Blog Archives

554. Saul's Conversion ⏤ Acts 9:1-19

7/31/2018

554.

Saul's Conversion

1.

Today's Passage: Acts 9:1-19

Get to know your bible. It will become a good friend.

Or find the passage NASB version on Bible Gateway here.
You can search for other versions there as well. Versions even in foreign languages.

Or, for your convenience I have typed the verses below from the
New Living Testament (NLT).

2.

Thank You for meeting me, LORD.
I welcome you into this place.
Please prepare my heart Jehovah.
Thank you for insight.

3.

7th strategy.
Repetitive Reading

Begin by getting your heart ready to receive the words that God has laid down for us on this page. Ask Him to give you what you need to hear. Ask Him to give you the mind of Christ to be able to remember this strategy and continue it throughout the day.
Read the passage completely. Ask God to give you one verse that resonates in your heart today.
Write the verse down on a pad of paper, sticky note, or even on your phone in notes or your calendar.
Pray and ask God to give you a number of times to repeat this verse throughout the day. Write that number underneath the verse.
Or ask Him if it would be better for you to read and repeat the verse three times and then do that again later in the day. Asking how many times to have this little repetitive session and writing that down under the verse.
Every time you repeat the verse mark a tally under the verse.
Do this throughout the day. Try to reach your set goal or above it.
At the end of the day attempt to speak the verse without looking at it.
Before bed repeat the verse again either rereading it off of the paper, or quoting it from memory. Either is a glory to God.
And remember, God gleans great pleasure when you stop and thank Him for being with your throughout your day.

1. Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord's followers. So he went to the high priest.
2. He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them ⏤ both men and women ⏤ back to Jerusalem in chains.

3. As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him.
4. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?"

5. "Who are you , Lord?" Saul asked.
And the voice replied, "I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!
6. Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."

7. The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone's voice but saw no one!
8. Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus.
9. He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink.

10. Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, "Ananias!"
"Yes, Lord!" he replied.

11. The Lord said, "Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas, When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now.
12. I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again."

13. "But Lord," explained Ananias, "I've heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem!
14. And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name."

15. But the Lord said, "Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel.
16. And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name's sake."

17. So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
18. Instantly something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized.
19. Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength.
Acts 9:1-19 NLT

4.

Thank you for coming today.
Please leave your initials and a comment.
Don't forget to check the box underneath your comment,
so replies will be directed to you.

And remember,
I pray for you every day.
And I will be back here tomorrow,
I hope I will see you here too.
~Robyn

Robyn & Biff Cox
RR&BC, LLC ©2016

3 Comments

553. Descendants of Israel ⏤ 1 Chronicles 2:1-54

7/30/2018

3 Comments

553.

Israel's Sons

1.

Today's Passage: 1 Chronicles 2:1-54
Get to know your bible. It will become a good friend.

Or find the passage NASB version on Bible Gateway here.
You can search for other versions there as well. Versions even in foreign languages.

Or, for your convenience I have typed the verses below from the
New Living Testament (NLT).

2.

Thank You for meeting me, LORD.
I welcome you into this place.
Please prepare my heart Jehovah.
Thank you for insight.

3.

25th Strategy.
Genealogies, Lists, and Such.

Ask God to open your eyes to the wonders of His plan.
Read the surrounding text of the list.
Now read the list.
Is there a reason the list has been placed in this passage?
What is the list revealing?
Is the list of people, items, places, disasters?
Is the list a positive or a negative?
Does the list reveal facts?
If the list is a list of people, could you take a moment and find one of those people on the list that you are drawn to.
Could you pray a prayer for the descendants of that person?
Ask God to give you love for your own ancestors and your own heritage.
Close your times with the LORD thanking Him for the family He put you in. (if the list of items, Thank Him for your belongings. If the list is of places, ask Him to bless yours. If the list is for disasters ask Him to protect you and yours from those disasters in the future and to protect anyone that is going through them now with the purpose of drawing them closer to HIM.
Be blessed ⏤ Jezreel ('God Plants') is planting depth into your spirit.

The Descendants of Israel
1. The sons of Israel were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun,
2. Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

Descendants of Judah
3. Judah had three sons from Bathshua, a Canaanite woman. Their names were Er, Onan, and Shelah. But the LORD saw that oldest son, Er, was a wicked man, so he killed him.
4. Later Judah had twin sons from Tamar, his widowed daughter-in-law. Their names were Perez and Zerah. So Judah had five sons in all.
5. The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
6. The sons of Zerah were Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Darda ⏤ five in all.
7. The son of Carmi (a descendant of Zimri) was Achan, who brought disaster on Israel by taking plunder that had been set apart for the LORD.
8. The son of Ethan was Azariah.

