Promise #314 -

365 Promises - Daily Promise Blog - Promise #314 - Thursday November 10, 2011

Thank for calling you to be his child. (1 John 3:1-2)

Promises in Scripture

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling.
God sets the lonely in families,
he leads forth the prisoners with singing. (Psalm 68:5-6)

As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust. (Psalm 103:13-14)

See how the lilies of the field grow.They do not labor or spin.Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of hese. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying,"What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. (Matthew 6:28-32)

Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32)

I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:18)

November 8 Observances

November 8 -

November 8 is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 53 days remaining until the end of the year. ...

Events - Births - Deaths - Holidays and observances

1. COOK SOMETHlNG BOLD AND PUNGENT DAY
2. Dunce Day
• "Observed on the anniversary of the November 8, 1308 death of Duns Scotus, a medieval scholar who was responsible for the introduction of the word "dunce" into the English language." Source and for more info: www.squarez.com/DateComments.php?days_id=100&date=2004-11-8
3. Gramaphone patented November 8, 1887
• Invented by Emile Berliner, owned by Thomas Edison. Source: http://inventors.about.com/od/gstartinventions/ss/gramophone_3.htm
4. "HBO" premiers, 1972
5. Montana ADMISSION DAY
6. National Cappuccino Day
7. NATIONAL PARENTS AS TEACHERS DAY
8. Punster Day
• Unable to verify this "holiday" - but found a good "Pun" Web site: www.punoftheday.com
9. WORLD ORPHANS DAY
10. X-Ray Discovered
11. DEAR SANTA LETTER WEEK
12. National Split Pea Soup Week (November 8-13)

bear Santa Letter week: 8-14 National Young Peader’s week: 8-14 Lunk

World Kindness week: 8-15 Li&k

Pasted from <http://www.butlerwebs.com/holidays/november.htm>

Pasted from <http://www.google.com/search?aq=f&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=november+5#sclient=psy&hl=en&q=november+8&aq=f&aqi=g5&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&pbx=1&fp=f14df6df862cc855>

Pasted from <http://www.thenibble.com/fun/more/facts/holidays-november.asp>

NOVEMBER 1

Travel by train

Airplanes make the best time, buses provide the best fares, but Irains are ilw most fun. Every child should enjoy the freedom that traveling in a train provides. There is spacious seating, leg room, and quite a rumble, so talking in a normal voice isn't going to disturb others. There is usually a dining car (in fact, some families like to sit in the dining car for most of the trip, since the tables allow the children to play games do art projects, and so on). There is no fear of being at a high altitude, your child’s ears won’t pop, and he’ll enjoy a panoramic view of the countryside. And depending on the trip, he may even get to lie down comfortably and sleep.

While the same caveats apply to any kind of public travel— children shouldn’t bother other passengers--train travel generally allows kids more freedom.

Be sure to discuss proper behavior before going on any train journey with your child.

October 5. "He Hath Triumphed Gloriously" (Ex. xv. 1).

October 5. "He Hath Triumphed Gloriously" (Ex. xv. 1).
Days of Heaven Upon Earth
Rev. A. B. Simpson

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

OCTOBER 5. "He hath triumphed gloriously" (Ex. xv. 1).

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


"He hath triumphed gloriously" (Exodus 15:1).
Beloved, God calls us to victory. Have any of you given up the conflict, have you surrendered? Have you said, "This thing is too much"? Have you said, "I can give up anything else but this"? If you have, you are not in the land of promise. God means you should accept every difficult thing that comes in your life. He has started with you, knowing every difficulty. And if you dare to let Him, He will carry you through not only to be conquerors, but "more than conquerors." Are you looking for all the victory?

God gives His children strength for the battle and watches over them with a fond enthusiasm. He longs to fold you to His arms and say to you, "I have seen thy conflict, I have watched thy trials, I have rejoiced in thy victory; thou hast honored Me." You know He told Joshua at the beginning, "There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life; as I was with Moses, so shall I be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." And again, He says to us, "Fear thou not, for I am with thee."

Promise #245

September 2 - Promise #245 - Acts 17:24-25
I give life and breath to all things.

Acts 17:24-25 KJV
24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25 Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

Promise #244

September 1 - Promise #244 - Genesis 1:1
I spoke the universe into existence.

Genesis 1:1 KJV
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Learn Something N

The Word of the Day for July 14 is:

lenient \LEEN-yunt\ adjective
1 : exerting a soothing or easing influence : relieving pain or stress
2 : of mild and tolerant disposition; especially : indulgent

Examples:
The judge decided to be lenient because it was a first offense, but
warned that the defendant would not be so lucky a second time
Did you know?
"Lenient" is a word with a soothing history. It derives from the Latin
verb "lenire," meaning "to soothe" or "to soften" (itself from
"lenis," meaning "soft or mild"). The first, now archaic, sense of
"lenient" referred to something soothing that relieved pain and
stress. That meaning was shared by "lenitive," an earlier derivative
of "lenire" that was commonly used with "electuary" ("lenitive
electuary" being a medicated paste prepared with honey or another
sweet and used by veterinarians to alleviate pain in the mouth).
Linguists also borrowed "lenis" to describe speech sounds that are
softened -- for instance, the "t" sound in "gutter" is lenis. By way
of comparison, the "t" sound in "toe" is fortis.

FW: 365promises.com

Promise #164 - Monday June 13, 2011

Matthew 17:19-20 KJV

19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast
him out?
20 And Jesus said unto them, Because
of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you,
If ye have faith as a grain of mustard
seed, ye shall say unto this
mountain, Remove hence
to yonder place; and it shall
remove; and nothing shall be
impossible unto you.

Promise #164: Nothing will be impossible for those who have even a little
faith.

In this promise, Jesus tells us that even if our faith is as tiny as a
mustard seed, we can be able to tell a mountain to be thrown into the sea.
Since I haven't seen many mountains hurled into the sea lately, I often
wonder what Jesus meant when He said these words.

Of course we all have many mountains in our lives that we face on a daily
basis. Perhaps it isn't the literal mountains around us that need moving,
but the figurative ones? Maybe one day we will see literal mountains cast
into the oceans, but in the meantime, what are the mountains in your life
where you need a miracle? I love the fact that Jesus encourages us that we
don't need much faith at all to make a big impact.

