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Thursday, October 29, 2015

1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (10/30/2015)...

Failure is seldom a blowout; it is usually a slow leak.
- Unknown

1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (NLT) "If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

1 Peter 14-16 ( NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (10/29/2015)...

A small boy sat in church with his mother and listened to a sermon entitled "What is a Christian?" Every time the minister asked the question, he banged his fist on the pulpit for emphasis.
The tension produced by the sermon built up in the boy and he finally whispered to his mother, "Mama, do you know? Do you know what a Christian is?"
"Yes, dear," she replied. "Now sit still and be quiet."
Finally, as the minister was winding up in the sermon, he again thundered, "What is a Christian?" and banged especially hard on the pulpit. This time it was too much or the little boy, so he jumped up and cried out, "Tell him, Mama, tell him!"

1 Peter 4:14-16 (NLT) If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you. If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people’s affairs. But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian [Christ-follower]. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name!

Monday, October 26, 2015

Proverbs 24:28-29 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (10/27/2015)..,

"To triumph fully, evil needs two victories, not one. The first victory happens when an evil deed is perpetrated; the second victory, when evil is returned. After the first victory, evil would die if the second victory did not infuse it with new life."
- Miroslav Volf (Croatian theologian)

Proverbs 24:28-29 (NLT) Don’t testify "against your neighbors without cause; don’t lie about them. And don’t say, “Now I can pay them back for what they’ve done to me! I’ll get even with them!”"

1 Thessalonians 5:15 (NLT) "See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.”

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Romans 13:12-14 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (10/26/2015)...

"The Chinese Communist Party has banned golf, gluttony, excessive drinking, and adultery. Hey, if you guys don’t want American tourists just say so."
- Conan O'brian (TNT late night comedian)

Romans 13:12-14 (NLT) The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Joshua 1:8 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (10/23/2015)...

A story is told of a devout father whose son was studying for the ministry. The son decided to go to Europe for an advanced degree, and the father worried that his simple faith would be spoiled by sophisticated, unbelieving professors. “Don’t let them take Jonah away from you,” he admonished, figuring the swallowed-by-a-great-fish story might be the first part of the Bible to go.
Two years later when the son returned, the father asked, “Do you still have Jonah in your Bible?”
The son laughed. “Jonah! That story isn’t even in your Bible!”
The father replied, “It certainly is! What do you mean?”
Again the son laughed and insisted, “It’s not in your Bible. Go ahead, show it to me.”
The old man fumbled through his Bible, looking for the Book of Jonah, but he couldn’t find it. At last he checked the table of contents for the proper page. When he turned there, he discovered the three pages comprising Jonah had been carefully cut from his Bible.
“I did it before I went away,” said the son. “What’s the difference whether I lose the Book of Jonah through studying under non-believers or you lose it through neglect?” 
- Michael P. Green

Joshua 1:8 (NLT)  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.

Psalms 119:11 (NLT) I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

John 10:11-16 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (10/22/2015)...

"You can tell the sheep are in trouble when the shepherd starts speaking kindly of the wolf."
- Unknown

John 10:11-16 (NLT) "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep. 
I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.”

Monday, October 19, 2015

Marrhew 16:24-26 (NLT).,,

FROM TODAY'S READING (10/20/2015)...

"I had everything, but I had nothing."
- Darryl Strawberry (CNN 10/16/15)

Matthew 16:24-26 (NLT)Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Psalm 90:10 (NLT)..,

FROM TODAY'S READING (10/19/2015)...

"The only time machine we are born into is the one we are in, and it only moves forward."
- Code Black 

Psalms 90:12 (NLT) Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.

Psalms 39:4-5 (NLT) LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered— how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.

Friday, October 16, 2015

1 Peter 4:10-11 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (10/16/2015)...

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say, I used everything you gave me.
- Erma Bombeck

1 Peter 4:10-11 (NLT) God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Genesis 1:14-18 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (10/15/2015)...

Whoever it was who searched the heavens with a telescope and found no God would not have found the human mind if he had searched the brain with a microscope. 
- George Santayana 

Genesis 1:14-16, 18 (NLT) Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened. God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

Psalms 8:3-4 (NLT) When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place— what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?