From Judah's Grandson Hezron to David
9. The sons of Hezron were Jerahmeel, Ram, and Caleb.
10. Ram was the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was the father of Nahshon a leader of Judah.
11. Nahshon was the father of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz.
12. Boaz was the father of Obed. Obed was the father of Jesse.
13. Jesse's first son was Eliab, his second was Abinadab, his third was Shimea,
14. his fourth was Nethanel, his fifth was Raddai,
15. his sixth was Ozem, and his seventh was David.

16. Their sisters were named Zeruiah and Abigail. Zeruiah had three sons named Abishai, Joab, and Asahel.
17. Abigail married a man named Jether, an Ishmaelite, and they had a son named Amasa.

Other Descendants of Hezron
18. Hezron's son Caleb had sons from his wife Azubah and from Jerioth. Her sons were named Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon.
19. After Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrathah, and they had a son named Hur.
20. Hur was the father of Uri. Uri was the father of Bezalel.
21. When Hezron was sixty years old, he married Gilead's sister, the daughter of Makir. They had a son named Segub.
22. Segub was the father of Jair, who ruled twenty-three towns in the land of Gilead.
23. (But Geshur and Aram captured the Towns of Jair and also took Kenath and its sixty surrounding villages.) All these were descendants of Makir, the father of Gilead.
24. Soon after Hezron died in the town of Caleb-ephrathah, his wife Abijah gave birth to a son named Ashhur (the father of Tekoa).

Descendants of Hezron's Son Jerahmeel
25. The sons of Jerahmeel, the oldest son of Hezron, were Ram (the firstborn), Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah.
26. Jerahmeel had a second wife named Atarah. She was the mother of Onam.
27. The sons of Ram, the oldest son of Jerahmeel, were Maaz, Jamin, and Eker.
28. The sons of Onam were Shammai and Jada. The sons of Shammai were Nadab and Abishur.
29. The sons of Abishur and his wife Abihail were Ahban and Molid.
30. The sons of Nadab were Seled and Appaim. Seled died without children,
31. but Appai had a son named Ishi. The son of Ishi was Sheshan. Sheshan had a descendant named Ahlai.
32. The sons of Jada, Shammai's brother, were Jether and Jonathan. Jether died without children,
33. But Jonathan had two sons named Peleth and Zaza.

These were all descendants of Jerahmeel.
34. Sheshan had no sons, though he did have daughters. He also had an Egyptian servant named Jarha.
35. Sheshan gave one of his daighters to be the wife of Jarha, and they had a son named Attai.
36. Attai was the father of Nathan. Nathan was the father of Zabad.
37. Zabad was the father of Ephlal. Ephlal was the father of Obed.
38. Obed was the father of Jehu. Jehu was the father of Azariah.
39. Azariah was the father of Helez. Helez was the father of Eleasah.
40. Eleasah was the father of Sismai. Sismai was the father of Shallum.
41. Shallum was the father of Jekamiah. Jekamiah was the father of Elishama.

Descendants of Hezron's Son Caleb
42. The descendants of Caleb, the brother of Jerahmeel, included Mesha (the firstborn), who became the father of Ziph. Caleb's descendants also included the sons of Mareshah, the father of Hebron.
43. The sons of Hebron were Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema.
44. Shema was the father of Raham. Raham was the father of Jorkeam. Rekem was the father of Shammai.
45. The son of Shammai was Maon. Maon was the father of Beth-zur.
46. Caleb's concubine Ephah gave birth to Haran, Moza, and Gazez. Haran was the father of Gazez.
47. The sons of Jahdai were Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph.
48. Another of Caleb's concubines, Maacah, gave birth to Sheber and Tirhanah.
49. She also gave birth to Shaaph (the father of Madmannah) and Sheva (the father of Macbenah and Gibea). Caleb also had a daughter named Acsah.
50. These were all descendants of Caleb.

Descendants of Caleb's Son Hur
The sons of Hur, the oldest son of Caleb's wife Ephrathah, were Shobal (the founder of Kiriath-jearim),
51. Salma (the founder of Bethlehem), and Hareph (the found of Beth-gadar).
52. The descendants of Shobal (the founder of Kiriath-jearim) were Haroeh, half the Manahathites,
53. and the families of Kiriath-jearim ⏤ the Ithrites, Puthites, Shumathites, and Mishraites, from whom came the people of Zorah and Eshtaol.
54. The descendants of Salma were the people of Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth-beth-joab, the other half of the Manahathites, the Zorites,
55. and the families of scribes living at Jabez ⏤ the Tirathites, Shimeathites, and Sucathites. All these were Kenites who descended from Hammath, the father of the family of Recab.
1 Chronicles 2:1-54 NLT

3 Comments

552. The LORD'S Case against Israel ⏤ Hosea 4:1-19

7/29/2018

2 Comments

552.

