Matthew 2:1-2 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (11/30/2015)...

You do know what would have happened if it had been three wise WOMEN instead of men, don't you? They would have asked for directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the baby, cleaned the stable, made a casserole, and brought disposable diapers as gifts!

Matthew 2:1-2 (NLT) Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him."

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT)..,

FROM TODAY'S READING (11/25/2015)...

While on a short-term mission trip, Pastor Jack Hinton was leading worship at a leper colony on the island of Tobago. A woman who had been facing away from the pulpit turned around. 

 

"It was the most hideous face I had ever seen," Hinton said. "The woman's nose and ears were entirely gone. She lifted a fingerless hand in the air and asked, ‘Can we sing Count Your Many Blessings?'" 

 

Overcome with emotion, Hinton left the service. He was followed by a team member who said, "I guess you'll never be able to sing that song again." "Yes I will," he replied, "but I'll never sing it the same way."

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT) Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

Colossians 2:6-7 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (11/24/2015)...

In her book “The Hiding Place” Corrie ten Boom relates an incident that taught her always to be thankful. She and her sister Betsy had just been transferred to the worst German prison camp they had seen yet, called Ravensbruck. The barracks were extremely overcrowded and horribly flea-infested.

After their scripture reading in 1st Thessalonians that morning, where the Lord reminded them to rejoice always, pray constantly, and give thanks in all circumstances,

Betsy suggested they stop and thank the Lord for every detail of their new living quarters. At first, Corrie was appalled by the idea. She flatly refused to give thanks for that smelly, dirty, flea-ridden place. But Betsy persisted -- and Corrie finally succumbed to her pleadings.

It was by a miracle of God that Corrie and Betsy were able to smuggle their Bible into the camp. If the guards found out that the women were holding nightly Bible studies in their barracks, they surely would have been punished harshly, maybe even killed. During the months they spent at that camp, however, no guard ever said one word.

It was not until several months later that they learned the reason why the guards would hardly ever come into their barracks. They wouldn't enter the barracks because of the fleas!!

Colossians 2:6-7 (NLT) And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (11/23/2015)...

An evergreen is always green despite the changes in weather around it (stormy, fair, rainy, or calm). it is green in the heat of summer , as well as the cold of winter (snow, ice, or sleet). So also, our lives are to be characterized by an enduring thankfulness that is unaffected by the changes or people around us. When the blazing heat of a pressured week or the deadly cold of pain strikes us, we should stand "evergreen...ever grateful", regardless of that which surrounds us.

- Unknown

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT) Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

Galatians 1:1, 3-5 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (11/20/2015)...

Galatians 1:1, 3-5 (NLT) This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead...

May God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.

Being rescued "from this evil world" doesn't mean that we are taken out of it but that we are no longer enslaved to it. You were saved to live for God. Does your life reflect your gratitude for being rescued? Have you transferred your loyalty from this world to Christ?

- NLT Study Note

Philippines 4:6-8 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (11/19/2015)...

"Why do ideas matter? Because the thoughts we entertain - especially those we seriously entertain - tend to influence our choices. Belief leads to behavior. Ideas lead to actions. History is replete with examples, both good and bad."

- Norman L. Geisler (Chosen To Be Free)

NOTE: Apostle Paul wrote this a From a Roman prison...

Philippians 4:6-8 (NLT) "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

Luke 14:25-35 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (11/18/2015)...

"There are no victories at discount prices."

- General Dwight Eisenhower

Luke 14:25-35 (NLT) A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.

"But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’ 

"Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own. 

"Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!””

John 19:17-20 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (11/6/2015)...

The Cross Was His Own 

They borrowed a bed to lay His head when Christ the Lord came down; They borrowed the colt in the mountain pass for Him to ride to town; But the crown that he wore And the cross that he bore were His own - The cross was His own.

He borrowed the bread when the crowd he fed on the grassy mountainside, He borrowed the dish of broken fish with which he satisfied. But the crown that he wore and the cross that he bore were His own - The cross was His own.

He borrowed the ship in which to sit to teach the multitude; He borrowed the nest in which to rest He had never a home so crude; 

But the crown that he wore and the cross that he bore were His own - The cross was His own.

He borrowed a room on the way to the tomb the Passover lamb to eat; They borrowed a cave for him a grave, they borrowed a winding sheet. But the crown that he wore and the cross that he bore were His own - The cross was His own. 

John 19:17-20 (NLT) Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha ). There they nailed him to the cross. Two others were crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them. And Pilate posted a sign on the cross that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” The place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, so that many people could read it.

Romans 13:11-14 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (11/5/2015)...

On August 11, 1978, Double Eagle II, a large helium balloon, and her crew of three, eased into an almost windless sky above the potato fields of Maine. Their destination was Paris, France. The aerodynamics of ballooning are somewhat complex, but one thing is certain. In order for the balloon to stay aloft as the journey progresses, ballast (that which is used to add weight) has to be expelled.

As they approached continental Europe six days later, one of the crew wrote, “We have been expending ballast wisely, but as we neared land, not cheaply . . . over went such gear as tape recorders, radios, film, magazines, sleeping bags, lawn chairs, most of our water, food, and the cooler it was in.” 

Romans 13:11-14 (NLT) This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 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.

1 Corinthians 9:9-10 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (11/4/2015)...

For some time, an old farmer had been plowing with an ox and a mule teamed together; working them pretty hard.  The young ox said to the mule, “Let’s play sick today and rest a little while.” But the old mule said, “No, we need to get the work done, for the growing season is short.”

But the ox played sick, and the farmer brought it fresh hay and corn and made the ox comfortable.  When the mule came in from plowing, the ox asked how it went in the fields.  “We didn’t get as much done,” answered the mule, “but we did a fair stretch.”  Then the ox asked, “What did the old man say about me?”  “Nothing,” said the mule.

The next day, the ox, thinking it had a good thing going, played sick again.  And when the mule returned from the field very tired, the ox asked, “How did it go today?”  “All right, I guess,” the mule replied, “but we didn’t get much done.”  Then the young ox asked, “What did the old man say about me?” “Nothing to me,” the mule answered, “but he did stop and have a long talk with the butcher.”

- Unknown

1 Corinthians 9:9-10 (NLT) For the law of Moses says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” Was God thinking only about oxen when he said this? Wasn’t he actually speaking to us? Yes, it was written for us, so that the one who plows and the one who threshes the grain might both expect a share of the harvest.

Proverbs 6:6-11 (NLT) Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

Isaiah 40:31 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (11/3/2015)...

“In the presence of trouble, some people grow wings; others buy crutches.”

- Harold W. Roupp

Isaiah 40:31 (NLT) But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

Psalm 46:1 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (11/2/2015)...

“When something bad happens you have three choices. You can either let it define you, let it destroy you, or you can let it strengthen you.” 

- Unknown

Psalms 46:1 (NLT) God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.

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