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Posted on 01/01/2024 3:15:48 PM PST by luvie
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I don’t think he believes in taking a day off!
Nope.
Neither does Tippy (groan).
She woke me at 6:00AM for our 4 mile hike.
Bible in a Year :
Hear my prayer, Lord, listen to my cry for help; do not be deaf to my weeping.
The first grader called the number for emergency dispatch. The 9-1-1 operator answered. âI need help,â said the boy. âI have to do take-aways.â The operator proceeded to assist, until he heard a woman enter the room and say, âJohnny, what are you doing?â Johnny explained that he couldnât do his math homework, so he did exactly what his mother had taught him to do when he needed help. He called 9-1-1. To Johnny, his current need qualified as an emergency. To the compassionate listener, helping the young boy with his homework was top priority in that moment.
When the psalmist David needed help, he said, âLord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numberedâhow fleeting my life isâ (Psalm 39:4 nlt). He said, âMy hope is inâ God (v. 7). So, he pleaded for Him to hear and answer his âcry for helpâ (v. 12). Then, strangely, he asked God to âlook away fromâ him (v. 13). Though Davidâs needs remain unspoken, throughout Scripture he declared that God would always be with him, hearing and answering his prayers.
Our confidence in Godâs constancy allows us to process our fickle feelings, while affirming thereâs no request too big or too small for the unchanging One. He hears us, cares for us, and answers every prayer we utter.
Reflect & Pray
How has God demonstrated His love for you by answering prayers you thought would be too small to bring to Him? Which of your needs seems too big or too small?
Loving God, thank You for hearing and answering every prayer I place in Your hands.
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Bible in a Year :
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Sometimes surprisingly spiritual messages turn up in unexpected places, like in a comic book, for example. Marvel Comics publisher Stan Lee passed away in 2018, leaving behind a legacy of such iconic heroes as Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, and many others.
The famously smiling man with sunglasses had a personal catchphrase that he used to sign off in monthly columns in Marvel comics for decadesâthe word excelsior. In a 2010 tweet, Lee explained its meaning: â âUpward and onward to greater glory!â Thatâs what I wish you whenever I finish tweeting! Excelsior!â
I like that. Whether Stan Lee realized it or not, his use of this unusual catchphrase certainly resonates with what Paul wrote in Philippians as he admonished believers to look not behind but aheadâand up: âBut one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesusâ (3:13-14 esv).
We can easily become entangled in regrets or second-guessing past decisions. But in Christ, weâre invited to relinquish regrets and to press upward and onward to Godâs greater glory through embracing the forgiveness and purpose He so graciously gives us! Excelsior!
Reflect & Pray
Why do you tend to look forward or backward in your life and in your faith? How can you let go of past mistakes and move forward?
Heavenly Father, thank You for forgiveness. Thank You that You invite me to move forward, upward, and onward for Your glory.
Learn how forgiveness can help you move forward.Â
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Hope you had a great day, thanks for the posts, love the pet pictures.
đ
I had a busy day, and got a lot done.
Still more to be done but at least i made a dent in it.
I am still planting stuff in the gardens....perennials now. Lots of weeding, as usual. Weeds. No likey. đ
I hate weeds.
They seem to be extra hardy and ubiquitous this year.
Bible in a Year :
[Love] is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered.
We hurried to a fast-food restaurant to have lunch together on my friend Jerrieâs short work break. Arriving at the door about the same time, six young men got inside just in front of us. Knowing we didnât have much time to spare, we grumbled inwardly. They stood as a group at both registers to be sure each of them could order first. Then I heard Jerrie whisper to herself, âShow grace now.â Wow! Sure, letting us go first would have been nice, but what a great reminder to think of othersâ needs and desires and not only my own.
The Bible teaches that love is patient, kind, and unselfish; itâs ânot easily angeredâ (1 Corinthians 13:5). âIt often . . . prefers [othersâ] welfare, and satisfaction, and advantage, to its own,â wrote commentator Matthew Henry of this love. Godâs kind of love thinks of others first.
In a world where many of us are easily irritated, we frequently have occasion to ask God for help and the grace to choose to be patient with others and to be kind (v. 4). Proverbs 19:11 adds, âA personâs wisdom yields patience; it is to oneâs glory to overlook an offense.â
Thatâs the kind of loving action that brings honor to God, and He might even use it to bring thoughts of His love to others.
With Godâs strength, letâs take every opportunity to show grace now.
Reflect & Pray
In what ways might you need to not act out of frustration? How could turning to God help you?
Iâm in need of Your help, God. I face many levels of irritation but want to instead be filled and overflowing with Your kind of love.
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Bible in a Year :
Each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
A man was adept at beating his personal traffic tickets by lying. When he appeared before various judges in court, he would tell the same tale: âI broke up with my girlfriend and she took my car without my knowledge.â In addition, he had been repeatedly reprimanded for misconduct while on the job. Prosecutors finally charged him with four counts of perjury and five counts of forgery for allegedly lying to judges under oath and providing fictitious police reports. For this man, lying had become a lifelong habit.
In contrast, the apostle Paul said that telling the truth is a vital habit for believers in Jesus to live out. He reminded the Ephesians that theyâd put away their old way of living through surrendering their lives to Christ (Ephesians 2:1-5). Now, they needed to live like the new people theyâd become, incorporating specific actions into their lives. One such action was something to ceaseââput off falsehoodââand the other action something to practiceââspeak truthfully to your neighborâ (4:25). Because it protected the unity of the church, the Ephesians were to always have their words and actions be about âbuilding others upâ (v. 29).
As the Holy Spirit helps us (vv. 3-4), believers in Jesus can strive for truth in their words and actions. Then the church will be unified, and God will be honored.
Reflect & Pray
What will help you consistently tell the truth? How do your words reflect new life in Christ?
Dear God, please help me to put away falsehood and clothe myself in Your truth.
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