Reading through the Word...Day 13

GENESIS 28:1- 29:35
MATTHEW 9:18- 38
PSALM 11:1- 7
PROVERBS 3:11- 12


So Isaac called for Jacob, blessed him, and said, "Do not marry any of these Canaanite women. 2 Instead, go at once to Paddan- aram, to the house of your grandfather Bethuel, and marry one of your uncle Laban's daughters. 3 May God Almighty bless you and give you many children. And may your descendants become a great assembly of nations! 4 May God pass on to you and your descendants the blessings he promised to Abraham. May you own this land where we now are foreigners, for God gave it to Abraham." 5 So Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Paddan- aram to stay with his uncle Laban, his mother's brother, the son of Bethuel the Aramean. 6 Esau heard that his father had blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan- aram to find a wife, and that he had warned Jacob not to marry a Canaanite woman. 7 He also knew that Jacob had obeyed his parents and gone to Paddan- aram. 8 It was now very clear to Esau that his father despised the local Canaanite women. 9 So he visited his uncle Ishmael's family and married one of Ishmael's daughters, in addition to the wives he already had. His new wife's name was Mahalath. She was the sister of Nebaioth and the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son. 10 Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. 11 At sundown he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night. Jacob found a stone for a pillow and lay down to sleep. 12 As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from earth to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down on it. 13 At the top of the stairway stood the LORD, and he said, "I am the LORD, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I will give it to you and your descendants. 14 Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will cover the land from east to west and from north to south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. *15 What's more, I will be with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. I will someday bring you safely back to this land. I will be with you constantly until I have finished giving you everything I have promised." 16 Then Jacob woke up and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I wasn't even aware of it." 17 He was afraid and said, "What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God-- the gateway to heaven!" 18 The next morning he got up very early. He took the stone he had used as a pillow and set it upright as a memorial pillar. Then he poured olive oil over it. 19 He named the place Bethel-- "house of God"-- though the name of the nearby village was Luz. 20 Then Jacob made this vow:"If God will be with me and protect me on this journey and give me food and clothing, 21 and if he will bring me back safely to my father, then I will make the LORD my God. 22 This memorial pillar will become a place for worshiping God, and I will give God a tenth of everything he gives me." 29:1 JACOB hurried on, finally arriving in the land of the east. 2 He saw in the distance three flocks of sheep lying in an open field beside a well, waiting to be watered. But a heavy stone covered the mouth of the well. 3 It was the custom there to wait for all the flocks to arrive before removing the stone. After watering them, the stone would be rolled back over the mouth of the well. 4 Jacob went over to the shepherds and asked them, "Where do you live?" "At Haran," they said. 5 "Do you know a man there named Laban, the grandson of Nahor?" "Yes, we do," they replied. 6 "How is he?" Jacob asked. "He's well and prosperous. Look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep." 7 "Why don't you water the flocks so they can get back to grazing?" Jacob asked. "They'll be hungry if you stop so early in the day." 8 "We don't roll away the stone and begin the watering until all the flocks and shepherds are here," they replied. 9 As this conversation was going on, Rachel arrived with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherd. 10 And because she was his cousin, the daughter of his mother's brother, and because the sheep were his uncle's, Jacob went over to the well and rolled away the stone and watered his uncle's flock. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and tears came to his eyes. 12 He explained that he was her cousin on her father's side, her aunt Rebekah's son. So Rachel quickly ran and told her father, Laban. 13 As soon as Laban heard about Jacob's arrival, he rushed out to meet him and greeted him warmly. Laban then brought him home, and Jacob told him his story. 14 "Just think, my very own flesh and blood!" Laban exclaimed. After Jacob had been there about a month, 15 Laban said to him, "You shouldn't work for me without pay just because we are relatives. How much do you want?" 16 Now Laban had two daughters:Leah, who was the oldest, and her younger sister, Rachel. 17 Leah had pretty eyes, but Rachel was beautiful in every way, with a lovely face and shapely figure. 18 Since Jacob was in love with Rachel, he told her father, "I'll work for you seven years if you'll give me Rachel, your younger daughter, as my wife." 19 "Agreed!" Laban replied. "I'd rather give her to you than to someone outside the family." 20 So Jacob spent the next seven years working to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days. 21 Finally, the time came for him to marry her. "I have fulfilled my contract," Jacob said to Laban. "Now give me my wife so we can be married." 22 So Laban invited everyone in the neighborhood to celebrate with Jacob at a wedding feast. 23 That night, when it was dark, Laban took Leah to Jacob, and he slept with her. 24 And Laban gave Leah a servant, Zilpah, to be her maid. 25 But when Jacob woke up in the morning-- it was Leah! "What sort of trick is this?" Jacob raged at Laban. "I worked seven years for Rachel. What do you mean by this trickery?" 26 "It's not our custom to marry off a younger daughter ahead of the firstborn," Laban replied. 27 "Wait until the bridal week is over, and you can have Rachel, too-- that is, if you promise to work another seven years for me." 28 So Jacob agreed to work seven more years. A week after Jacob had married Leah, Laban gave him Rachel, too. 29 And Laban gave Rachel a servant, Bilhah, to be her maid. 30 So Jacob slept with Rachel, too, and he loved her more than Leah. He then stayed and worked the additional seven years. 31 But because Leah was unloved, the LORD let her have a child, while Rachel was childless. 32 So Leah became pregnant and had a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, "The LORD has noticed my misery, and now my husband will love me." 33 She soon became pregnant again and had another son. She named him Simeon, for she said, "The LORD heard that I was unloved and has given me another son." 34 Again she became pregnant and had a son. She named him Levi, for she said, "Surely now my husband will feel affection for me, since I have given him three sons!" 35 Once again she became pregnant and had a son. She named him Judah, for she said, "Now I will praise the LORD!" And then she stopped having children.