The Charge Against Israel

1.

Today's Passage: Hosea 4:1-19

Get to know your bible. It will become a good friend.

Or find the passage NASB version on Bible Gateway here.
You can search for other versions there as well. Versions even in foreign languages.

Or, for your convenience I have typed the verses below from the
New Living Testament (NLT).

2.

Thank You for meeting me, LORD.
I welcome you into this place.
Please prepare my heart Jehovah.
Thank you for insight.

3.

4th strategy.
Is this a who, what, when, where, or how passage?

Begin by inviting God into your reading. Ask Him to join you and show you the plot of this passage.
Read the passage
Ask yourself as you read the passage which is most important in the passage.
- Is 'who' the passage about most important?
- Is 'what' the passage is about most important?
- Is' when' or 'where' the passage takes place most important?
- Or is how the passage presented, worked out in time, or motivates the reader most important...?
After you decide which is the most important vehicle of the passage, re-read it.
Contemplate if this passage could bring you to a fuller understanding of God and His purposes.
Thank God for being with you in this endeavor.

1. Hear the word of the LORD, O people of Israel! The LORD has brought charges against you, saying: "There is no faithfulness, no kindness, no knowledge of God in your land.
2. You make vows and break them; you kill and steal and commit adultery. There is violence everywhere ⏤ one murder after another.
3. That is why your land is in mourning, and everyone is wasting away. Even the wild animals, the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea are disappearing.

4. "Don't point your finger at someone else and try to pass the blame! My complaint, you priests, is with you.
5. So you will stumble in broad daylight, and your false prophets will fall with you in the night. And I will destroy Israel, your mother,
6. My people are being destroyed because they don't know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of you God, I will forget to bless your children.
7. The more priests there are, the more they sin against me. They have exchanged the glory of God for the shame of idols.

8. "When the people bring their sin offerings, the priests get fed. Sothe priests are glad when the people sin!
9. 'And what the priests do, the people also do.' So now I will punish both priests and people for their wicked deeds.
10. They will eat and still be hungry. They will play the prostitute and gain nothing from it, for they have deserted the LORD to worship other gods.

"Wine has robbed my people of their understanding.
12. They ask a piece of wood for advice! They think a stick can tell them the future! Longing after idols has made them foolish. They have played the prostitute, serving other gods and deserting their God.
13. They offer sacrifices to idols on the mountaintops. They go up into the hills to burn incense in the pleasant shade of oaks, poplars, and terebinth trees. "That is why your daughters turn to prostitution, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.

14. But why should I punish them for the prostitution and adultery? For your men are doing the same thing, sinning with whores and shrine prostitutes. O foolish people! You refuse to understand so you will be destroyed.

15. "Though you, Israel, are a prostitute, may Judah avoid such guilt. Do not join the false worship at Gilgal or Beth-aven, even though they take oaths there in the LORD'S name.
16. Israel is stubborn, like a stubborn heifer. So should the LORD feed her like a lamb in a lush pasture?
17. Leave Israel alone, because she is married to idolatry.
18. When the rulers of Israel finish their drinking, off they go to find some prostitutes. They love shame more than honor.
19. So a mighty wind will sweep them away. Their sacrifices to idols will bring them shame.
Hosea 4:1-19 NLT

2 Comments

551. Judgment against Judah ⏤ Isaiah 3:1-26

7/28/2018

4 Comments

551.

Judgment of Jerusalem and Judah

1.

Today's Passage: Isaiah 3:1-26

Get to know your bible. It will become a good friend.

Or find the passage NASB version on Bible Gateway here.
You can search for other versions there as well. Versions even in foreign languages.

Or, for your convenience I have typed the verses below from the
New Living Testament (NLT).

2.

Thank You for meeting me, LORD.
I welcome you into this place.
Please prepare my heart Jehovah.
Thank you for insight.

3.

4th strategy.
Is this a who, what, when, where, or how passage?

Begin by inviting God into your reading. Ask Him to join you and show you the plot of this passage.
Read the passage
Ask yourself as you read the passage which is most important in the passage.
- Is 'who' the passage about most important?
- Is 'what' the passage is about most important?
- Is' when' or 'where' the passage takes place most important?
- Or is how the passage presented, worked out in time, or motivates the reader most important...?
After you decide which is the most important vehicle of the passage, re-read it.
Contemplate if this passage could bring you to a fuller understanding of God and His purposes.
Thank God for being with you in this endeavor.

