Our Verse of the Day

The Word Says:
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”

Verse Thoughts:
Fear, guilt, and shame cannot coexist alongside faith, hope, and love. Fear and love are a contradiction in terms, “for there is no fear in love; because perfect love casts out fear,” A confident loving-trust in God cannot cohabit alongside destructive fear. Fear is the antithesis of love and the person who is fearful has not reached the mature love God desires in His children.

The immeasurable strength from the power-house of God’s perfect love overwhelms every negative influence of fear. In the life of a believer, fear is rendered powerless by love, “for there is no fear in love.” Love describes the character of God, for God is love, and when the love of God permeates a soul, no anxious thoughts can overwhelm the love of God within, “for the one who fears is not perfected in love” – their ability to love others has not reached the fulness of love.

The Bible tells us that if we love one another, then God remains in us, and the love of God is made complete in us. Those whose love is perfected in and through God’s love have no fear of His punishment. Christ took the punishment we deserve when He died on the cross in our stead, so that we no longer need to fear God’s wrath, because He declared us righteous at the point of our salvation. 

Love is the fruit of God’s Spirit, and the fruit of love is not fear. It is a complete and confident assurance in our Father and His Word of truth. There is no fear in love, for the perfect love of God drives out all fear. Every aspect of Christ’s redeeming work was designed to deliver us from all semblance of fear and all that might cause us to dread.

The emotional fear that brings with it anxious thought, the threat of pain, and the dread of punishment is very different from the biblical fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom. In Proverbs, we read that the woman who fears the Lord is to be praised, while in Acts we read that the Church was multiplying because they were walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost.

The fear of the Lord in this context refers to reverencing the Lord and standing in awe of His holy presence. Throughout the word of God, we are exhorted to glorify the Lord and offer Him great respect, for He is worthy of our reverential praise and high admiration. We are to give unto the Lord the glory and worship His holy name demands. We are to come to Him and bow down before Him. We are to worship Him in the beauty of holiness.

When the Lord is given His rightful place in our lives, we have Christ’s unshakable promise to be with us through all circumstances of life, so we should not fear. We are not to fear the things in life, nor any threat of death, nor are to fear what happens after death, for our confidence is in the Lord. He is our Defence and our Defender.

He is the Lover of our soul, and He loves us with an everlasting love. The Word of God exhorts us not to fear, and reminds us that, “there is no fear in love, for the perfect love of God casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.” 

There are many places in God’s Word where we are exhorted not to fear:  Fear not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God; Fear not, for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine. Fear Not, I am the Lord Who provides. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? Fear Not, I will never leave you nor forsake you!

The one who has had his sins pardoned should have no fear of life or death. Nor should they fear what lies beyond the grave, for our hope is in Him. Guilt and shame is a fuel that feeds the force of fear, but the heart that overflows with the love of God need not fear His wrath. The one who has confidence in God’s Word, will not shrink from His chastening rod. They will not fret about punishments nor dread Him as their Judge.

May we never forget that perfect love is not a selfish, immature, childish love that tries to take advantage of a situation. Perfect love is a mature, adult, responsible love. It is patient and kind. It does not take into account a wrong suffered, nor does it rejoice in unrighteousness. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Perfect love is a responsible love, a giving love, a gracious love that disperses fear, perfects the saint, and is the greatest gift of all.

The Word Says:
“But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.”

Verse Thoughts:
This verse is the opposite argument to what “is seen is not hope.” The two elements of hope (future hope and certainty) correspond to two dimensions of our attitude.

Hope is something that we do not now see. If hope is already realized, it is no longer hope but a reality that is reached already.

Since our hope involves certainty, we eagerly expect what God is going to do for us in the future. By this we wait during the delay. Believers endure this interim struggle because we are sure of what lies ahead of us. The realization of the glorification of the believer is still future, albeit certain. What makes it certain is its content. We obtain our hope from God’s promise in His Word. He promises the return of Christ, the resurrection of the body, and our gathering to Him in glorification. Since God cannot lie, we can count on His Word.

Hope expects something better than present circumstances. It is something that is anticipated with delight; it is no passive endurance.

There is a difference between faith and hope. Faith brings promise into the present; hope accepts a future promise. Faith precedes hope and is the basis for our hope. Faith has promise as its present object, whereas hope regards the promise as future. Christians hope for eternal life because God made a promise to give it to us. Believing the promise produces expectation of result. Hope carries the idea of certainty of God fulfilling the promise; faith looks to the promise as a present possession. Believers “rejoice in the glory of God.” We have “the full assurance of hope.”

