Daniel 4:34 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY’S READING(10/31/2019)...

“Always remember to look up.”

Pastor Kris Langham (Through The Word)

Daniel‬ ‭4:34‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) After this time had passed, I...looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever. His rule is everlasting, and his kingdom is eternal.

‭‭

Image: Creative Commons (pxhere.com)

Exodus 20 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY’S READING(10/30/2019)...

A husband and wife were discussing the possibility of taking a trip to the Holy Land...

Husband: “Wouldn’t it be fantastic to go to the Holy Land and stand and shout the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai?”

Wife: “It would be better if we stayed home and kept them.”

Exodus‬ ‭20:3-4, 7-8, 12-17‬ ‭(NLT‬‬)...

1 You must not have any other god but me.

2 You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.

3 You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. 

4 Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

5 Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 

6 You must not murder. 

7 You must not commit adultery. 

8 You must not steal. 

9 You must not testify falsely against your neighbor. 

10 You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.

Image: Creative Commons (pxhere.com)

Galatians 6:7-9 (NIV)...

FROM TODAY’S READING (10/29/2019)...

A farmer’s crop of melons was disappearing fast from his field. Thieves were continually stealing the melons under the cover of night’s darkness. The farmer finally became desperate and in an attempt to save his crop from the vandals he decided to put up a sign. The sign had on it a skull and crossbones, and read: “ONE OF THESE MELONS IS POISONED” — only the farmer knew that it was not true.

Sure enough, for two nights not a melon was missing. But, after the third night, the farmer noticed that his sign had been altered. Someone had scratched out a couple words so that the sign now read: “TWO OF THESE MELONS ARE POISONED.”

Thinking to save his whole crop through deception, he lost it all. As Sir Walter Scott observed: “Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.”

Galatians‬ ‭6:7-9‬ ‭(NIV‬‬) Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Image: Creative Commons (pxhere.com)

Luke 11:4 (NIV)...

FROM TODAY’S READING(10/28/2019)...

A minister parked his car in a no-parking zone in a large city because he was short of time and couldn’t find a space with a meter. So he put a note under the windshield wiper that read: “I have circled the block ten times. If I don’t park here, I’ll miss my appointment. ‘Forgive us our sins.’”

When he returned, he found a citation from a police officer along with this note: “I’ve circled this block for ten years. If I don’t give you

a ticket, I’ll lose my job. ‘Lead us not into temptation.’”

Luke‬ ‭11:4‬ ‭(NIV‬‬) Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.

‭‭

Matthew‬ ‭26:41‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!

‭‭

James‬ ‭4:7‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

‭‭

Image: Creative Commons (pxhere.com)

2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY’S READING(10/25/2019)...

A man bought a paper at a newsstand. He greeted the salesman very courteously, but in return received gruff and discourteous service. Accepting the newspaper, which was rudely shoved in his face, the customer politely smiled and wished the salesman a nice weekend. A friend observed all of this and asked, “Does he always treat you so rudely?”

“Yes, unfortunately he does.”

“And are you always so polite and friendly to him?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Why are you so nice to him when he is so rude to you?”

“Because I don’t want him to decide how I am going to act.”

Unknown origin 

Galatians‬ ‭5:22-23‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

‭‭

2 Timothy‬ ‭1:7‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

‭‭

2 Peter‬ ‭1:5-7‬ ‭(NLT‬‬)  In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.

‭‭

Image: Creative Commons (Unsplash.com)

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY’S READING(10/24/2019)...

I watched them tearing a building down,

A gang of men in a busy town.

With a ho-heave-ho and a lusty yell, 

They swung a beam, and the side wall fell.

I asked the foreman: "Are these skilled--

And the men you'd hire if you had to build?"

He gave me a laugh and said: "No, indeed!

Just common labor is all I need.

I can wreck in a day or two

What builders have taken a year to do."

And I thought to myself as I went my way,

Which of these roles have I tried to play?

Am I a builder who works with care

Measuring life by a rule and square?

Am I shaping my deeds to a well made Plan,

Patiently doing the best I can?

Or am I a wrecker, who walks the town

Content with the labor of tearing down?”

Edgar A. Guest

1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:9-11‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

‭‭

Ephesians‬ ‭4:29‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

Image: Public Domain By John Boyd via Wikimedia Commons

Psalm 119:18 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY’S READING(10/23/2019)...

A man and his wife who were on a long trip stopped at a full-service gas station. After the station attendant had washed their car’s windshield, the man in the car said to the station attendant, “It’s still dirty. Wash it again.”

So the station attendant complied. After washing it again, the man in the car angrily said, “It’s still dirty. Don’t you know how to wash a windshield?!”

Just then the man’s wife reached over, removed her husband’s glasses from his face, and cleaned them with a tissue. Then he put them back on and behold — the windshield was clean!

Our mental and emotional attitude has a great deal to do with how we look at things. The whole world can appear pretty bleak if we have a depressed or negative attitude. Yet how much brighter and clearer the world can appear if we have a joyful positive attitude.

Psalms‬ ‭119:18‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions.

‭‭

Matthew‬ ‭7:3-5‬ ‭(NLT) And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.

Image: Public Domain (Compliments Gulf Oil)

Proverbs 2:1-15 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY’S READING(10/22/2019)...

