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Sunday, November 30, 2014

Proverbs 19:3 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (12/1/2014)...

Life doesn’t always go the way we want it to. But God still loves us; He loves us so much that He sent His only Son into the world to die for us. Put your life into Christ’s hands, and then ask God to help you begin to trust Him, no matter what happens to you.
- Billy Graham

Proverbs 19:3 (NLT) People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the LORD. 

Monday, November 24, 2014

1 Chronicles 16:34 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (11/25/2014)...

- Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the USA. 
- Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the second Monday in October in Canada. 
- The Plymouth Pilgrims were the first to celebrate the Thanksgiving. 
- They celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day in the fall of 1621.  
- The Wampanoag Indians were the people who taught the Pilgrims how to cultivate the land. 
- The Pilgrim leader, Governor William Bradford, had organized the first Thanksgiving feast in the year 1621 and invited the neighboring Wampanoag Indians also to the feast. 
- The state of New York officially made Thanksgiving Day an annual custom in 1817.
- The annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade tradition began in the 1920's. 
- Californians are the largest consumers of turkey in the USA. 
- By the fall of 1621 only half of the pilgrims, who had sailed on the Mayflower, survived. The survivors, thankful to be alive, decided to hold a thanksgiving feast.

1 Chronicles 16:34 (NLT) Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. 

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Genesis 25:7-8 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (11/24/2014)...

"'The days of the years' is a Hebrew phrase which speaks of quality of life because life is made up of days...individual specific days. In those 64,000 days, Abraham, the friend of God, walked with God. The Christian life is not called the Christian leap, the Christian jump, or the Christian bounce. It's called the Christian walk because it takes place one step, one day at a time... What I do today will affect how I arrive at the end of my life."
- Jon Courson (Courson's Appl. Commentary, vol. 1)

Genesis 25:7-8 (KJV) And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years. Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Mark 1:35-36 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (11/21/2014)... 

"...Jesus needed to invest regularly in keeping his calling clear, avoiding drift, and keeping distraction and temptation at bay."

"...the best gift [a sincere follower of Christ] can give [others] is a healthy, energized, fully surrendered, focused self. And no one can do that for you. You've got to do that for yourself."
- Bill Hybels (The Road We Must Travel, pgs. 18-19)

Mark 1:35-36 (NLT) Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.”

Mark 6:46 (NLT) After telling everyone good-bye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Proverbs 30:7-9 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (11/20/2014)...

Real contentment must come from within. You and I can not change or control the world around us, but we can change and control the world within us.
- Warren Wiersbe

Proverbs 30:7-9 (NLT) O God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die. First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the LORD?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name. 

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Acts 11:22-26 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (11/19/2014)...

I AM A CHRISTIAN

When I say that ‘I am a Christian’, I am not shouting that ‘I am clean living.’ I’m whispering ‘I was lost, but now I’m found and forgiven.’

When I say ‘I am a Christian’ I don’t speak of this with pride. I’m confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say ‘I am a Christian’ I’m not trying to be strong. I’m professing that I’m weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say ‘I am a Christian’ I’m not bragging of success. I’m admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say ‘I am a Christian’ I’m not claiming to be perfect. My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it.

When I say ‘I am a Christian’ I still feel the sting of pain. I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say ‘I am a Christian’ I’m not holier than thou, I’m just a simple sinner who received God’s good grace, somehow!


Acts 11:22-26 (NLT) When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord. Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord. Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul. When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. (It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.) 

Monday, November 17, 2014

1 Timothy 2:1-6 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (11/18-2014)

"Today in Kindergarten chapel (Bangor Christian Schools), Teri Pereira Lewis was waxing eloquently about "a guy named Paul" who was in prison with a good attitude, and one little girl leaned back and asked me, "Does she mean Paul LePage?"  Paul LePage, Maine's Governor  
- Jacki McDougal Schmidt (FB 11/13/2014)

1 Timothy 2:1-6 (NLT) I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. For, There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time. 

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Psalm 139:1-18 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (11/17/2014)...