The Word Says:
“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:”

Verse Thoughts:
We are called to walk worthy of our Lord and to be fruitful in our Christian life, but this can only be achieved as we abide in Him, rest in Him, trust our lives into His safe-keeping, and walk in spirit and truth. It is only as we willingly choose to be submitted to the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit in our lives that we can truly walk worthy of our Lord, in spirit and in truth. It is only as we receive from Him that we can walk in Him.

As believers, we have trusted in Christ for salvation. We have been given the new life in Christ. We have received ALL that we need to walk worthy of the Lord, and so we are earnestly exhorted to walk in Him, for just as we received Christ Jesus as Lord, we are to continue to live our lives in Him.

Paul’s earnest exhortation to us is a choice. Truly born-again believers can choose to take the spiritual path, follow in the footsteps of the Master, and so walk in Him, or we can choose a carnal walk, in which case we follow our own will, and walk in our own ways.

If we trusted Christ for our redemption by faith and received the life of Christ as a free gift of grace, should not we also choose to live our life in spirit and truth? Should not we who have received ALL from Christ Jesus, so walk in Him?

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”

The Word Says:
17. “But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children;”
18. “To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.”

Verse Thoughts:
God’s unfailing love outlasts the span of human life. According to this verse it extends from everlasting to everlasting. It is eternal because it is an essential part of God’s nature. First John 4:8 says, “God is love.” Ephesians 1:4–5 tells us God predestined us in love. This startling truth indicates that from eternity past God loved those who would put their trust in His Son as their Savior.

David assures us that God’s love is steadfast. He never stops loving His people. Even when we fail Him, His love for us does not fail. This is illustrated in the story of the prodigal son, who wandered far from his father. When that son returned home, he received full assurance that his father still loved him (Luke 15:11–32). When his father saw him returning, he felt compassion. Upon receiving his son, the father threw his arms around him and prepared a joyful celebration to welcome him home.

David adds to the description of God’s attributes by noting that the Lord’s righteousness extends to the posterity of those who reverence Him. He always does what is right and best for those in every generation who obey Him.

The Word Says:
“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.”

Verse Thoughts:
It was by divine design that this Psalm so beautifully describes the Lord God as our great and caring Shepherd, for although it is often used as a great comfort at a time of death or bereavement, it is equally a Psalm that points to the Lord Jesus Christ as our sustenance and support in every season of our lives.

For the Lord is our Provider and Peace. The Lord is our Strength and Stay. The Lord is our Righteousness and our Reward. The Lord is our Sanctuary and our Shepherd.

It was by divine design that David personalised this Psalm to read: “The Lord is MY Shepherd.” He is indeed your Shepherd, He is our Shepherd, and He is the Shepherd of all that love and trust Jesus as Saviour, for we are the sheep of His pasture and none can pluck us out of His hands. But we can rightly say the Lord is MY Shepherd, for He is with each of us every step of the way, to lead and to comfort, to guard and to guide. He is with us in the good times and throughout those difficult days, and He has promised never to leave us nor forsake us but to be our constant Companion and our ever-present Comforter.

It was by divine design that the Lord Jesus is so beautifully represented as a tender shepherd – the Good Shepherd Who gave His life for His sheep – the Great Shepherd Who loves His own with a deep compassion – the Chief Shepherd that rescues His scattered straying sheep and gives them life, eternal life, abundant life. Truly we can say in confidence:

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want. He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength and guides me along right paths, which brings honour to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I need never be afraid, for Jesus is close beside me. His rod and staff protect and comfort me. He prepares a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. He honours me by anointing my head with oil and my cup overflows with multiplied blessings. Surely His grace and goodness and unfailing love and mercy will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of my LORD forever.”

The Word Says:
“Pray without ceasing.”

Verse Thoughts:
Knowing that the day of the Lord is fast approaching, and also knowing that our citizenship is reserved for us in heaven by grace through faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ on the Cross, Paul outlines what sort of life a believer should live.

Close to the top of his list of godly instructions on how to live a fruitful Christian life is: “Pray without ceasing; pray continuously, pray and keep on praying.” Prayer is fellowship with the Father and was a vital part of Paul’s own Christian walk.

Paul is exhorting all believers who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus to pray constantly, and this call to pray follows his instruction to rejoice always, for the heart that rejoices in the Lord is the one that will keep their eyes fixed on Jesus, and their thoughts trained upon their Saviour.

The man or woman who turns often to prayer and maintains a worshipful attitude of prayer towards the Lord, is one who comes boldly to the throne of grace to offer up prayer and praise, supplication and intercessions, petitions and thanksgiving. Prayer demonstrates a humble dependence upon God, for prayer is the breath of the dependent soul that touches the heart of the Father.

The praying man is the one who does not rely on his own strength, but trusts in the Lord with all his heart for all his needs. The man or woman of prayer is one who desires to maintain close and intimate fellowship with the Lord Jesus. Let us live in an attitude of prayer, no matter what activity we are engaged in.

