Colossians 3:16-17 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (6/30/2020)...

“When I go to the mailbox at my house where I live and pull the front door down, it just gushes out with stuff. And your mailbox is probably the same. If you ask me what it is, I don’t know what most of it is. Finally I conclude ‘this is just a bunch of junk’ because there’s not much in it worth reading...Then I think about something else I open. There’s no junk mail in this. Everything in here is true. The promises far outweigh what I’m asked to give. There’s nothing like opening the Word of God and listening to the voice of God, what he has to say to us.”

Charles Stanley (Sermon: “Yoked With Jesus”)

Matthew‬ ‭11:28-30‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Colossians‬ ‭3:16-17‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Psalms‬ ‭119:105‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.

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Luke 9:23-25 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (6/29/2020)...

“God is not a glorified Santa Claus. Nor is He obligated to bless any of us. If you’re all about you, and what God is or isn’t giving you, God might be choosing not to bless your life until you become all about Him. When you die to self, your focus won’t be on whether or not you’re being blessed, but on how to be a blessing to God.”

Cindi McMenamin, Christian author and speaker

Luke‬ ‭9:23-25‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Then [Jesus] said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, 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 are yourself lost or destroyed?

Galatians‬ ‭2:20‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

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Psalm 46:1 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (6/26/2020)...

“Troubles are often the tools by which God fashions us for better things.”

Henry Ward Beecher

Psalms‬ ‭9:9-10‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.

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

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Nahum‬ ‭1:7‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him.

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2 Corinthians 6:3-6 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (6/25/2020)...

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

Dr. Seuss 

2 Corinthians‬ ‭6:3-6‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love.

Apostle Paul 

 ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭12:10‬ ‭(NLT)‬‬ That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Apostle Paul 

‭‭2 Thessalonians‬ ‭3:5‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.

Apostle Paul

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.

Jesus Christ

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Revelation 7:9-10 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (6/24/2020)...

“Racism is an attack on the inclusiveness of the gospel. Throughout Scripture we see God’s heart on inclusion. He makes two different groups one in Christ. God offers salvation to all. The gospel undoubtedly opposes all forms of racism and ethnic hatred. Showing favoritism is a sin because it is contrary to God’s character. God wants us to spread the gospel to all nations. Let’s not overlook Revelation 7:9, which reminds us that God saves people from every nation, tribe, and tongue. All people are incredibly precious to the Lord.”

biblereasons.com

“The closer the people of all races get to Christ and His cross, the closer they will get to one another.” 

Billy Graham

Revelation‬ ‭7:9-10‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”

John‬ ‭3:16-17‬ ‭(NKJV‬‬) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

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Matthew‬ ‭22:36-39‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” 

Jesus replied, “You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Galatians‬ ‭3:28‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.

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Romans 1:19-20 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (6/23/2020)...

“Atheists who keep asking for evidence of God’s existence are like a fish in the ocean wanting evidence of water.” 

Ray Comfort

“He who denies the existence of God, has some reason for wishing that God did not exist.” 

Saint Augustine

Romans‬ ‭1:19-20‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

Hebrews‬ ‭11:3‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.

Colossians‬ ‭1:15-17‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.

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Psalm 77:1-9 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (6/22/2020)...

“God has a great curve ball. He also has a good changeup. And he’s not afraid to throw any of them at any point in the count. I mean...there are times when God works in ways that don’t make sense to me. It’s a curve ball or it’s a changeup...and he’ll do it to test my faith. 

Do I trust him when I can’t trace him? Can I obey him in the dark. Real faith will be able to trust God even in the dark. Do I follow my own sense of reason, or do I trust in God?”

Pastor Sandy Adams

Psalms‬ ‭77:1-9‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) I cry out to God; yes, I shout. Oh, that God would listen to me! When I was in deep trouble, I searched for the Lord. All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven, but my soul was not comforted. I think of God, and I moan, overwhelmed with longing for his help.

You don’t let me sleep. I am too distressed even to pray! I think of the good old days, long since ended, when my nights were filled with joyful songs. I search my soul and ponder the difference now. Has the Lord rejected me forever? Will he never again be kind to me? Is his unfailing love gone forever? Have his promises permanently failed? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he slammed the door on his compassion? 

Isaiah‬ ‭41:10‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

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Psalms‬ ‭23:3-4‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) 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.

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2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (6/19/2020)...

“As Christians, our calling from God is to become like Christ. This is a gradual, lifelong process that will be completed when we see Christ face to face. To be ‘worthy’ of this calling means to want to do what is right and good (as Christ would). We aren't perfect yet, but we're moving in that direction as God works in us.”

Life Application Bible (LAB) note

2 Thessalonians‬ ‭1:11-12‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.

1 John‬ ‭3:2-3‬ ‭(NIV‬‬) Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

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Philippians 4:12-13 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (6/18)2020)...

“When obstacles arise, you change your direction to reach your goal; you do not change your decision to get there.”

Zig Ziglar 

Philippians‬ ‭4:12-13‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) 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.

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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.

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Psalm 37:4-5 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (6/17/2020)...

“You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end -- which you can never afford to lose -- with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”

Admiral James Stockdale (1923-2005)

NOTE: Admiral Stockdale was a prisoner of war for eight years during the Vietnam War. Following release from captivity, he was asked how he survived those unthinkable eight years of imprisonment.

Psalms‬ ‭37:4-5‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.

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1 Thessalonians 5:14-22 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (6/16/2020)...

