I know there used to be one but it dissapeared....not sure what happened..but anyway, I'm starting another one. As a place for everyone to exchange thoughts, encouragement, research etc....NOT as a place to bash others faith or lack thereof. I'm going to try to post daily with a single verse & the application/lesson of that verse.
1 Sam 15:12 "He erected a monument for himself" King Saul allowed selfish thinking and pride to develop, like rust. When he defeated the Amalekites in battle, he put his own desires ahead of obedience to God. Saul greedily took the spoil instead of destroying it as God had commanded. And Saul arrogantly built a monument to himself (1 sam 15:3,9). When the prophet Samuel told him God was displeased, Saul tried to justify himself by focusing on the part of God's command he had obeyed and by blaming others for his error (1 sam 15:16-21). Sauls experience shows that we cannot be complacent, assuming that if we previously showed a self sacrificing spirit, we will automatically continue to manifest it (1 tim 4:10). Bear in mind that Saul did well and enjoyed God's favor for a while, but he failed to root out selfish tendencies that began to take hold. God ultimately rejected Saul for his disobedience.
June 16th, 2015 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib the king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and proceeded to seize them.—2 Ki. 18:13. Imagine how you would have felt if you had lived in Jerusalem at that time. Of course, Hezekiah was aware of the approaching danger, but rather than desperately enlist the help of a pagan nation, as his apostate father, Ahaz, had done, Hezekiah placed his trust in God. (2 Chron. 28:20, 21) He may have been aware of the words of the prophet Micah, a contemporary who foretold concerning Assyria: “As for the Assyrian, ... we shall also have to raise up against him seven shepherds, yes, eight dukes of mankind. And they will actually shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword.” (Mic. 5:5,6) These inspired words would surely have encouraged Hezekiah, for they show that a most unusual army would be raised up against the Assyrians and that the hostile aggressors would ultimately be defeated.
Wednesday, June 17 There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.—Acts 20:35. Jesus enjoyed seeing meek people respond to the good news. (Luke 10:21, John 4:34) Perhaps you have already experienced the happiness that results from helping others. If you base your major choices in life on the principles Jesus taught, you will surely bring happiness to yourself as well as to God. (Prov. 27:11) Our greatest happiness comes from serving God. (Prov. 16:20) Jeremiah’s secretary, Baruch, apparently forgot that. At one point in time, he was no longer enjoying God's service. God told him: “You are seeking great things for yourself. Stop seeking such things. For I am about to bring a calamity on all flesh, ... and wherever you may go, I will grant you your life as a spoil.” (Jer. 45:3, 5) What do you think? What would have made Baruch happy—seeking great things or surviving Jerusalem’s destruction as a faithful servant of God?
Thursday June 18 “My own errors have passed over my head... Like a heavy load they are too heavy for me. I have grown numb and become crushed to an extreme degree.” (Psalm 38:4, 8) David knew how heavy the burden of a guilty conscience could be. But he found comfort for his troubled heart. He understood that while God hates sin, He does not hate the sinner if that one is truly repentant and rejects his sinful course. With full faith in God's willingness to extend mercy to repentant ones, David said: “You, O God, are ... ready to forgive.”—Psalm 86:5. When we sin, we too may carry the crushing burden of a pained conscience. This feeling of remorse is healthy. It can move us to take positive steps to correct our mistakes. There is, however, a danger of becoming overwhelmed by guilt. Our self-condemning heart might insist that God will not forgive us, no matter how repentant we are. If we become “swallowed up” by guilt, Satan may try to get us to give up, to feel that God views us as worthless, unfit to serve him.(2 Corinthians 2:5-11). Is that how God views matters? Not at all! Forgiveness is a facet of God's great love. In his Word, he assures us that when we manifest genuine, heartfelt repentance, he is willing to forgive. (Proverbs 28:13)
I'm sorry. I know this is off topic, but my husband recognized your avatar as the symbol of the Army Security Agency. He was wondering if you served with that group and, if so, when and where.
Friday, June 19 Be transformed by making your mind over. Rom. 12:2. As a person studies and applies Bible truth, he begins to make spiritual progress. Reflecting this progress, he makes changes in his life according to what he has learned. He puts away false religious practices and undesirable traits of his former way of life and cultivates the Christlike personality. (Eph. 4:22-24) This, to be sure, makes God's heart glad. (Prov. 27:11) However, are these changes all that are needed? Actually, being transformed involves more than making progress or improving. A note in Vine’s Expository Dictionary explains: “In Romans 12:2 being outwardly conformed to the things of this age [or system of things] is contrasted with being transformed (or transfigured) inwardly by the renewal of the thoughts through the Holy Spirit’s power
Saturday, June 20 Let us consider one another to incite to love and fine works, ...encouraging one another. Heb. 10:24, 25. To “consider one another” means “to take into account the needs of others, to think about them.” Can we closely consider the needs of others if we limit our conversations with them to a quick greeting or a discussion of only trivial matters? Not really. We, of course, want to be careful to ‘mind our own business’ and not to ‘meddle in other people’s affairs.’ (1 Thess. 4:11;1 Tim. 5:13) Nevertheless, if we want to encourage others, we truly need to get to know them—their situation in life, their qualities, their spirituality, their strengths, and their weaknesses. They need to view us as their friends and be assured of our love for them. This requires spending time with them—not just when they face problems and get discouraged but at other times too.—Rom. 12:13
Isaiah 6:8 - Then I heard the voiced of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” This verse speaks to me. I've read it only once in the book of Isaiah and it didn't really stick out at the time. My grandpa died right after Thanksgiving last year. I was the one that got his bible. He used to be a pastor and the bible has been his since 1974. The verse started speaking to me when I read him quoting it in a hand written note in his bible. The note was "Lord, I don't know what you have planned, but here am I. Send me" Seeing that passage has been my motivation to start getting deeper into God's Word. This has led to occasionally leading Sunday school, and now, Sunday, I'm speaking for the first time in front of my congregation. I believe that God has motivated me through my grandpa's dedication and this one verse.
