Tag: Bible verses about putting God first

Bible Verse of The Day – 3-2-17

John 3:35-36 (NKJV) 35 The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. 36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

What stands between life or death for us? Only our own hearts.

Our hearts make the choice. We can either receive or not receive the truth; the very thing that will set us free. Each one of us has the most wonderful opportunity. And that is to have everlasting life through God’s Son, Jesus Christ.

This is the most precious gift anyone could ever have given us. Beautiful everlasting life forever. And not just with anyone, but with the One who loves us so much! The very One who gave Himself for us.

Isaiah 53:5 (NKJV) 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

When I think of this and I apply it personally, I literally get sick to my stomach at times when I think that a human being would go through what He went through because of His love for His Father and for us. This is mind blowing love.

This is what gives us the ability to become God’s son or daughter, by taking God at His Word, having faith and believing in His Son Jesus Christ. If we have answered yes to this, Praise be to God!!

The next thing we need to know is that God has a purpose for each one of His children. Are we letting Him change us and show us His plan for us?

Are we learning how to walk with Him daily and let Him guide our steps, so that we may accomplish whatever it is we are supposed to be doing while we are here?

Once we have given Him our hearts, and we let Him change us, the next thing we must give Him is our time. This may be hard at first, due to our pre-existing commitments.

However, do whatever it takes to give Him first place. It may take a little bit of time to move things around, but we can at least start working toward that goal.

Once we have given Him our heart and our time, our life will be more meaningful and peaceful.

God loves you.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

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Bible Verse of The Day – 2-16-17

Matthew 6:21 (NKJV) 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Where our treasure is, there our heart will also be.

This was such a short, simple statement made by Jesus. But it sums up our entire walk with God perfectly.

Whatever our heart is focused on is what we will spend time on. Our “treasure” will occupy our time, our thoughts and our attention.

When we open our mouth to speak, what’s in our heart will come out. If our treasure is money, we will talk of financial matters. If our treasure is our hobby, we will spend as much time as possible thinking and talking about it, as well as participating in it.

If our treasure is our spouse, we will spend all of our time and effort trying to please them. Sometimes we might even put our spouse before God.

If we want to please God and build a strong relationship with Him, we need to be sure we are putting Him first in everything. He needs to come before our money, our hobbies, our careers and, yes, even before our spouse.

And if we love God and put Him first, our priorities will fall into order and the love that we show our spouse won’t be forced or artificial. It will be like God’s love is pouring directly from Him to our spouse, with us acting as the funnel that it flows through.

And so it will be with everything else. Once we let God set our priorities in order, He will oversee our career, our family, our finances and everything else that’s important in our lives.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

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Bible Verse of The Day – 1-17-17

Matthew 6:33  (NKJV) 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Keeping our eyes on God, instead of on His blessings, will give us a blessed life!

Are we waiting on certain types of blessings and totally missing out on God Himself loving on us? Maybe we’re missing out on the fact that He wants to care for us. Or the fact that His compassion for us is so deep and strong that He waits for us to talk to Him.

Focusing too much on certain types of blessings can ruin our walk and relationship with the One who gives us those blessings. Those very blessings can come between us and God.

Be careful and be alert to remain close to God even in the harvest season. Don’t let the harvest become a distraction. Remain disciplined, by continuing to do what we did when there were no signs of blessings.

Stay steadfast in God’s word. Stand strong and stay focused on Him, not on His blessings.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

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Bible Verse of The Day – 10-22-16

Psalm 37:4 (NKJV) 4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

The desires of your heart.

How many times do we hear people talk about God giving us the desires of our heart? It’s safe to say that we hear it a lot! After all, who doesn’t want this? If we’re honest, we will all admit that we want God to give us the desires of our heart.

And God has told us that He will do this. So why does it seem that sometimes we get them and sometimes we don’t? And why do some people seem to have it happen more often than others?

The key to unlock that “secret” is in the first part of the verse shown above; “Delight yourself also in the Lord”.

You see, if we are delighting ourselves in Him, then the desires of our hearts will slowly change and shift. And what we desire will no longer be based solely on our wants. But, instead, we will now have more godly desires, revolving around His will and not ours.

This doesn’t mean that we will never get something that we want. It just means that many of the things that we want will no longer be the same as they once were.

Delight yourself in the Lord!