As Jesus was saying this, the leader of a synagogue came and knelt down before him. "My daughter has just died," he said, "but you can bring her back to life again if you just come and lay your hand upon her." 19 As Jesus and the disciples were going to the official's home, 20 a woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind him. She touched the fringe of his robe, 21 for she thought, "If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed." 22 Jesus turned around and said to her, "Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well." And the woman was healed at that moment. 23 When Jesus arrived at the official's home, he noticed the noisy crowds and heard the funeral music. 24 He said, "Go away, for the girl isn't dead; she's only asleep." But the crowd laughed at him. 25 When the crowd was finally outside, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood up! 26 The report of this miracle swept through the entire countryside. 27 After Jesus left the girl's home, two blind men followed along behind him, shouting, "Son of David, have mercy on us!" 28 They went right into the house where he was staying, and Jesus asked them, "Do you believe I can make you see?" "Yes, Lord," they told him, "we do." 29 Then he touched their eyes and said, "Because of your faith, it will happen." 30 And suddenly they could see! Jesus sternly warned them, "Don't tell anyone about this." 31 But instead, they spread his fame all over the region. 32 When they left, some people brought to him a man who couldn't speak because he was possessed by a demon. 33 So Jesus cast out the demon, and instantly the man could talk. The crowds marveled. "Nothing like this has ever happened in Israel!" they exclaimed. 34 But the Pharisees said, "He can cast out demons because he is empowered by the prince of demons." 35 Jesus traveled through all the cities and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And wherever he went, he healed people of every sort of disease and illness. 36 He felt great pity for the crowds that came, because their problems were so great and they didn't know where to go for help. They were like sheep without a shepherd. 37 He said to his disciples, "The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few. 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send out more workers for his fields."


For the choir director:A psalm of David.
1 I trust in the LORD for protection.
So why do you say to me,
"Fly to the mountains for safety!
2 The wicked are stringing their bows
and setting their arrows in the bowstrings.
They shoot from the shadows at those who do right.
3 The foundations of law and order have collapsed.
What can the righteous do?"
4 But the LORD is in his holy Temple;
the LORD still rules from heaven.
He watches everything closely,
examining everyone on earth.
5 The LORD examines both the righteous and the wicked.
He hates everyone who loves violence.
6 He rains down blazing coals on the wicked,
punishing them with burning sulfur and scorching winds.
7 For the LORD is righteous, and he loves justice.
Those who do what is right will see his face.


My child, don't ignore it when the LORD disciplines you, and don't be discouraged when he corrects you. For the LORD corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights

Reading through the Word....Day 12

GENESIS 26:17- 27:46
MATTHEW 9:1- 17
PSALM 10:16- 18
PROVERBS 3:9- 10

So Isaac moved to the Gerar Valley and lived there instead. 18 He reopened the wells his father had dug, which the Philistines had filled in after Abraham's death. Isaac renamed them, using the names Abraham had given them. 19 His shepherds also dug in the Gerar Valley and found a gushing spring. 20 But then the local shepherds came and claimed the spring. "This is our water," they said, and they argued over it with Isaac's herdsmen. So Isaac named the well "Argument," because they had argued about it with him. 21 Isaac's men then dug another well, but again there was a fight over it. So Isaac named it "Opposition." 22 Abandoning that one, he dug another well, and the local people finally left him alone. So Isaac called it "Room Enough," for he said, "At last the LORD has made room for us, and we will be able to thrive." 23 From there Isaac moved to Beersheba, 24 where the LORD appeared to him on the night of his arrival. "I am the God of your father, Abraham," he said. "Do not be afraid, for I am with you and will bless you. I will give you many descendants, and they will become a great nation. I will do this because of my promise to Abraham, my servant." 25 Then Isaac built an altar there and worshiped the LORD. He set up his camp at that place, and his servants dug a well. 26 One day Isaac had visitors from Gerar. King Abimelech arrived with his adviser, Ahuzzath, and also Phicol, his army commander. 27 "Why have you come?" Isaac asked them. "This is obviously no friendly visit, since you sent me from your land in a most unfriendly way." 28 They replied, "We can plainly see that the LORD is with you. So we decided we should have a treaty, a covenant between us. 29 Swear that you will not harm us, just as we did not harm you. We have always treated you well, and we sent you away from us in peace. And now look how the LORD has blessed you!" 30 So Isaac prepared a great feast for them, and they ate and drank in preparation for the treaty ceremony. 31 Early the next morning, they each took a solemn oath of nonaggression. Then Isaac sent them home again in peace. 32 That very day Isaac's servants came and told him about a well they had dug. "We've found water!" they said. 33 So Isaac named the well "Oath," and from that time to this, the town that grew up there has been called Beersheba-- "well of the oath." 34 At the age of forty, Esau married a young woman named Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite. He also married Basemath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 But Esau's wives made life miserable for Isaac and Rebekah. 27:1 WHEN Isaac was old and almost blind, he called for Esau, his older son, and said, "My son?" "Yes, Father?" Esau replied. 2 "I am an old man now," Isaac said, "and I expect every day to be my last. 3 Take your bow and a quiver full of arrows out into the open country, and hunt some wild game for me. 4 Prepare it just the way I like it so it's savory and good, and bring it here for me to eat. Then I will pronounce the blessing that belongs to you, my firstborn son, before I die." 5 But Rebekah overheard the conversation. So when Esau left to hunt for the wild game, 6 she said to her son Jacob, "I overheard your father asking Esau 7 to prepare him a delicious meal of wild game. He wants to bless Esau in the LORD's presence before he dies. 8 Now, my son, do exactly as I tell you. 9 Go out to the flocks and bring me two fine young goats. I'll prepare your father's favorite dish from them. 10 Take the food to your father; then he can eat it and bless you instead of Esau before he dies." 11 "But Mother!" Jacob replied. "He won't be fooled that easily. Think how hairy Esau is and how smooth my skin is! 12 What if my father touches me? He'll see that I'm trying to trick him, and then he'll curse me instead of blessing me." 13 "Let the curse fall on me, dear son," said Rebekah. "Just do what I tell you. Go out and get the goats." 14 So Jacob followed his mother's instructions, bringing her the two goats. She took them and cooked a delicious meat dish, just the way Isaac liked it. 15 Then she took Esau's best clothes, which were there in the house, and dressed Jacob with them. 16 She made him a pair of gloves from the hairy skin of the young goats, and she fastened a strip of the goat's skin around his neck. 17 Then she gave him the meat dish, with its rich aroma, and some freshly baked bread. 18 Jacob carried the platter of food to his father and said, "My father?" "Yes, my son," he answered. "Who is it-- Esau or Jacob?" 19 Jacob replied, "It's Esau, your older son. I've done as you told me. Here is the wild game, cooked the way you like it. Sit up and eat it so you can give me your blessing." 20 Isaac asked, "How were you able to find it so quickly, my son?" "Because the LORD your God put it in my path!" Jacob replied. 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Come over here. I want to touch you to make sure you really are Esau." 22 So Jacob went over to his father, and Isaac touched him. "The voice is Jacob's, but the hands are Esau's," Isaac said to himself. 23 But he did not recognize Jacob because Jacob's hands felt hairy just like Esau's. So Isaac pronounced his blessing on Jacob. 24 "Are you really my son Esau?" he asked. "Yes, of course," Jacob replied. 25 Then Isaac said, "Now, my son, bring me the meat. I will eat it, and then I will give you my blessing." So Jacob took the food over to his father, and Isaac ate it. He also drank the wine that Jacob served him. Then Isaac said, 26 "Come here and kiss me, my son." 27 So Jacob went over and kissed him. And when Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he was finally convinced, and he blessed his son. He said, "The smell of my son is the good smell of the open fields that the LORD has blessed. 28 May God always give you plenty of dew for healthy crops and good harvests of grain and wine. 29 May many nations become your servants. May you be the master of your brothers. May all your mother's sons bow low before you. All who curse you are cursed, and all who bless you are blessed." 30 As soon as Isaac had blessed Jacob, and almost before Jacob had left his father, Esau returned from his hunting trip. 31 Esau prepared his father's favorite meat dish and brought it to him. Then he said, "I'm back, Father, and I have the wild game. Sit up and eat it so you can give me your blessing." 32 But Isaac asked him, "Who are you?" "Why, it's me, of course!" he replied. "It's Esau, your older son." 33 Isaac began to tremble uncontrollably and said, "Then who was it that just served me wild game? I have already eaten it, and I blessed him with an irrevocable blessing before you came." 34 When Esau understood, he let out a loud and bitter cry. "O my father, bless me, too!" he begged. 35 But Isaac said, "Your brother was here, and he tricked me. He has carried away your blessing." 36 Esau said bitterly, "No wonder his name is Jacob, for he has deceived me twice, first taking my birthright and now stealing my blessing. Oh, haven't you saved even one blessing for me?" 37 Isaac said to Esau, "I have made Jacob your master and have declared that all his brothers will be his servants. I have guaranteed him an abundance of grain and wine-- what is there left to give?" 38 Esau pleaded, "Not one blessing left for me? O my father, bless me, too!" Then Esau broke down and wept. 39 His father, Isaac, said to him, "You will live off the land and what it yields, 40 and you will live by your sword. You will serve your brother for a time, but then you will shake loose from him and be free." 41 Esau hated Jacob because he had stolen his blessing, and he said to himself, "My father will soon be dead and gone. Then I will kill Jacob." 42 But someone got wind of what Esau was planning and reported it to Rebekah. She sent for Jacob and told him, "Esau is threatening to kill you. 43 This is what you should do. Flee to your uncle Laban in Haran. 44 Stay there with him until your brother's fury is spent. 45 When he forgets what you have done, I will send for you. Why should I lose both of you in one day?" 46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, "I'm sick and tired of these local Hittite women. I'd rather die than see Jacob marry one of them."