From what I understand, a mustard seed is a very small seed, yet Jesus
says even if our faith is that small, nothing will be impossible to us.
Maybe it is time to start exercising the faith that you have? Start
speaking to the mountains in your life with a childlike simplicity just
believing that they have to go away in Jesus name. Who knows what may
start to happen?

When I think of this promise, I am reminded of the man who came to Jesus
to see his son set free and Jesus asked him, "Do you believe?". The man
responded "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!" God understands our
frailty, yet He continues to encourages us to simply have faith and watch
what happens. Today I am going to speak to the mountains in my life, how
about you?
Photo by Steve Taylor

365 Promises - Daily Promise Blog - Promise #159 - Wednesday June 8, 2011

365 Promises - Daily Promise Blog - Promise #159 - Wednesday June 8, 2011

Hebrews 10:10 KJV

10 By the which will we are sanctified through
the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.


Promise #159: I made you holy by the once for all sacrifice of My Son, Jesus Christ.

I love the finality of this promise. We are made holy by the once and for all sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross. The price He paid two thousand years ago covers our past sins, our present sins and our future sins. There is nothing else the needs to be paid or could be paid. As Jesus cried out on the cross, "It is finished!"

Hallelujah for such a promise! Our sanctification is secure for all eternity because of the finished work of Jesus Christ! As Paul says in Romans 8:1, there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus! What a glorious promise.

Sometimes it is easy for us vacilate between being forgiven and feeling guilt and shame. The blood of Jesus has settled this issue once and for all! All we need to do is simply accept this free gift and walk in the assuredness that we could never add anything to the amazing, extravagant gift that God the Father has given us in His Son, Jesus Christ.

When I think of the permanence of Jesus' sacrifice, and how my redemption and sanctification has been secured for eternity, it brings me into a sense of peace and rest knowing that when God looks at me, He doesn't see all my sin and my shortcomings. He sees me through the once and for all finished sacrifice of the spotless Lamb of God. What good news!

Promise #143

May 23 - Promise #143 - 2 Peter 2:9
I will rescue the godly from all their troubles.

2 Peter 2:9 KJV
9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations,
and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

Promise #142

May 22 - Promise #142 - Isaiah 61:1
I open prison doors and set captives free.

Isaiah 61:1 KJV
1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound

Promise #141

May 21 - Promise #141 - Matthew 6:8
I know what you need before you even ask.

Matthew 6:8 KJV
8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth
what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

Promise #140

May 20 - Promise #140 - Deuteronomy 28:2
All My blessings will overtake those who obey Me.

Deuteronomy 28:2 KJV
2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee,
if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.

Promise #139

May 19 - Promise #139 - Proverbs 19:17
I will repay those who are kind to the poor.

Proverbs 19:17 KJV
17 He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD;
and that which he hath given will he pay him again.

Promise #138

May 18 - Promise #138 - Hebrews 6:10
I will not forget the love you have shown Me by serving others.

Hebrews 6:10 KJV
10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

Promise #137

May 17 - Promise #137 - Isaiah 54:13
I will teach your children My ways and give them great peace.

Isaiah 54:13 KJV
3 And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD;
and great shall be the peace of thy children.

Promise #136

May 16 - Promise #136 - Psalm 23:6
My goodness and mercy will chase after you all your life.

Psalm 23:6 KJV
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Promise #135

May 15 - Promise #135 - John 16:15
All that I have is yours because you belong to Jesus.

John 16:15 KJV
All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I,
that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Promise #134

May 14 - Promise #134 - Psalm 5:3

May 14 - Promise #134 - Psalm 5:3
I hear your voice when you call to Me in the morning.

Psalm 5:3 KJV
My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning
will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

Promises #133

365 Promises - Promise Photo Gallery - 31 Promises For May: "May 13 - Promise #133 - Psalm 12:7
I will keep watch over you and guard you forever.

Psalm 12:7 KJV
7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD,
thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever."

Promise #132

May 12 - Promise #132 - Psalm 46:1
May 12 - Promise #132 - Psalm 46:1
I am a very present help for you in times of trouble.

Psalm 46:1 KJV
1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Promise #131

365 Promises - Promise Photo Gallery - 31 Promises For May: "May 11 - Promise #131 - Deuteronomy 31:6
Be courageous, for I am with you and I will never fail you.

Deuteronomy 31:6 KJV
6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."

Promise #130

May 10 - Promise #130 - Philippians 4:13
May 10 - Promise #130 - Philippians 4:13
You can do all things through Jesus Christ who gives you strength.

Philippians 4:13 KJV
13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Promise #129

May 9 - Promise #129 - Romans 8:26
My Spirit will help you in your weakness.

Romans 8:26 KJV
26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Promise #128

May 8 - Promise #128 - Matthew 8:16-17
My Son took upon Himself all your sicknesses and diseases.

Matthew 8:16-17 KJV
16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: 17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

Promise #127

May 7 - Promise #127 - Psalm 119:105
My Word will brighten your steps and light your path.

Psalm 119:105 KJV
105 NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

romise #126

May 6 - Promise #126 - Numbers 6:25
My face will shine upon you all the days of your life.

Numbers 6:25 KJV
25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee

Promise #125

May 5 - Promise #125 - Luke 12:32
I am delighted to give you My kingdom.

Luke 12:32 KJV
32 Fear not, little flock;for it is your Father’s
good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Promise #124

Promise #124 - Psalm 139:13
I gently formed you in your mother's womb.

Psalm 139:13 KJV
13 For thou hast possessed my reins:
thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb

Promise #123

Promise #123 - Psalm 37:18
All your days are known to Me and your inheritance is secure forever.

Psalm 37:18 KJV
18 The LORD knoweth the days of the upright:
and their inheritance shall be for ever.

FW: Vamoose

The Word of the Day for May 2 is:

vamoose \vuh-MOOSS\ verb
: to depart quickly

Did you know?
In the 1820s and '30s, the American Southwest was rough-and-tumble
territory -- the true Wild West. English-speaking cowboys, Texas
Rangers, and gold prospectors regularly rubbed elbows with
Spanish-speaking vaqueros in the local saloons, and a certain amount
of linguistic intermixing was inevitable. One Spanish term that caught
on with English speakers was "vamos," which means "let's go." Cowpokes
and dudes alike adopted the word, at first using a range of spellings
and pronunciations that varied considerably in their proximity to the
original Spanish form. But when the dust settled, the version most
American English speakers were using was "vamoose."