Amos 5:8 (NLT) It is the LORD who created the stars, the Pleiades and Orion. He turns darkness into morning and day into night. He draws up water from the oceans and pours it down as rain on the land. The LORD is his name!

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Hebrews 12:1-4 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (10/14/2015)...

When you hear about someone who has failed, you are also hearing about someone who has tried. You can never fail unless you try. There is no disgrace in failing. There is only disgrace in never having tried. 
- Judy Zerafa

Hebrews 12:1-4 (NLT) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.

Monday, October 12, 2015

Proverbs 6:16-19 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (10/13/2015)...

"Top 10 Liars' Lies"
10. We'll stay only five minutes. 
9. This will be a short meeting. 
8. I'll respect you in the morning. 
7. The check is in the mail. 
6. I'm from the government, and I'm here to help you. 
5. This hurts me more than it hurts you. 
4. Your money will be cheerfully refunded. 
3. We service what we sell. 
2. Your table will be ready in just a minute. 
1. I'll start exercising (dieting, forgiving, ...) tomorrow.
- Leonard Sweet (Soul Cafe newsletter)

Proverbs 6:16-19 (NLT) There are six things the LORD hates— no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.

Sunday, October 11, 2015

1 John 3:2-6 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (10/12/2015)...

"We have staked the whole of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God." 
- James Madison (4th US President/Father of Our Constitution")

1 John 2:3-6 (NLT)  And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Matthew 6:14-15 (NLT)..,

FROM TODAY'S READING (10/9/2015)...

The other day, a sister called to tell me that one of the young men (in a mid-1990's newly opened home for AIDS patients in New York) was dying but, strange to say, he couldn't die. So she asked him, "What is wrong?" And he said, "Sister, I cannot die until I ask my father to forgive me." So the sister found out where the father was, and she called him. And something extraordinary happened, like a living page from the gospel: The father embraced his son and cried, "My son, my beloved son!" And the son begged the father, "Forgive me! Forgive me!" And the two of them clung to each other tenderly. Hours later, the young man died.

When we realize we are all sinners needing forgiveness, it will be easy for us to forgive others. We have to be forgiven in order to forgive. If I do not understand this, it will be very hard for me to say " I forgive you" to anyone who comes to me.
- Mother Teresa ("No Greater Love")

Matthew 6:14-15 (NLT) If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Colossians 3:13 (NLT) Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

Ephesians 4:31-32 (NLT)  Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

James 3:13-18 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (10/8/2015)...

If the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, it may mean they take better care of their grass.
- unknown

James 3:13-18 (NLT) If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. 
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

Monday, October 5, 2015

Acts 10:38 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (10/6/2015)...

"He was pleased when he could take up a straw from the ground for the love of God, seeking Him only and nothing else, not even His gifts”

“We should act with God in the greatest simplicity, speaking to Him frankly and plainly, and imploring His assistance in our affairs when and in the manner they take place.”
- Brother Lawrence (The Practice of the Presence of God)

Acts 10:38 (NLT) And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

Ephesians 5:1-11 (NLT) Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. 
Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 
Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. 
Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.

Sunday, October 4, 2015

1 Corinthians 15:51-57 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (10/5/2015)...

No matter how devastating our struggles, disappointments, and troubles are, they are only temporary. No matter what happens to you, no matter the depth of tragedy or pain you face, no matter how death stalks you and your loved ones, the Resurrection promises you a future of immeasurable good.
- Josh McDowell

1 Corinthians 15:51-57 (NLT)  "But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. 
For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. 
Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? ” 
For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Friday, October 2, 2015

Colossians 3:12-15 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (10/2/2015)...

"People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel."
- Maya Angelou

Colossians 3:12-15 (NLT) Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Psalm 145:14 (NLT)...

"I haven't failed. I just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
- Thomas Edison

Psalms 145:14 (NLT) "The LORD helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads.”

Psalms 37:23-24 (NLT) "The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand.”

Proverbs 24:16 (NLT) "The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.”