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For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. (Proverbs 8:35)

Reflection
Whatever wisdom exists finds its identity in the person and being of Christ Himself. Seek this wisdom and thereby seek out the Lord of our rest. In Him alone lies all life and love and joy and meaning. Turn to Him and embrace true wisdom! Turn to Him and be comforted with the promise of eternal Sabbath! In Christ alone stands our hope!

https://www.blueletterbible.org/devotionals/promises/index.cfm?doy=28

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Psalm 44
https://gracethrufaith.com/the-psalms/psalm-44/

July 11, 2017
We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago. With your hand you drove out the nations and planted our fathers; you crushed the peoples and made our fathers flourish. It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them.

You are my King and my God, who decrees victories for Jacob. Through you we push back our enemies; through your name we trample our foes. I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame. In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever.
Selah

But now you have rejected and humbled us; you no longer go out with our armies. You made us retreat before the enemy, and our adversaries have plundered us. You gave us up to be devoured like sheep and have scattered us among the nations. You sold your people for a pittance, gaining nothing from their sale. You have made us a reproach to our neighbors, the scorn and derision of those around us. You have made us a byword among the nations; the peoples shake their heads at us.

My disgrace is before me all day long, and my face is covered with shame at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me, because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.

All this happened to us, though we had not forgotten you or been false to your covenant. Our hearts had not turned back; our feet had not strayed from your path. But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals and covered us over with deep darkness.

If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god, would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart? Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

Awake, O Lord! Why do you sleep? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever. Why do you hide your face and forget our misery and oppression? We are brought down to the dust; our bodies cling to the ground. Rise up and help us; redeem us because of your unfailing love.

And elderly farm couple was driving along a country road in their battered old pickup, when a shiny new convertible swooped past them. The two young people in the convertible were seated so close together, her head on his shoulder and his right arm holding her tight, they almost looked like one. The old woman looked across the bench seat to her husband of 40 years and said dreamily, “Remember back when we used to sit that close together?” The old man replied, “I’ve never moved.”

Sometimes it feels like we’re out there all alone. Our God, Who once felt so close to us now seems so far away. It’s a dark hour. Where is He? Why doesn’t He respond?

He created us for a love relationship with Him. It’s the only thing He needs from us, and He needs it so badly that He gave His life to make it possible. His love is the one thing we can count on in this world. His mercies are new every morning. There’s no way, having gone to such extremes to redeem us that He would ever abandon us. “And surely I am with you always,” He said, “To the very end of the age.” (Matt. 28:20)

When Peter, having gotten out of the boat and begun walking on the water, began to sink, he cried out, “Lord! Save me!” Immediately the Lord was at his side, holding him up, bringing him back to the boat. There’s no place you can go where He cannot rescue you the minute you ask.

If you feel so far away, maybe you’re the one who’s moved. Try confessing your sins and then ask Him if you’ve somehow taken the wrong fork in a road you were going down together. Spend more time reading your Bible, praying. You’ll find him again.

And when you do, and recall how close the two of you used to be, you’ll hear Him gently say, “I’ve never moved.”

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But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find [him], if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. (Deuteronomy 4:29)

Reflection
If we seek God, it is promised that we shall find Him. How wondrous then that it is God who makes us to be seekers of Him! In His beautiful supremacy over the history of His redemptive purpose, God has ignited in each of His chosen people, a divine and unquenchable spark of desire to know Him. So rest, O believer, assured in the fact that you love God because He first loved you—and because of His love for you, He will in nowise cast you out!

https://www.blueletterbible.org/devotionals/promises/index.cfm?doy=29

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The Heart of the Matter
by Greg Laurie - https://www.harvest.org
January 29

"But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."—Matthew 9:13
When Jesus walked this earth, He reserved His most scathing words for self-righteous, religious hypocrites. When a woman caught in the act of adultery was brought before Jesus, the religious elite said to Him, “Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” (John 8:5).

Jesus stooped down and began writing something in the sand. Whatever He wrote must have been very revealing, because one by one, they all left, from the oldest to the youngest. Then Jesus turned to the woman and said, “Where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” (verse 10).

“I have none Lord,” she said.

“Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more” (verse 11).

He could have said, “Haven’t you heard what the Bible says? Why are you breaking the commandments of God?” But Jesus didn’t give her a lecture. In fact, He got rid of the religious hypocrites and dealt with her graciously. I think Jesus knew she already had realized the enormity of her sin and was willing to turn from it. Thus, He pardoned her. Does that mean Jesus approved of the way she lived? Far from it. God is very clear about how He wants us to live.

I think we spend too much time boycotting what nonbelievers do and not enough time giving them the answer to their problems. There is a place to say what we’re against. But the bottom line is that people are empty. They need to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let’s expend our energy there. Let’s expend our energy in proclaiming the gospel, because the heart of the matter is that people are lost. They need Christ, and we need to take that message to them.

https://www.harvest.org/devotions-and-blogs/daily-devotions/2018-01-29

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JVIM - Today's Devotional - January 30

Revelation 1:1-8 The Time Is At Hand

Memory Verse: Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand (Revelation 1:3).

Israel is a nation.
Russia has a form of government built on atheism.
The Common Market moves toward a United States of Europe.
What does it all mean?
To most students of the Bible it means that we are living in the last days.
The weight of evidence for the truth of Bible prophecy is now so strong that any informed person would have to close his eyes to escape seeing its fulfillment.
Christ is coming!
He will come in fulfillment of His promise to the disciples:“I will come again, and receive you unto myself” (John 14:3).
He will come as promised by the two angels who appeared at His ascension. These heavenly messengers announced, “This same Jesus, who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).
He will come as described by Paul, the apostle: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17).
Yes, Jesus will return.
“Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

https://www.jvim.com/todays-devotionals/

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Thou [art] my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. (Psalm 32:7)

Reflection
The Lord our God is the High King of Deliverance! There is no calamity so great that He might be unable to rescue us. Even when we were dead of spirit and purebred haters of Him, He saw fit to rescue us from ourselves. He gave the dead new life. There is no difficulty so strong that He cannot save us. Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and He will surely deliver!

https://www.blueletterbible.org/devotionals/promises/index.cfm?doy=30

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But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)

Reflection
My Prayer: Dearest Father, please cause me to desire to walk in Your light. Make me to take such joy in the fellowship of the body of Your Son and in His shed blood that Your light will overflow from my life.

https://www.blueletterbible.org/devotionals/promises/index.cfm?doy=31