Romans 12:18 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (2/28/2022)…

The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.

General Norman Schwarzkoph

Romans‬ ‭12:18‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

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Hebrews‬ ‭12:14-15‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.

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James‬ ‭4:1-2‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them…

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Romans 5:1-4 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (2/23/2022)…

“What if my greatest disappointments

Or the aching of this life

Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy

What if trials of this life

The rain, the storms, the hardest nights

Are your mercies in disguise”

Laura Story (“Blessings”)

Romans‬ ‭5:1-4‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. 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.

Romans‬ ‭12:12‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.

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Image: CC (pxhere.com)

Proverbs 14:23 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (2/22/2022)…

"Young people, hear me. This is so important. The reward of hard work is hard work. You might not accomplish your goal, but the goal of having your character formed will be.”

Derwin Gray

Pastor and former NFL player

Proverbs‬ ‭14:23‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Work brings profit, but mere talk leads to poverty!

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: "Audubon No Park ng Work Zone Sign" by Infrogmation is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Luke 5:12-13 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (2/21/2022)…

“Sin controls people through two opposing lies. The first is, we are not sinners—nothing is wrong with us. The second is, we are sinners, but we are so bad that we are beyond help…All of us have offended a perfectly holy God, but none of us is beyond God’s love and Christ’s redemption.”

R. Kent Hughes

Luke, Volume 1

Luke‬ ‭5:12-13‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. “Lord,” he said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” 

Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.

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.

Image: CC ("Jesus Heals" by Gamma Man is licensed under CC BY 2.0)

Matthew 26:41 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (2/18/2022)…

“You cannot keep birds from flying over your head
but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair”

Martin Luther (1483-1546)

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 ‭4:7-8‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

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Image: CC ("A nesty surprise" by shenamt)

Luke 19:10 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (2/18/2022)…

My wife, Jerral, recently rescued a small dog (Jerral would say puppy-bear) from near disaster. She, the fourteen-year-old puppy-bear, had wandered off from home and eventually into the middle of a very busy road near our home. Jerral was on her way home from work when she and others ground traffic to a halt and saved Lilly…the dog. Additionally, I am happy to report that within a few days and after posting her picture and information on FB, Lilly was successfully returned to her owner.

Rocky

Luke‬ ‭19:10‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.

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John‬ ‭3:16-17‬ ‭(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.

2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (2/16/2022)…

“Fear is the enemy of faith, and faith is the remedy to fear.”

Pastor Wayne Bray

First Baptist Simpsonville

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

John‬ ‭14:27‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

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Image: CC (unsplash.com)