Promise #122

May 2 - Psalm 139:7-10
There is no place you can go to escape My presence.

Psalm 139:7-10 KJV
7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

LSNED

"The Word of the Day for May 1 is:

Beltane \BEL-tayn\ noun
: the Celtic May Day festival

Examples:
Aunt Kat vividly described the huge bonfires and colorful rituals she had witnessed at the Beltane festival in Edinburgh as a girl.

'Meg said that Beltane eve was one of great natural power. Blessings and curses abounded as the veil between the worlds thinned.' -- From Traci E. Hall's 2010 novel Boadicea's Legacy

Did you know?
To the ancient Celts, May Day was a critical time when the boundaries between the human and supernatural worlds were removed and people needed to take special measures to protect themselves against enchantments. The Beltane fire festival originated in a spring ritual in which cattle were herded between two huge bonfires to protect them from evil and disease. Perhaps the earliest mention of Beltane (formerly spelled 'beltene,' 'belltaine,' and 'beltine') appears in an Old Irish dictionary commonly attributed to Cormac, a king and bishop who lived in Cashel, Ireland, toward the end of the first millennium. The 'Beltane' spelling entered English in the 15th century by way of Scottish Gaelic."

http://motherwheel.blogspot.com/p/wheel-of-year.html

Promise #121

365 Promises - Daily Promise Blog - Promise #121 - Sunday May 1, 2011

Job 33:4 KJV
The Spirit of God hath made me,
and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.

Promise #121: My Spirit made you and My breath gives you life.

Proverbs Day 120

Bible.com

Proverbs Day 120 (KJV):

Proverbs 15:13-14(KJV):
13 A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
14 The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.



Proverbs 15:13-14(Amp):
13 A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken.
14 The mind of him who has understanding, seeks knowledge, inquires after and craves it, but the mouths of (self-confident) fools feed on folly.

Proverbs Day 113

Bible.com
Proverbs Day 113 (KJV):



Proverbs 14:34(KJV): "Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people."

Proverbs Day 112

Bible.com
Proverbs Day 112 (KJV):



Proverbs 14:32-33(KJV):
32 The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.
33 Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding: but that which is in the midst of fools is made known.

Proverbs 14:32-33(Amp):
32 The wicked is overthrown through his wrongdoing and calamity, but the (consistently) righteous has hope and confidence even in his death.
33 Wisdom rests (silently) in the mind and heart of him who has understanding, but that which is in the inward part of (self-confident) fools is made known.

Proverbs Day 111

Bible.com

Proverbs Day 111 (KJV):



Proverbs 14:31(KJV): "He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor."

Proverbs Day 110

Bible.com

Proverbs Day 110 (KJV):



Proverbs 14:28-30(KJV):
28 In the multitude of people is the king's honour: but in the want of people is the destruction of the prince.
29 He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.
30 A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.

Proverbs Day 109

Bible.com
Proverbs Day 109 (KJV):



Proverbs 14:26-27(KJV):
26 In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.
27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

Proverbs 14:26-27(Amp):
26 In the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is strong confidence, and His children shall always have a place of refuge.
27 Reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may avoid the snares of death.

Proverbs Day 108

Bible.com
Proverbs Day 108 (KJV):



Proverbs 14:22-25(KJV):
22 Do they not err that devise evil? but mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good.
23 In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.
24 The crown of the wise is their riches: but the foolishness of fools is folly.
25 A true witness delivereth souls: but a deceitful witness speaketh lies.

365 Promises - Daily Promise Blog

365 Promises - Daily Promise Blog
Deuteronomy 33:12
And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him;
and the LORD shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.

Promise #106: I will cover you all day long as you rest between My shoulders.

Proverbs Day 105

Bible.com

Proverbs Day 105 (KJV):



Proverbs 14:15-18(KJV):
15 The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.
16 A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident.
17 He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly: and a man of wicked devices is hated.
18 The simple inherit folly: but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

Proverbs Day 104

Bible.com
Proverbs Day 104 (KJV):



Proverbs 14:13-14(KJV):
13 Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness.
14 The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself.

Proverbs Day 102

Bible.com
Proverbs Day 102 (KJV):



Proverbs 14:10-11(KJV):
10 The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy.
11 The house of the wicked shall be overthrown: but the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish.

Proverbs Day 101

Bible.com
vProverbs Day 101 (KJV):



Proverbs 14:6-9(KJV):
6 A scorner seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not: but knowledge is easy unto him that understandeth.
7 Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit.
9 Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour.

Proverbs 14:6-9(AMP):
6 A scoffer seeks Wisdom in vain (for his very attitude blinds and deafens him to it), but knowledge is easy to him who (being teachable) understands.
7 Go from the presence of a foolish and self-confident man, for you will not find knowledge in his lips.
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, but the folly of (self-confident) fools is to deceive.
9 Fools make a mock at sin, and sin mocks the fools (who are its victims) -- a sin offering made by them only mocks them (bringing them disappointment and disfavor); but among the upright there is the favor of God.
Proverbs Day 101 (KJV):



Proverbs 14:6-9(KJV):
6 A scorner seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not: but knowledge is easy unto him that understandeth.
7 Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit.
9 Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour.

Proverbs 14:6-9(AMP):
6 A scoffer seeks Wisdom in vain (for his very attitude blinds and deafens him to it), but knowledge is easy to him who (being teachable) understands.
7 Go from the presence of a foolish and self-confident man, for you will not find knowledge in his lips.
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, but the folly of (self-confident) fools is to deceive.
9 Fools make a mock at sin, and sin mocks the fools (who are its victims) -- a sin offering made by them only mocks them (bringing them disappointment and disfavor); but among the upright there is the favor of God.
Proverbs Day 101 (KJV):



Proverbs 14:6-9(KJV):
6 A scorner seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not: but knowledge is easy unto him that understandeth.
7 Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit.
9 Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour.

