Weekly Spiritual Readings
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God loves those we don’t like as much as He loves us.
God loves those who don’t love Him.
God loves us just as we are today, He knows all our junk, He knows all our inadequacies and lack of faith, and He loves us anyway, however, He loves us too much to leave us the way we are if we ask for help.
God loves us not because of who we are, but because of who He is.
God loves us, pass that around.
God made each of us unique and different but loves us all the same.
God, who would You have me serve today?
God will either give us what we pray for or something better.
The place God has prepared for us will be better than whatever we can imagine.
God rejoices in our growing faith.
God's love can transform our enemies -- and us.
God's power is greater than any problem we face.
Love links us to God and to each other.
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Plug In Your Emotional Battery by Rick Warren
"Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, 'Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest'" (Mark 6:31 NIV).
Are you overwhelmed? Do you feel inadequate? Are you ready to blow at any moment? You can't love others in a godly way when you're at the end of your emotional rope. How many relationships have been ripped apart because the people involved failed to take care of themselves emotionally?
God's Word gives us three habits that can help us recharge emotionally when we have nothing left to give.
1. Solitude. Mark 6:31 says, "So many people were coming and going...[Jesus] said to them [the disciples], 'Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest'" (NIV). Jesus understood that your emotions are like a battery. If you plug one light bulb into a battery, it will last for a fairly long time. If you plug in 100 lights, the battery will drain very quickly. Many of you have so many lights plugged in, your battery is shot. You can't recharge anybody else—you can't give love—if your own battery is drained. You recharge when you get away by yourself.
2. Play. The Bible says, "Jesus came enjoying life" (Matthew 11:19 PH). He was the most people-focused, ministry-intensive person who ever lived, yet he took the time to have fun. Certain activities recharge you emotionally; they literally re-create your energy and enthusiasm for life. We all have different activities that recharge us because we're all made differently. Find out what recharges you emotionally and make time for it.
3. Laughter. Proverbs 17:22 says, "Being cheerful keeps you healthy" (GNT). Studies prove that when you laugh, it increases your number of T-cells, which raises your immunity level. Laughter is good for your health. Humor is God's gift to us. Remember, God has a sense of humor—he made you!
To be emotionally balanced, take God very seriously but don't take yourself seriously. Learn to laugh at your limitations. There is plenty of material. If you only laugh and enjoy life when your problems are all solved, you'll never enjoy life.
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Knowing God's Word will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from knowing His Word.
God has given us His Word as a guide for our life. However, His Word won't help us if we don't study it, know it, and live by it. Therefore, we must diligently study and apply God's Word if we wish for it to have an impact on our lives.
Jesus promised, "If you abide in My word ..., you are truly My disciples. And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32, AMP). That's a promise that if we abide in His Word, we will know the Truth, because His Word is the Truth.
So it makes sense that God told the Israelites, "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful" (Joshua 1:8).
Joshua later repeated a similar instruction: "Be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left" (Joshua 23:6).
Why is it so important to follow God's Word? Because His Word keeps us from turning aside to the right or to the left; it keeps us on the straight and narrow path that leads to life (see Matthew 7:13-14).
Therefore, abide in His Word, because His Word will keep you from sin. Author Unknown
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HOLDING PATTERNS
Many times, God will allow a painful situation or a painful circumstance in our life to "swallow us up." This season in our spiritual growth is a holding pattern. We can't move to the left or the right. All we can do is sit, like Jonah sat in the belly of that great fish, so God can have our undivided attention and speak to us.
God put Jonah in a holding pattern because He needed to speak to his heart. Jonah was all alone. There were no friends to call, no colleagues to drop by, no books to read, no food to eat, no interferences, and no interruptions. He had plenty of time to sit, think, meditate, and pray.
When we're deep down in the midst of a difficult situation, God can talk to us. When He has our undivided attention, He can show us things about ourselves that we might not otherwise have seen.
A few of God's holding patterns...
1. When you are sick in your physical body and you have prayed, but you're not yet healed, you are in a holding pattern.
2. When you are having problems with your children and you have put them on the altar, but God has not delivered them yet, you are in a holding pattern.
3. When you have been praying for a loved one to return to God, and they have not come back yet, you are in a holding pattern.
4. When you are in a broken relationship and you have given it over to God, but it has not been restored yet, you are in a holding pattern.
5. When the doors slam shut before you can even knock on them, you are in a holding pattern.
When we are deep in the belly of a difficult situation, there are no interruptions. God has our undivided attention. All we can do is sit, think, meditate, and pray. Like Jonah, we cannot run from God, because there are no mountains that are high enough, valleys that are low enough, rivers that are wide enough, rooms that are dark enough, or places that are hidden from Him.
