) is Ecclesiastes 8:11

    “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the
    heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” – Ecclesiastes 8:11
    This is one of those verses that you might want to read from a few other versions.
    NIV Ecclesiastes 8:11 “When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong.”
    NLT – Ecclesiastes 8:11 “When a crime is not punished quickly, people feel it is safe to do wrong.”
    Message Ecclesiastes 8:11  “Because the sentence against evil deeds is so long in coming, people in general think they can get by with murder.”

    It takes DISCIPLINE TO DO DISCIPLINE. 

    Ecclesiastes 8:11 reminds us that dealing with disobedience takes discipline and if we let things go too long, if we delay the discipline, a person’s heart is prone to become harder as well as others will begin to feel bolden to commit crimes.  I like to use the phrase “It takes discipline to do discipline.”  Hardly ever did a discipline situation come up at an opportune time and determining the amount/type of discipline is always a challenge. It takes discipline to do discipline. The bottom line is we who are responsible for imposing discipline be it a parent – a principal – a prosecuting attorney – a teacher – a coach – a judge – a jury, etc. must remember the lessons and impact of Ecclesiastes 8:11.  

    Another verse to go along with Ecclesiastes 8:11 about the importance of promptness with discipline is Proverbs 13:24. It says, “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him promptly.”  This conveys the lesson with Eccl. 8:11 that failure to diligently discipline disobedience opens the door for more disobedience.

    As you consider Ecclesiastes 8:11, how does it apply to you and your present responsibilities?

    Verse to DATE the Word on August 11 (8/11) is Ecclesiastes 8:11. It says, “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.”

    It takes DISCIPLINE TO DISCIPLINE!
    Failure to diligently discipline disobedience opens the door for more disobedience.

    Continue Strong dealing diligently with disobedience,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Verse to DATE the Word on August 10 (8/10) is Nehemiah 8:10

    “Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to
    those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our LORD. Do not sorrow, 
    for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” – Nehemiah 8:10
    The Joy of the Lord

    C. S. Lewis said, “Joy is the serious business of heaven.” Nehemiah, along with Ezra, have been rebuilding a place and reviving a people! The book Nehemiah begins with a people in great distress yet as Nehemiah leads to rebuild and as Ezra preaches to revive, we see a change from great distress (Neh. 1:3) to great gladness (Neh. 8:24).  

    Nehemiah 8 tells of a special holy day where God’s Word has been proclaimed and brought the people to weep (v9) as they were broken and humbled.  They were filled with godly sorrow for their sin. Upon seeing this response, Ezra now encouraged them to go forth and ENJOY – enjoy the blessings of God – eating the fat, drinking the sweet (tea). They were also challenged to be thinking of others that may not have and make sure they did have.

    Blessings are to be shared!!!

    Verse 10 gives the great challenge not to be sorrowful but to live cheerfully as the joy of the Lord provides us strength for the journey. Recall from Proverbs 15:15 that “he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast.” And Proverbs 17:22 says, “A merry heart does good, like medicine.”  Living joyfully makes all the difference.

    Today I encourage you to ENJOY the present that God has given you.  One of the first verses to consider each new day is Psalm 118:24 which says, “This is the day the Lord has made and I will REJOICE and be glad in it.”  

    Verse to DATE the Word on August 10 (8/10) is Nehemiah 8:10. It says, “Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our LORD. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” 

    ENJOY your day enjoying the Lord and His rich blessings,

    Continue Strong with joy,
    And remember to DATE the Word
     

  • Verse to DATE the Word on August 9 (8/9) is Psalm 8:9

    “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!” Psalm 8:9 (NIV)
    How MAJESTIC IS OUR GOD

    Our verse to DATE is the conclusion to Psalm 8 and is a repeat of the beginning verse of Psalm 8. Psalm 8 was written to show just how majestic God is and why our majestic God is to be adored, exalted, praised, and worshiped!  As one just looks at the created world one should be in awe. Psalm 19:1 says the heavens declare His glory.  To see the works of His fingers in creation (Ps. 8:3) and then consider that God has taken thought of the plight of man has to be so humbling for us. (Psalm 8:4)  To know that though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor, that we through His poverty might become rich (2 Cor. 8:9) should bring about a crescendo of praise. Our God is the God of creation AND is also the God of redemption!!  I don’t know about you, but it takes my breath away just thinking that God thinks about me and He thinks so much of me that He would personally send His beloved Son to die in my place so that I might be redeemed.  The work God has done for us demands a response of WORSHIP!! We should join the Psalmist in “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!”  

    Application: As I pray, I am more prone to be about the purpose of the petition than the Person I am presenting the petition to. Maybe you are the same. I am reminded of the great prayer warriors found in the Bible that their understanding of the PERSON they were making their petition to led first to adoration and praise of God.  Think, for instance, of Nehemiah and Hezekiah in how they approached God with enormous petitions yet before making their requests known to God, they offered adoration to God!  See Neh. 1 and 2 Kings 19.

    Yes, we go boldly to the throne of grace for help.  Yes, we cast our cares upon Him.  Yes, we bring our requests to Him.  But let us first and foremost WORSHIP Him with adoration and praise.  PRAISE preceded petitions!