Proverbs 14:6-9(AMP):
6 A scoffer seeks Wisdom in vain (for his very attitude blinds and deafens him to it), but knowledge is easy to him who (being teachable) understands.
7 Go from the presence of a foolish and self-confident man, for you will not find knowledge in his lips.
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, but the folly of (self-confident) fools is to deceive.
9 Fools make a mock at sin, and sin mocks the fools (who are its victims) -- a sin offering made by them only mocks them (bringing them disappointment and disfavor); but among the upright there is the favor of God.

Proverbs Day 100

Bible.com
Proverbs Day 100 (KJV):



Proverbs 14:3-5(KJV):
3 In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them.
4 Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox.
5 A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies.

Jesus Calling April 10

Jesus Calling: Seeking Peace in His Presence By Sarah Young
 

Jeremiah 17:7 (Amplified Bible)

7[Most] blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is.

Romans 8:28 (Amplified Bible)

28We are assured and know that [[a]God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.

1 Peter 2:9 (New International Version, ©2011)

9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Proverbs Day 99

Bible.com
Proverbs Day 99 (KJV):



Proverbs 14:1-2(KJV):
1 Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.
2 He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the LORD: but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.

Proverbs 14:1-2(AMP):
1 Every wise woman builds her house, but the foolish one tears it down with her own hands.
2 He who walks in uprightness reverently and worshipfully fears the Lord, but he who is contrary and devious in his ways despises Him.

Jesus Calling April 9

Jesus Calling: Seeking Peace in His Presence By Sarah Young
 

Romans 8:38-39 (Amplified Bible)

38For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things [a]impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers,

39Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Exodus 33:14 (Amplified Bible)

14And the Lord said, My Presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.

Provebs Day 98

Bible.com
Proverbs Day 98 (KJV):



Proverbs 13:25: "The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want."

Jesus Calling April 8

Jesus Calling by Sarah Young
 

Genesis 28:15 (Amplified Bible)

15And behold, I am with you and will keep (watch over you with care, take notice of) you wherever you may go, and I will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done all of which I have told you.


Romans 8:31 (Amplified Bible)

31What then shall we say to [all] this? If God is for us, who [can be] against us? [Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?]

ebrews 13:8 (Amplified Bible)

8Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is [always] the same, yesterday, today, [yes] and forever (to the ages).

Provebs Day 97

Bible.com
Proverbs Day 97 (KJV):



Proverbs 13:24(KJV): "He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes."

Proverbs 13:24(AMP): "He who spares his rod (of discipline) hates his son, but he who loves him diligently disciplines and punishes him early."

Jesus Calling April 7

Jesus Calling Devotional by Sarah Young
April
 

Proverbs Day 96

Proverbs 12:19-2019 The truthful lip shall be established forever,
But a lying tongue is but for a moment.
20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
But counselors of peace have joy.

Proverbs Day 95

Proverbs 12:18
18 There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword,
But the tongue of the wise promotes health.

Proverb Day 93

Deuteronomy 23:1-25:19;luke 10:13-37;psalm 75:1-10;proverbs 12:12-14 - Passage Lookup - New King James Version - BibleGateway.com

Proverbs 12:12-14
12 The wicked covet the catch of evil men,
But the root of the righteous yields fruit.
13 The wicked is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,
But the righteous will come through trouble.
14 A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth,
And the recompense of a man’s hands will be rendered to him.

Proverbs Day 92

Deuteronomy 21:1-22:30;luke 9:51-10:12;psalm 74:1-23;proverbs 12:11 - Passage Lookup - New King James Version - BibleGateway.com

Proverbs 12:11
11 He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread,
But he who follows frivolity is devoid of understanding.[a]

Jesus Calling April 2

April 2 - Promise #92 - Psalm 119:89My eternal Word is anchored in the heavens.

Psalm 119:89 KJV
89 LAMED. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.

 

2 Corinthians 4:17 (Amplified Bible)
17For our light, momentary affliction (this slight distress of the passing hour) is ever more and more abundantly preparing and producing and achieving for us an everlasting weight of glory [beyond all measure, excessively surpassing all comparisons and all calculations, a vast and transcendent glory and blessedness never to cease!],

Philippians 4:19 (Amplified Bible)
19And my God will liberally supply ([a]fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

April's Fool

The Fool (Proverbs 26:1-11) | Bible.org - Worlds Largest Bible Study Site

As you go about your day finding "fools", remember
Proverbs 26:18–19
18 Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death,
19 Is the man who deceives his neighbor,
And says, “I was only joking!”

The fool cannot even learn from his own mistakes. Given the opportunity, he will repeat his folly: Proverbs 26:11 As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.

Leave the presence of a fool, Or you will not discern words of knowledge (Proverbs 14:7).

Proverbs Day 91

Proverbs 12:10

10 A righteous man regards the life of his animal,
But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

Jesus Calling April 1

April 1 - Promise #91 - Psalm 145:13My kingdom is everlasting and My dominion will endure forever.

Psalm 145:13 KJV
13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (Amplified Bible)
17Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly];

Proverbs 3:6 (Amplified Bible)
6In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.

A Year with God

Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst

Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.

It Isn't About You

As Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel. Joel and Abijah, his oldest sons, held court in Beersheba. But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice.
Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. "Look," they told him, "you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have"
Samuel was displeased with their request and ent to the Loan for guidance. "Do everything they say to you," the LORD replied, "for it is me they are rejecting, not you. They don't want me to be their king any longer. Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually abandoned me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment. Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about the way a king will reign over them."
So Samuel passed on the LORD's warning to the people who were asking him for a king. - 1 Samuel 8:1-10 NLT

Just because people are good Christians and have good relationships with od doesn't mean their kids will too. Each person stands before God alone.

Samuel had been raised by Eli, whose children had been corrupt and evil. Sadly, Samuel's children turned out much as Eli's had. The people of Israel had no complaint with Samuel, but Samuel's children were clearly never going to be the spiritual leaders that he was. And so they asked that Samuel find someone else to become king for them.

Samuel was reluctant, and God warned the people that a king would not fix things. After all, a monarchy is hereditary; the king's children would take his place when he died. And if Samuel, as good as he was, produced children that the people didn't want ruling over them, what really made them think that getting a king, however good he might be, would solve that fundamental problem?