“It may be true that there are two sides to every question, but it is also true that there are two sides to a sheet of flypaper, and it makes a big difference to the fly which side he chooses.”

Unknown

Proverbs‬ ‭2:1-15‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him. 

Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy. Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe. 

Wisdom will save you from evil people, from those whose words are twisted. These men turn from the right way to walk down dark paths. They take pleasure in doing wrong, and they enjoy the twisted ways of evil. Their actions are crooked, and their ways are wrong.

Image: Creative Commons (pxhere.com)

Job 31:5-8 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY’S READING(10/21/2019)...

Many years ago a Saturday Evening Post cover featured a painting by Leslie Thrasher. It depicted a woman buying a Thanksgiving turkey. It is to be noted that the hands of the woman and butcher are out of sight of each other. They both appear pleased with the transaction.

Now...take a closer look at their hands. Neither customer or butcher would appreciate being considered thieves, but neither apparently saw anything wrong with the obvious deception.

Job‬ ‭31:5-8‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) “Have I lied to anyone or deceived anyone? Let God weigh me on the scales of justice, for he knows my integrity. If I have strayed from his pathway, or if my heart has lusted for what my eyes have seen, or if I am guilty of any other sin, then let someone else eat the crops I have planted. Let all that I have planted be uprooted.”

Proverbs‬ ‭11:1, 3‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) The Lord detests the use of dishonest scales, but he delights in accurate weights...Honesty guides good people; dishonesty destroys treacherous people.

‭‭

Image: Fair use (Classic Covers: Leslie Thrasher/The Saturday Evening Post)

Matthew 6:9-14 (TPT)...

FROM TODAY’S READING(10/18/2019)...

Believers are those who say to God, “Your will be done.”

Unbelievers are those to whom God says, “Your will be done.”

Image: ThePassionTranslation.com

James 3:13 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY’S READING(10/16/2019)...

"Don't be a show-off. Never be too proud to turn back. There are old pilots and bold pilots, but no old, bold pilots."

E. Hamilton Lee (1949)  

James‬ ‭3:13‬ (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.

‭‭

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5:6-7‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

Image: Creative Commons (pxhere.com)

Romans 14:4 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY’S READING (10/15/2019)...

The story is told of an old  man whose grandson rode a donkey while they were traveling from one city to another.

As they went along they passed some people who remarked it was a shame the old man was walking and the boy was riding.

The man and boy thought maybe the critics were right, so they changed positions.

Later, they passed some people that remarked, "What a shame, he makes that little boy walk."

They then decided they both would walk!

Soon they passed some more people who thought they were stupid to walk when they had a decent donkey to ride.

So they both rode the donkey.

Now they passed some people that shamed them by saying how awful to put such a load on a poor donkey.

The boy and man said they were probably right, so they decided to carry the donkey.

As they crossed the bridge, they lost their grip on the animal and he fell into the river and drowned.

The moral of the story...

Unknown Origin

Ephesians‬ ‭4:29‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

‭‭

Romans‬ ‭14:4‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval.

‭‭

Image: Public Domain by Milo Winter (1919)

Hebrews 13:6 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY’S READING (10/14/2019)...

“I expect to pass through this world but once. If, therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do any fellow human being let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I will not pass this way again.”

Quaker saying

Hebrews‬ ‭13:16‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.

Philippians‬ ‭2:4-5‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Proverbs‬ ‭3:27-28‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them. If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, “Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.”

Image: Creative Commons (pxhere.com)

‭‭

‭‭

‭‭

Romans 12:15-16 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY’S READING (10/11/2019)...

A little girl lost a playmate in death and one day reported to her family that she had gone to comfort the sorrowing mother.

“What did you say?” asked her parents.

“Nothing,” she replied. I just climbed up on her lap and cried with her.”

Romans‬ ‭12:15-16‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) 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!

‭‭

Image: Creative Commons (pxhere.com)

1 Peter 4:10 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY’S READING (10/10/2019)...

This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.  There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it.  Everybody was sure Somebody would do it.  Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.  Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody's job.  Everybody thought Anybody could do it but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it.  It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.  

Unknown

1 Peter‬ ‭4:10‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

‭‭

Colossians‬ ‭3:23-24‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.

‭‭

Image: Creative Commons (Flickr/mikezickar)

Matthew 19:13-15 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY’S READING (10/9/2019)...

Evangelist D. L. Moody (1837-1899) was once asked, “How many converts did you have last night?” He answered, “Two and one-half.” 

“You mean two adults and a child?”

“No,” he replied. “Two children and one adult.”

A child converted is an entire life converted.

Matthew‬ ‭19:13-15‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. 

But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left.

Matthew‬ ‭18:2-4‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.”

‭‭

Image: Creative Commons (Flickr.com/caddy corner)

Philippians 4:11-13 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY’S READING (10/8/2019)...

Two little teardrops were floating down the river of life. One teardrop asked the other, “Who are you?”

“I am a teardrop from a girl who loved a man and lost him. But who are you?”

The first teardrop replied, “I am a teardrop from the girl who got him.”

Life is like that. We cry over the things we can’t have, but we might cry twice as hard if we had received them.

Unknown

Philippians‬ ‭4:11-13‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

‭‭

Image: Creative Commons (pxhere.com)