Verse of the Day

Author: David Short

  • July 23, 2012



    Malachi 3:1-5 NASB


    “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the LORD of hosts. “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. And He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD, as in the days of old and as in former years. Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely, and against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the alien, and do not fear Me,” says the LORD of hosts.

    Personal Challenge…


    How often have I longed for the coming of my Lord to take away the pains and sorrows of this earthly life? Yet how much do I have to realize that maybe I am not yet ready for His arrival. His desire is that I pursue Him with all of my heart, soul and mind; that I desire to be at His business in all that I do. How often does my yearning for His return become a hindrance to my being with Him in the midst of the labors that He has ordained for me to do. My journey of theosis can be one that is drawing me closer to Him, if I give up of myself and my desires…even my desire for His return. Have I really accomplished that which He has ordained me to do? Have I really become the righteous child that He wants me to be? If not, since not, then I must become less as He becomes more.

  • July 20, 2012


    Proverbs 17:14 NASB


    The beginning of strife is like letting out water, So abandon the quarrel before it breaks out.

    Personal Challenge…

    I cannot recall how many times I have allowed myself to keep going in an argument or disagreement and find myself at a place where far too much has been said and feelings irreparably damaged. What good advise the writer of Proverbs gives us…abandon the quarrel before it breaks out. Sometimes that means just being quiet, sometimes it means sincerely apologizing ro my wrongs, sometimes it just means giving a hug. In all cases it is definitely worth it.

  • July 18, 2012


    Psalm 34:1 NIV

    I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.


    Personal Challenge…

    Is this where my heart and mind are? Not really. Is it my desire to extol the LORD at all times and to have His praise on my lips all fo the time? Not really. If I am to be a man after God’s own heart then isn’t this what my life should be like? Can I do what Paul challenged us to do, “Pray without ceasing.”? It is possible to get to that point in our lives, but it will take work, and it will begin with a choice to do so followed by many more choices to continue to do so.

  • July 17, 2012


    1 Peter 2:12 NASB


    Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.

    Personal Challenge…

    If you have been watching the news in recent weeks and months you will be aware of some storms brewing within the church due to misconducts of various church leaders. If you have been involved in the church as long as I have you will have seen this more times than you would have liked. I wish I had an explanation for why this happens in the church (other than the fact that the church is comprised of people like you and me), but what I do have is this verse, which charges us to live our lives in a way that is excellent amongst those around us. We are to live our lives in such a way as to point those around us to God, in ways that glorify and magnify God. If we live this way consistently then we can know that our Lord will guide us away from these types of actions.

  • July 16, 2012


    2 Timothy 2:15 NASB


    Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

    Personal Challenge…

    Our journey through life is a Christian is not a journey of coasting along or floating through the gentle currents, instead it is a journey that is often filled with rapids and obstacles to be navigated. We are to be active workers in God’s kingdom, working in such a way that we are not ashamed of our labors. Lord have mercy on me a sinner, for this is a journey impossible to navigate without Him at the helm.

  • July 13, 2012


    Ephesians 6:7-8 NIV

    Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.

    Personal Challenge…

    Who am I really serving, really working for? It is so easy to get caught up in our daily grind and forget who we are really doing our work for. It is so much easier to make it through a day of difficult and challenging work when we remember that our real boss, our real employer is our Lord. It is means that the work I do should always be of such quality that it glorifies my Lord.

  • July 12, 2012


    Romans 10:8-13 NASB

    But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, in your mouth and in your heart”–that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

    Encouraging Words…


    How is it that we have come to practice that the only revelation of God is that which has been printed on paper? Paul, who wrote this letter to the Romans years before there was a published Bible, tells us that the Word is near us, it is in our mouth and our heart God’s Word most certainly comes to us through the written Word, the Holy Bible, but it also comes to us through the traditions and teachings of the church. I have been asked why am I interested in worshiping in a way, a method, that dates back to the first century. It is because even this is part of the Word of God, the Word that has been passed from generation to generation with little change. This living Word, this tradition, does not have to doctored up with multimedia or theatrical flare, because it is a way that has been handed from generation to generation. And through it all, what truly rings important is whether or not we believe in Him, if we call upon His name, confess and profess Him.

  • July 11, 2012


    Luke 11:28 NIV

    He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

    Personal Challenge…

    This is Jesus speaking. Contrary to popular belief, the word of God that is referred to here is not just the Bible as we know it today. Yes, this is part of God’s instructions to us, but we are also to be obedient to the traditions of the church and the teachings that have been handed down by those saints that have gone before us. The Christian life is one of submission and obedience. It is not about having it my way, but about me submitting and serving.

  • July 10, 2012


    Proverbs 16:32 NASB


    He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.

    Personal Challenge…

    Theosis (“deification,” “divinization”) is the process of a worshiper becoming free of hamartía (“missing the mark”), being united with God, beginning in this life and later consummated in bodily resurrection. Our journey through life as Christians is the process of theosis, the process of being united with God. This journey involves challenges such as these presented in Proverbs 16:32, being slow to anger, ruling our spirit. Even through the challenges of living this way can be significant I am thankful for the opportunities that God presents to us to know Him better and to strive to be like His Son.

  • July 7, 2012


    Psalm 100 NASB


    Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth. Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations.

    Encouraging Words…

    In the Orthodox Church we view people, God’s creation, as diamonds covered with mud. We are created in God’s image and it is through our walk with Him, our journey through theosis, that the mud gets washed away to reveal His likeness. This is so much different than the perspective that we are heaps of dung. Try reading this passage and the rest of the scripture through the eyes of Orthodoxy and things will look so different.