The Word Says:
“The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.”

Verse Thoughts:
When life goes in directions we didn’t expect, and when those directions include suffering and frustration, we can easily become discouraged. We wonder if God has forgotten us. We worry that our lives will sputter out like a car that has run out of gas. We fear we’ll end…

In Psalm 138, David begins by thanking the Lord for his “unfailing love and faithfulness.” God answered his prayers, even on the very day David offered them. Even though God is inestimably great, “he cares for the humble.”

But, as David first composed Psalm 138, he was surrounded by troubles and endangered by the anger of his enemies. In faith, David said, “The LORD will work out his plans for my life, “for your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever.” David had confidence in God’s ultimate purpose for him, which God would fulfill. That means that David did not have to be afraid or discouraged. God would take care of him!

Yet Psalm 138 does not end with a firm confession of trust in God’s care. Rather, it concludes with a focused request: “Don’t abandon me, for you made me.”  It’s as if David’s trust in God wavered for a moment. “Lord,” he prayed, “you will fulfill your purpose for me. Yes, indeed. Oh, but don’t forget me! Don’t abandon me!”

So, Psalm 138 exemplifies the reality of our life in God. It is true that God will work out his plans for us. As Paul writes to the Philippians, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”  In this truth, we stake our lives. Yet there are times when we aren’t so sure. We wonder. We worry. We doubt. Psalm 138 encourages us to not hold back in those times, but to lay before the Lord both our confidence in him and our hesitations. He will take all of these and work them together for his purposes.

The Word Says:
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,”

Verse Thoughts:
For three glorious chapters, Paul has been outlining the riches of God’s grace towards His people, explaining our privileged position in Christ and reminding us of the love of God which passes all human understanding, before he implores us to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which we have been called, to the praise and glory of God the Father and our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

He has been expounding the length and breadth and depth and height of the good news of God’s grace towards us, and the over-abounding riches we already have in Christ, by faith in His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection. And Paul’s heart-desire and earnest prayer is that we understand the riches of His grace towards us and that we stand firm in the faith, grow in grace, trust in the Lord with all our heart, and become rooted and grounded in the love of Christ.

And so Paul draws this inspiring and exhilarating section of His letter to the Ephesians to a climatic close with a doxology of praise proclaiming God’s goodness and grace. Paul in this inspiring and exhilarating doxology of praise wants us to KNOW that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think! – which is to transform us from being fallen sinners into the likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The superabundant blessings that God gives to all who simply trust in the divine Person and atoning work of Lord Jesus Christ are ours “according to the power that works within us.” That inner power is not of ourselves but the supernatural workings of the Holy Spirit – for He is continuously working in the inner man, that new life in Christ that we received at salvation, in order to transform us from glory to glory into the person and character that befits a spiritual man, a child of God, a joint-heir with Christ, and a citizen of heaven.

The Power that works within us is the Holy Spirit Who teaches, guides, rebukes, and correct us. He is forming and transforming, fashioning and refining our inner man. He is guiding and directing us, teaching and training us, and the more that we yield to Him, the more exceedingly abundantly will be the inner transformation into the image and likeness of Christ – until we can say with Paul: “The life that I live in this flesh is not I, but Christ that lives in me.”

“Now to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

The Word Says:
“Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.”

Verse Thoughts:
Human nature is enmity against God, and it rejects God’s law. The result is continual warfare with God and between men. No one who breaks God’s law as a way of life can have peace, at least not the kind of peace God gives. Jesus says in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.”

The world can produce a level of tranquility from time to time, but it is not the peace of God. When a person sins, it seems as though there is a feeling, a natural fear, that wells up. Even before the sin occurs, one invariably seeks to make sure no one else sees it happen. This does not display a mind at peace. Immediately following a sin, the fear of exposure arises, and the sinner begins justifying, at least to himself, why he has done such a thing. If caught, he justifies himself as Adam and Eve did before God.

In simple terms, God is showing us the consequences of breaking His laws. If one were at peace with God, he would have no need to hide himself. With a clear conscience, he need not lie, justifying and shifting the blame on to others. No one who breaks God’s laws can have peace. However, one who loves God’s law will not only keep the peace he already has but will add to it as its fruit and reward.

Psalm 119:165 promises another wonderful benefit: Nothing causes those who love God’s law to stumble. “To stumble” indicates faltering along the path to the Kingdom of God or even to fall completely away from God. This provides great encouragement and assurance regarding security with God, meaning that we will not be turned aside by the difficulties along the way.

Instead of fear of exposure and a guilty conscience, we will be assured because God’s Word says so, as 1 John 3:18-19 confirms: “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.” What a confident life we can live by following God’s way!