Proverbs 13:4 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/30/2020)...

“The man on top of the mountain didn't fall there.” 

Attributed to Vince Lombardi

“This is a true metaphor in almost every aspect of our lives. If your mountain is reaching a goal, then you know that you cannot get to the top of the mountain or reach that goal automatically.

It takes hard work to get to the top of the mountain. The path to the top may not be so clear, and you may have some figuring out and planning to do. The path may be very steep and challenging, and you may have to walk slowly or even climb and crawl your way to the top. As you climb your way to the top of your mountain, you may fall, have some setbacks, or even feel like giving up.

No matter how slowly or how challenging that climb to the top was, it is always worth all the efforts when you're at the top. Success is a wonderful feeling when you've worked so hard to get there.”

by Danielle Connolly

Proverbs‬ ‭13:4‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper.

Proverbs‬ ‭14:23‬ ‭(NIV‬‬) All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

Proverbs‬ ‭16:3‬ (NIV‬‬) Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.

‭‭

Image: Creative Commons (pxhere.com)

Proverbs 9:9-10 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/29/2020)...

“Remember that life’s greatest lessons are usually learned from worst times and from the worst mistakes.”

Unknown Author

Proverbs‬ ‭9:9-10‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more. Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.

‭‭

James‬ ‭1:2-4‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

Image: Creative Commons (pxhere.com)

‭‭

Philippians 4:12-13, 19-20 (NIV)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/28/2020)...

“You are confined only by the walls you build yourself.”

Andrew Murphy

Philippians‬ ‭4:12-13‬, 19-20 (NIV‬‬) I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength...And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

‭

Image: Creative Commons (pxhere.com)

Psalm 139:13-18 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/27/2020)...

"Dumb blond jokes don't bother me, I know I'm not dumb and I also know that I'm not blond"

Dolly Parton

Psalms‬ ‭139:13-18‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) 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!

Image: Creative Commons (Unsplash.com)

‭‭

Psalm 31:24 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/24/2020)...

“Resilience is accepting your new reality, even if it’s less good than the one you had before. You can fight it, you can do nothing but scream about what you’ve lost, or you can accept that and try to put together something that’s good.” 

Elizabeth Edwards (1949-2010)

Psalms‬ ‭31:24‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord!

‭‭

John‬ ‭16:33‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.

Ephesians‬ ‭6:10‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Image: Creative Commons (pxhere.com)

Mark 4:35-31 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/23/2020)...

“On the other side of a storm is the strength that comes from having navigated through it. Raise your sail and begin.” 

Gregory S. Williams

Mark‬ ‭4:35-41‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. 

Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” 

When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 

The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”

Image: Public Domain (by Rembrandt, “Christ in the Storm on the Lake of Galilee”)

‭‭

1 Peter 5:8-11 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/22/2020)...

“Hope begins in the dark. The stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don’t give up.” 

Anne Lamott, Novelist

1 Peter‬ ‭5:8-11‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. All power to him forever! Amen.

Image: Creative Commons (pxhere.com)

Psalm 46:1 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/21/2020)

“The reality is that we will face trials. We will endure pandemics, we will face many unexpected and difficult battles on a global level and in our personal lives. God knows all of this and the details of what you face. He will be with you as your help and source of strength to get through whatever you go through. We can even let go of fear and let faith take over our biggest concerns. Jesus overcame the world so that we could have peace, hope, and faith in Him.”

Pamela Palmer (upheldlife.com)

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

‭‭

John‬ ‭16:33‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.

‭‭

Image: Creative Commons (pxhere.com)

Psalm 23:1-6 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/21/2020)

“Dear God, Thank you that you are our good Shepherd and we can trust you with our lives. We’re so grateful for your leadership and sovereignty, for your guidance and care in all our days. Thank you that you restore our souls, give us peace, and bring us hope in all our tomorrows. Your protection and strength surround us like a shield, and we never have to fear. Thank you for your goodness and love that follows after us, chases us, even when we’re unaware. In you alone is true rest and peace. We praise you for the assurance that we will dwell with you forever.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.”

A Prayer by Debbie McDaniel (debbiemcdaniel.com)

Psalms‬ ‭23:1-6‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. 

He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. 

He renews my strength. 

He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. 

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. 

Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. 

