Happy Friday . . .

Give all your worries to him, because he cares for you.

(1 Peter 5:7 -- ICB)

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
(Galatians 6:7 -- NKJV)

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

(Romans 13:1 -- NKJV)

So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. ⁸ All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹ I am the door.  If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture."

(John 10:7-9 -- ESV)

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
² Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. ³ Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

(Psalm 100:1-3 -- KJV)

Thomas, one of the twelve apostles, who was called Didymus, wasn’t with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ The other disciples told him, “We’ve seen the Lord.”
Thomas told them, “I refuse to believe this unless I see the nail marks in his hands, put my fingers into them, and put my hand into his side.”
²⁶ A week later Jesus’ disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them.  Even though the doors were locked, Jesus stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁷ Then Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Take your hand, and put it into my side.  Stop doubting, and believe.”
²⁸ Thomas responded to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!”
²⁹ Jesus said to Thomas, “You believe because you’ve seen me.  Blessed are those who haven’t seen me but believe.”

(John 20:24-29 -- GW)


Photo:  https://us.fotolia.com/id/163310517

The Fourth Petition

Give us this day our daily bread.

What does this mean? God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.
What is meant by daily bread? Daily bread includes everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.

(Luther's Small Catechism)

But now Christ has come back from the dead.  He is the very first person of those who have died to come back to life. ²¹ Since a man brought death, a man also brought life back from death. ²² As everyone dies because of Adam, so also everyone will be made alive because of Christ. ²³ This will happen to each person in his own turn.  Christ is the first, then at his coming, those who belong to him will be made alive.
(1 Corinthians 15:20-23 -- GW)

A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.
(Proverbs 17:22 -- NKJV)

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, he will see God’s constant anger.
(John 3:36 -- GW)

I will give thanks to you because I have been so amazingly and miraculously made.  Your works are miraculous, and my soul is fully aware of this.

(Psalm 139:14 -- GW)

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

(Philippians 4:13 -- NKJV)

Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.

(Psalm 25:4 -- NIV)

Happy Friday
. . .

 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.  For there is no distinction: ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. ²⁶ It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

(Romans 3:22-26 -- ESV)

When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. ²¹ What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of?  Those things result in death! ²² But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Romans 6:20-23 -- NIV)

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

(1 John 1:8 -- ESV)

"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. ⁵⁰ This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."
(John 6:47-51 -- ESV)

Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace.  ⁷ In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me.

(Psalm 86:6-7 -- ESV)

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. ¹⁴ For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

(1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 -- ESV)

When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

(Matthew 27:54 -- NIV)

Quick Draw McGraw! 

www.StevertS.com

My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me.
(Psalm 31:15 -- NIV)

Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,

(Hebrews 9:27 -- NIV)

 

 

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

(Psalm 20:7 -- NIV)

 

 

Every day is a terrible day for a miserable person, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast.

(Proverbs 15:15 -- NOG)

 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, ³² and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” ³³ They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone.  How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”
³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. ³⁵ The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

(John 8:31-36 -- ESV)

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶ We know that our old self^[a] was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. ⁷ For one who has died has been set free from sin. ⁸ Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹ We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. ¹⁰ For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. ¹¹ So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. ¹² Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. ¹³ Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. ¹⁴ For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

(Romans 6:5-14 -- ESV)

If you live in American and are offended by the American flag, maybe you should find someplace else to live.