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Calm and Quiet Your Soul!

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  Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. Psalm 131:2, NKJV Calm and Quiet Your Soul King David faced constant dangers, enemy attacks, and betrayals. He had a lot of reasons to live worried, afraid, and panicked, but he gives us a secret to live above today’s noise—the bad news, the economic rumors, the divisiveness, our own worries. King David said, “I have calmed and quieted my soul.” On a regular basis, you need to quiet your soul. Still your emotions. Come back to a place of peace. That’s a powerful place. When the battle is all around you, thoughts tell you to panic, to worry and be afraid. That’s when you have to take charge and quiet your soul. The enemy would love for you to live noisy and troubled, but the Scripture says, “Be still and know that I am God.” This infers that if you’re not still, if you don’t quiet your soul, you’re not going to know He’s God. You’re not going to feel His presenc...
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The Christian Life is a Giving Life!

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  The Christian Life is a Giving Life Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:7–8, NIV “ Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. ” (2 Corinthians 9:7-8, NIV) The Christian life is a giving life. This is the direct opposite of what the world dictates to us in order to be happy. Most of the messages of the world are directed at self-consuming activities saying you need to have certain possessions and experiences in order to be fulfilled. These messages tend to make us “getters” instead of “givers.” When we speak of giving, we are not talking about just money. We have the 3 Ts:  Time, Talent,  and  Treasure . Time and talent are just as important as any treasure we might have. God loving the cheerful giver is a statement of God’s action. By giving, b...
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In All Your Coming and Goings!

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  You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. Deuteronomy 28:6, NIV In All Your Comings and Goings If you follow the life of Joseph in the Scripture, you can see that the blessing of God was on him, and nothing could take it away. His brothers threw him in a pit to die, but the blessing caused the brothers to change their minds and sell Joseph to slave traders. The blessing caused Joseph to excel as a slave in Potiphar’s household, but a lie sent him to prison. The blessing helped him to not be bitter and keep doing his best. After thirteen years of hardship, the blessing elevated Joseph out of the prison and into being the prime minister of Egypt. The blessing was with him wherever he went and in whatever he did, and it sustained him and caused him to rise to the top. People may do you wrong and put you at a disadvantage, but nothing that happens to you can take God’s blessing. Wherever you are, the blessing is there. Keep doing the right thing, and God will ...
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Giving: Your Investment for Eternity!

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  Giving: Your Investment for Eternity Scripture: Matthew 6:20, NIV & Matthew 6:33, NIV “ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ” (Matthew 6:20, NIV) “ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ” (Matthew 6:33, NIV) The world gets it backwards.  It says to earn as much as you can, save as much as you can, and then sit on your can. Spend it on yourself and have a good time while you can. Jesus Christ came to reveal the opposite: “…But it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”  (2 Timothy 1:10, NIV) He has revealed to us true life in addition to the reality of eternity or immortality. He tells us to prepare for eternity. Eternity is the real world and the one lasting forever! We can actually stor...
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Ezra 7:1-10!

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  Introduction Ezra 7:1–10: In today’s reading, the story has now moved forward from the completion of the Temple around the end of the sixth century (516 B.C.) to the middle of the fifth century (458 B.C. ), and we are introduced to Ezra, a priest and expert in the Law. He was also in a position of high favor in the court of the Persian emperor, Artaxerxes, during the time after the Babylonian captivity when Jerusalem was rebuilt. Artaxerxes gives Ezra permission to return to Jerusalem along with many Jewish leaders and their families. Today’s Key Verse: Ezra 7:10 GNT Ezra had devoted his life to studying the Law of the LORD, to practicing it, and to teaching all its laws and regulations to the people of Israel. Read 7 Many years later, when Artaxerxes was emperor of Persia, there was a man named Ezra. He traced his ancestors back to Aaron, the High Priest, as follows: Ezra was the son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah,  2  son of Shallum, son of Zadok, so...
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The Sowing and Reaping Principle!

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  The Sowing and Reaping Principle Scripture: Galatians 6:8, NIV “ Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. ” (Galatians 6:8, NIV) The sowing and reaping principle is a key spiritual concept we need to incorporate in our lives. In the secular world we understand the more we invest in a good investment, the greater returns we can expect. The same is true in a spiritual sense. “ Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ” (2 Corinthians 9:6, NIV) The returns for investing properly in the kingdom of God are going to be HUGE! It makes sense for us to be wise and invest as much as we can when we have the opportunity to do so. Once our time, talent, and treasure are invested or given, they cannot be taken away by anything or anyone. They are kept in heaven for us along with our salvation. “ And into an inh...
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Ezra 6:13-22!

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  Introduction Ezra 6:13–22: Following the completion of the Temple, it is dedicated and those who had returned from exile celebrate the event. The reading concludes with a description of the people celebrating Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. Today’s Key Verse: Ezra 6:16 GNT The people of Israel—the priests, the Levites, and all the others who had returned from exile—joyfully dedicated the Temple. Read 13  Then Governor Tattenai, Shethar Bozenai, and their fellow officials did exactly as the emperor had commanded.  14  The Jewish leaders made good progress with the building of the Temple, encouraged by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. They completed the Temple as they had been commanded by the God of Israel and by Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, emperors of Persia.  15  They finished the Temple on the third day of the month Adar in the sixth year of the reign of Emperor Darius.  16  Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levite...
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