Funny how a single verse can motivate a person to make changes when read in a different light.....I don't know how many verses I've read multiple times before and for some reason it will all of a sudden stand out to me and I see something in it I never did before
Sunday, June 21 They arranged for Paul and Barnabas and some others of them to go up to the apostles and older men in Jerusalem...Acts 15:2. “The apostles and older men in Jerusalem” served as a governing body. As the Head of the congregation, Christ used this small group of qualified men to settle doctrinal issues and to oversee and direct the preaching and teaching of the Kingdom good news. (Acts 15:6-29;21:17-19; Col. 1:18) Did God bless the arrangement by means of which his Son fed the first-century congregations? Most definitely! How can we be sure? The book of Acts gives us this report: “Now as they [the apostle Paul and his traveling companions] traveled on through the cities they would deliver to those there for observance the decrees that had been decided upon by the apostles and older men who were in Jerusalem. Therefore, indeed, the congregations continued to be made firm in the faith and to increase in number from day to day.” Acts 16:4, 5.
Monday, June 22 He is guarding the souls of his loyal ones; out of the hand of the wicked ones he delivers them. Ps. 97:10. We want to remain loyal to God. So the more we bring our thoughts and feelings into harmony with God's thoughts and feelings, the more we will be inclined to obey his commands. (Ps. 119:104) Granted, it will not always be easy to obey God's commands. We may have to struggle to remain loyal. For instance, some single Christians would like to be married, but they have yet to find a suitable mate among worshippers of God. (1 Cor. 7:39) A single woman might see that her coworkers are always trying to introduce her to some potential mate. She might be battling feelings of loneliness. Still, she puts forth determined effort to maintain her integrity to God, knowing that marrying someone who could undermine our damage her relationship with God is dangerous. God will reward all who remain faithful to him despite difficulties. Heb. 11:6.
Tuesday, June 23 Put on the complete suit of armor from God that you may be able to stand firm against the machinations of the Devil. Eph. 6:11. Because we exercise faith in “the ransom paid by Christ Jesus,” we have inner peace and a close relationship with God. (Rom. 3:23-25) We have a clear understanding of the precious promises contained in God’s Word. To hold fast to our wonderful inheritance of everlasting life, though, we must remain alert to Satan’s ploys. Satan has always tried to influence God’s people to make choices that could cost them their inheritance. (Num. 25:1-3, 9) Aware that his end is near, Satan has stepped up his efforts to mislead us. (Rev. 12:12, 17) If we are to keep on ‘standing firm against the machinations of the Devil,’ we must continue to value our inheritance highly.
Wednesday, June 24 Let my cry for help reach you. Ps. 102:1. The writer of Psalm 102 was desperate. He was “oppressed,” suffering great physical or emotional distress, and he lacked the strength to deal with his problems. (Ps. 102, superscription) We find in his words an indication that he was absorbed in his pain, loneliness, and personal feelings. (Ps. 102:3, 4, 6, 11) He believed that God wanted to cast him aside. (Ps. 102:10) As we see from Psalm 102, even those who are in the faith can be in pain and be struggling to focus on anything else. The psalmist felt “like a solitary bird on a roof,” as if he had only his troubles for company. (Ps. 102:7) If you ever feel that way, pour out your heart to God as the psalmist did. The prayers of the oppressed one—your prayers—can help you as you battle negative thoughts. God promises that “he will pay attention to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their prayer.” (Ps. 102:17) Trust that promise.
Thursday June 25 Come, now, and let us set matters straight between us,” says Jehovah. “Though your sins are like scarlet, They will be made as white as snow; Though they are as red as crimson cloth, They will become like wool...Isa 1:18 Have you ever tried to remove a stain from a light-colored garment? Perhaps despite your best efforts, the stain remained visible. Notice how God describes his capacity for forgiveness: “Though the sins of you people should prove to be as scarlet, they will be made white just like snow;*though they should be red like crimson cloth, they will become even like wool.” The word “scarlet” denotes a bright red color.*“Crimson” was one of the deep colors of dyed material. (Nahum 2:3) We can*never through our own efforts remove the stain of sin. But God can take sins that are like scarlet and crimson and make them white like snow or undyed wool. When God forgives our sins, we need not feel that we bear the stain of such sins for the rest of our life.
