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The scripture for today, May 25 (5/25), is Galatians 5:25f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:
“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”
When someone is better than you in doing something, do you pick fights with them as punishment, or spread gossip about them in order to get others to quit respecting them?
Perhaps you don’t do this all the time. But what about times when there is something you feel you are really good at, but another person not as talented gets the honor? That’s when it’s hard to “keep in step with the Spirit.”
Whenever you envy someone, deep down you consider that person your enemy. Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:44-45a).
To many, loving our enemy is the most difficult command in the Bible. Perhaps one way to love your “enemy” is to realize that Jesus loved his enemies. Every time you sin, you become one of his enemies. But Jesus keeps right on loving you, even when you don’t want to stop doing whatever you shouldn’t.
Jesus demonstrates the love of the Son of God. And here he says, if you love your enemies, you are demonstrating what the children of God do. And that is far more important than honor that goes to those you envy. Leaving behind conceit makes it much easier to love everyone. Love everyone? What an intriguing thought.
A lot of people thought they were better than MEFIBOSET. Even though he was the crown prince after King Saul and his father, Jonathan, Crown Prince the first, He was the CRIPPLED PRINCE. Come on, now! His brains we not in his feet! He had many enemies afraid he would take over as king. But he just smiled at them. He smiled! Read about this son of King David’s best friend and let him teach you how to love your enemies. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2QtFPKQ
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The scripture for today, May 24 (5/24), is Amos 5:24 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:
“Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream.”
When individuals of a nation begin taking advantage of each other, the nation loses its standard of justice. Eventually, nations fall because of it ~ maybe not right away, but eventually.
Although acting justly may decrease someone’s income or status or power, that nation will roll on and on like a river.
Injustice is not impersonal. Injustice begins with you. One person at a time until eventually, an entire nation falls. On the other hand, justice also begins with you. One person at a time, and your nation rolls on and on like a river.
What are you doing for your nation?
(A CHILD’S BIBLEKIDS) ~ KING JOASH was orphaned at age two. The high priest hid him until it was time to make him king. He honored God’s ways and that made him an unpopular king. He didn’t care. He wanted to lead his people the right way and not the popular way. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2Qv0m1H
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The scripture for today, May 22 (5/22), is Galatians 5:22f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
There are some people in the world who call people who practice these traits “losers.” They distrust people who love everyone, are kind to everyone and are always happy. “People like that are not for real.” They believe you have to stick up for yourself and get ahead of the pack or the world will trample you and pass you by.
They are a lot like drivers out on a highway who think they have to pass every car. Once they do, there is usually a brief period when they are ahead of all the others. But soon they catch up with another pack of cars and begin all over again to pass every one, to get ahead of the pack. And so, it happens over and over endlessly. They never relax, for they are never ahead of the others for very long.
Today, relax a little. Exercise patience and self-control. There is no law against slowing down. And in the process find gentleness and find peace.
WAS JESUS GOD (WHY EVIL?) explains why Jesus had to pay that terrible price to ransom us from Satan so we could escape to the safety of heaven. It brings together scriptures you know but have never connected before. Read and find peace. To BUY NOW click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2Qpu2NH
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The Scripture for today, May 20 (5/20), is 2nd Corinthians 5:20a as found in the New Testament of the Bible:
“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.”
We all have a special longing. When we are in pain and long for reassurances that God is with us, one of the things we often want is to see God, feel God’s touch, look into God’s eyes. This is where Christians come in. God says to Christians, “Go to those in pain. Let them see you, feel your touch, look into your eyes.”
Someone in your life needs you right now because they need God. They don’t know how to reach out to God, but you do. They don’t know how to understand God, but you do. Stop whatever you have planned for today that is kind of important. Replace it with the very important. Go see someone or call them or Skype them.
Are you or are you not God’s ambassador? Is God doing anything through you? Yesterday? Today? Tomorrow?
APPLIED CHRISTIANITY is a practical HANDBOOK OF 500 GOOD WORKS for adults and children, small congregations and large, handicapped, men, women. How to do every good work is explained in detail. A MUST-HAVE for every Christian family, every church library. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2wjvEzj
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The scripture for today, May 19 (5/19), is Ephesians 5:19 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:
“Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.”
What is so interesting about this scripture is how we are to make music to the Lord. In the original Greek the New Testament of the Bible was written in, the term “make music” means to play on strings. But put with the rest of the verse, we see that it means to play on the strings of our heart.
