the verse of the month?

[SalmonJeff]

did anyone post a verse of the month? I know this is a busy time for our chosen guide.

[David Johnson]

I've been gone from home a few weeks now and I can't even keep up with my own reading let alone finding a verse for here.

I've been pretty absent from this for quite a while so thanks for kicking me in the butt so I can get myself into the Word more. I'll try and post one tomorrow.

[happybrew]

How about this one? Mark 9:38-48. It was today's Gospel reading in church.

38
9 John said to him, "Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us." 39
Jesus replied, "Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. 40
For whoever is not against us is for us. 41
Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward. 42
"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe (in me) to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, 10 into the unquenchable fire. 44
11 45
And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. 47
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, 48
where 'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.' 49

How many times do we see someone doing good things, and want them to stop because they are "not one of us"? Yet we know from Scripture that all good things come from God, and this includes the good that people do. It is better that we look to our own actions, and cut away the sin in our lives than to look at others, and question their deeds because they aren't with us. Their deeds may well be as good as, or better than our own. Our own deeds we cannot boast of, as it is only through the actions of the Holy Spirit that we are able to do anything good at all. What business then, do we have to scrutinize the works of others that are also prompted by the Holy Spirit?

happybrew