1. The Lord, the LORD of Heaven's Armies, will take away from Jerusalem and Judah everything they depend on: every bit of bread and every drop of water,
2. all their heroes and soldiers, judges and prophets, fortune-tellers and elders,
3. army officers and high officials, advisers, skilled craftsmen, and astrologers.
4. I will make boys their leaders, and toddlers their rulers.
5. People will oppress each other ⏤ man against man, neighbor against neighbor. Young people will insult their elders, and vulgar people will sneer at the honorable.

6. In those days a man will say to his brother, "Since you have a coat, you be our leader! Take charge of this heap of ruins!"
7 But he will reply, "No! I can't help. I don't have any extra food or clothes. Don't put me in charge!"

8. For Jerusalem will stumble, and Judah will fall, because they speak out against the LORD and refuse to obey him. They provoke him to his face.
9. The very look on their faces gives them away. They display their sin like the people of Sodom and don't even try to to hide it. They are doomed! They have brought destruction upon themselves.

10. Tell the godly that all will be well for them. They will enjoy the rich reward they have earned!
11. But the wicked are doomed, for they will get exactly what they deserve.

12. Childish leaders oppress my people, and women rule over them. O my people, you leaders mislead you; they send you down the wrong road.
13. The LORD takes his place in court and presents his case against his people!
14. The LORD comes forward to pronounce judgment on the elders and rulers of his people: "You have ruined Israel, my vineyard. Your houses are filled with things stolen from the poor.
15. How dare you crush my people, grinding the faces of the poor into the dust?" demands the Lord, the LORD of Heaven's Armies.
16. The LORD says, "Beautiful Zion is haughty: craning her elegant neck, flirting with her eyes, walking with dainty steps, tinkling her ankle bracelets.
17. So the LORD will send scabs on her head; the LORD will make beautiful Zion bald."

18. On that day of judgment the Lord will strip away everything that makes her beautiful: ornaments, headbands, crescent necklaces,
19. earrings, bracelets, and veils;
20. scarves, ankle bracelets, sashes, perfumes, and charms;
21. rings, jewels,
22 party clothes, gowns, capes, and purses;
23. mirrors, fine linen garments, head ornaments, and shawls.
24. Instead of smelling of sweet perfume, she will stink. She will wear a rope for a sash, and her elegant hair will fall out. She will wear rough burlap instead of rich robes. Shame will replace her beauty.
25. The men of the city will be killed with the sword, and her warriors will die in battle.
26. The gates of Zion will weep and mourn. The city will be like a ravaged woman, huddled on the ground.
Isaiah 3:1-26 NLT

4 Comments

550. A Psalm of David ⏤ Psalm 68: 1-35

7/27/2018

6 Comments

550.

Praise be to God!

1.

Today's Passage: Psalm 68:1-35

Get to know your bible. It will become a good friend.

Or find the passage NASB version on Bible Gateway here.
You can search for other versions there as well. Versions even in foreign languages.

Or, for your convenience I have typed the verses below from the
New Living Testament (NLT).

2.

Thank You for meeting me, LORD.
I welcome you into this place.
Please prepare my heart Jehovah.
Thank you for insight.

3.

2nd strategy
Meditation in WORSHIP

Begin with asking God to open your heart to what He has for you to hear today.
Read a passage of the Scripture
Is a miracle in the passage? Is a relationship deepened in some way? Has God stepped in and shown His power,
Has he shown His discipline or even His protection or His end goal?
Has Jesus, lived life, shown love, or taught?
Whatever the passage holds that brings you an awareness of who He is, praise Him for that revelation.
Give Him glory and honor and praise. Thank Him for what He has given.
Think on these things. Ponder them. Reread the passage. Write about what you read. Pray! This is Worship!
Thank God for His presence this moment.

For the choir director: A song. A psalm of David.

1. Rise up, O God, and scatter your enemies. Let those who hate God run for their lives.
2. Blow them away like smoke. Melt them like wax in a fire. Let the wicked perish in the presence of God.
3. But let the godly rejoice. Let them be glad in God's presence. Let them be filled with joy.
4. Sing praises to God and to his name! Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds. His name is the LORD ⏤ rejoice in his presence!

5. Father to the fatherless, defender of widows ⏤ this is God, whose dwelling is holy.
6. God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

7. O God, when you led your people out from Egypt, when you marched through the dry wasteland,
8. the earth trembled, and the heavens poured down rain before you, the God of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel.
9. You sent abundant rain, O God, to refresh the weary land.
10. There your people finally settled, and with a bountiful harvest, O God, you provided for your needy people.

11. The LORD gives the word, and a great army brings the good news.
12. Enemy kings and their armies flee, while the women of Israel divide the plunder.
13. Even those who lived among the sheepfolds found treasures ⏤doves with wings of silver and feathers of gold.
14. The Almighty scattered the enemy kings like a blowing snowstorm on Mount Zalmon.