We must remember to praise Him while we're waiting, and remember three things:
1. The pattern has a purpose.
2. The pattern has a plan.
3. The pattern has a process.
So stop struggling and start listening, praying and trusting. He'll keep you right where you are until you can clearly hear Him say, "I love you."
"Father, forgive my unbelief. I know you love me and I will come to see the benefit of everything in my life, even this holding pattern, and the manifestation of my Good is assured through You. You have planned nothing for me but victories and I am ready to receive them regardless of how difficult the path." Author Unknown
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HOLDING ONTO THE "B"
The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. Deut. 31:8
On a family vacation, three year old Tommy wore a new western hat that was nearly half the size of him. He was thrilled the day his dad took him by the horses. He’d never been this close to a horse before.
I watched Tommy struggling to reach through the fence and stroke the horse’s nose. He was holding his “B” In his left hand, the blankie that went everywhere with him. Even on the airplane and out to see the horses. Only thing is he couldn’t quite negotiate getting his hand through the fence hole, without dropping the “B”. And he wasn’t about to drop the “B”.
I couldn’t help but think of how many times there is something good out there, I want to move forward, take the next step. Yet I want to hold on to the security of the past. I just can’t let go of something for fear of how I would be able to manage without it. Kind of reminds me of a story I heard once about a daddy and his young daughter who had a strand of pink plastic pearls.
God asks us to grow in our Christian walk. We don’t have to do it alone, in fact we can’t. 1 Peter 2-3 says, Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. The “meat”, more of God, is a blessing,
Our “B’s” are wonderful for a season, then comes a time we no longer have to hold onto them. May we have the courage and grace to let go and trust our Heavenly Father to take care of us in the next step He has for us. He is already there anyway;
I had a friend that used to put it this way, “you can’t go anywhere that God is not already there.” That is good news. Sally Ireland Kennedy
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Turning Tragedy Into Blessing
Years ago in Scotland, the Clark family had a dream. Clark and his wife worked and saved, making plans for their nine children and themselves to travel to the United States. It had taken years, but they had finally saved enough money and had gotten passports and reservations for the whole family on a new liner to the United States.
The entire family was filled with anticipation and excitement about their new life. However, seven days before their departure, the youngest son was bitten by a dog. The doctor sewed up the boy, but hung a yellow sheet on the Clarks' front door. Because of the possibility of rabies, they were being quarantined for fourteen days.
The family's dreams were dashed. They would not be able to make the trip to America as they had planned. The father, filled with disappointment and anger, stomped to the dock to watch the ship leave - without the Clark family. Five days later, the tragic news spread throughout Scotland - the mighty Titanic had sunk. The unsinkable ship had sunk, taking hundreds of lives with it.
The Clark family was to have been on that ship, but because the son had been bitten by a dog, they were left behind in Scotland. When Mr. Clark heard the news, he hugged his son and thanked him for saving the family. He asked God to forgive him for his anger and for his attitude and for not trusting God in every circumstance. He thanked God for saving their lives and for turning a tragedy into a blessing.
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 Author Unknown
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A Boy and His Lunch
God is looking for people to stand in the gap. Take the disciples, who were instructed to find food for the hungry multitude - they panicked.
It's as if they looked at the massive need and it was bigger than they could comprehend. They worried about how they were going to pull this off, feeding some 20,000 people. (5,000 men plus the women and children) Regardless of the odds, the disciples went out into the crowd in search of food.
I wonder if the more they talked to the people, the more they were discouraged. Obviously, no one planned ahead and everyone was hungry and they were getting closer to the kid with the bread and fish. The boy is the only one with food and they're closing in on him and he probably is sitting on his lunch by now. He figures a squashed lunch versus no lunch is still a meal.
The only person who didn't need a miracle was the little boy, but God was about to use him in a mighty way.
A small child standing in the crowd - and God chose him. You are either a person who needs a miracle, like those who were hungry, or you are like the little boy who didn't really need a miracle, but God can use you in his work.
Often we hold onto our security because it seems what God is asking is impossible. We question the "how" or the "why" only to let the moment pass us by. The obstacle seems too big and the questions even bigger. Have you ever missed a miracle from God because you just couldn't comprehend it? Can you imagine how many opportunities have slipped by you?
I can just see this kid running home after the feast of fish and loaves. His Mom asks him about his day as he runs into the kitchen. He says, "Mom, you are not going to believe what happened." She says, "I know you were excited to see Jesus. Something was bothering me today after I packed your lunch this morning, and I was worried because I don't think I gave you enough food."
