1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (10/30/2015)...

Failure is seldom a blowout; it is usually a slow leak.

- Unknown

1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (NLT) "If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

1 Peter 14-16 ( NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (10/29/2015)...

A small boy sat in church with his mother and listened to a sermon entitled "What is a Christian?" Every time the minister asked the question, he banged his fist on the pulpit for emphasis.

The tension produced by the sermon built up in the boy and he finally whispered to his mother, "Mama, do you know? Do you know what a Christian is?"

"Yes, dear," she replied. "Now sit still and be quiet."

Finally, as the minister was winding up in the sermon, he again thundered, "What is a Christian?" and banged especially hard on the pulpit. This time it was too much or the little boy, so he jumped up and cried out, "Tell him, Mama, tell him!"

1 Peter 4:14-16 (NLT) If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you. If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people’s affairs. But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian [Christ-follower]. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name!

Proverbs 24:28-29 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (10/27/2015)..,

"To triumph fully, evil needs two victories, not one. The first victory happens when an evil deed is perpetrated; the second victory, when evil is returned. After the first victory, evil would die if the second victory did not infuse it with new life."

- Miroslav Volf (Croatian theologian)

Proverbs 24:28-29 (NLT) Don’t testify "against your neighbors without cause; don’t lie about them. And don’t say, “Now I can pay them back for what they’ve done to me! I’ll get even with them!”"

1 Thessalonians 5:15 (NLT) "See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.”

Romans 13:12-14 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (10/26/2015)...

"The Chinese Communist Party has banned golf, gluttony, excessive drinking, and adultery. Hey, if you guys don’t want American tourists just say so."

- Conan O'brian (TNT late night comedian)

Romans 13:12-14 (NLT) 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.

Joshua 1:8 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (10/23/2015)...

A story is told of a devout father whose son was studying for the ministry. The son decided to go to Europe for an advanced degree, and the father worried that his simple faith would be spoiled by sophisticated, unbelieving professors. “Don’t let them take Jonah away from you,” he admonished, figuring the swallowed-by-a-great-fish story might be the first part of the Bible to go.

Two years later when the son returned, the father asked, “Do you still have Jonah in your Bible?”

The son laughed. “Jonah! That story isn’t even in your Bible!”

The father replied, “It certainly is! What do you mean?”

Again the son laughed and insisted, “It’s not in your Bible. Go ahead, show it to me.”

The old man fumbled through his Bible, looking for the Book of Jonah, but he couldn’t find it. At last he checked the table of contents for the proper page. When he turned there, he discovered the three pages comprising Jonah had been carefully cut from his Bible.

“I did it before I went away,” said the son. “What’s the difference whether I lose the Book of Jonah through studying under non-believers or you lose it through neglect?” 

- Michael P. Green

Joshua 1:8 (NLT)  Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

Psalms 119:11 (NLT) I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

John 10:11-16 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (10/22/2015)...

"You can tell the sheep are in trouble when the shepherd starts speaking kindly of the wolf."

- Unknown

John 10:11-16 (NLT) "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about 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. I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.”

Marrhew 16:24-26 (NLT).,,

FROM TODAY'S READING (10/20/2015)...

"I had everything, but I had nothing."

- Darryl Strawberry (CNN 10/16/15)

Matthew 16:24-26 (NLT)Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, 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 lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?