Verse 14 Roll Call

Good afternoon friends,

The fact that it's July 15th already makes me a little sad... summer always goes so quickly. I hope we're all taking advantage of our summer days. This past weekend was perfect summer weather for me -- hot enough to be at the beach and in the water, but with a nice breeze and without humidity. We spent the weekend with friends and thoroughly enjoyed "summer"! :)

I've chosen a short verse for the last half of this month, seeing I kind of took on too much the last few times. This verse was in Living Proof Ministries blog post today, and fits with some of my thoughts lately. 

Here is 1 Cor 4:20 in a few different versions... 
For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. (NIV)
For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power. (NLT)
For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. (ESV)
For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power. (NASB)
For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. (NKJV)

The following is a paraphrase of this verse more in context... I know it's Paul talking, but in this small section, it very well could be Christ speaking to me. 

^18-20 ...They don’t think I’ll ever show up in person. But I’ll be there sooner than you think, God willing, and then we’ll see if they’re full of anything but hot air. God’s Way is not a matter of mere talk; it’s an empowered life. (The Message)

If I really studied my life and was honest -- Am I living as if I don't think Christ will return? Do I spend more time talking about what is the right thing to do and very little time LIVING it? I am rereading Francis Chan's book Crazy Love, and just read chapter 4 -- the profile of a lukewarm christian... it is a solemn chapter to read as I find too many similarities in my life. I NEED to get the truth of this: God’s Way is not a matter of mere talk; it’s an empowered life.

I recently enjoyed a quote found online... I think it was another post from the Living Proof Ministries blog. I use "enjoyed" loosely, as being sharply convicted isn't really an "enjoyable" experience :)

“Intention isn’t valued in the Kingdom of God. Obedience is.”
“Intention is not the same as faithfulness.”


Just my few thoughts today... :) Now let's hear which verse you're focusing in on for the last half of July!

Verse 13 Roll Call

Good morning friends :)

July 1st - Happy Birthday Canada!

Thankful for this beautiful vast peaceful country I am blessed to live in. And thankful for another family holiday :)

I am still working through my Matthew 5:13-16 memorization. It's only four verses, but it's taking a bit of time to get locked in. I don't want to rush over this selection... it's challenging and convicting... and I don't think it's fully gripped me yet.

On a slightly different note. I know a lot of you are facing challenges right now... some of you are mourning the loss of a loved one. Some of you have moved to a new place, maybe just when you started to feel at home in your last location. Some of you may be in a "holding" pattern, wondering what God has for you next. There's a lot of different circumstances we each face... and I wanted to open this up today for prayer requests if you would like our little community to join you in prayer. You are free to share some here, or just "raise your hand" (maybe by saying - "I could use some prayer here too!")...  please make each other feel safe here.

Ok, if you have a new verse selection or are still working on a verse from before, please let us know you're still with us by answering the "roll call"! :)

Take care friends - enjoy your summer days.