She touches his chin and asks, "Was it enough?'
The boy leaps up and down saying, "I gave it to Jesus and he fed so many people, thousands. My lunch fed thousands. And we still had 12 baskets of food left over after everyone ate."
The boy will never forget the day God used him. And neither will you if you allow him to use you. However, nothing will ever happen until you get the lunch out of your hand. We must open the bag and look inside, and see what it is we have to share.
You can always trust Jesus with whatever you have. Open the bag, give it to Him and He will multiply it! Pam Krumpke
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God's Deliverance
"He delivered us...
He will deliver us...
He will continue to deliver us..." (2 Corinthians 1:10-11)
I quit!
I've tried my best to live
as God expects me to,
as my family expects me to...
I want to do the best, but I always fail.
I give up!
There's no use trying!
I just fail...
I?
"Rely not on yourselves, but on God...
He delivered us,
He will deliver us,
He will continue to deliver us..."
Again and again and again,
like food,
like sleep
so God will give us strength every day.
Author Unknown
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I AM THERE
Do you need Me?
I am there.
You cannot see Me, yet I am the light you see by.
You cannot hear Me, yet I speak through your voice.
You cannot feel Me, yet I am the power at work in your hands.
I am at work, though you do not understand My ways.
I am at work, though you do not recognize My works.
I am not strange visions, I am not mysteries.
Only in absolute stillness, beyond self, can you know Me as I am,
and then but as a feeling and a faith.
Yet I am there. Yet I hear. Yet I answer.
When you need Me, I am there.
Even if you deny Me, I am there.
Even when you feel most alone, I am there.
Even in your fears, I am there.
Even in your pain, I am there.
I am there when you pray and when you do not pray.
I am in you, and you are in Me.
Only in your mind can you feel separate from Me,
For only in your mind are the mists of “yours” and “mine”.
Yet only with your mind can you know Me and experience Me.
Empty your heart of empty fears.
When you get yourself out of the way, I am there.
You can of yourself do nothing, but I can do all, and I am in all.
Though you may not see the good, good is there, for I am there.
I am there because I have to be, because I am.
Only in Me does the world have meaning;
Only in Me does the world take form;
Only because of Me does the world go forward.
I am the law on which the movement of the stars.
And the growth of living cells are founded.
I am the love that is the law’s fulfilling.
I am assurance.
I am peace.
I am oneness.
I am the law that you can live by.
I am the love that you can cling to.
I am your assurance.
I am your peace.
I am one with you.
I am.
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Small Straws In A Soft Wind by Marsha Burns
Victory is to the overcomer; it is not something that comes to you automatically or without effort. You have to seize it, take it by force. It is success in the struggle. I tell you this so that you will not take the position of a powerless victim. I have called you to be overcomers, conquerors, triumphant in all things. Refuse to allow the enemy to victimize you. Rise up and take your rightful position, says the Lord. Romans 8:37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
The stress caused by the issues of life have the potential to create stress in your physical body. Now is the time to deal with the issues and to tie up loose ends that keep you from maintaining peace emotionally, mentally and physically. Do not delay in taking care of these matters; procrastination is your enemy. Be diligent to methodically and consistently keep moving towards freedom and tranquility, says the Lord. Job 22:21 Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you.
Beloved, I am relieving you of obligations that have kept you from walking in the liberty of My Spirit. And, I am removing the guilt that others have imposed upon you that kept you from the freedom that I wish for My children. This is a new day and even the beginning of a new era. I will lead you on the path of liberation in this season if you are willing to let go of the limitations and bondages of the past, says the Lord. Trust Me! Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
I have sown My Word of promise in your heart, says the Lord. But, you will have to protect that seed from the enemy who will try to snatch it away. You will have to keep it alive in the ground of your heart by reminding yourself of what I am doing in this season. Otherwise, it will be business as usual, and you will become a hearer only and not a doer. Do not let this happen, or you will miss the blessing. Matthew 13:3-9 Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"
Be still and be sensitive to the work of My Spirit in your spirit. If you will allow it, there is a deep work of joy coming up from the very depth of your being. It is a joy that transcends and overcomes every circumstance that the enemy has used to bring you down to negativity and despair. Cooperate with this move of My Spirit, says the Lord, and My virtue will flow forth to bring healing and restoration. And, it will restore you to fresh hope and faith. Psalms 5:11 But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You.