God compared their request for a new king with their continual problem with idolatry. Why? They kept looking to someone other than God to lead them and to fix their problems. They weren't willing to follow God at all. Samuel wasn't being rejected, even though their words hurt him and made him think that maybe they thought his life had not been worthwhile. The people were rejecting God. It wasn't about Samuel at all. God can use people to solve problems. The mistake comes in thinking that people can take the place of God altogether.

Word of the Day

proximity\prahk-SIM-uh-tee DID YOU KNOW? The history of "proximity" hinges on the idea of closeness, both physical and metaphorical. English speakers borrowed the word from Middle French, which in turn acquired it from Latin "proximitat-, proximitas," forms of the adjective "proximus," meaning "nearest" or "next." A number of other languages, including Catalan, Portuguese, and Italian, derived similar words from Latin "proximus." Other descendants of "proximus" in English include "proximal," "proximate," and the somewhat more rare "approximal" (meaning "contiguous").

A Year with God

Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst

Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.

Free at Last

You are to count seven sabbatic years, seven times seven years, so that the time period of the seven sabbatic years amounts to 49. Then you are to sound a trumpet loudly in the seventh month, on the tenth [day] of the month; you will sound it throughout your land on the Day of Atonement. You are to consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim freedom in the land for all its inhabitants. It will be your Jubilee, when each of you are to return to his property and each of you to his clan. The fiftieth year will be your Jubilee; you are not to sow, reap what grows by itself, or harvest its untended vines. It is to be holy to you because it is the Jubilee; you may [only] eat its produce [directly] from the field.
In this Year of Jubilee, each of you will return to his property. If you make a sale to your neighbor or a purchase from him, do not cheat one another. - Leviticus 25:8-14 11 HCSB

God cares about those who have nothing left to give. In ancient Israel, people could sell their property or even themselves if they became impoverished. But every fifty years all the people enslaved were supposed to be freed during the year of Jubilee. Property was supposed to return to its original owner.

For the entire year of Jubilee, no plowing of fields, no planting of crops, and no harvesting were to be done. By taking a year off to do no work, they would face clearly what was always true: God was the source of their sustenance. Jubilee restored economic balance in the land. And it reminded the people that God really could provide for them—just as he had for the forty years of wandering in the wilderness after the exodus.

During the time of Moses and Joshua, the land had been distributed to the tribes and families of Israel. It was supposed to remain with those tribes and families for all time. Unfortunately, though God told the Israelites to "proclaim liberty throughout the land" (Leviticus 25:10 NRSV) every year of Jubilee, the harsh reality of Israelite society was that Jubilee never came.

Idolatry wasn't the only reason God brought the Babylonians against the Israelites. God also sent them into captivity because the powerful had oppressed the weak. The powerful never set anyone free. They never returned a bit of land. So the Babylonians took only a minority of Israelites into captivity—the upper classes who had oppressed the poor by denying them their Jubilees. Those whom they had oppressed were left behind. Freedom finally came as the oppressors were dragged away. God granted mercy with his judgment.

A Year with God

Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst

Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.

Show Me Your Way

Moses said to the LORD, "See, You say to me, 'Bring up this people' But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight' Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people."
And He said, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest"
Then he said to Him, "If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth."
So the LORD said to Moses, "I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name."
And he said, "Please, show me Your glory."
Then He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will prodaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." - Exodus 33:12-19 NKJV

There's always room for worry. No matter how clearly God acts, human beings will want more reassurance. Moses had seen many miracles. He regularly talked to God face-to-face. And yet, with all of that, he wondered who would be going with them to the promised land. He wondered if he knew for sure where they would be going and what they would be doing.

God did not berate Moses, did not criticize him, did not even ask him a pointed question. Instead, God quickly reassured Moses and told him again that he would be with him. Moses—who saw God in the burning bush, on Mount Sinai, and even in the Tent of Meeting where he talked to God as a man might converse with a friend—then asked God if he could see his glory. And God gave him what he asked!

No matter how close we think we are to God, it is easy to start taking our closeness with God for granted. We need a bigger fix just to feel normal and to know that God is still there. God accommodated Moses, so don't be afraid to tell God about the doubts and weariness you may be feeling.

A Year with God

Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst

Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.

How to Treat Your Slaves

When you buy a Hebrew slave, he is to serve for six years; then in the seventh he is to leave as a free man without paying anything. If he arrives alone, he is to leave alone; if he arrives with a wife, his wife is to leave with him. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children belong to her master, and the man must leave alone.
But if the slave declares: "I love my master, my wife, and my children; I do not want to leave as a free man," his master is to bring him to the judges and then bring him to the door or doorpost. His master must pierce his ear with an awl, and he will serve his master for life.
When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she is not to leave as the male slaves do. If she is displeasing to her master, who chose her for himself, then he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners because he has acted treacherously toward her. Or if he chooses her for his son, he must deal with her according to the customary treatment of daughters. - Exodus 21:2—9 HCSB

Slavery has been part of the human condition through all recorded history. God liked slavery no more than he liked divorce. But he knows the fallen condition of human beings, and so he set up regulations in order to protect the weak from the strong. In most cultures, slaves had no more rights than farm animals. In the Mosaic legislation, God required that his people treat slaves well: the need to love others extended to them too. Slavery was ordinarily a temporary status in Israel. As a person went into slavery, so they would leave slavery.

For those whose status changed while they were slaves—for instance in marriage—the slave could choose to make his condition permanent by means of a ceremony. Poking an awl through the slave's ear signified his decision to give up his freedom for good. Although piercing of ears and noses was not uncommon in ancient Israel, this piercing signified more than adornment.

A woman sold into slavery did not become a sex slave. If her master intended to use her sexually, then she had to be granted certain rights—the same rights as any other wife. If her husband married an additional wife, she retained her standing as his wife. And if she was divorced, then she had the same protections as any other divorced woman. She could no longer be considered a slave, nor did she have to pay for her freedom. It is God's desire that we act conscientiously and deal fairly with all people.

A Year with God

Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst

Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.

What Have We Done?

