1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2 Now at that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was imprisoned in the courtyard of the guard, which was at the house of the…
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1 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the well of Harod, so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley. 2 And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too…
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16 “At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. 17 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. 18…
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7 “Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” 9 After hearing the king, they went their way;…
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1 “Bless the Lord, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His Holy name. 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; 3 Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; 4 Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; 5 Who satisfies your…
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1 “I will stand at my guard post And station myself on the watchtower; And I will keep watch to see what He will say to me, And how I may reply when I am reprimanded.” Habakkuk 2:1 NASB Prior to this current age of instant messaging, people wrote, sent, and received written messages through various non-electronic channels, including carrier…
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9 “I will say to God my rock, ‘Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?’” 10 As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile me, while they say to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’ 11 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have…
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“Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” Ephesians 4:29 NASB “Watch your mouth!” If you’ve ever been reprimanded for saying something rude or inappropriate, you’ve certainly heard this phrase before, especially as…
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2 Now when John [the Baptist], while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to Him, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” 4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive sight and…
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10 “As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years, yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we fly away. 11 Who understands the power of Your anger and Your fury, according to the fear that is due You? 12 So teach us to…
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1 In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called out…
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1 Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said, “There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor. 2 “The rich man had a great many flocks and herds. 3 “But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb which he bought and nourished; and it grew up together…
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12 “Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I testify for him that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea…
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Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers…. How do the people of God come under the influence of the counsel of the ungodly? It is everywhere around us, from financial counsellors to marriage counselors – from news programs to…
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I just watched a TED talk about a new sort of Kindergarten that gives kids a less structured environment with a limited amount of danger along with lots of opportunity for play and exploration. As I watched, I thought of how many American kids grow up with TV babysitters (or other electronics on phones and pads), who are given trophies…
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WHEN LESS IS MORE: A Paradox of Christian Leadership – by K. Paul Dawson. This is a highly readable, intensely personal, but widely needed book on stress in Christian ministry. Dawson does not just talk about stress; he has lived it for much of his 35 years in active ministry, which includes 20 years as a missionary high up the Amazon…
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The Bible is a story of cosmic conflict between the Creator God Almighty and one of his creatures. He created, not only the physical universe with all we see, but also what the Jews call “the third heaven.” This third heaven is the spiritual realm, the world we do not see. In this world are the angels and other spiritual…
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From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. (Matthew 11:12) This is something of an enigmatic statement, coming as it does on the heels of: John, from Herod’s prison, sending his disciples to Jesus to ask if he were the one to come or if they should…
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