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Published 5/9/19 Read Psalm 13:1-2 How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Reflect • How do you feel about the fact that David is secure enough in his friendship with the Lord to be completely honest with his feelings? • Are you able to be this authentic too? • Why is it important to pour out everything th

Published 5/8/19 Read Psalm 22:14-21 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet-- I can count all my bones--they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast

Published 5/7/19 Read Psalm 22:1-2 (NLT) My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief. Reflect • Why is it important to keep praying even when we don't sense God in our lives? • In what ways can our emotions deceive us? • What can help us to be patient? In Psalm 22, David felt as if he had gotten a raw deal from God, and he wan

Published 5/6/19 Read 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, "Because I bore him in pain." Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!" And God granted what he asked. Reflect • What keeps you from praying boldly? • Do you believe that God cares ab

Published 5/3/19 Read Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Reflect • What does it mean to "make disciples"? • How can we accept Christ's call to "go" and "tell"? •

Published 5/2/19 Read Acts 2:1-4 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Reflect · God sent the Holy Spirit to fill our

Published 5/1/19 Read John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Reflect • Do you believe that Christ paid the penalty for your sins? • Do you believe that you can have eternal life through Him? • What steps can you take to grow closer to Jesus? Someone who is willing to die for us is certainly someone we can be confident in. Fact: if you were the only person on the entire earth, God s

Published 4/30/19 Read Luke 6:35-36 "But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful." Reflect • Do you believe that Christ has forgiven your sins? • Do you believe that He wants a relationship with you? • Do you believe that the Lord is merciful and freely offers His grace and forgiveness

Published 4/29/19 Read Numbers 23:19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? Reflect • How can you learn more about God? • Do you believe what the Bible says about the Lord? • What steps can you take to grow closer to Him? It's hard to trust someone we don't know. So the first step in trusting God is getting to know Him. So, who is God? He is our Crea

Published 4/26/19 Read Luke 24:45-49 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power fro

Published 4/25/19 Read Luke 24:30-32 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?" Reflect • Why did Jesus choose to "open the Scriptures" as He joined the two disciples on the road to Emmaus? (Why not just in

Published 4/24/19 Read John 21:15-17 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." He said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was griev

Published 4/23/19 Read John 21:5-6 Jesus said to them, "Children, do you have any fish?" They answered him, "No." He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. Reflect • Christ has done the miraculous for you. Do you believe it? Have you accepted it? • Is your commitment to Christ strong when the pressure hits ... or do you crumble? • Like Peter

Published 4/22/19 Read Matthew 28:5-7 But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you." Reflect • "He has risen!" How do those three words make you feel? • Does God's free gift of g

Published 4/19/19 Read Mark 15:33-34 And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Reflect • In what ways do you want Jesus to heal you? Do you believe that He can do it? (Explain.) • What kinds of "internal junk" is weighing you down? (Be honest.) • What steps can you take right now t

Published 4/18/19 Read Luke 23:32-34 Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." And they cast lots to divide his garments. Reflect • C.S. Lewis describes pride as "spiritual cancer." Have you--or someone you know--been infected by it?

Published 4/17/19 Read John 19:14-16 Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, "Behold your King!" They cried out, "Away with him, away with him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar." So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. Reflect • What sins are clouding your judgment? • Think about a time when you sold out to something t

Published 4/16/19 Read Matthew 26:63-64 But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, "I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God." Jesus said to him, "You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven." Reflect · Consider how your own disobedience is like a "slap in the face" to our Holy Lord. What must we all do to nurture a right

Published 4/15/19 Read M ark 14:44-46 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard." And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, "Rabbi!" And he kissed him. And they laid hands on him and seized him. Reflect · Are you committed to Jesus? Do you know Him? · Are you relying on Christ's power? · Do you believe He has the power to transform your life? (What's blocking the change?) The horror o

Published 4/12/19 Read Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Reflect · Do you tend to walk more on the broad road or the narrow one? (Be honest and explain your answer.) · What makes the narrow gate so hard to find? · How can engaging the Bible help us find the narrow way? Is Jesus ho

Published 4/11/19 Read Matthew 5:1-2 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. Reflect · Of the Beatitudes Jesus shares, which ones do you want to develop in your life? · How would you describe Christ's light in your life--a flickering candle, a crackling campfire, or a blazing furnace? What can you do to stoke the fire? · Of Christ's teachings, which ones are the hardest for you to follow?

Published 4/10/19 Read Luke 6:13-16 When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Phillip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. Reflect · Do you need to let go of your tight grip on circumstances in your life--or even a relationship? · What

Published 4/9/19 Read Mark 2:13-14 He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him. Reflect · When the Lord gives you an assignment, do you accept it with a trusting heart ... or do you shrink back and tell Him that you are unqualified for the job? · How does it make you feel, knowing t

Published 4/8/19 Read M ark 2:3-7 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, "Why does this man speak like that? He is