You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. 

You honor me by anointing my head with oil. 

My cup overflows with blessings. 

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

Image: Creative Commons (pixhere.com)

2 Timothy 2:3-4, 7 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/17/2020)...

“It does not take a great deal of imagination or courage to believe that God is on your side when you are prospering or winning; it takes a great deal of courage and imagination to believe that God is on your side when you are suffering or losing.”

Peter J. Gomes

 ‭2 Timothy‬ ‭2:3-4, 7‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them...Think about what I am saying. The Lord will help you understand all these things.

Image: Creative Commons (pxhere.com)

2 Corinthians 4:8-10 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/16/2020)...

“Everybody has a plan until he gets hit in the face.”

Mike Tyson

2 Corinthians‬ ‭4:8-10‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) 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. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

Matthew‬ ‭6:33-34‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Image: Creative Commons (pxhere.com)

Romans 5:3-5 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/15/2020)...

“We are not here for comfort. God is far more concerned about our character than our comfort.”

Ken Boa

Romans‬ ‭5:3-5‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

‭‭

Colossians‬ ‭3:12‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

‭‭

Image: Creative Commons (pxhere.com)

Ephesians 2:4-10 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/14/2020)...

“Our calling in this soul-forming world is to become in our practice who we already are in our position, seated with Christ in the heavenly places.”

Ken Boa

Ephesians‬ ‭2:4-10 (NLT‬‬) But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

‭‭God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Image: Creative Commons (pxhere.com)

Galatians 6:4-5 (NIV)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/13/2020)...

“It is no use saying ‘we are doing our best.’ You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary.”

Winston Churchill

Galatians‬ ‭6:4-5‬ ‭(NIV‬‬) Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load.

‭‭

Colossians‬ ‭3:23-24‬ ‭(NIV‬‬) Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

‭‭

Image: Creative Commons (Unsplash.com)

Luke 23:44-49 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/10/2020)...

EASTER WEEK

“Our sins were focused on Christ on the cross, and he suffered the fiery wrath of God. On the cross Christ was robed in all that is heinous and hateful as the mass of our corruption poured over him. With horror Christ found his entire being to be sin in the Father's sight.

Wave after wave of our sin was poured over Christ's sinless soul. Again and again...his soul recoiled and convulsed as all our lies, infidelity, hatreds, jealousies, murders, and pride were poured upon his purity. "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us...Jesus was cursed as he became sin for us! 

Jesus in full, lucid consciousness took on your sins and mine and bore them with a unity of understanding and pain that none can fathom. And he did it willingly, so that ‘we might become the righteousness of God’ (2 Corinthians 5:21). There in the darkness our sins were imputed to Christ, and his righteousness has now been imputed to us who believe.”

R. Kent Hughes

Luke‬ ‭23:44-49‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) By this time it was about noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last. 

When the Roman officer overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, “Surely this man was innocent.” And when all the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw what had happened, they went home in deep sorrow. But Jesus’ friends, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching.

Isaiah‬ ‭53:3-6‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.

‭‭

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:21‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

1 Peter‬ ‭2:24‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.

Image: Creative Commons (pxhere.com)

Matthew 26:69-75 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/9/2020)...

EASTER WEEK

“The denial by Peter may have been the saddest experience of all for Jesus during that night before his death. The question may be asked: Why did Peter do it? He did not intend to. Obviously he didn't want to, for he was stricken immediately with overpowering remorse.

Having had the same kind of experiences, most of us can identify with Peter. Under the pressure of public opinion, because we want to fit in or get ahead, we sometimes say or do things that are unworthy of Christians. Even while we say and do them, we are aware that this does not represent our best self.

There are two aspects to Peter's experience that give us hope. One is the fact that God's grace is great enough to forgive men such unfaithfulness. The other is that people can become better than they now are. Tradition tells us that Peter was martyred for his Lord. Thus, we also can hope to become stronger in our faith.”

Teacher’s Bible Commentary 

Matthew‬ ‭26:69-75‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came over and said to him, “You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean.” 

But Peter denied it in front of everyone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. 

Later, out by the gate, another servant girl noticed him and said to those standing around, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.

Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. “I don’t even know the man,” he said. 

A little later some of the other bystanders came over to Peter and said, “You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.”

Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know the man!” And immediately the rooster crowed. 

Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he went away, weeping bitterly.

Image: Creative Commons (commons.wikimedia.org)

Luke 22:1-6 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/8/2020)...

EASTER WEEK

“For Judas, it was the night that would know no morning. How utterly alone he was. Judas skulked about and concealed himself as Jesus and his men crossed the Kidron and climbed toward Gethsemane. He had the information he needed. As he hurried through the dark streets to the chief priests and elders, his last glimpse of Jesus would be by torchlight as Jesus was taken away...

In Jesus' reaching out to Judas we see him loving an enemy, a sinner, and an ungodly man—and he does the same for each one of us. Through his atoning death on the cross Jesus did it all. There is hope for us amidst our ungodly ways. There is deliverance for those who are caught in sin. There is reconciliation for the most hardened enemies of God.”

R. Kent Hughes (Luke, Vol. 2)

Luke‬ ‭22:1-6‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) The Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is also called Passover, was approaching. The leading priests and teachers of religious law were plotting how to kill Jesus, but they were afraid of the people’s reaction. 

Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples, and he went to the leading priests and captains of the Temple guard to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them. They were delighted, and they promised to give him money. So he agreed and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus so they could arrest him when the crowds weren’t around.

John‬ ‭12:4-6‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself.

Luke‬ ‭22:20-23‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you. “But here at this table, sitting among us as a friend, is the man who will betray me. For it has been determined that the Son of Man must die. But what sorrow awaits the one who betrays him.” The disciples began to ask each other which of them would ever do such a thing.

Psalms‬ ‭41:9‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me.

‭‭

Image: Public Domain (Almeida Júnior-Remorso de Judas, 1880)

John 19:1-6 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/7/2020)...

EASTER WEEK

‭‭”A crown for the King! But it was a crown of thorns. This would have caused extreme pain as it was pressed onto His brow. Thorns are a symbol of the curse which sin brought to mankind. Here we have a picture of the Lord Jesus bearing the curse of our sins, so that we might wear a crown of glory. The purple robe was also used in mockery. Purple was the color of royalty. But again it reminds us of how our sins were placed on Jesus in order that we might be clothed with the robe of God's righteousness.

How solemn it is to think of the eternal Son of God being slapped by the hands of His creatures! Mouths which He formed are now being used to mock Him!”

Wm MacDonald

John‬ ‭19:1-6‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip. The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a purple robe on him. “Hail! King of the Jews!” they mocked, as they slapped him across the face. 

Pilate went outside again and said to the people, “I am going to bring him out to you now, but understand clearly that I find him not guilty.” Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said, “Look, here is the man!” 

When they saw him, the leading priests and Temple guards began shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” 

“Take him yourselves and crucify him,” Pilate said. “I find him not guilty.”

Isaiah‬ ‭53:4-5‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.

‭‭

Image: Creative Commons (Public Domain)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/6/2020)...

EASTER WEEK

“Lord God, You loved this world so much, that you gave your one and only Son, that we might be called your children too. Lord, help us to live in the gladness and grace of Easter Sunday, everyday. Let us have hearts of thankfulness for your sacrifice. Let us have eyes that look upon Your grace and rejoice in our salvation. Help us to walk in that mighty grace and tell your good news to the world. All for your glory do we pray, Lord, Amen.”

Biblestudytools.com

Matthew‬ ‭20:17-19‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside privately and told them what was going to happen to him. “Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. Then they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead.”

Image: Creative Commons (pxhere.com)

Psalm 18:28 (KJV)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/3/2020)...

“Go within every day and find the inner strength so that the world will not blow your candle out.”

Katherine Dunham

Psalms‬ ‭18:28‬ ‭(KJV‬‬) For thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.

Colossians‬ ‭1:11‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy...

Psalms‬ ‭16:8‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

Philippians‬ ‭4:13‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

‭‭

Image: Creative Commons (Unsplash.com

Philippians 4:4-8 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/2/2020)...

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC 2020

“People tend to dwell more on negative things than on good things. So the mind then becomes obsessed with negative things, with judgments, guilt and anxiety produced by thoughts about the future and so on.”

Elkhart Tolle

Philippians‬ ‭4:4-8‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. 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.

Image: Creative Commons (Unsplash.com)