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Read Job 1:6-19 Yet another messenger came and said, "Your sons and daughters were feasting ... when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead." Job 1:18-19 In one day, Job was stripped of his wealth. One after another, four frightened messengers reported that five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and three thousand camels were stolen in enemy raids; seven thousand sheep were st

Read Hosea 6 "Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn;he will come to us as the showers,as the spring rains that water the earth." Hosea 6:3, ESV Reflect What must I do to return to the Lord and begin to acknowledge Him again? Is there a particular sin in my life that is inhibiting me from pursuing true communion with God? What can I do to press on in pursuit of the Lord in times of spiritual drought? Sometimes it seems as if God is s

Read 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7 Sometimes God permits our vessels to be jarred so that some of the treasure will spill out and enrich others. Suffering reveals not only the weakness of man but also the glory of God. Paul presented a series of paradoxes in this paragraph: earthen vessels--power of God; the dying Jesus--the life of Jesus; death working--life wo

Read 2 Corinthians 3:1-6 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 2 Corinthians 3:3 When God gave the law, He wrote it on tables of stone, and those tables were placed in the ark of the covenant. Even though the Israelites could read the two tables, this experience did not change their lives. The law is an external thing, and peop

Read Colossians 3 Colossians 3:16 says: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom. Singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. What a great, encouraging verse. When it comes to the word of Christ, to let it dwell in us, richly. I ask the question: Is the word of Christ dwelling in you, richly? I mean, it's not just reading it and then kind of forgetting about it an hour later, but

Read Matthew 15 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon." But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away, for she is crying out after us." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." And he answered, "It is not right to tak

Read Mark 12 Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord...

Read James 1 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. James 1:13-15, ESV Which enticements are the most difficult for me to resist? How do these enticements turn my head away from God? Do I ever feel like I am

Read Ecclesiastes 1:4-8 Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. Ecclesiastes 1:4 From the human point of view, nothing seems more permanent and durable than the planet on which we live. When we say that something is as sure as the world, we are echoing Solomon's confidence in the permanence of Planet Earth. With all of its diversity, nature is uniform enough in its operation that we can discover its laws and put them to work for us. In fact, it is

Read Galatians 4 Galatians 4: 4-7 : "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son born of woman, born under the law to redeem those who are under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. Because you're sons, God has sent the spirit of his son into our hearts crying "Abba," Father, that you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son and an heir through God." Let the riches of those verses soak into your heart today, right now, to realize that no

Read 2 Timothy 3 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17, ESV Reflect In my heart of hearts, do I trust God's Word?Why, if I know that reading the Bible can make a concrete difference in my life, do I often relegate it to the last priority in my day?What can I do to make Scripture-reading the first pri

Read Hebrews 3:12-19 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily ... so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. Hebrews 3:12-13 The heart of every problem is a problem in the heart. The people of Israel (except Moses, Joshua, and Caleb) erred in their hearts, which means that their hearts wandered from God and His Word. They also had evil hearts of unbelief; they d

Read Job 11 "If you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then you will lift up your face without shame; you will stand firm and without fear." Job 11:14-15 Zophar makes three accusations against Job: Job is guilty of sin (vv.1-4); Job is ignorant of God (vv. 5-12); and Job is stubborn in his refusal to repent (vv. 13-20). "There is hope!" is Zophar's encouraging word to Job, and he describes what Job can experience. But if Job wants t

Read Job 1:20-22 "The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." Job 1:21 The hosts of heaven and of hell watched to see how Job would respond to the loss of his wealth and his children. He expressed his grief in a manner normal for that day, for God expects us to be human ( 1 Thess. 4:13 ). After all, even Jesus wept ( John 11:35 ). But then Job worshipped God and uttered a profound statement of faith. First, he looked back to his birth: "N

Read Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 Solomon was not advocating "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die!" That is the philosophy of fatalism, not faith. Rather, he was saying, "Thank God for what you do have, and enjoy it to the glory of God." Paul gave his approval to this attitude whe

Read Isaiah 1 Isaiah 1:18-20 : "Come now, let us reason together says the Lord, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land, but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." These verses together give a compelling picture of the two options before us. God, in His grace, has

Read Isaiah 55 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for wh

Read 2 Corinthians 1:1-5 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Paul began his letter with a doxology. He certainly could not sing about his circumstances, but he could sing about the God who is in control of all circumstances. Paul had learned that pr

Read 2 Corinthians 4:1-6 Since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 Corinthians 4:1 The way we look at our ministry helps to determine how we will fulfill it. If we look on serving Christ as a burden instead of a privilege, we will be a drudge and do only what is required of us. Some people even look upon Christian service as a punishment from God. When Paul considered the fact that he was a minister of Jesus Christ, he was overwhelmed by the gr

Read John 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:15, ESV Reflect For whom would I lay down my life? How would I describe my relationship with God--close and comfortable or distant and formal? How does the fact that God considers me His friend affect my view of our relationship? Think about what Jesus is telling us he

Read Philippians 2 Philippians chapter two, verse three, exhorts us to do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. This verse goes against the grain, I think of everything in me, that is my sinful nature. I am so tempted to do so much from selfish ambition. Even when I'm doing what I think are good things, kinds things, for others, I'm still prone to think, "How is this going to affect the way they view me?" I've

Read Hebrews 5:1-6 Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.... No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God. Hebrews 5:1 , 4 When I became pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church in Covington, Kentucky, it was necessary for me to go to the city hall and be bonded. Otherwise, I would not have the authority to perform marriages. I had to show my ordination c

Read 1 Peter 2 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. 1 Peter 2:24-25, ESV Reflect If running toward God is how we grow spiritually--especially in times of insurmountable challenges--then what is holding me back from doing that?Why does it sometimes feel like I am taking two steps

Read Hebrews 3:1-11 Fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house. Hebrews 3:1-2 Jesus Christ is not only the Apostle; He is also the High Priest. Moses was a prophet who on occasion served as a high priest. That title belonged to his brother Aaron. In fact, Jesus Christ has the title "great high priest" (4:14). As the Apostle, Jesus Christ represented God t