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

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Bible Verse of The Day – 9-26-16

1 John 2:1 (NKJV) 2 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Each day that we get up, we make decisions. We make choices. We say things. We think things. We do things. And with God’s word in us, it helps us to stay on the right track and do those things that are right. When we do what is right, we know it because it just feels right!

Have we ever felt terrible for doing something right? Did we think, “Oh man, I just did the right thing and boy I feel awful inside”? Not usually. When we do things right, we know it! We need to always keep doing what is right.

It’s the same when we do things wrong. We will know it. We will feel it. It’s then that we have to ask for forgiveness and for God’s help to try to fix it.

Doing things wrong happens to each one of us at one time or another. It’s part of being human.

I remember going to church as a child. To me, my Pastor seemed like the perfect man. I was young and didn’t know any better.

Then, when I was older, one day my Pastor said something to me that hurt me really badly. It cut me deep.

I struggled with this because I didn’t understand how he could do that. He was supposed to be perfect, right?

God knew my heart and thoughts. He brought correction and comfort to me. He spoke healing words to my broken heart.

He said, “man is man. Man will disappoint you at times. Man will hurt you at times. Man is not perfect and he/she will make mistakes. But I am here. I will never leave you nor forsake you. Don’t put your trust in man, but in Me”.

You see I was looking at my Pastor the wrong way. I thought he could never do anything wrong.

Listen. We all mess up at times, no matter who we are. That goes for all of us. We should be ever so grateful that when we do, there is forgiveness for us.

There is healing, there is deliverance, and there is life through the precious name of Jesus Christ. He is an advocate for all who put their trust in Him!

Man is man, but God is GOD. Hold on to Him tightly. Amen.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.

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Bible Verse of The Day – 6-25-16

Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

There are many things that vie for our time and attention.

As a follower of Christ, our walk with God should always come first. Everything we do should revolve around our relationship with God. The choices we make, the things we do, the things we spend our time on and the thoughts we think should all have God right smack in the center of them.

God should be the center of each and every life decision we make. But sometimes we can get a bit off kilter. If we’re not careful, we can get busy with too many things and before we know it, we’ve pushed God aside in favor of other things.

This doesn’t usually happen intentionally. It just sort of creeps up on us.

Where our priorities are at will dictate how our life goes. When God is first in our life, everything else about our life will be in its proper place. We will have peace and joy, no matter what we face.

This doesn’t mean that we will live a perfect life, free of problems and trials. It means that as we face those things that come against us, we will have His peace to walk us through them.

And it means that our relationship with Him will stay strong, giving us a firm foundation to build our life on.

And, as part of that strong walk with God, our mind will be filled with thoughts that are edifying and pleasing to Him.

Philippians 4:8 (NKJV) 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.

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Bible Verse of The Day – 6-18-16

Philippians 4:13 (NKJV) 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

“God, please break me.”

How many times have we prayed that seemingly simple prayer or something like it? We know we need to change. We want to change. We want to break free of the sin or the complacency in our lives. So we tell God to do it for us. But it doesn’t happen.

Let’s talk about why it doesn’t happen.

God is not a puppeteer. We have no strings attached to us that allow Him to control or manipulate us. And He will never force us to do something.

Therefore, He will never break us or force us to stop sinning or doing those things that we know aren’t pleasing to Him. It’s up to us. Yes, that sounds a bit strange, but it really is up to us.

God hates sin and complacency. But He loves us. So, because He loves us, and He wants our affection for Him to be genuine, He allows us to choose the path for our lives.

We can choose to follow Him or reject Him. We can choose to get free from sin or stay entangled in it. We can choose to walk closely with Him or have a “casual”, weak relationship with Him and walk with Him at a distance.

It’s all up to us. We choose. So if it’s up to us, how can we make change happen in our lives if we seem and feel so powerless?

Through Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Through Christ, we can do all things. We can overcome sin in our lives. We can defeat complacency in our lives. We can make choices and decisions that bring about change in our lives, not on our own strength, but through the strength of Christ in us!

So when temptation comes our way, either to sin or to remain complacent in our walk with God, we need to take the initiative to do the thing that pleases God. Once we make the first move, God will meet us where we’re at and help us follow through.

And he will give us whatever we need to bring about the change in our lives that we are in need of.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NKJV) 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

This doesn’t mean it will always come easy. It may not. But as we make more right choices, and we press in to God and build our relationship with Him, it will get easier over time.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.

