Words from a wise man's mouth are gracious, but a fool is consumed by his own lips. - Ecclesiastes 10:12 (NIV)

Our words reveal our character (Matthew 12:34) and we should choose our words wisely.

The fool makes false assumptions and therefore even more errant conclusions. He babbles on and on without thinking. (Ecclesiastes 10:14)

Let's be gracious with our words today, praying and reflecting before sharing and speaking.

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If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. - 1 Corinthians 13:3 (NIV)

Jesus tells us that love is the key to life. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself" - Matthew 22:37-38 (NIV).

The Bible tells us that God is love. He loved us so much that He sent His son to die for us so we can have a relationship with Him.

Giving is important. Sacrifice is significant. But loving God and others needs to be the focus of our lives. And when we truly grasp this concept - everything else falls into place.

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I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. - Philippians 4:12-13 (NIV)

The apostle Paul applies the strength of God both to good and bad circumstances. He is basically saying that the gospel gives him the power to process victory and defeat similarly: as under the hand of God. In other words, how we handle our victories is also the way we handle our defeats. When our identity is in Christ and not in our achievement, success and setback are held in the same hand.

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Today's commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org

Then Jesus told them, "This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:"

'I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'

But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee." Peter replied, "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will."
- Matthew 26:31-33 (NIV)
The Last Supper is noted for its gift to all of us of the communion table.

But it is also the moment when empty promises were made and the betrayal had begun. Yet in all of that, God used those broken promises to set the stage for our Redeemer to free us!

Do you feel like you've failed God? This week reminds us that God can use our failures to fulfill His ultimate purposes. He waits ahead of us in His victory!

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Today's commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, Grace NYC

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 (NIV)

After Israel has declined due to the rise of the Assyrians, Isaiah was sent by God to correct Israel of her stubborn heart. After chapters of correction, this passage finds Isaiah comforting Israel. He is contrasting where the Jewish people were at that moment to a story that was bigger than they could imagine. It was a story of hope, because much of what was happening to them at that time was confusing. With their national identity gone, Isaiah was reminding them that there was an unfailing love that would uphold them. A covenant of peace was eternally theirs. 800 years later, these words stood true as Jesus was born in a Jewish nation that should never have survived. The mountains were shaken, the hills removed, but God's covenant stood true.

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Today's commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org

"They will be mine," says the LORD Almighty, "in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not." - Malachi 3:17-18 (NIV)

Malachi spoke as a prophet to God's people during a time when their national identity was being restored. The Jewish exiles had returned from Babylon to Israel, Ezra saw temple worship restored, and Nehemiah had rebuilt Jerusalem. Malachi is telling the people of God that the knowledge of God was again being restored. Even when the people of God seemed to be vanquished, God showed himself faithful again. The grass withers and the flower fades, but the Word of our God will last forever.

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Today's commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org

At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." - Mark 1:9-11 (NIV) This passage reveals the Trinity in action: Jesus being baptized, the Holy Spirit as a dove, and the voice of the Father. Though the word “Trinity” is not in the Bible, the nature of God is trinitarian from beginning to end. This is God’s witness of Himself - a mysterious being that is three yet one. And that being displays the satisfaction of community that we all long for. There is a mutual love and admiration that is not based upon duty, for Jesus had the Father’s approval before He did any ministry. The type of community that Jesus brings us into is endorsed by the Father, empowered by the Spirit, and brought to us by the Son. The Trinity is a mysterious and wonderful communion that calls people out or darkness and into His light.

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Today's Commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. -John 3:16This is one of the most familiar verses in our day and it stands as a ray of hope for all of us. Love is a major theme in John’s gospel: the love of the Father for His Son, the love of Jesus for his Father, the love of the disciples for each other. But this passage reveals that God also loves the world, and the world according to the Bible is not a pleasant thing. It is filled with sin, decay and rebellion. Herein is the great hope; we are of that world, yet God loves us. God’s love is so great that he offers us eternal life in the midst of this fallen creation. Those who believe in Jesus Christ do not have to perish the way the world is perishing, for God’s love brings eternity to this dying world.

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Today's Commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
We are faced with a startling opportunity. We may think that we can't walk this Christian path, but Peter tells us that we have all of the resources that we need in his "very great and precious promises". When our circumstances cause insecurities and thoughts of despair to dance around our minds, God gives us a way out. We can escape this corruption by knowing God through Jesus Christ. How can we know God? By taking Him at His word! God has already provided for us and He is looking for people who will have the courage to replace their current thinking with God's faithfulness. Are you looking for the thoughts of God? The Bible is God's life support to us as we encounter a world of difficulty.

Today's commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org

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For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
This is Paul's last letter before he was executed. Look at how he reflects upon his life. Paul is satisfied that he has done what God called him to do. When we face our final moments, what do we want to say about our lives? This is more than achievement, for Paul is writing this from a prison cell. This is not perfection, for Paul made many mistakes. This is the satisfaction that comes from a life lived before God with integrity. For those who long for Christ's appearing, we can take strength in Paul's words.

Today's commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org

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Honor the LORD with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;
then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.
Bringing our firstfruits to God is simply a way to honor Him. When we do so we are proclaiming that He is Lord of all of it.

