Friday Five: Fruit!

God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number. Gen 1:28

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life. Prov 11:30

If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.

John 15:5

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Gal 5:22-23

Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. Eph 5:8-11

Friday Five: Isaiah

My Bible-reading plan is a simple one: I read a book from the Old Testament and, when finished, read a book from the New Testament, then back to the Old Testament. Sometimes I read fast, taking in the words like any good literature, and sometimes I read slowly, pondering every phrase and looking up ever imagery.

I’m reading Isaiah right now. Isaiah is a fast-read approach this time. I chose to read from The Message, just for a different input this time. Here are some fascinating verses from Isaiah:

But they won't get by with it. As fire eats stubble and dry grass goes up in smoke, Their souls will atrophy, their achievements crumble into dust, Because they said no to the revelation of God-of-the-Angel-Armies, Would have nothing to do with The Holy of Israel. Isaiah 5:24

…consuming one another in their lusts— Appetites insatiable, stuffing and gorging themselves left and right with people and things. But still they starved. Not even their children were safe from their rapacious hunger. Isaiah 9:19-20

The wolf will romp with the lamb, the leopard sleep with the kid. Calf and lion will eat from the same trough, and a little child will tend them…. The whole earth will be brimming with knowing God-Alive, a living knowledge of God ocean-deep, ocean-wide.

Isaiah 11:6-9

Joyfully you'll pull up buckets of water from the wells of salvation. And as you do it, you'll say, "Give thanks to God.
Isaiah 12:3-4

What does one say to outsiders who ask questions? Tell them, "God has established Zion. Those in need and in trouble find refuge in her."

Isaiah 14:32

Friday Five: God Forever

Lives forever

For this is what the high and lofty One says--
he who lives forever, whose name is holy:
"I live in a high and holy place,
but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit,

Isaiah 57:15

King forever

But the LORD is the true God;
he is the living God, the eternal King.

Jer 10:10

Existing forever.

Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.

Psalms 41:13

Priest forever

The LORD has sworn
and will not change his mind:
"You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek."

Psalms 110:4

Righteous forever

“He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor;

his righteousness endures forever.”

2 Cor 9:9

Friday Five: Feet

Five aspects to feet:

Authority: I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Josh 1:3

Reverence: I saw this and fainted dead at his feet. His right hand pulled me upright, his voice reassured me: "Don't fear: I am First, I am Last.” Rev 1:17

Confidence: He will guard the feet of his saints,
but the wicked will be silenced in darkness. 1 Sam 2:9

Teachable: She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. Luke 10:39

Servanthood: Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples, drying them with his apron. John 13:5

Friday Five: Morning

Morning: the new beginning

• In obedience: Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. Gen 22:3

• In commitment: Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Mark 1:35

• In thankfulness: Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Mark 1:35

• In justice: Morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does not fail, yet the unrighteous know no shame. Zeph 3:5

• In hope: I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star." Rev 22:16

Friday Five: Glory!

“Glory” is great importance and shining majesty. “To give glory” is to recognize the importance of another. In giving glory to God, we recognize and announce his nature. The Greek calls it “doxa” (we know it in the word doxology). In doxa, we praise the divine power and majesty of God.

We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:14

"Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting. "

Neh 9:5

They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and I will meditate on your wonderful works

Psalms 145:5

May they sing of the ways of the LORD,
for the glory of the LORD is great.

Psalms 138:5

O LORD , our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
above the heavens.

Psalms 8:1

(Note: photo by my teenage daughter. Thanks, Becky.)

Friday Five: Beginnings

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Gen. 1:1

He has made everything beautiful in its time…

yet they cannot fathom what God has done

from beginning to end. Ecc 3:11

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God

and the Word was God. John 1:1

That which was from the beginning…this we proclaim

concerning the Word of Life. 1 John 1:1

I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last,

the Beginning and the End. Rev 22:13

(Note: painting from Genesis project. Thank you, Ann!)

Friday Five: Refuge

He is a shield
for all who take refuge in him.

2 Sam 22:31

How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.

Psalms 36:7

The LORD delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Psalms 147:11

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

John 11:25-26

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

Romans 1:16

(This painting and similar ones can be viewed at The Genesis Project.)

Friday Five: the Breath of Life

God formed Man out of dirt from the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life. The Man came alive—a living soul!

Gen 2:7

And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.

Acts 17:25

The Spirit of God made me what I am, the breath of God Almighty gave me life!

Job 33:4

The skies were made by God's command; he breathed the word and the stars popped out.

Psalms 33:6

Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

John 3:6

("Hovering" is part of the Genesis project, an artist's contemplation of creation. Check out the display of paintings there.)

Friday Five: Selah!

Selah: to lift up, exalt.

