Psalm 46:7 (NIV)

FROM TODAY’S READING (1/31/2022)…

“The Lord of hosts is with us, that is, the Lord of the angelic armies of heaven. But He is also the God of Jacob. Now Jacob means “cheat” or “supplanter.” Yet God speaks of Himself as the God of Jacob. Put the two thoughts together and you learn that the God of the angelic hosts is also the God of the unworthy sinner. The One who is infinitely high is also intimately nigh. He is with us in every step of our way, our unfailing refuge in all the storms of life.”

Wm. MacDonald (1917-2007)

Bible Believer’s Commentary

 Psalms‬ ‭46:7‬ ‭(NIV‬‬) The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

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Psalms‬ ‭23:4‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) 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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Romans‬ ‭8:38-39‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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Matthew 16:26 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (1/28/2022)…

“How is it with your soul today?”

Mel Stewart

Matthew‬ ‭16:26‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?

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John 16:33 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (1/27/2022)…

“It is quite useless knocking at the door of heaven for earthly comfort. It's not the sort of comfort they supply there.”

C. S. Lewis (1898-1963)

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.

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Psalm 32:5 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (1/26/2022)…

“This response to Jesus is a great grace, because moral agony, an inner writhing over one’s sin, is a necessary prelude to the grace of forgiveness.”

R. Kent Hughes

Luke‬ ‭5:8‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.”

1 John‬ ‭1:8-10‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.

Psalms‬ ‭32:5‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.

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Proverbs 13:3 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (1/25/2022)…

NOTE: Quote shared with permission. 🙂

“The world doesn’t need to hear everything I think.”

Jerral Rockwell

Proverbs‬ ‭13:3‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything.

Proverbs‬ ‭18:2‬ ‭(NLT‬) Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.

James‬ ‭1:19‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

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1 Timothy 2:1-6 & Jeremiah 29:4, 7 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (1/24/2022)…

NOTE: A PRAY REMINDER FOR THESE TROUBLED TIMES…

“For it is for this end that the supreme Lord hath ordained the office and dignity of kings and governors, that, being armed with authority and power, they may perserve public order and peace, by punishing evil-doers, and protecting and encouraging those that do well. Thus, under the Old Testament, the Jews were commanded to pray for the peace of the nation or city whither they should be carried captives, for in their peace they should have peace (Jeremiah 29).”

Matthew Poole (1624-1679)

English theologian and commentator

1 Timothy‬ ‭2:1-6‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. For, There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.

Jeremiah‬ ‭29:4, 7‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem:…work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.

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Proverbs 17:27-28 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (1/21/2022)…

“There are two kinds of people, those who have something to say and those who just have to say something.”

Pastor Sandy Adams (Job 4)

Proverbs‬ ‭17:27-28‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered. Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.

 Proverbs‬ ‭18:2‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.

 Psalms‬ ‭141:3‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips.

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Psalm 63:1-4 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (1/20/2022)…

“For every look at self, take ten looks to Christ.” 

Robert Murray M’Cheyne

Psalms‬ ‭63:1-4‬ ‭NLT‬‬ O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer.

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Psalms‬ ‭73:25-26‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.

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Matthew 6:9-10 (NIV)

FROM TODAY’S READING (1/19/2022)…

 “To pray ‘Your kingdom come’ is to pray for the bending of our wills in profound obedience to his. It is a commitment to consciously submit everything to his authority. This is not a prayer for people who want to stay the way they are. When we pray like this, we hand ourselves over to the grace of God so that he may do as he pleases in our lives—‘Your kingdom come in my life. Use me in your kingdom!’”

