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(43) The Eye is a Lamp
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” ~ Matthew 6:22-23 Two stories: (1) So, I came home…
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(42) While on the Highway
Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. ~ 1 Cor. 11:1 (NIV) ~ While driving on the highway, I was suddenly cut off by a van. The van came out of nowhere, cut me off and then continued on at breakneck speed. The van was for a painting company. I don’t know why…
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(41) Disengagement as a Form of Faith
In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.~ Psm 4:8 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.~ Psalm 127:2 Disengagement is a form of…
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(8′) Jonah & Taking A Chance
~ In the story of Jonah, in the Old Testament, Jonah’s running away is the cause of stormy seas. And apparently, the only way that the stormy seas can be allayed is if Jonah is thrown into the sea. Here is an excerpt: 12 “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and…
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(7′) The Lord, God our RearGuard
Isaiah 52:12 says But you will not leave in haste or go in flight;for the Lord will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard. Comment/Devo:~ Isaiah is recognized by many scholars as a masterful writer. His Hebrew, while among the most difficult in the Bible, is also among the most…
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(40) Either/Or vs. One-Sided Contentedness
~In the Bible, I think we can see two forms of contentedness: 1. Either/Or Contentedness: “Stay tonight, and in the morning, if he wants to redeem you, good…” (Ruth 3:13a). “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to…
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(6′) Wisdom & Action Pattern in the Bible
Indeed, turn anywhere you want in the Bible, especially the Poetic and Wisdom literature (Psalms, Proverbs, Job, etc.) and you will find that wisdom is associated with action. For example, “… when hands are idle, the house leaks” (Eccles. 10:18b). “As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed” (Prov.…
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(39) Getting Out Is Therapy Sometimes
“Joab was told, ‘The king is weeping and mourning for Absalom …’ Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, ‘Today you …. have made it clear … that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. Now go out and encourage your men. ‘” 2 Sam 19:1…7 ~ Joab is not…
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(38) Job and Multiplying Thoughts, Emotions and Words
In the book of Job in the Bible, after Job is hit with harsh trials, he is initially calm. His early/first response is, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21) Even when his wife tells him to curse God and die, he refuses. His…
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(37) Flubs, Glubs, Goofs, and Gaffes ~ More Than 70
~ Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven. ~ Matt 18:21-22 Offense is often taken when one is sinned against. Why? A sin is something…
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(36) On What is Counterfeit
How do we know what is real and what is counterfeit? ~ Well. We first need to be well-acquainted with the real, before the counterfeit. Counterfeits are always parasitical upon the originals. We need to spend more time with the truth, than with a lie. “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble,…
The Dew and the Rain 