15. The mountains of Bashan are majestic, with many peaks stretching high into the sky.
16. Why do you look with envy, O rugged mountains, at Mount Zion, where God has chosen to live, where the LORD himself will live forever?

17. Surrounded by unnumbered thousands of chariots, the Lord came from Mount Sinai into his sanctuary.
18. When you ascended to the heights, you led a crowd of captives. You received gifts from the people, even from those who rebelled against you. Now the LORD God will live among us there.

19. Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms.
20. Our God is a God who saves! The Sovereign LORD rescues us from death.

21. But God will smash the heads of his enemies, crushing the skulls of those who love their guilty way.
22. The Lord says, "I will bring my enemies down from Bashan; I will bring them up from depths of the sea.
23. You, my people, will wash your feet in their blood, and even your dogs will get their share!"

24. Your procession has come into view, O God ⏤ the procession of my God and King as he goes into the sanctuary.
25. Singers are in front, musicians behind; between them are young women playing tambourines.
26. Praise God, all you people of Israel; praise the LORD, the source of Israel's life.
27. Look, the little tribe of Benjamin leads the way. Then comes a great throng of rulers from Judah and all the rulers of Zebulun and Naphtali.
28. Summon your might, O God. Display your power, O God, as you have in the past.
29. The kings of the earth are bringing tribute to your Temple in Jerusalem.
30. Rebuke these enemy nations ⏤ these enemy nations ⏤ these wild animals lurking in the reeds, this herd of bulls among the weaker calves. Make them bring bars of silver in humble tribute. Scatter the nations that delight in war.
31. Let Egypt come with gifts of precious metals; let Ethiopia bow in submission to God.
32. Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth. Sing praises to the Lord.
33. Sing to the one who rides across the ancient heavens, his mighty voice thundering from the sky.
34. Tell everyone about God's power. His majesty shines down on Israel; his strength is mighty in the heavens.
35. God is awesome in his sanctuary. The God of Israel give power and strength to his people.
Praise be to God!
Psalm 68:1-35 NLT

6 Comments

549. Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch ⏤ Acts 8:26-40

7/26/2018

3 Comments

549.

Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch

1.

Today's Passage: Acts 8:26-40

Get to know your bible. It will become a good friend.

Or find the passage NASB version on Bible Gateway here.
You can search for other versions there as well. Versions even in foreign languages.

Or, for your convenience I have typed the verses below from the
New Living Testament (NLT).

2.

Thank You for meeting me, LORD.
I welcome you into this place.
Please prepare my heart Jehovah.
Thank you for insight.

3.

17th strategy.
Oh My, I see me.

Begin with asking God for guidance. Remember He is the author.
Are there one or more main characters, other than the Trinity, in the passage?
Re-read the passage and ask God to lead you to the one character this day He wants to reveal Himself through.
Write the character's name down.
List the characters personality traits, or characteristics.
Can you relate to any of the these personality traits or characteristics?
How does God relate to that person in this passage?
How does God relate to you?
Bring yourself into His presence. Do you need to confess? Do you need to thank? Remember His love is everlasting. He will never leave you nor forsake you.
Praise God for revelation and guidance.

26. As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, "Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza."
27. So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship,
28. and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah.

29. The Holy Spirit said to Philip, "Go over and walk along beside the carriage."

30. Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"

31. The man replied, "How can I, unless someone instructs me?" And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.

32. The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this:

"He was led like a sheep to the slaughter.
And as a lamb is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.
33. He was humiliated and received no justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth."

34. The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?"
35. So beginning with this same Scriptures, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus.

36. As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "Look! There's some water! Why can't I be baptized?"
38. He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

39. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing.
40. Meanwhile, Philip found himself farther north at the town of Azotus. He preached the Good News there and in every town along the way until he came to Caesarea.
Acts 8:26-40 NLT

3 Comments

548. Judgment Against Israel's Mountains ⏤ Ezekiel 6:1-14

7/25/2018

3 Comments

548.

Idolatrous Worship Denounced

1.

Today's Passage: Ezekiel 6:1-14

Get to know your bible. It will become a good friend.

Or find the passage NASB version on Bible Gateway here.
You can search for other versions there as well. Versions even in foreign languages.

Or, for your convenience I have typed the verses below from the
New Living Testament (NLT).

2.

Thank You for meeting me, LORD.
I welcome you into this place.
Please prepare my heart Jehovah.
Thank you for insight.

3.

21st Strategy.
(And, But, So) the LORD says/said:...