R. Kent Hughes

Matthew‬ ‭6:9-10‬ ‭(NIV‬‬) This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Matthew‬ ‭26:39 (NIV‬‬) Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”…

Matthew‬ ‭26:42‬ ‭(NIV‬‬) He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”

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Matthew 8:14-15 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (1/18/2022)…

“…He (Jesus) put His hand upon that hot fevered hand of the patient, and immediately there came a calmness, a sense of quietness and coolness. In the same wonderful way the Lord Jesus loves to minister to our fevered, restless hearts today. Oh, how many of us, in a certain sense, are like this poor woman. We are all distracted and upset and disturbed by existing conditions. What a blessed thing it is when Jesus comes to the bedside, when Jesus draws near, and when He rebukes the fever, when He touches the hand, and the fever dies away.”

H. A. Ironside

Matthew‬ ‭8:14-15‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) When Jesus arrived at Peter’s house, Peter’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a high fever. But when Jesus touched her hand, the fever left her. Then she got up and prepared a meal for him.

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1 Peter‬ ‭5:7‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

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John 8:12 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (1/17/2022)…

TODAY IS MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY…

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

 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.”

Ephesians‬ ‭5:8-10‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) 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.

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Luke 4:31-37 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (1/14/2022)…

“If you have never been hurt by a word from God, it is probable that you have never heard God speak.” 

Amy Carmichael (1867-1951)

Missionary to India

“The people were shocked, thunderstruck, sublimely hurt. Jesus’ teaching was authoritative because he proclaimed God’s Word clearly and with conviction. We ought to pray for such divine hurt!”

R. Kent Hughes

Luke‬ ‭4:31-37‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Then Jesus went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught there in the synagogue every Sabbath day. There, too, the people were amazed at his teaching, for he spoke with authority. 

Once when he was in the synagogue, a man possessed by a demon—an evil spirit—cried out, shouting, “Go away! Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” But Jesus reprimanded him. “Be quiet! Come out of the man,” he ordered. 

At that, the demon threw the man to the floor as the crowd watched; then it came out of him without hurting him further.

Amazed, the people exclaimed, “What authority and power this man’s words possess! Even evil spirits obey him, and they flee at his command!” The news about Jesus spread through every village in the entire region.”

Hebrews‬ ‭4:12-13‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4:12-13‬ ‭(NLT‬‬)

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Numbers 6:24-26 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (1/13/2022)…

“Here is a benediction (Numbers 6:24-26) that can go all the world over, and can give all the time without being impoverished. Every heart may utter it: it is the speech of God: every letter may conclude with it; every day may begin with it; every night may be sanctified by it.”

D. L. Moody (1837-1899)

American Evangelist

Numbers 6:24-26 (NLT) May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.

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James 1:12-15 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (1/12/2022)…

“Here we need to distinguish between three types of temptation. (1) When Satan tempts, he lures a person into doing evil…(2) When we tempt God, we act contrary to faith and demand He prove Himself to us. (3) When God places us in a difficult situation, He does so to test us—in order that we might pass the test rather than fail it!…God has given us His Spirit in order that we, like Jesus, may be victorious whenever we are tempted to sin.”

Lawrence O. Richards

“The 365 Day Devotional Commentary”

James‬ ‭1:12-15‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

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Luke 4:9-13 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (1/11/2022)…

“Willful swan dives test the Lord…rationalizing a headstrong plunge by saying, ‘If this works, God will receive great glory. Just think of the souls that will be saved. God, you have to be in this—you just have to!’ True, he specializes in picking up the pieces, but we must not test him through rationalized disobedience.”

R. Kent Hughes

Luke‬ ‭4:9-13‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’” 

Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’” 

When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.

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Hebrews‬ ‭2:18‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Since [Jesus] himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.

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Ephesians‬ ‭5:15-17‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.

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Matthew 6:25-27 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (1/10/2022)…

“Said the robin to the sparrow:

‘I should really like to know

Why these anxious human beings

Rush about and worry so.’

Said the sparrow to the robin:

‘Friend, I think that it must be

That they have no heavenly Father,

Such as cares for you and me.’”

David Gooding, According to Luke: A New Exposition of the Third Gospel (Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity, 1987), p. 70.

 Matthew‬ ‭6:25-27‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

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