Who is he, this King of glory?
The LORD Almighty--
he is the King of glory. Selah

Psalms 24:10

And the heavens proclaim his righteousness,
for God himself is judge. Selah

Psalms 50:6

I long to dwell in your tent forever
and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. Selah

Psalms 61:4

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,
who daily bears our burdens. Selah

Psalms 68:19

I spread out my hands to you;
my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah

Psalms 143:6

Friday Five: Always I AM

I AM = eimi (I exist-always. No beginning or end.). John’s gospel has two sets of “I am” sayings of Jesus. One set declares Jesus’ divinity:

`I am, who is speaking to you.'

John 4:26

They were afraid; and he said to them,

`I am, be not afraid;'

John 6:19-20

Jesus, therefore, said to them, ‘When you may lift up

the Son of Man then you will know that I am.’

John 8:28

Jesus said to them, `Truly, I say to you, Before Abraham's coming--I am;'

John 8:58

`From this time I tell you, before its coming to pass, that,

when it may come to pass, you may believe that I am.’

John 13:19

`Whom do ye seek?' they answered him, `Jesus the Nazarene;'

Jesus said to them, `I am.”

John 18:4-5

Friday Five: Halel Yah!

Halal=to praise, boast about. Yah = the Lord

Hallelujah!

Praise the LORD.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

Psalms 106:1

Praise the LORD.
How good it is to sing praises to our God,
how pleasant and fitting to praise him!

Psalms 147:1

Praise the LORD.
Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
who finds great delight in his commands.

Psalms 112:1

Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong

to our God,

Rev 19:1

And again they shouted:
"Hallelujah!"
Rev 19:3

(Photo courtesy of Eagle's Eye Photography. Check out the site for other great photos. Thanks, Ann!)

Friday Five: Witnesses

About witnesses…..

Make known among the nations what he has done.

1 Chron 16:8

You are my witnesses," declares the LORD,
"and my servant whom I have chosen,

Isaiah 43:10

So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

Mark 5:20

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;

and you will be my witnesses

Acts 1:8

They overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.

Rev 12:11

Friday Five: the Bridegroom

My mind has been on the Bridegroom this week.

At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

Matt 25:1

How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride!
How much more pleasing is your love than wine,
and the fragrance of your perfume than any spice!

Song 4:10

Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my lover among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste.

Song 2:3

I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign LORD, and you became mine.

Ezek 16:8

How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

Matt 9:15

Friday Five: Front and center

Fasting can cleanse our thoughts, our bodies, our souls. We know about fasting from food, but others suggest fasting from media (TV, radio, recorded music) or from digital connections (internet, email).

The point is not the denial but the focus. Where do we place the spotlight of our life? If food is our god, then focus elsewhere. If email threatens to own us, then push it back onto tamer ground. What claims our mind when the storm clouds of challenge threaten? That often reveals our gods, the places we go for comfort.

On fasting….

So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

Dan 9:3

'Even now,' declares the LORD,
'return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.'

Joel 2:12

But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matt 6:17-18

Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

Matt 9:15

When I weep and fast,
I must endure scorn;

Psalms 69:10

So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

Acts 13:3

Friday Five: Speaking of God's Peace...

The promise of peace:

Though the mountains be shaken
and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
nor my covenant of peace be removed,"
says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

Isaiah 54:10

And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.

Isaiah 55:12

I will make a covenant of peace with them

Ezek 34:25

'The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the LORD Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace,' declares the LORD Almighty."

Hag 2:9

And the promise kept:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 14:27

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ

Romans 5:1

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking,

but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,

Romans 14:17

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations.

Eph 2:14-15

…through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Col 1:20

Friday Five: Anthropomorphisms

Anthropomorphisms are figures of speech that apply human or earthly traits to God. They help us describe spirit in terms we understand. Here are five:

Warrior

Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me;
fight against those who fight against me.
Take up shield and buckler;
arise and come to my aid.
Brandish spear and javelin
against those who pursue me.
Say to my soul,
"I am your salvation."

Psalms 35:1-3

Shelter

I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
until the disaster has passed.

Psalms 57:1

Foundation

be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.

Psalms 31:2

Walker

I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.

Lev 26:12

Reasonable

"Come now, let us reason together,"
says the LORD.

Isaiah 1:18

Now add some of your favorites.

Friday Five: Lord of all

In the beginning God created

Gen 1:1

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.

Psalms 19:1-2

The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

Isaiah 40:28

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Romans 1:20

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

Heb 11:3

Friday Five: Names for God's Spirit

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- the Spirit of truth.

John 14:16-17

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

John 14:26

The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD--

Isaiah 11:2

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

Romans 8:2

how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!

Heb 9:14

Friday Five: Servant

Five comments on a servant:

It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. Mt. 10:25

Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations. Mt. 12:18

No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. Lk 16:13

At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' Lk 14:17

But made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. Phil 2:7

And a few servants:

Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs. Romans 15:8

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God- Romans 1:1

Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said in the future. Heb. 3:5

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. James 1:1

Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, 2 Peter 1:1

Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, Jude 1:1

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, Rev 1:1