Mark 5:29

(Summary of previous few verses: The woman had been bleeding for twelve years, she came up behind Jesus touched his cloak and...)
"Immediately her hemorrage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease."

Not only had this woman had the faith to know that Jesus could heal her - and that he could heal her just by a touch of his cloak - but then when she was healed, she had the faith to know it and believe it. To know, immediately that this was it, she was healed of her disease. No "immediately she thought "this is a good day, I wonder what tomorrow will be like?""
Pretty cool!

Revelation 1: 17b18

"Don't be afraid! I am the first and the last, the living one. I was dead but now I am alive forever. I have the keys of death and hell."

The various and broad ranging descriptions of God and Jesus in Revelation and fantastic. Opening up our eyes, minds and hearts to new and different ways of imagining them, praising them, worshipping them, understanding them.

I'm slowly working my way through Revelation at the mo so expect more of the same!

Titus 3:4-5

"But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savious appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit."

I read this passage this morning. As I'm still working on my understand of grace and so on, it struck a note. One thought in particular, which is partly brought on by doctorwoman's Easter post, is the word "appeared" and all that carries with it. God brought his goodness and loving kindness to us through Jesus - we didn't have to go hunting, he "appeared".

2 Timothy 6:11-12

"But you belong to God, so you must run away from all this. Instead, chase after justice, godliness, faith, love, patience and gentleness. Fight the noble fight of the faith, get a firm grasp on the life of the coming age, the life you were called to when you made the noble public profession before many witnesses."

Mostly, I just really like the word "chase" in this translation! Very inspiring. :)

Zechariah 4:6

"He said to me, 'This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit says the Lord of hosts.'"

Zerubbabel was the topic of a sermon in our church back in January and we used this verse before the sermon as a memory verse (by playing bible verse hangman, a great game in church!). And it has stayed with me to a greater or lesser degree ever since. In so many situations, especially when God is asking us to do something new, it seems impossible to us. And yet we strive away trying to manage it in our own strength. Instead, we should turn to the Spirit for our help and strength.

1 Timothy 4:14

"Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders."

This really challenged me a few weeks ago when I was feeling like giving up on various things. Yes, the verse is very specific to Timothy's situation and all about him but it serves as a good reminder that God gave us gifts for a reason. Yes, some of them might only be for a season but that is up to God, not up to me.

Galatians 5:4

"You who want to be justified by the law have cut yourselves off from Christ; you have fallen away from grace."

I've been reading a book about grace recently and it has been phenomenal. I'd never realised before how much I didn't really get grace. I haven't managed to change my fundamental ways of thinking yet, they are so deep routed, but I'm really excited about the possibility that I might finally understand Christian joy as more than a vague, slightly comical concept.

Change of tack

I'm changing how I'm making use of this again. I'll not make an explanation again as frankly, none of the previous versions have lasted so why would this one!?
So, just read along and see if I actually keep updating this time!

Luke 2:21-40

Get the reading here.
I actually spoke on this passage the other week at church so it is kinda hard to look at it again so soon. So just a few condensed thoughts from the sermon really (if you want to see the full notes (that won't make much sense...) let me know). First, everyone in the passage was doing what God wanted them to do. Mary & Joseph were acting according to the law; Simeon and Anna were prompted by the Holy Spirit and followed that prompt. Second, Simeon ACCEPTED Jesus as he was. He didn't have any doubts or questions for God (like I was expecting a warrior not a baby...) - I think we'd probably like to change a few things about Jesus if we could, make him a bit more comfy to live with but Simeon just accepted, accepted God's plan.