How beautiful! In God’s ears, the strings of our heart are far superior to any musical instrument we can contrive. So, why would we want to use them as a substitute? Shall we not please the One we are worshiping? Let us be attuned, not to what we love, but to what God loves.
And so, let us sing! In the process, let our singing be accompanied by the beautiful strings of our worshipping heart. Then let the stars join in and sing with us. (Job 38:7) And finally join with the Maker of song (Zephaniah 3:17) and sing with God!
THE OLD OLD STORY SET TO OLD OLD SONGS is so much fun. Enjoy “Abraham, Abraham, he aint what he used to be, aint what he used to be.” Recognize the tune? (“The old grey male”). Or “Jonah got burped up, Jonah got burped up.” That one is “Farm in the Dell”. How about “Three great kings, three great kings, see how they run” from “Three Blind Mice.” Order this book today for your grandkids, your VBS, or even singing in the shower! To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2F3uEEL
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The scripture for today, May 18 (5/18), is 1st Thessalonians 5:18 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:
“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
This is one of the most difficult verses in the Bible to follow. How can we rejoice with the loss of a loved one, of health, of a job, of a home, of a position? The Christians at Thessalonica, in Greece, had been suffering a lot of persecution for being Christians. Some had even been killed for their faith.
Satan will do all he can to cause bad to happen in your life in order to get you to blame God and forsake him. But the real blame belongs on Satan. It may sometimes seem like the harder you try to follow God, the worse things get in your life.
Satan is afraid of you and is trying more than ever to weaken you, to break you, and get you back on his side. He doesn’t have to attack people he already has.
And sometimes God stands back and tells Satan, “Do your best. This person will grow stronger, not weaker.” Along with the Christians in Thessalonica, you can “become a model….your faith in God…known everywhere” (1st Thessalonians 1:7-8).
So, through your tears, rejoice that Satan is so afraid of you. And at the same time, keep your eyes on Jesus who never gave in when Satan caused bad to happen to him. Rejoice that you are counted worthy to be treated the same way Jesus was treated. Give thanks and keep Satan frustrated and puzzled.
VBS. This fun song book has 80 Bible songs set to old folk tunes. Forty are from the Old Testament and forty from the New Testament. Great for Vacation Bible School or for something for the child to do when visiting grandparents, etc. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2F3uEEL
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The scripture for today, May 15 (5/15), is Ecclesiastes 5:15 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:
“Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand.”
As most people enter their senior years, they finally understand this verse. In their youth they struggled to get jobs and status and things. Some accomplished it and some didn’t. But in the senior years….
when health is gradually declining….
the world is passing them by….
and they are sitting in their chair most of the time
….the main thing people look back on is what difference they made in their world, and how they did or did not help people important to them.
Often in their senior years when their income goes down and they are living only on a small pension, and they are unable to keep their big house, and fancy car, and impressive stuff, they realize they are still the same person inside regardless of what they own.
Ask a senior what they want for a birthday present. It is not likely to be things. It is likely to be time spent with a loved one or something special given to someone in need.
What about you? How much time are you spending on things?
TITUS: THE ARISTOCRAT had it all. His father was the supreme magistrate of Antioch in Turkey and he had a university education. After many family complications, Titus met Paul and left paganism. Eventually, both he and his now-converted father gave it all up and traveled together into the far north country of Albanian barbarians. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2Ncd0km
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The scripture for today, May 14 (5/14), is 2nd Corinthians 5:14a as found in the New Testament of the Bible:
“For Christ’s love compels us….”
On a distant hill a very long time ago, something unbelievable happened.
Jesus ~ God materialized ~ died both physically and spiritually in your place! (Remember when he said God had forsaken him?) He knew you couldn’t come back from either kind of death on your own, so he did it for you. Such terrible things he went through for you so you wouldn’t have to and would fail.
Love is powerful! It causes you to do things for someone you love that you never wanted to do and never dreamed you could do.
How powerful is your love for Christ? And for those he was compelled to die for? Do you share his love with others? 1st John 4:18 says, “Perfect love casts out fear.”
Reach out to people who think Jesus will ruin their fun, or has too many rules, or could never forgive them, or wouldn’t stop a tragedy. If not in person, tell them in a note, a phone call, email, even a song. There are ways.
Reach out. You can if Christ’s love compels you. You will not be able to stop.
STEPHEN: UNLIKELY MARTYR became obsessed with the Lord he loved and for people around him who did not know about Jesus’ love. This young man was so compelled, nothing stopped him ~ not even death. To BUY NOW, click a picture or paste this: https://amzn.to/2QcCWhr
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