    Verse to DATE the Word on August 9 (8/9) is Psalm 8:9. It says, “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!”

    God loves to hear His name praised. 

    Continue Strong praising God for who He is,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Verse to DATE the Word on August 8 (8/8) is Proverbs 8:8

    “All the words of my mouth are with righteousness;
    Nothing crooked or perverse is in them.” – Proverbs 8:8
    God’s Wisdom is TRUSTWORTHY

    The book of Proverbs is known primarily for PROVIDING wisdom.  It is the “go-to book” for getting heavenly insights for earthly living.  To open Proverbs is to open a treasure chest filled with teachings to guide a person to make decisions that bring life to their life as opposed to making decisions that destroy their life.   It is interesting though that as helpful as wisdom is to us wisdom itself believes it must make numerous appeals to the reader to get wisdom.   From the first chapter up through chapter 9, Proverbs will be both revealing wisdom to the reader while purposefully pausing to appeal and, if you will, advertising heavily to the reader on why they should be acquiring and applying wisdom.  As you come to Proverbs 8 you will find a chapter that is almost completely about the benefits of wisdom.  Let us notice just a few of the verses starting at verse 1 to see how wisdom first appeals to us and then how she presents herself. 

    Proverbs 8:1 (the appeal) Does not wisdom cry out, And understanding lift up her voice?  2 (the availability) She takes her stand on the top of the high hill, beside the way, where the paths meet. 3  She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city, At the entrance of the doors: 4  “To you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of men.
    5  O you simple ones, understand prudence, And you fools, be of an understanding heart.
    6 (her advertisement) Listen, for I will speak of excellent things, And from the opening of my lips will come right things; 7  For my mouth will speak truth; Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
    8  All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; Nothing crooked or perverse is in them.

    As we look at Proverbs 8:8, wisdom wants the reader to know that what you will receive is right and completely trustworthy.  She tells of her words being spoken with righteousness and this connects her words to the character of God who is righteous.  They are pure words.  These are true words that can be trusted.  

    A great way to understand Proverbs 8:8 is to restate that there is no FAKE NEWS with wisdom.  There will be nothing misleading with wisdom. Wisdom says what it means and means what she says.  When wisdom is applied it will work. The path that wisdom puts you on gets you to the correct destination.  You can TRUST WISDOM.

    Wisdom not only has appealed to us it has gone the extra mile to explain and justify her very character so that you can TRUST what is said to you.  The choice is now yours as to whether to acquire her with all diligence and then apply what she teaches.  

    Our verse to DATE the Word on August 8 (8/8) is Proverbs 8:8. It says, “All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; Nothing crooked or perverse is in them.”

    Continue Strong knowing you can trust God’s wisdom,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Verse to DATE the Word on August 7 (8/7) is 2 Corinthians 8:7

    “But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in
    complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you —see that
    you also excel in this grace of giving.” – 2 Corinthians 8:7 (NIV)
    EXCELLING in the GRACE of GIVING.

    Having read a verse about giving it seems logical to start by asking how is your GIVING. Are you a GIVER?  Do you give a portion of your income to a local church?  Do you give to various charities? Would you consider yourself as one who EXCELS at GIVING?  What are your feelings toward GIVING? Does the question about your giving rub you the wrong way? Are you a little sensitive to any talk or questions about your MONEY?  Does on the other hand the thought of giving excite you and you look for opportunities to “invest” in others and into God’s Work?  As you set goals and priorities for your life, have you established a goal to EXCEL AT GIVING?

    The setting for our verse to consider is the Apostle Paul is raising money for needy believers in Jerusalem and the appeal had gone out to Corinth and they made a commitment to give. Having heard through the “grapevine” that the Corinthians have not collected the money and the excitement about giving has waned the Apostle is now reminding them to be ready to give when he comes to pick up the gift!  In our verse to DATE, he commends them for things they are doing well. There are several things that they are excelling in, but generosity is not one of them. So, he challenges them to EXCEL in this ACT of the GRACE of GIVING, of being GENEROUS.
     
    What does EXCELLING in the act of GIVING look like to you?

    As I think of excelling in giving, I think of the Shunammite family for providing a room for the prophet Elisha to stay when he was in their area.  The story is in 2 Kings 4:8-11.  They wanted to make sure he had a nice comfortable room.   They excelled at giving.

    Another of many stories we could reference is when God’s people gave abundantly to repair the House of the Lord.  The story is found in 2 Chronicles.24:8-11 and it tells how God’s people brought financial gifts in the Chest of Joash.  As the appeal went out the people gave in ABUNDANCE. They excelled at giving. 

    The best example ever of giving is none other than Jesus Christ!!  2 Corinthians 8:9 says, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”   Jesus lived giving and He excelled at it.   

    What do you need to do differently in order to EXCEL at GIVING?  What is something you need to do right now to EXCEL at GIVING?