Open your heart in prayer.
Ask God to give you wisdom from His Scripture.
Read the passage.
Re-read the passage.
Is the LORD speaking?
Is He addressing the Israelites? the world? lost sinners? a particular person?
What is He saying?
Can you glean insight or wisdom from His words?
How, when, why?
What will you do with what you have had laid on your heart today?
Ask God to give you what you need.
Trust Him to do just that.
Remember He listens to his children.

1. Again a message came to me from the LORD:
2. "Son of man, turn and face the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them.
3. Proclaim this message from the Sovereign LORD against the mountains of Israel. This is what the Sovereign LORD says to the mountains and hills and to the ravines and valleys: I am about to bring war upon you, and I will smash your pagan shrines.
4. All your altars will be demolished, and your places of worship will be destroyed. I will kill your people in front of your idols.
5. I will lay your corpses in front of your idols and scatter your bones around your altars.
6. Wherever you live there will be desolation, and I will destroy your pagan shrines. Your altars will be demolished, your idols will be smashed, your places of worship will be torn down, and all the religious objects you have made will be destroyed.
7. The place will be littered with corpses, and you will know that I alone am the LORD.

8. "But I will let a few of my people escape destruction, and they will be scattered among the nations of the world.
9. Then when they are exiled among the nations, they will remember me. They will recognize how hurt I am by their unfaithful hearts and lustful eyes that long for their idols. Then at last they will hate themselves for all their detestable sins.
10. They will know that I alone am the LORD and that I was serious when I said I would bring this calamity on them.

11. "This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Clap your hands in horror, and stamp your feet. Cry out because of all the detestable sins the people of Israel have committed. Now they are going to die from war and famine and disease.
12. Disease will strike down those who are far away in exile. War will destroy those who are nearby. And anyone who survives will be killed by famine. So at last I will spend my fury on them.
13. They will know that I am the LORD when their dead lie scattered among their idols and altars on every hill and mountain and under every green tree and every great shade tree ⏤ the places where they offered sacrifices to their idols.
14. I will crush them and make their cities desolate from the wilderness in the south to Riblah in the north. Then they will know that I am the LORD."
Ezekiel 6:1-14 NLT

3 Comments

547. A Sign of the Coming Judgment ⏤ Ezekiel 5:1-17

7/24/2018

2 Comments

547.

Jerusalem's Desolation Foretold

1.

Today's Passage: Ezekiel 5:1-17

Get to know your bible. It will become a good friend.

Or find the passage NASB version on Bible Gateway here.
You can search for other versions there as well. Versions even in foreign languages.

Or, for your convenience I have typed the verses below from the
New Living Testament (NLT).

2.

Thank You for meeting me, LORD.
I welcome you into this place.
Please prepare my heart Jehovah.
Thank you for insight.

3.

20th Strategy.
And What Do I Do With That?

Open your heart in prayer.
Ask God to give you wisdom from His Scripture.
Read the passage.
Re-read the passage.
Are there hard realities addressed in the passage?
Ask God to give you the ability to see people through His eyes.
Ask God to give you the ability to love people as He loves them.
Give God the permission to change your mind, your heart, and your words.
Realize that no matter where you stand, you are being molded.
Bring your heart back to the Father and pray for those you love.
Remember to thank God for His answers.

1. "Son of man, take a sharp sword and use it as a razor to shave your head and beard. Use a scale to weigh the hair into three equal parts.
2. Place a third of it at the center of your map of Jerusalem. After acting out the siege, burn it there. Scatter another third across your map and chop it with a sword. Scatter the last third to the wind, for I will scatter my people with the sword.
3. Keep just a bit of the hair and tie it up in your robe.
4. Then take some of these hairs out and throw them into the fire, burning them up. A fire will then spread from this remnant and destroy all of Israel.

5. "This is what the Sovereign LORD says: This is an illustration of what will happen to Jerusalem. I placed her at the center of the nations,
6. but she has rebelled against my regulations and decrees and has been even more wicked than the surrounding nations. She has refused to obey the regulations and decrees I gave her to follow.

7. "Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: You people have behaved worse than your neighbors and have refused to obey my decrees and regulations. You have not even lived up to the standards of the nations around you.
8. Therefore, I myself, the Sovereign LORD, am now your enemy. I will punish you publicly while all the nations watch.
9. Because of your detestable idols, I will punish you like I have never punished anyone before or ever will again.
10. Parents will eat their own children, and children will eat their parents. I will punish you and scatter to the winds the few who survive.