"God knows everything in totality."
(Try applying this truth to every question you might have about God)

Psalm 139:1-18 (NLT) O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. 
You know when I sit down or stand up. 
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. 
You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. 
You know everything I do. 
You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD. 
You go before me and follow me. 
You place your hand of blessing on my head. 
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!
I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! 
If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. 
I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you. 
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me! 

Thursday, November 13, 2014

2 Corinthians 4:7-9 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (11/14/2014)...

There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing. 
– Aristotle

2 Corinthians 4:7-9 (NLT) We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Romans 12:9-18 (NLT)..,

FROM TODAY'S READING (11/13/2014)...

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. 
- Maya Angelou

Romans 12:9-18 (NLT) Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. 

Monday, November 10, 2014

Deuteronomy 31:6-8 (NLT)..,

FROM TODAY'S READING (11/11/2014)...

VETERAN'S DAY...Thank You For Your Service

“Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.”   - Billy Graham

Deuteronomy 31:6-8 (NLT) So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Then Moses called for Joshua, and as all Israel watched, he said to him, “Be strong and courageous! For you will lead these people into the land that the LORD swore to their ancestors he would give them. You are the one who will divide it among them as their grants of land. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

Sunday, November 9, 2014

John 15:12-13 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (11/10/2014)...

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. ”
- Joseph Campbell

John 15:12-13 (NLT) This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 

Thursday, November 6, 2014

2 Timothy 2:3-4 (NKJV)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (11/7/2014)...

It is the soldier, not the reporter, Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the soldier, not the poet, Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the soldier, not the organizer, Who gave us the freedom to demonstrate

It is the soldier, Who salutes the flag, Who serves beneath the flag.

And whose coffin is draped by the flag, Who allows the protester to burn the flag."

- Father Dennis Edward O'Brien, USMC

2 Timothy 2:3-4 (NKJV) You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.


 


Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Joshua 1:6-9 (NLT)..,

FROM TODAY'S READING (11/6/2014)..,

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”                            – Theodore Roosevelt (26th President of the United States)

MOSES' INSTRUCTION TO JOSHUA - “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:6-9 NLT)

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Psalm 33:8-12 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (11/5/2014)..,

"The practice of morality being necessary for the well being of society, He [God] has taken care to impress its precepts so indelibly on our hearts that they shall not be effaced by the subtleties of our brain. We all agree in the obligation of the moral principles of Jesus and nowhere will they be found delivered in greater purity than in His discourses."
- Thomas Jefferson...The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Alberty Ellery Bergh, editor (Washington D.C.: The Thomas Jefferson Memorial Association, 1904), Vol. XII, p. 315, to James Fishback, September 27, 1809.

Psalm 33:8-12 (NLT) Let the whole world fear the LORD, and let everyone stand in awe of him. For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command. The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations and thwarts all their schemes. But the LORD’s plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken. What joy for the nation whose God is the LORD, whose people he has chosen as his inheritance. 

Monday, November 3, 2014

Joshua 1:6-9 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (11/4/2014)..,

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”                            – Theodore Roosevelt (26th President of the United States)

MOSES' INSTRUCTION TO JOSHUA - “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:6-9 NLT)

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Psalm 13:1-6 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (11/3/2014)...

"Life isn't like a book. Life isn't logical or sensible or orderly. Life is a mess most of the time. And theology must be lived out in the midst of that mess."
- Charles Caleb Colton (1780-1832)

"Our stance is never more precarious than when we are in pain—any kind of pain. The voice of God whispers in our souls, “Love Me, worship Me, trust Me.” But His soft words are hard to hear over the raucous voices in our culture and in our own hearts—voices that shout at us to berate God, to ignore Him and move on in search of other comforts, if there be any—any that don’t wear off after a few minutes or hours.

Still, Jesus calls us to come close, to cuddle in His love and rest in the certainty of His goodness and His sovereign power. He invites us to take comfort in all that He has promised to be to us—savior, friend, healer, lover.

This is the challenge we face with each day as we step out into life."            - Jan Winebrenner (The Grace of Catastrophe, 2005)

Psalm 13:1-6 (NLT) O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand? Turn and answer me, O LORD my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die. Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!” Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall. But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the LORD because he is good to me.