God does not take away a life; but He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him. 2 Samuel 14:14b David had struggles for years with in his relationship with his unfaithful son, Absalom, who had both sinned against him and plotted to take his throne. As a result, David had…
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“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” Matthew 5:13 Salt is an interesting thing. It does enhance the flavor of food, but it doesn’t disappear. Even though the…
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For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. 2 Timothy 1:12 In Paul’s last epistle, he again talked about his suffering, but as always, he was…
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But the word of the Lord endures forever. Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. 1 Peter 1:25 Diocletian was a Roman Emperor who hated the Word of God. He collected all the copies of the Word of God that could be found, burned them, and erected a monument.…
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Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. James 4:8a As I look back on my life as a Christian, I can think of some consistencies as well as a few inconsistencies. Daily prayer, Scripture reading, meditating on His words, and fellowship were all part of shaping my faith, and continue to…
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And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers for the edifying of the body of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-12 Earlier in Ephesians 2:10, Paul tells us that we are created in Christ Jesus for good works prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. The beauty of…
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No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Joshua 1:5 In the above verse, God told Joshua His plan and even though Joshua knew that the Lord was doing the right…
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After the uproar had ceased, Paul called the disciples to himself, embraced them, and departed to go to Macedonia. Acts 20:1 After the riot in Ephesus had calmed down Paul meets with the disciples there. We read, “He called them to himself and embraced them.” It must have been difficult for Paul to go from city…
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Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the LORD is the great God, And the great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places…
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“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12 Jesus ends the Beatitudes with an intense focus on the…
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