As long as we have food and clothes, we should be satisfied.

(1 Timothy 6:8 -- GW)

He sends his command throughout the earth; his word runs swiftly.
(Psalm 147:15 -- CSB)

Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

(1 John 5:12 -- NIV)

Day is done,
gone the sun,
From the hills,
from the lake,
From the skies.
All is well,
safely rest,
God is nigh.

Go to sleep,
peaceful sleep,
May the soldier
or sailor,
God keep.
On the land
or the deep,
Safe in sleep.

Love, good night,
Must thou go,
When the day,
And the night
Need thee so?
All is well.
Speedeth all
To their rest.

Fades the light;
And afar
Goeth day,
And the stars
Shineth bright,
Fare thee well;
Day has gone,
Night is on.

Thanks and praise,
For our days,
'Neath the sun,
Neath the stars,
'Neath the sky,
As we go,
This we know,
God is nigh.

("Taps" by Horace Lorenzo Trim or Rukard Hurd or Forrest W. Gaz)

Photo:  https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/american-flag-gm963283776-263109442

Jews = children of Abraham through Isaac.
Muslims = children of Abraham through Ismael.
Christians = children of Abraham through Jesus.

Abraham serves as an example.  He believed God, and that faith was regarded as the basis of Abraham’s approval by God.  You must understand that people who have faith are Abraham’s descendants. Scripture saw ahead of time that God would give his approval to non-Jewish people who have faith.  So Scripture announced the Good News to Abraham ahead of time when it said, “Through you all the people of the world will be blessed.”  So people who believe are blessed together with Abraham, the man of faith.
(Galatians 3:6-9 -- GW)

Remember the day of rest by observing it as a holy day.
(Exodus 20:8 -- GW)


We should not stop gathering together with other believers, as some of you are doing.  Instead, we must continue to encourage each other even more as we see the day of the Lord coming.
(Hebrews 10:25 -- GW)

1. God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.

 2. Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never-failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sovereign will.

3. Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.

4. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense.
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

5. His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.

6. Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own Interpreter,
And He will make it plain.

(By William Cowper)

And the angel said unto them, "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."
(Luke 2:8 -- KJV)

And the angel answered and said unto the women, "Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.  He is not here: for he is risen, as he said.  Come, see the place where the Lord lay."
(Matthew 28:5-6 -- KJV)

But now through Christ Jesus you, who were once far away, have been brought near by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴ So he is our peace. In his body he has made Jewish and non-Jewish people one by breaking down the wall of hostility that kept them apart. ¹⁵ He brought an end to the commandments and demands found in Moses’ Teachings so that he could take Jewish and non-Jewish people and create one new humanity in himself. So he made peace.
(Ephesians 2:13-15 -- GW)

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The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.  Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

(2 Peter 3:9 -- NIV)




If we say, “We aren’t sinful” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  God is faithful and reliable.  If we confess our sins, he forgives them and cleanses us from everything we’ve done wrong.
(1 John 1:8-9 -- GW)

Wolves will live with lambs.
Leopards will lie down with goats.
Calves, young lions, and year-old lambs will be together,
    and little children will lead them.
⁷ Cows and bears will eat together.
    Their young will lie down together.
Lions will eat straw like oxen.
⁸ Infants will play near cobras’ holes.
Toddlers will put their hands into vipers’ nests.
⁹ They will not hurt or destroy anyone anywhere on my holy mountain.
    The world will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
        like water covering the sea.
(Isaiah 11:6-9 -- GW)

 
When Pentecost, the fiftieth day after Passover, came, all the believers were together in one place. ² Suddenly, a sound like a violently blowing wind came from the sky and filled the whole house where they were staying. ³ Tongues that looked like fire appeared to them. The tongues arranged themselves so that one came to rest on each believer. ⁴ All the believers were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak.
⁵ Devout Jewish men from every nation were living in Jerusalem. ⁶ They gathered when they heard the wind. Each person was startled to recognize his own dialect when the disciples spoke.
(Acts 2:1-6 -- GW)

Don’t discard me in my old age.  As my strength fails, do not abandon me.

(Psalm 71:9 -- CSB)

But people who want to get rich keep falling into temptation. They are trapped by many stupid and harmful desires which drown them in destruction and ruin.  Certainly, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people who have set their hearts on getting rich have wandered away from the Christian faith and have caused themselves a lot of grief.
But you, man of God, must avoid these things. Pursue what God approves of: a godly life, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.
(1 Timothy 6:9-11 -- GW)

Don’t be stubborn like a horse or mule.  They need a bit and bridle in their mouth to restrain them, or they will not come near you.
(Psalm 32:9 -- GW)

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After they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. The angel said to him, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, because Herod intends to search for the child and kill him.”
¹⁴ Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and left for Egypt that night. ¹⁵ He stayed there until Herod died. What the Lord had spoken through the prophet came true: “I have called my son out of Egypt.”