Presently, my morning personal devotions include a contemplative Bible reading of First and Second Thessalonians. In light of the many challenges facing all of us recently, I found the following advice from Apostle Paul most helpful. I trust you do also. Be well my friends.

Rocky

1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:14-22‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. 

See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people. 

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. 

Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil.

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John 6:35 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (6/15/2020)...

“If Jesus is the Bread of Life, loss of Jesus means starving. If Jesus is the Light of the World, loss of Jesus means darkness. If Jesus is the Good Shepherd, loss of Jesus means wandering alone and lost. If Jesus is the resurrection and the life, loss of Jesus is eternal death. And if Jesus is the Lamb of God, sacrificed for our sins, loss of Jesus means paying that price for ourselves.”

Rebecca McLaughlin

John‬ ‭10:11, 14-15‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for 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.”

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John‬ ‭6:35‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

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John‬ ‭8:12‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

John‬ ‭12:44-46‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark.”

‭‭John‬ ‭1:29‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

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1 Thessalonians 2:9-12 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (6/12/2020)...

“...the primary ministry of a Christian is the ministry of character. What we are is far more important than anything we ever say. Our unconscious influence speaks more loudly than our conscious influence.”

Wm MacDonald

1 Thessalonians‬ ‭2:9-12‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) “Don’t you remember, dear brothers and sisters, how hard we worked among you? Night and day we toiled to earn a living so that we would not be a burden to any of you as we preached God’s Good News to you. You yourselves are our witnesses—and so is God—that we were devout and honest and faultless toward all of you believers. And you know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children. We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you to share in his Kingdom and glory.”

Apostle Paul

Philippians 1:6 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (6/11/2020)...

“Real courage embraces the twin realities of current difficulty and ultimate triumph. Yes, life stinks. But it won’t forever. As one of my friends likes to say, ‘Everything will work out in the end. If it’s not working out, it’s not the end.’”

Max Lucado

Philippians‬ ‭1:6‬ ‭(NLT‬) And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Romans‬ ‭8:18-25‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)

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1 John 2:9-11 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (6/10/2020)...

“Why has [racism] been so difficult to eradicate? Because racism is not first and foremost a skin problem. It is a sin problem. See, when you believe that racism is a skin problem, you can take three hundred years of slavery, court decisions, marches, and the federal government involvement and still not get it fixed right.

But once you admit that racism is a sin problem, you are obligated as a believer to deal with it right away. As long as the issue of race is social and not spiritual, it will never be dealt with in any ultimate sense.”

Dr. Tony Evans (https://tonyevans.org/not-a-skin-problem-but-a-sin-problem/)

1 John‬ ‭2:9-11‬ ‭(NIV‬‬) Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.

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Matthew 6:9-13 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (6/9/2020)...

Lately, I have caught myself sensing the necessity to add a phrase to my morning devotional prayer. I regularly and faithfully pray, “Heavenly Father, please graciously forgive me for sins of omission and/or commission committed against you.” 

Recently, however, I have been impressed to add the prayer-phrase, “...and strengthen me, Lord, to make necessary adjustments in my daily life-walk that will prove more pleasing to you. Amen.”

Rocky

Matthew‬ ‭6:9-13‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.

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Psalms‬ ‭19:12-14‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

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Romans 12:11-12 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (6/8/2020)...

“I never lost faith in the end of the story. I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which, in retrospect, I would not trade.”

Admiral James Stockdale (1923-2005)

NOTE: Admiral Stockdale was a prisoner of war for eight years during the Vietnam War. Following release from captivity, he was asked how he survived those unthinkable eight years of imprisonment.

Romans‬ ‭12:11-12‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.

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.

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John 1:12-13 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (6/5/2020)...

“The child in my womb right now is truly alive, even though his life is utterly contingent on mine. He moves freely within my womb. But he does not control his location: where I go, he goes. Likewise, I am truly alive and truly free not independently from Jesus but enfolded in him. And just as escaping from me right now would mean not life to my child but death, so escaping from Christ would mean not freedom and life to me but a brief writhing before stillness. Enclosed in my body, dependent on my blood, protected by my immunity, and housed in my love, my son is, in a tangible sense, united with me. Because I trust in Jesus, I am similarly dependent on him. Where Jesus goes, I go. If he lives, I live. He died my death and took my punishment. He is my resurrection and my life.”

Rebecca McLaughlin (https://www.crossway.org/authors/rebecca-mclauglin)

‭‭John‬ ‭1:12-13‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

Acts 17:28‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, “We are his offspring.”

1 John‬ ‭3:1-3‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.

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Mark 10:17-27 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (June 4, 2020)...

“Money is a marvelous servant but a terrible master. If you possess money, be grateful and use it for God’s glory; but if money possesses you, beware! It is good to have the things that money can buy, provided you don’t lose the things that money cannot buy. The deceitfulness of riches had so choked the soil of this young man’s heart that he was unable to receive the good seed of the Word and be saved. What a bitter harvest he would reap one day!”

Warren Wiersbe (1929-2019)

Mark‬ ‭10:17-27‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’ ” 

“Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” 

Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 

At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. 

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God. In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” 

The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked. 

Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”

John‬ ‭3:16-18‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.

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Psalm 118:24 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (6/3/2020)...

“A great attitude becomes a great day which becomes a great month which becomes a great year which becomes a great life.”

Mandy Hale

Psalms‬ ‭118:24‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.

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Philippians‬ ‭2:14-15‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

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