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The Trumpet by Bill Burns
"Set the trumpet to your mouth!" Hosea 8:1
Defilement has come to your faith because of the trials, tribulation, hardships, disappointments and failures that you have endured. A supernatural life will be restored if you will cleanse yourself from this defilement of your faith. The work that I am presently doing among My people is a restoration of faith – in purity and innocence (a child-like faith). This innocence of faith will produce a strong faith that is not hindered by your past. The apostle Paul tells you what is required to accomplish this process: Philippians 3:13-14 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
This you must do so that your faith can become strong and pure. This beginning again will remove the defilement that has stained your faith. My church will be a supernatural church in the last days, says the Lord. My church will be a glorious church; a faith-filled people will demonstrate the power of My kingdom. So, begin today by positioning yourself to receive this work of Mine. Live the supernatural life, The war has been long, but now comes the victory, says the Lord.”
If you can receive it, says the Lord, I am going to begin to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that you can even believe or expect in your life as I bring the blessings of the kingdom to you. It is time for a new start, a new season, a regeneration of My purposes. For My people have indeed been hindered from the glory of My kingdom in the past. But, that does not mean that the glory is not there it just means it has not been seen or experienced. My kingdom is a kingdom of glory and My purpose is to change you from glory to glory into a kingdom child who can experience and live a supernatural life. So, take heart today, My beloved, and allow Me to become the strength of your heart, the strength of your purpose, the strength of your joy, and the strength of your peace. Allow Me to do My finest work in these last days among My people. If you will decide that you are going to be Mine wholly and completely and become a doer of My word, the multiplicity of My blessings will abound in your life. This is the day of regeneration; it is the day of the blessing, says the Lord God Almighty.
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More Like Thee
Lord help me to be willing to accept
responsibility,
For my every action and for every
word that I speak.
Help me to be forgiving and
never hold a grudge;
That I will stand for what is right,
and never try to condemn or judge!
What ever you might ask of me
I'll do with willing hands;
I'll hide your word within my heart
and heed all your commands.
Help me Lord that I'll not ask
for something I've no need of;
But think of those less fortunate
and reach out to them in Christ
like love!
Help me to keep my eyes on you
and let you lead the way;
That I'll be your faithful servant
each and every day!
Mold me and shape me to be a
vessel that can be used by you;
Take my heart Lord and make
it brand new, a heart filled with
love warm and true!
Help me to show the kind of love
that you have shown to me;
Give me your wisdom and your
strength that I'll become more
and more like thee!
Amen
~Helen Johnson~
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I'll Keep Holding Unto You
When the clouds are gathering yonder
And my way looks dark and dim,
I'll "Keep Holding On To Jesus"
I've put all my trust in him.
Like a tiny sparrow falling
Or a ship that's lost at sea,
Jesus sees my darkest moments
And he lights the path for me.
When the sun is shining brightly
And the stars twinkling at night,
I will still hold tight to Jesus
He will be my guiding light.
"I'll Keep Holding On To Jesus"
Every moment we shall be,
Hand in hand, we'll walk
And Jesus, will keep holding onto me.
Author: Joni Kassel 2002
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The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you, saying, 'Destroy him!' Deuteronomy 33:27
Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:25-26
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8
Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. Ephesians 6:10-11
Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9
We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7
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Simply by being in your presence, non-Christians ought to be able to tell that you have spent time in God's presence.
In Acts 4, Peter and John were brought to the rulers and elders of the people (v. 8) to be questioned by them. But when Peter and John came to those people, who were Jews, they were astonished [by Peter and John] and they took note that these men had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13). In other words, the Jews could tell that Peter and John had spent time with Jesus simply by the way they lived.
Indeed, Jesus had so changed their lives that an "aroma" of God was coming from them. Having that "aroma" requires being like Christ, and the only way that we can become Christ-like is if we abide and dwell in God's presence--and doing that requires a conscious decision. You must decide to practice His presence!
Also, by being in God's presence, we will bear good spiritual fruit. In John 15:5, Jesus promises, "If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit." In other words, by spending time with God you will develop valuable spiritual fruit. Then, the world will see your fruit and recognize that you have been with Jesus.
In addition, when you spend time in God's presence, you will experience an increase in your joy, contentment, peace, and satisfaction. Specifically, David told the Lord, in Your presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11, AMP). Clearly, God will pour joy into your life when you spend time in His presence. Then, you can take that joy and show it to those around you.
There are great changes that can occur when you spend time with God. In God's presence is the only place where you can become more like Christ. Then, once God has changed you, the world will be astonished and see that you have been with Jesus. Weekly Wisdom
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All I Need To Know
A Sunday School teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible... Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the verse. Little Johnny was excited about the task, but he just couldn't remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line. On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Johnny was so nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, "The Lord is my shepherd...and that's all I need to know!"