(Matthew 2:13-15 -- GW)

He remembered that they were only flesh and blood,
a breeze that blows and does not return.

(Psalm 78:39 -- GW)

Happy Monday . . .

Hallelujah!

Praise the Lord from the heavens.
Praise him in the heights above.
² Praise him, all his angels.
Praise him, his entire heavenly army.
³ Praise him, sun and moon.
Praise him, all shining stars.
⁴ Praise him, you highest heaven
    and the water above the sky.
⁵ Let them praise the name of the Lord
    because they were created by his command.
⁶ He set them in their places forever and ever.
He made it a law that no one can break.

⁷ Praise the Lord from the earth.
Praise him, large sea creatures and all the ocean depths,
⁸     lightning and hail,
    snow and fog,
    strong winds that obey his commands,
⁹     mountains and all hills,
    fruit trees and all cedar trees,
¹⁰     wild animals and all domestic animals,
    crawling animals and birds,
¹¹     kings of the earth and all its people,
    officials and all judges on the earth,
¹²     young men and women,
    old and young together.
¹³ Let them praise the name of the Lord
    because his name is high above all others.
        His glory is above heaven and earth.

(Psalm 148: 1-13 -- GW)

Photo:  https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/pileated-woodpecker-gm679054136-124407187
 

 

Daniel said to the king, “Your Majesty, may you live forever! ²² My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths so that they couldn’t hurt me. He did this because he considered me innocent. Your Majesty, I haven’t committed any crime.”
²³ The king was overjoyed and had Daniel taken out of the den. When Daniel was taken out of the den, people saw that he was completely unharmed because he trusted his God.

(Daniel 6:21-23 -- GW)

Later, Jesus went to Jerusalem for a Jewish festival.
² Near Sheep Gate in Jerusalem was a pool called Bethesda in Hebrew. It had five porches. ³ Under these porches a large number of sick people—people who were blind, lame, or paralyzed—used to lie. ^{[a] 5} One man, who had been sick for 38 years, was lying there. ⁶ Jesus saw the man lying there and knew that he had been sick for a long time. So Jesus asked the man, “Would you like to get well?”
⁷ The sick man answered Jesus, “Sir, I don’t have anyone to put me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I’m trying to get there, someone else steps into the pool ahead of me.”
⁸ Jesus told the man, “Get up, pick up your cot, and walk.” ⁹ The man immediately became well, picked up his cot, and walked.

(John 5:1-9 -- GW)

Happy Ascension Day . . .

Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

(Psalm 105:3 -- NIV)

-------------------

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At the cross I found my Saviour,
And my boasting there shall be,
For my many sins are pardoned
Thro’ the blood he shed for me.
O my soul in him rejoices,
And the world I count but dross,—
I am walking, daily walking
In the shadow of the cross.

(By Fanny Crosby)

Through Jesus we should always bring God a sacrifice of praise, that is, words that acknowledge him.

(Hebrews 13:15 -- GW)

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
(Psalm 100:4 -- NIV)

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Flee from sexual immorality.
Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

(1 Corinthians 6:18 -- ESV)

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
(John 14:26-27 -- NIV)

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Come, Christians, follow
where the Master trod,
our King victorious,
Christ the Son of God.

Lift high the cross
The love of Christ proclaim,
Till all the world
Adore His sacred name.

(Written by George Kitchin)

Rather, this is what the prophet Joel spoke about:

¹⁷ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour my Spirit on everyone.
Your sons and daughters will speak what God has revealed.
Your young men will see visions.
Your old men will dream dreams.

In those days
I will pour my Spirit on my servants, on both men and women.
They will speak what God has revealed.
¹⁹  I will work miracles in the sky and give signs on the earth:
blood, fire, and clouds of smoke.
²⁰  The sun will become dark,
and the moon will become as red as blood
before the terrifying day of the Lord comes.
²¹ Then whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

(Acts 2:16-21 -- GW)

 

 

You didn’t choose me, but I chose you.  I have appointed you to go, to produce fruit that will last, and to ask the Father in my name to give you whatever you ask for.

(John 15:16 -- GW)