The LORD said to Moses:
Tell the Israelites to turn back and camp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall camp opposite it, by the sea. Pharaoh will say of the Israelites, "They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has dosed in on them." I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them, so that I will gain glory for myself over Pharaoh and all his army; and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Loa). And they did so.
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the minds of Pharaoh and his officials were changed toward the people, and they said, "What have we done, letting Israel leave our service?" So he had his chariot made ready, and took his army with him; he took six hundred picked chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. The Loin hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt and he pursued the Israelites, who were going out boldly. The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh's horses and chariots, his chariot drivers and his army; they overtook them camped by the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal- zephon. - Exodus 14:1-9 NRSV

With the death of the firstborn, Pharaoh finally gave in to Moses and Moses' God. He granted the slaves—together with all their children and wives and all their livestock—permission to take three days off work to go somewhere to sacrifice to their God. Egypt was a mess; people were dead. For the benefit of the nation, he had to let the slaves' God have his way.

But after the three days had passed, the slaves didn't return. Pharaoh had to act. He'd been suspicious all along that Moses had in mind something more than just a worship service of singing, praying, and animal sacrifice. Pharaoh had lied repeatedly to Moses, but he now saw that Moses had been lying to him just as much. Pharaoh couldn't let Moses steal his property. He had to get it all back. He sent his army to track down and return the runaway slaves. Plagues or not, Pharaoh wasn't ready to lose his property for good.

Once again, however, Pharaoh underestimated God. He had lost his farms and his wealth, and he was about to lose his power. His army would be wiped out. Human power is no match for God's power.

A Year with God

Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst

Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.

The Plague

The LORD sent Moses with this message for the king of Egypt:
The LORD God of the Hebrews commands you to let his people go, so they can worship him. If you keep refusing, he will bring a terrible disease on your horses and donkeys, your camels and cattle, and your sheep and goats. But the LORD will protect the animals that belong to the people of Israel, and none of thens will die. Tomorrow is the day the LORD has set to do this.
It happened the next day—all of the animals belonging to the Egyptians died, but the Israelites did not lose even one. When the king found out, he was still too stubborn to let the people go.
The LORD said to Moses and Aaron:
Take a few handfuls of ashes from a stove and have Moses throw them into the air. Be sure the king is watching. The ashes will blow across the land of Egypt, causing sores to break out on people and animals.
So they took a few handfuls of ashes and went to the king. Moses threw them into the air, and sores immediately broke out on the Egyptians and their animals. The magicians were suffering so much from the sores, that they could not even come to Moses. Everything happened just as the Loan had told Moses—he made the king too stubborn to listen to Moses and Aaron. - Exodus 9:1-12 CEV

Pain will get your attention if nothing else will. Egypt's plagues finally turned from mere annoyance to physical pain and financial devastation. With the fifth plague, Pharaoh's property was being lost. He didn't want to let the Jewish people go, because they were part of his wealth.

But then he started losing animals and people. The lost people cut into his nonslave labor pool as well as his army. The nation of Egypt depended on the sea and the desert to protect the kingdom. But with no soldiers able to fight, Egypt was vulnerable to possible attack. The danger posed by the slaves' God was suddenly becoming serious; the slaves were becoming a threat to his wealth.

Even so, he wasn't willing to give in to the slaves' God. He was Pharaoh, and Egypt was the most powerful nation on earth. Eventually, the gods of Egypt would rise up against Moses. Eventually, the world would make sense again and the slaves would know their place and stay there.

Pharaoh didn't yet understand that his sense of power was an illusion and that the slaves' God was the only real God. False gods may look good and work for a while, but they always and ultimately come up painfully short. The more you have invested in them, the more painful is the lesson.

A Year with God

Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst

Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.

God Doesn't Play Fair

The LORD said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh when you see him going out to the water. Tell him: This is what the Loan says: Let My people go, so that they may worship Me. But if you will not let My people go, then I will send swarms of flies against you, your officials, your people, and your houses. The Egyptians' houses will swarm with flies, and so will the land where they live. But on that day I will give special treatment to the land of Goshen, where My people are living no flies will be there. This way you will know that I, the LORD, am in the land. I will make a distinction between My people and your people. This sign will take place tomorrow."
And the LORD did this. Thick swarms of flies went into Pharaoh's palace and his officials' houses. Throughout Egypt the land was mined because of the swarms of flies. Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Go sacrifice to your God within the country."
But Moses said, "It would not be right to do that, because what we will sacrifice to the Lox) our God is detestable to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice what the Egyptians detest in front of them, won't they stone us? We must go a distance of three days into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LOUD our God as He instructs us." - Exodus 8:20-27 HCSB

God knows the best way to change a mind. He was in no hurry with haraoh's mind. God distinguished between his own and those who were not his own. This illustrated an important point about God's love. How his love is perceived depends on the relationship the object of God's love has with him. Those who love God will recognize God's hand as beneficial. Those who do not love God can't see it. The Egyptians suffered, but for the Israelites, the plague brought them one step closer to their liberation.

For the first time, Pharaoh's magicians found themselves unable to duplicate the plague and informed Pharaoh that clearly there was a god involved in events. But the plague went away the last time Pharaoh lied to Moses. Despite his refusal to keep his promise to Moses, the previous plague had not come back. Pharaoh believed the slaves' God was not as powerful as he was, so he didn't intend to back down. He needed the slaves.

God was patient, and though it might have seemed to both Pharaoh and the Israelites that nothing was changing, God's plan was in motion. It would work when and how it was supposed to.

Jesus Calling March 25

March 25 - Promise #84 - 1 Peter 5:6Humble yourself before Me and in time I will exalt you.

1 Peter 5:6 KJV
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God,
that he may exalt you in due time:.

 

1 Corinthians 10:10 (Amplified Bible)
10Nor discontentedly complain as some of them did--and were [a]put out of the way entirely by the destroyer (death).

Hebrews 12:28-29 (Amplified Bible)
28Let us therefore, receiving a kingdom that is firm and stable and cannot be shaken, offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship, with modesty and pious care and godly fear and awe;

29For our God [is indeed] a consuming fire.

A Year with God

Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst

Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.