11. "As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, I will cut you off completely. I will show you no pity at all because you have defiled my Temple with your vile images and detestable sins.
12. A third of your people will die in the city from disease and famine. A third of them will be slaughtered by the enemy outside the city walls. And I will scatter a third to the winds, chasing them with my sword.
13. Then at last my anger will be spend, and I will be satisfied. And when my fury against them has subsided. all Israel will know that I, the LORD, have spoken to them in my jealous anger.

14. "So I will turn you into a ruin a mockery in the eyes of the surrounding nations and to all who pass by.
15. You will be a warning to all the nations around you. They will see what happens when the LORD punishes a nation in anger and rebukes it, says the LORD.

16. "I will shower you with the deadly arrows of famine to destroy you. The famine will become more and more severe until every crumb of food is gone.
17. And along with the famine, wild animals will attack you and rob you of your children. Disease and war will stalk your land, and I will bring the sword of the enemy against you. I, the LORD, have spoken!"
Ezekiel 5:1-17 NLT

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546. A Sign of the Coming Siege ⏤ Ezekiel 4:1-17

7/23/2018

2 Comments

546.

Siege of Jerusalem Predicted

1.

Today's Passage: Ezekiel 4:1-17

Get to know your bible. It will become a good friend.

Or find the passage NASB version on Bible Gateway here.
You can search for other versions there as well. Versions even in foreign languages.

Or, for your convenience I have typed the verses below from the
New Living Testament (NLT).

2.

Thank You for meeting me, LORD.
I welcome you into this place.
Please prepare my heart Jehovah.
Thank you for insight.

3.

29th Strategy.
Called to Evaluate Our Choices

Enter your time with the LORD in prayer.
Read the entire passage.
Does the passage call for an evaluation of choices made? If so, stop and re-read that section one time.
Continue through the entire passage.
After reading the passage through one time, go back and re-read the section calling for an evaluation.
Would the choices you are facing in your life today be similar to the choices in the passage.
Write them down on a sticky note, or underline them in your bible.
Whatever you are being prompted to evaluate, write it down. (This will be a great source of strength for years to come.)
Take these choices to the LORD. Ask Him to give you clarity on how to move forward.
Tell Him you desire to make wise choices and you know you need His guidance.
Ask God to broaden your vision for the passage.
Thank Him for His guidance and praise Him for His words.
(I encourage you to write down what God shows you.)

1. "And now, son of man, take a large clay brick and set it down in front of you. Then draw a map of the city of Jerusalem on it.
2. Show the city under siege. Build a wall around it so no one can escape. Set up the enemy camp, and surround the city with siege ramps and battering rams.
3. Then take an iron griddle and place it between you and the city. Turn toward the city and demonstrate how harsh the siege will be against Jerusalem. This will be a warning to the people of Israel.

4. "Now lie on your left side and place the sins of Israel on yourself. You are to bear their sins for the number of days you lie there on your side.
5. I am requiring you to bear Israel's sins for 390 days ⏤ one day for each year of their sin.
6. After that, turn over and lie on your right side for 40 days ⏤ one day for each year of Judah's sin.

7. "Meanwhile, keep staring at the siege of Jerusalem. Lie there with your arm bared and prophesy her destruction.
8. I will tie you up with ropes so you won't be able to turn from side to side until days of your siege have been completed.

9. "Now go and get some wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and emmer wheat, and mix them together in a storage jar. Use them to make bread for yourself during the 390 days you will be lying on your side.
10. Ration this out to yourself, eight ounces of food for each day, and eat it at set times.
11. Then measure out a jar of water for each day, and drink it at set times.
12. Prepare and eat this food as you would barley cakes. While all the people are watching, bake it over a fire using dried human dung as fuel and then eat the bread.."
13. Then the LORD said, "This is how Israel will eat defiled bread in the Gentile lands to which I will banish them!"

14. Then I said, "O Sovereign LORD, must I be defiled by using human dung? For I have never been defiled before. From the time I was a child until now I have never eaten any animal that died of sickness or was killed by other animals. I have never eaten any meat forbidden by the law."

15. "All right," the LORD said "You may bake your bread with cow dung instead of human dung"
16. Then he told me, "Son of man, I will make food very scarce in Jerusalem. It will be weighed out with great care and eaten fearfully. The water will be rationed out drop by drop, and the people will drink it with dismay.
17. Lacking food and water, people will look at one another in terror, and they will waste away under their punishment.
Ezekiel 4:1-17 NLT

2 Comments

545. A Call to Trust the LORD ⏤ Isaiah 51:1-23

7/22/2018

4 Comments

545.

Israel Exhorted

1.

Today's Passage: Isaiah 51:1-23

Get to know your bible. It will become a good friend.

Or find the passage NASB version on Bible Gateway here.
You can search for other versions there as well. Versions even in foreign languages.

Or, for your convenience I have typed the verses below from the
New Living Testament (NLT).

