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Posted on 01/02/2023 6:16:23 PM PST by JustAmy
Edited on 01/02/2023 7:28:26 PM PST by Jim Robinson. [history]
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Sounds like you and Horsie had a very fun day together!
Bible in a Year:
Come to me, all you who are weary.
Nine-year-old Dan Gill arrived with his best friend Archie at their classmate’s birthday party. When the mother of the birthday boy saw Archie, however, she refused him entry. “There aren’t enough chairs,” she insisted. Dan offered to sit on the floor to make room for his friend, who was Black, but the mother said no. Dejected, Dan left their presents with her and returned home with Archie, the sting of his friend’s rejection searing his heart.
Now, decades later, Dan is a schoolteacher who keeps one empty chair in his classroom. When students ask why, he explains it’s his reminder to “always have room in the classroom for anyone.”
A heart for all people can be seen in Jesus’ welcoming life: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). This invitation may seem to contradict the “first to the Jew” scope of Jesus’ ministry (Romans 1:16). But the gift of salvation is for all people who place their faith in Jesus. “This is true for everyone who believes,” Paul wrote, “no matter who we are” (3:22 nlt).
We rejoice then at Christ’s invitation to all: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). For all seeking His rest, His open heart awaits. .
Reflect & Pray
What was your situation when you accepted God’s gift of salvation? Who do you know whose heart Jesus is calling?
Dear Jesus, You called me when others didn’t. Thank You for offering me salvation and love.
For further study, read Keeping the Faith: The Cost of Following Christ.
Bible in a Year:
From [Christ] the whole body . . . grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
When we think of best business practices, what first comes to mind probably aren’t qualities like kindness and generosity. But according to entrepreneur James Rhee, they should. In Rhee’s experience as CEO at a company on the brink of financial ruin, prioritizing what he calls “goodwill”—a “culture of kindness” and a spirit of giving—saved the company and led to its flourishing. Putting these qualities central gave people the hope and motivation they needed to unify, innovate, and problem-solve. Rhee explains that “goodwill . . . is a real asset that can compound and be amplified.”
In daily life too, it’s easy to think of qualities like kindness as vague and intangible, afterthoughts to our other priorities. But, as the apostle Paul taught, such qualities matter most of all.
Writing to new believers, Paul emphasized that the purpose of believers’ lives is transformation through the Spirit into mature members of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:15). To that end, every word and every action has value only if it builds up and benefits others (v. 29). Transformation in Jesus can only happen through daily prioritizing kindness, compassion, and forgiveness (v. 32).
When the Holy Spirit draws us to other believers in Christ, we grow and mature as we learn from one another. .
Reflect & Pray
Why do you think we often fail to see the tangible impact of “goodwill”? How can you grow in prioritizing kindness?
Dear God, teach me daily what truly matters—the love poured out through Your Son.
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Happy Caturday! Ginger is a cutie!
🐱
She sure is. And is a sassy little gal! 😻
Happy Dogurday!
Cloudy and cold here today, no sun all day!
We cleaned leaves out of the rain gutters today.
Woot.
😅
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Bible in a Year:
Obey the Lord by doing what I tell you. Then . . . your life will be spared.
In 1951, Joseph Stalin’s doctor advised him to reduce his workload in order to preserve his health. The ruler of the Soviet Union accused the physician of spying and had him arrested. The tyrant who had oppressed so many with lies couldn’t abide the truth, and—as he had done so many times—he removed the one who told him the facts. Truth won anyway. Stalin died in 1953.
The prophet Jeremiah, arrested for his dire prophecies and kept in chains (Jeremiah 38:1–6; 40:1), told the king of Judah exactly what would happen to Jerusalem. “Obey the Lord by doing what I tell you,” he said to King Zedekiah (38:20). Failure to surrender to the army surrounding the city would only make matters worse. “All your wives and children will be brought out to the Babylonians,” Jeremiah warned. “You yourself will not escape from their hands” (v. 23).
Zedekiah failed to act on that truth. Eventually the Babylonians caught the king, killed all his sons, and burned the city (ch. 39).
In a sense, every human being faces Zedekiah’s dilemma. We’re trapped inside the walls of our own lives of sin and poor choices. Often, we make things worse by avoiding those who tell us the truth about ourselves. All we need to do is surrender to the will of the One who said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). .
Reflect & Pray
How do your life choices line up with the claims of Jesus? What’s keeping you from surrendering to Him?
Compassionate God, please forgive me of the pride that keeps me from You.
Bible in a Year:
Blessed are those who . . . walk in the light of your presence, Lord.
At his wife’s memorial service, Chuck shared that he was still traveling “through the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23:4 nkjv). His wife’s life in heaven had already begun. But the “shadow of death” was still with him and with others who’d greatly loved Elaine.
As we travel through the valley of shadows, where can we find our source of light? The apostle John declares that “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). And in John 8:12, Jesus proclaimed: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
As believers in Jesus, we “walk in the light of [His] presence” (Psalm 89:15). Our God has promised to be with us and to be our source of light even when we travel through the darkest of shadows. .
Reflect & Pray
What valley have you been walking through? Which of God’s promises provide light for your journey?
Loving God, thank You for Your promise to never leave me. I trust You to be my strength, my provision, and my joy throughout my life.
For further study, read The Promises of God.
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Happy Monday!
Cold and cloudy again. We need a day of sunshine!
🌝
Trade ya! We have plenty of sunshine to go around and I need a cloudy day. They soothe my soul.
What a smart doggie! LOL!
It’s like that here too. Yuk.
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