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God, Thank you for having faith in us till we gained faith in You. Save us from ourselves, protect us from the disaster of our own thinking. Save us from the spiritual destroyers of self-pity and resentments. These are my eyes, see with them today, these are my ears, hear with them today, these are my lips, speak with them today, these are my hands, work with them today. We ask for Your wisdom to help us make good choices.
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Read Through The Bible
Deuteronomy 4
Moses Commands Obedience
1 “Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers is giving you. 2 You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. 3 Your eyes have seen what the LORD did at Baal Peor; for the LORD your God has destroyed from among you all the men who followed Baal of Peor. 4 But you who held fast to the LORD your God are alive today, every one of you. 5 “Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. 6 Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ 7 “For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the LORD our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? 8 And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day? 9 Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren, 10 especially concerning the day you stood before the LORD your God in Horeb, when the LORD said to me, ‘Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’ 11 “Then you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire to the midst of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness. 12 And the LORD spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; you only heard a voice. 13 So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone. 14 And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might observe them in the land which you cross over to possess.
Beware of Idolatry
15 “Take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no form when the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, 16 lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure: the likeness of male or female, 17 the likeness of any animal that is on the earth or the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, 18 the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground or the likeness of any fish that is in the water beneath the earth. 19 And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the LORD your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage. 20 But the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be His people, an inheritance, as you are this day. 21 Furthermore the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, and swore that I would not cross over the Jordan, and that I would not enter the good land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance. 22 But I must die in this land, I must not cross over the Jordan; but you shall cross over and possess that good land. 23 Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the LORD your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything which the LORD your God has forbidden you. 24 For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. 25 “When you beget children and grandchildren and have grown old in the land, and act corruptly and make a carved image in the form of anything, and do evil in the sight of the LORD your God to provoke Him to anger, 26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that you will soon utterly perish from the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess; you will not prolong your days in it, but will be utterly destroyed. 27 And the LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the LORD will drive you. 28 And there you will serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. 29 But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the LORD your God and obey His voice 31 (for the LORD your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them. 32 “For ask now concerning the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether any great thing like this has happened, or anything like it has been heard. 33 Did any people ever hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and live? 34 Or did God ever try to go and take for Himself a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? 35 To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD Himself is God; there is none other besides Him. 36 Out of heaven He let you hear His voice, that He might instruct you; on earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words out of the midst of the fire. 37 And because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them; and He brought you out of Egypt with His Presence, with His mighty power, 38 driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land as an inheritance, as it is this day. 39 Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the LORD Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. 40 You shall therefore keep His statutes and His commandments which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the LORD your God is giving you for all time.”
Cities of Refuge East of the Jordan
41 Then Moses set apart three cities on this side of the Jordan, toward the rising of the sun, 42 that the manslayer might flee there, who kills his neighbor unintentionally, without having hated him in time past, and that by fleeing to one of these cities he might live: 43 Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau for the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites.
Introduction to God’s Law
44 Now this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel. 45 These are the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which Moses spoke to the children of Israel after they came out of Egypt, 46 on this side of the Jordan, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon, whom Moses and the children of Israel defeated after they came out of Egypt. 47 And they took possession of his land and the land of Og king of Bashan, two kings of the Amorites, who were on this side of the Jordan, toward the rising of the sun, 48 from Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, even to Mount Sion (that is, Hermon), 49 and all the plain on the east side of the Jordan as far as the Sea of the Arabah, below the slopes of Pisgah.
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Thank you, God, for the gift of each new day and for friends who remind us of your grace. Make us into your likeness so that we not only keep the peace but work to make peace in all our relationships. Be with those who wish us harm. Help us reveal your glory to them through our love. Help us to trust Christ's promise of an eternity where we are held within your love. Teach us to live in ways that express thanksgiving and praise. Thank you, dear Lord, for showing us signs of your presence; for assuring us that you are always with us; and for giving us the promise that whatever our circumstances, we can abide in your love. Thank you, God, that nobody is beyond the reach of your love. Bless those far from home and family, and keep us all in your care. Thank you for your love that never leaves us. Help us to remember that you are always with us, even through our darkest times. Through Christ we pray. Amen.
Wherever you are in life, whatever you've done, you can begin again. If you do not have Jesus in your life and wish to ask Jesus into your life please go to this link now to do so: http://www.christianrecoverysupport.com/forums/index.php?/topic/112-how-to-ask-jesus-into-your-life/ .
Jesus is calling you to live a life that matters.