    Our verse to DATE the Word on August 7 (8/7) is 2 Corinthians 8:7.  It says, “But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you —see that you also excel in this grace of giving.”  (NIV)

    Continue Strong excelling at generosity,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Verse to DATE the Word on August 6 (8/6) is Deuteronomy 8:6

    “Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him.” – Deuteronomy 8:6
    The Foundational Pieces 

    As Moses is preparing God’s people to go into the Promise Land he tells them in Deuteronomy 8:1 that “Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers.”  Our verse to DATE continues this thought of verse 1 by stating clearly that they are to keep the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to fear Him.”

    Deuteronomy 8:6 gives us three words that will be foundational for living life according to how God desires.  The three words are KEEP, WALK, and FEAR. 

    We are to KEEP or OBEY His commandments.  His commandments are not burdensome (I John 5:3) and we know that we know Him (I John 2:3) “if we keep His commandments.”
    1 John 2:4 says that “He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”  

    We are to WALK, WALKING IN HIS WAYS.  The idea of the word “walk” in both OT And NT is how one LIVES.  We are to LIVE according to GOD’S WAYS!   God Himself pleads in Psalm 81:13 saying, “Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways!”  John writes that “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” (1 John 2:6) The NLT says it this way:  “Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.”

    David gives us a great prayer for learning how to walk in His ways.  Psalms 143:8 says, “Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You.”  Psalm 143:8 is a prayer of asking God to help me know His WORD so I can know His WAYS so I can know how to WALK, to walk like Jesus!

    We are to KEEP His commandments and we are to WALK in HIs WAYS, and we are to FEAR HIM!  To fear Him is not to be AFRAID where we cower but rather it is to be in AWE where we adore Him and hold Him in the highest of RESPECT and REVERENCE!   

    Keeping God’s commandments and walking in His ways and fearing Him opens all types of blessings to flow into your life!  Psalm 128:1 says, “Blessed is everyone that fears the LORD; that walks in His ways.“

    Verse to DATE the Word on August 6 (8/6) is Deuteronomy 8:6. It says, “Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him.”

    KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS!  WALK IN HIS WAYS!! FEAR HIM!!!

    Continue Strong living as He would have you live,
    And remember to DATE the Word
     

  • Verse to DATE the Word on August 5 (8/5) is 2 Corinthians 8:5

    “And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves
    to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.” – 2 Corinthians 8:5

    JESUS FIRST!   

    The background of 2 Corinthians 8:5 has the Apostle Paul holding up Macedonian believers as examples of generosity to the Corinthians.  2 Corinthians 8 begins, “Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: 2 that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. 3 For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, 4  imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.”  

    Having shared about the willingness to give above and beyond what they could really afford to give the Apostle Paul now makes one of the most powerful statements one can make about a person or a group of people as he tells how they made JESUS FIRST, stating that “THEY FIRST GAVE THEMSELVES TO THE LORD.”  Yes, they gave money but FIRST and foremost and more importantly, they GAVE THEMSELVES TO THE LORD.

    What a powerful description!!!  Their first priority was for Jesus to be their FIRST priority!  

    Have you considered all that Jesus did in order to give you life?  He died and then arose that He might give you abundant life now and eternal life later!  Have you in turn given Him your life? Romans 12:1 speaks of presenting ourselves to the Lord. Have you made a present of yourself and presented yourself to Jesus? Has there been a time in your life when you said, “HERE I AM, LORD!!?” Has there been a time when you fully GAVE YOURSELF TO THE LORD?

    Verse to DATE the Word on August 5 (8/5) is 2 Corinthians 8:5.  It says, “And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.”

    Continue Strong with Jesus FIRST,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Verse to DATE the Word on August 4 (8/4) is Judges 8:4

    “When Gideon came to the Jordan, he and the three hundred men who
    were with him crossed over, exhausted but still in pursuit. – Judges 8:4

    EXHAUSTED YET ENDURING!

    God had called Gideon to deliver Israel and after culling the army from 32,000 to 300 the battles have begun.  Judges 7:23 says, ” And the men of Israel gathered together from Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh, and pursued the Midianites.”   As chapter 7 wraps up two of the princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb are captured and executed. But there are more Midianites to battle, specifically Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.  Our verse to DATE, Judges 8:4, tells us about the start of their pursuit of these two kings.

    In Judges 8:4 I am drawn to the word “EXHAUSTED” and the words “BUT STILL IN PURSUIT.” The word EXHAUSTED and the phrase BUT STILL IN PURSUIT should challenge us as well as teach us about what it takes to truly be successful.  Life is difficult.  Work is hard.  Our days are full, overflowing with demand. The pressure to succeed at work, home, and/or ministry, is at times unbearable.  It is EXHAUSTING.  There are times we end the day EXHAUSTED and then start the next day EXHAUSTED.  Life is tough!  And then there come those moments of wanting to QUIT.   

    Yet we look at Judges 8:4 and we see 300 men who while EXHAUSTED, ENDURED.  That is how I sum up “BUT STILL IN PURSUIT.”  They had the character quality of ENDURANCE!  While being EXHAUSTED, tired and worn out, completely drained they were ENDURING.  Though EXHAUSTED they were men of ENDURANCE.