What a coincidence that those who honor God from their wealth are usually found not to be in lack. In other words, if you feel you don't have the money to give you can't afford NOT to give to God. Don't let the over exaggeration of the "health and wealth" preachers take away from the Biblical truth that God promises to materially bless those who honor Him. He wants to bless His children, but He wants them to give that blessing back to him. Each tithe is a deathblow to the idolatry of materialism.

Today's commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org

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You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.
How does one be strong in the grace of Jesus Christ? By holding on to the promises of God so vigorously that those promises actually begin to shape the way that we think and act. Paul was able to model this "strength in grace" by boldly stating that what he taught needed to be entrusted to others. What about us? Have our lives been so shaped by God's promises that we expect those around us to take those promises and teach others? We need to take hold of God's word and be strong in the grace of Jesus Christ!

Today's commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org

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Choose my instruction instead of silver,
knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.
Wisdom is to be desired above diamonds, rubies, money, status, or any material possession we desire.

Wisdom yields benefits that go far beyond material comfort and convenience. For it leads us to truth and glorifies God with our lives. Seek wisdom, pray for it and desire it.

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God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
This is from the story of the prophet Balaam, who was hired by King Balak to curse the people of Israel. Instead of a curse, God would give Balaam a blessing for Israel each time he tried. Eventually King Balak was faced with a dilemma: he could either hold on to his plans or surrender them to what God was doing in his generation.

Thousands of years later Jesus would put it this way: The Kingdom of heaven is here. God is on the move. We must learn to die to our plans and follow Him. This has been the clarion call of God to humanity from Genesis to Revelations. He does not change His mind.

Today's commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org

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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.
Much like examining a painting reveals aspects of its creator, studying science and our world reveal to a limited extent God's nature.

The size and expanse of the universe and the uniformity of its physical laws clearly reveal God's power and authority over all creation, and the extraordinary complexity and ingenuity of life reveal God's indescribable intelligence and wisdom. In fact, modern science has even shown that every detail of earth's design and every natural process were perfectly crafted for the benefit of life-if our planet were a different size or resided at a different distance from the sun or lacked the magnetic field surrounding it or if water did float when it froze or light traveled at a different speed, life could not exist.

Therefore, people who deny God's existence can not claim ignorance, since they must actively ignore the voice of nature all around them.

Today's commentary by:
Dr. Brian Miller, http://drbmiller.wordpress.com/

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Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them-
the LORD, who remains faithful forever.
Anyone who places their trust or hope in people will ultimately be disappointed, since no one has the ability, permanence, integrity, or reliability to perfectly keep their promises or meet others expectations.

In contrast, God existed throughout all eternity and created everything in existence, and He has governed and guided His creation throughout the eons. He is also perfectly good and faithful to keep His promises, and He always acts for His children's benefit. Therefore, those who follow God can trust that He will guide our lives toward beneficial ends, according to His eternal perspective. Moreover, He will never abandon us.

Today's commentary by:
Dr. Brian Miller, http://drbmiller.wordpress.com/

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But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD's love is with those who fear him,and his righteousness with their children's children-with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
To fear the Lord is to have a proper understanding of who God is, his power and ultimately His great love for us. The Psalmist here connects this understanding, this fear, with obedience to God's Word. We have God's love (and so will our children's children!) when we are obedient to what he asks of us and commands us.

It is interesting that the passage says we must "remember to obey". We are so prone to forget! We can be thankful that, for those that are in Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit in our life now gives us the remembrance and the power to obey God's commands and live fully in his love.

Today's commentary by:
Caesar Kalinowski, Pastor, SomaCommunities.org

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The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
This is one of the most stunning passages that equate the Scripture with God. Notice how it "foresaw" and "announced the gospel in advance". The Scripture is addressed as a person. It's almost as if Paul is saying that when we look at Scripture it actually is looking at us! It is announcing the gospel to us just like it did for Abraham. For those who are like Abraham, the Scripture becomes a living, breathing power that blesses us with God's promises. We don't make the Scripture alive, it makes us alive!

Today's commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor GraceNYC.org

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For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;
the more knowledge, the more grief.
This passage is not a deterrent to getting wisdom or knowledge. It is an observation by a wise man of how knowledge or wisdom without God will shape us. To try to acquire academics without the compass of Scripture has taken many people into the darkness of a world where ethics and morals are objects to be used. This quickly descends to cynicism, and the world goes from a mysterious and beautiful poem to a dry dissertation. To remember the Creator of one's youth is more than a romantic notion: it's a lifeline that propels us to unlock the mysteries of God's creation.

Today's commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor GraceNYC.org

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I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.
As great as the Olympics are for their pageantry and celebration of diversity, there is coming another event far greater. This future celebration won't need opening ceremonies or the Olympic torch. The Lord Himself will be the torch that we will walk by. The glory of God will be the focus and the nations will bring the greatest aspects of their culture and identity to this city of God. For all of the beauty that we love about the Olympics, there is a beauty that is yet to come. An international feast is waiting for those who follow the lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

Today's commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor GraceNYC.org

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