Jumping Frogs of Egypt

The LORD said to Moses, "Go back to Pharaoh and announce to him, This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so they can worship me. If you refuse to let them go, I will send a plague of frogs across your entire land. The Nile River will swarm with frogs. They will come up out of the river and into your palace, even into your bedroom and onto your bed! They will enter the houses of your officials and your people. They will even jump into your ovens and your kneading bowls. Frogs will jump on you, your people, and all your officials.'"

; Then the LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Raise the staff in your hand over all the rivers, canals, and ponds of Egypt, and bring up frogs over all the land: " So Aaron raised his hand over the waters of Egypt, and frogs came up and covered the whole land! But the magicians were able to do the same thing with their magic. They, too, caused frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.

Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and begged, "Plead with the Login to take the frogs away from me and my people. I will let your people go, so they can offer sacrifices to the LORD." - Exodus 8:1-8 NLT

Tyrants are not quick to keep their promises. As his nation was overrun with frogs, Pharaoh recognized that they came from the God of the slaves, and he asked Moses to get his God to send them away. In exchange, Pharaoh promised to do just what the slaves' God said.

This was but the second plague that had come upon the land of Egypt, and like the plague before, though it was annoying, it wasn't exactly devastating to his kingdom. Frogs didn't bite. They just made noise and startled people by their presence. And they were messy, and, really, you didn't want them in your food or in bed with you.

But like many a tyrant after him, Pharaoh asked for concessions, and then when they were given, asked for more. He never did what he promised in return. And so the pharaoh was quick to give in to Moses. Once he got what he wanted, however, he felt no obligation to follow through on his promise. Pharaoh was contemptuous of his slaves and of their God. But Pharaoh underestimated the sort of god the slaves had. God cared about the oppressed and was willing—and able—to help them.

Jesus Calling

March 24 - Promise #83 - Romans 8:28I will cause all things to ultimately work for your good.

Romans 8:28 KJV

28 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.

 

Psalm 89:15 (Amplified Bible)
15Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are the people who know the joyful sound [who understand and appreciate the spiritual blessings symbolized by the feasts]; they walk, O Lord, in the light and favor of Your countenance!

Psalm 132:15 (Amplified Bible)
15I will surely and abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her poor with bread.

John 6:12-13 (Amplified Bible)
12When they had all had enough, He said to His disciples, Gather up now the fragments (the broken pieces that are left over), so that nothing may be lost and wasted.
13So accordingly they gathered them up, and they filled twelve [[a]small hand] baskets with fragments left over by those who had eaten from the five barley loaves.

A Year with God

Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst

Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.

Who Is This God Person?

Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.' "
But Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and besides, I will not let Israel go."
Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God, otherwise He will fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword."
But the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why do you draw the people away from their work? Get back to your labors!"
Again Pharaoh said, "Look, the people of the land are now many, and you would have them cease from their labors!" - Exodus 5:1-5 NASB

Speaking hard truth to power sometimes turns out poorly. Egyptian royalty had power and usually cared only about retaining it. They saw no reason to pay attention to the truth. After all, if people don't have power, how can they have anything useful to say?

Moses' request to set his people free made sense. But Pharaoh had a different perspective. What slave wouldn't like to get time off from his or her labors? What slave wouldn't want to be free? Moses told the pharaoh nothing the pharaoh didn't already know about slaves. So why should he pay any attention? So what if Moses had talked to the slaves' God and that God wanted the slaves to go free? If that God were so great, then why were his people slaves? Pharaoh believed himself a god. Given his circumstances, Pharaoh thought he was stronger than the slaves were and thus stronger than the slaves' God. He had no reason to pay any attention to Moses or the God he claimed to represent.

People are not quick to change their minds about anything—be it God or their favorite cola—until and unless it stops working for them. Those at ease, those who are in positions of power and wealth, are not likely to change their minds about much. A comfortable life would have to become uncomfortable before the truth Moses was speaking could be heard by the powerful Pharaoh. Our hearts can't be changed until we fully realize they need to be changed.

A Year with God

Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst

Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.

Holy Ground

GOD saw that he had stopped to look. God called to him from out of the bush, "Moses! Moses!"
He said, "Yes? I'm right here!"
God said, "Don't come any doser. Remove your sandals from your feet. You're standing on holy ground."
Then he said, "I am the God of your father. The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob."
Moses hid his face, afraid to look at God.
GOD said, "I've taken a good, long look at the affliction of my people in Egypt I've heard their cries for deliverance from their slave masters; I know all about their pain. And now I have come down to help them, pry them loose from the grip of Egypt, get them out of that country and bring them to a good land with wide-open spaces, a land lush with milk and honey, the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
"The Israelite cry for help has come to me, and I've seen for myself how cruelly they're being treated by the Egyptians. It's time for you to go back I'm sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the People of Israel, out of Egypt" - Exodus 3:4-10 MSG

The people of Israel were in slavery because God had put them there. God sent Joseph to Egypt so that he could save his family's lives and the lives of the Egyptians. Then God sent Jacob and the rest of Joseph's brothers to Egypt to live with him. With Moses, the time had come at last to rescue the Israelites from a bondage that had not come through disobedience but through obedience to God's commands. God wanted the Egyptians to know about him. He wanted the Israelites to learn about God's power and to give them a picture of salvation.

God intended to take the land of the Canaanites and give it to the Israelites. The Canaanites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites all spoke a language similar to or in many cases the same as that of the Hebrews. The Hittites, however, spoke a language related to the languages of Europe and India. The people living in the promised land were disunited. Only their evil religion, a religion that included child sacrifice, bound them together. Israel would get their land because God needed to punish the Canaanites.

Sometimes doing what God wants might not be pleasant. We simply must trust that God knows what he is doing and that he is doing it for a very good reason.

Jesus Calling

 

Philippians 4:4 (Amplified Bible)
4Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, gladden yourselves in Him]; again I say, Rejoice!

Psalm 95 (Amplified Bible)
1O COME, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation!
2Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise!

Psalm 9:10 (Amplified Bible)
10And they who know Your name [who have experience and acquaintance with Your mercy] will lean on and confidently put their trust in You, for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek (inquire of and for) You [on the authority of God's Word and the right of their necessity]

A Year with God

Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst

Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.