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Bible Verse of The Day – 6-4-16

Matthew 6:19-21 (NKJV) 19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

We’re born. We live. We die.

Our lives are brief compared to eternity. So what do we do with our lives while we’re here on earth?

Modern culture tells us that we should work hard to climb the ladder of success. You know, own a home, drive a nice car and work a great job.

“Make a lot of money”, says the world. “The more money you make, the happier you will be”.

But what did Jesus say? “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth“.

That sounds quite the opposite of what most of us are taught!

No, it’s not wrong to be successful. No, it’s not wrong to have nice things.

But where is our heart? Are we spending more time and effort chasing after these things than we are chasing after God?

Something for us to think about.

Ecclesiastes 1:14 (NKJV) 14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.

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Bible Verse of The Day – 4-26-16

John 21:17 (NKJV) 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.

Do you love me? That’s a pretty powerful question to ask someone. But the reply to Peter’s answer was even more powerful.

When Peter told Jesus that he loved Him (for the third time), Jesus responded simply, by saying “Feed My sheep”.

Some might look at that and scratch their head, wondering what He meant by those three words.

But if we look at it from a spiritual point of view, which is what Jesus intended, we see some pretty significant stuff.

If we love God, we will be concerned with the things He is concerned with.

So many times, we spend our days consumed by things with no spiritual significance. We tend to the natural things in our lives first, and then tend to the things of God “when we have time” to do so.

We live in a natural world, where we can see and touch things. But our lives are driven by spiritual things, in addition to what we can see and touch. And it’s those spiritual things that make our lives what they are.

It’s easy to get caught up in and focused on the things that we can see. Because they’re tangible and visible, they tend to catch our attention more easily than the things we can’t see.

But without spiritual growth through Christ, no amount of natural things will ever satisfy us or improve our lives. So it’s important that we put God first in everything we do. And then, tend to the things of the natural after we tend to our relationship with God.

For without God, all else is meaningless.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.

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Bible Verse of The Day – 4-20-16

Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

This is a verse we’ve taught on many times in the past. Today, however, we want to teach on it from a bit different point of view.

We need to put God first in everything we do. And this is how this verse usually gets presented.

But there is another area where we may not be putting God first, so let’s talk about that for a minute.

Prayer. This is an area where we tend to spend time asking God for things we need, want or desire. And there’s nothing wrong with asking God for things. The Bible says in James 4:2 that we have not because we ask not.

But when and how we ask is just as important as the asking itself. Here’s what we mean.

When we talk with God, do we spend more time asking for stuff than we do praising, worshiping and thanking Him for who He is and what He has already done for us? Do we dive right in to all the things we want, and then utter a quick “thank you” before we quit praying and head on our way?

Putting God first in everything also includes in our prayer time. We need to be sure to spend time giving to God before we ask Him to give to us.

No, this isn’t bribery or sweet-talking God. It’s just a matter of giving Him what He deserves!

And as we learn to do this, we will be more likely to experience a more powerful prayer life because we will be focusing more on God and less on ourselves. This will help make us more sensitive to Him. And that’s always a good thing.

So before we start running down our list of wants and needs every time we talk with God, let’s be sure to spend some time giving God the honor and glory He deserves. And let Him do some of the talking too.

After all, what He says is well worth listening to!

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.

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Bible Verse of The Day – 4-16-16

Matthew 16:26 (NKJV) 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

We can pursue so many different things in our lifetime.

We can pursue a better career, a bigger house, a faster car, a bucket list of accomplishments, a long list of places we’ve traveled to, and so much more. The list could really be endless.

None of these things are wrong, in and of themselves. They can be good.

But not a single one of them will profit us if we pursue them in lieu of securing our eternity in heaven.

God wants our hearts. Yours, and mine. And He doesn’t just want a piece of them, He wants the whole thing!

He wants us to pursue Him with a passion that consumes us. He wants us to pursue Him with a zeal that many only show for their hobbies, their careers or their personal wants and desires.

But God wants to take the place of those things, so that He becomes our burning passion.

Are we chasing God first and foremost? Are we putting all of our effort into building our relationship with Him? And do we long for Him with a burning in our hearts?

We should be! Each and every one of us. It’s what we were created for. And none of us will ever feel fulfilled until we reach that place.

And, in the words of Jesus, what will it profit us if we gain the whole world and lose our souls?

Let’s put God first, church! First, ahead of every other thing in life that tries to vie for our time and attention.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.

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