2.

Thank You for meeting me, LORD.
I welcome you into this place.
Please prepare my heart Jehovah.
Thank you for insight.

3.

18th strategy.
Praising and Thanking God.

Stop and enter into God's presence by praying.
Ask God to open your heart to hear His words to you.
Read through the passage.
Re-read the passage looking for acts of praise and/or thankfulness.
Is your heart drawn to a particular verse.
Re-read that verse at least 4 times.
Ask God to allow you to reveal to you how to be filled with that kind of experience of praise and/or that gratitude.
As you leave the page ask God to remind you of this moment throughout your day.
Remember to thank God for His revelation to your heart.

1. "Listen to me, all who hope for deliverance ⏤ all who seek the LORD! Consider the rock from which you were cut, the quarry from which you were mined.
2. Yes, think about Abraham, your ancestor, and Sarah, who gave birth to your nation. Abraham was only one man when I called him. But when I blessed him, he became a great nation"
3. The LORD will comfort Israel again and have pity on her ruins. Her desert will blossom like Eden, her barren wilderness like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found there. Songs of thanksgiving will fill the air.

4. "Listen to me, my people. Hear me, Israel, for my law will be proclaimed, and my justice will become a light to the nations.
5. My mercy and justice are coming soon. My salvation is on the way. My strong arm will bring justice to the nations. All distant lands will look to me and wait in hope for my powerful arm.
6. Look up to the skies above, and gaze down on the earth below. For the skies will disappear like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a piece of clothing. The people will die like flies, but my salvation lasts forever. My righteous rule will never end!
7. "Listen to me, you who know right from wrong you who cherish my law in your hearts. Do not be afraid of people's scorn, nor fear their insults.
8. For the moth will devour them as it devours clothing. The worm will eat at them as it eats wool But my righteousness will last forever. My salvation will continue from generation to generation.
9. Wake up, wake up, O LORD! Clothe yourself with strength! Flex your mighty right arm! Rouse yourself as in the days of old when you slew Egypt, the dragon of the Nile.
10. Are you not the same today, the one who dried up the sea, making a path of escape through the depths so that your people could cross over?
11. Those who have been ransomed by the LORD will return. They will enter Jerusalem singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be filled with joy and gladness.

12. "I, yes I, am the one who comforts you. So why are you afraid of mere humans, who wither like the grass and disappear?
13. Yet you have forgotten the LORD, your Creator, the one who stretched out the sky like a canopy and laid the foundations of the earth. Will you remain in constant dread of human oppressors? Will you continue to fear the anger of your enemies? Where is their fury and anger now? It is gone!
14. Soon all you captives will be released! Imprisonment, starvation, and death will not be your fate!
15. For I am the LORD your God, who stirs up the sea, causing its waves to roar. My name is the LORD of Heaven's Armies.
16. And I have put my words in your mouth and hidden you safely in my hand. I stretched out the sky like a canopy and laid the foundations of the earth. I am the one who says to Israel, 'You are my people!'"

17. Wake up, wake up, O Jerusalem? You have drunk the cup of the LORD'S fury. You have drunk the cup of terror, tipping out its last drops.
18. Not one of your children is left alive to take your hand and guide you.
19. These two calamities have fallen on you: desolation and destruction, famine and war. And who is left to sympathize with you? Who is left to comfort you?
20. For your children have fainted and lie in the streets, helpless as antelopes caught in a net. The LORD has poured out his fury; God has rebuked them.

21. But now listen to this, you afflicted ones who sit in a drunken stupor, though not from drinking wine.
22. This is what the Sovereign LORD, your God and Defender, says: "See, I have taken the terrible cup from your hands. You will drink no more of my fury.
23. Instead, I will hand that cup to your tormentors, those who said, 'We will trample you into the dust and walk on your backs.' "
Isaiah 51:1-23 NLT

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read & reflect in community©

554. Saul's Conversion ⏤ Acts 9:1-19

553. Descendants of Israel ⏤ 1 Chronicles 2:1-54

552. The LORD'S Case against Israel ⏤ Hosea 4:1-19

551. Judgment against Judah ⏤ Isaiah 3:1-26

550. A Psalm of David ⏤ Psalm 68: 1-35

549. Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch ⏤ Acts 8:26-40

548. Judgment Against Israel's Mountains ⏤ Ezekiel 6:1-14

547. A Sign of the Coming Judgment ⏤ Ezekiel 5:1-17

546. A Sign of the Coming Siege ⏤ Ezekiel 4:1-17

545. A Call to Trust the LORD ⏤ Isaiah 51:1-23

May God Be Glorified in our Reading and Hiding His Word in our Hearts.

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