Whether They Listen or Not

All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining in the douds on a rainy day. This is what the glory of the Loan looked like to me. When I saw it, I fell face down on the ground, and I heard someone's voice speaking to me.
"Stand up, son of man," said the voice. "I want to speak with you." The Spirit came into me as he spoke, and he set me on my feet. I listened carefully to his words. "Son of man," he said, "I am sending you to the nation of Israel, a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me. They and their ancestors have been rebelling against me to this very day. They are a stubborn and hard-hearted people. But I am sending you to say to them, This is what the Sovereign LORD says!' And whether they listen or refuse to listen—for remember, they are rebels—at least they will know they have had a prophet among them.
"Son of man, do not fear them or their words. Don't be afraid even though their threats surround you like nettles and briers and stinging scorpions. Do not be dismayed by their dark scowls, even though they are rebels. You must give them my messages whether they listen or not. But they won't listen, for they are completely rebellious! Son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not join them in their rebellion. Open your mouth, and eat what I give you." - Ezekiel 1:28-2:8 NLT

Fearing God means you have nothing else to be afraid of. While in some cases "fear of God" might mean something like "reverential awe," in most cases it simply means to be afraid. The Hebrew word for fear in "fearing God" is the same word used when an angel tells someone to "fear not." Being afraid of God is the first step in a relationship with him. Only as we realize God will forgive us can our fear turn to hope and love. Besides reassuring Ezekiel that he would protect him from all harm, God also told Ezekiel that even though the people would know he was a prophet, few would listen. Then God fed him a small scroll to symbolize that Ezekiel's prophetic message would come from God.

Most people would have a hard time digging a bunch of holes only to fill them in again. But essentially that's what Ezekiel faced in his ministry. Ezekiel was okay with that. He would persevere no matter how tough or unrewarding it got. He saw that his success came not in the reactions of his audience but in the performance of his duty. He trusted that God would work things out whether Ezekiel could see how or not.

Jesus Calling March 23

March 23 - Promise #82 - James 2:13My mercy will overrule judgment.

James 2:13 KJV
13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy;
and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

 

Psalm 36:7-9 (Amplified Bible)
7How precious is Your steadfast love, O God! The children of men take refuge and put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
8They relish and feast on the abundance of Your house; and You cause them to drink of the stream of Your pleasures.
9For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light do we see light.

Psalm 132:15 (New International Version, ©2011)
15 I will bless her with abundant provisions;
her poor I will satisfy with food.


John 6:12-13 (Amplified Bible)
12When they had all had enough, He said to His disciples, Gather up now the fragments (the broken pieces that are left over), so that nothing may be lost and wasted.
13So accordingly they gathered them up, and they filled twelve [[a]small hand] baskets with fragments left over by those who had eaten from the five barley loaves.

Jesus Calling March 21

 

Isaiah 20:2-3 (Amplified Bible)
2At that time the Lord spoke by Isaiah son of Amoz, saying, Go, loose the sackcloth from off your loins and take your shoes off your feet. And he had done so, walking around stripped [to his loincloth] and barefoot.

3And the Lord said, As My servant Isaiah has walked [comparatively] naked and barefoot for three years, as a sign and forewarning concerning Egypt and concerning Cush (Ethiopia),


Psalm 21:6 (Amplified Bible)
6For You make him to be blessed and a blessing forever; You make him exceedingly glad with the joy of Your presence.(A)
A. Gen 12:2




Promise #80 - Psalm 146:7I provide food for the hungry and justice for the oppressed.

Psalm 146:7 KJV
7 Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry.
The LORD looseth the prisoners:

A Year with God

Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst

Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.

You Cannot Change the Laws of Physics

The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying,
"Thus says the LORD, 'If you can break My covenant for the day and My covenant for the night, so that day and night will not be at their appointed time, then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant so that he will not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levitical priests, My ministers. As the host of heaven cannot be counted and the sand of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the descendants of David My servant and the Levites who minister to Me.' "
And the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying,
"Have you not observed what this people have spoken, saying, The two families which the Lord chose, He has rejected them'? Thus they despise My people, no longer are they as a nation in their sight.

"Thus says the LORD, 'If My covenant for day and night stand not, and the fixed patterns of heaven and earth I have not established, then I would reject the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, not taking from his descendants rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them.'" - Jeremiah 33:19—26 NASB

The creation is the mirror of the creator. The moral laws and the laws of nature are reflections of who and what God is. God links the permanence of the covenant with his people with the laws of the universe. The word translated as patterns is the word usually rendered statute or ordinance. That is, the laws. Breaking them is just as foolish as trying to count the sand or the stars.

God reassured his people that just as surely as the sun rose and set, and just as surely as the patterns of nature went about their courses, so God's promises to his people and their king were secure. Just because the people of Judah were being punished didn't mean God didn't love them anymore. And just because they were going into exile didn't mean God had rejected them. They would continue to be his people whether they remained in their land or not. God was not limited like the so-called gods who had power only within their own lands. God's domain was complete and absolute. God's laws are as unchangeable as the laws of physics, and just as the laws of physics cannot be broken, neither can God's love for his people be broken.

A Year with God

Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst

Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.

You Don't Quit What You Love

You are saying about this city, "By the sword, famine and plague it will be handed over to the king of Babylon"; but this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety. They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul.
This is what the LORD says: As I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised them. - Jeremiah 32:36-42 NIV

Who's your boss? Whom are you really working for? Israel's contract with God stipulated that they had to worship God exclusively and love their neighbors as themselves. But not long after the death of Moses, when they stood triumphant over the newly conquered promised land, Joshua found it necessary to ask them to choose whom they were going to serve—God or someone else. In the centuries that followed, God sent prophets who asked the same question Joshua had asked on the banks of the Jordan River: Whom will you serve? God sent them ever-escalating troubles for disobedience, just as the contract had stipulated.

The prophet Jeremiah's message was not only one of destruction, however. God also gave him messages of hope for the people of Judah. The judgment God was bringing by means of the Babylonians would solve his long-standing problem with his people. God could reassure them that everything would finally turn out for the best. They remained his people, and he had not torn up his contract with them. The reconciliation between God and his people would make the long struggle to achieve it worth the effort.

Most people quit the things they are doing as soon as they start to get uncomfortable. But some people find it easy to keep doing what they love, even if it's hard. God loved his people, so he kept working with them. You mean more to God than your problem.