Jesus climbed into a boat and went back across the lake to his own town. 2 Some people brought to him a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, "Take heart, son! Your sins are forgiven." 3 "Blasphemy! This man talks like he is God!" some of the teachers of religious law said among themselves. 4 Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, "Why are you thinking such evil thoughts? 5 Is it easier to say, `Your sins are forgiven 'or `Get up and walk'? 6 I will prove that I, the Son of Man, have the authority on earth to forgive sins." Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, "Stand up, take your mat, and go on home, because you are healed!" 7 And the man jumped up and went home! 8 Fear swept through the crowd as they saw this happen right before their eyes. They praised God for sending a man with such great authority. 9 As Jesus was going down the road, he saw Matthew sitting at his tax-collection booth. "Come, be my disciple," Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him. 10 That night Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to be his dinner guests, along with his fellow tax collectors and many other notorious sinners. 11 The Pharisees were indignant. "Why does your teacher eat with such scum?" they asked his disciples. 12 When he heard this, Jesus replied, "Healthy people don't need a doctor-- sick people do." 13 Then he added, "Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture:`I want you to be merciful; I don't want your sacrifices. 'For I have come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough." 14 One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples don't fast?" 15 Jesus responded, "Should the wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Someday he will be taken from them, and then they will fast. 16 And who would patch an old garment with unshrunk cloth? For the patch shrinks and pulls away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger hole than before. 17 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. The old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine must be stored in new wineskins. That way both the wine and the wineskins are preserved."


The LORD is king forever and ever!
Let those who worship other gods be swept from the land.
17 LORD, you know the hopes of the helpless.
Surely you will listen to their cries and comfort them.
18 You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed,
so people can no longer terrify them.


Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything your land produces. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with the finest wine

What the Bible says about you....Day 11

You will have no lack of anything good!

Psalm 34:10

"The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing"


The more time goes on the more complicated life seems to become. We can watch old television shows or hear stories from Senior citizens about times long past that were simpler. 

It seems today with all of our technology and "time-savings" devices the more our lives are complicated and we find ourselves needing more... more time, more energy, more money, more strength, more sleep.

The Lord knows all that we need and he says those who put me first, those who spend their time seeking me will find they will never lack but always in all things have more than enough.

Take time out of the busy-ness of your life today to seek Him first. Watch Him come through for you with every good thing!

Reading through the Word....Day 11

GENESIS 24:52- 26:16
MATTHEW 8:18- 34
PSALM 10:1- 15
PROVERBS 3:7- 8


At this reply, Abraham's servant bowed to the ground and worshiped the LORD. 53 Then he brought out silver and gold jewelry and lovely clothing for Rebekah. He also gave valuable presents to her mother and brother. 54 Then they had supper, and the servant and the men with him stayed there overnight. But early the next morning, he said, "Send me back to my master." 55 "But we want Rebekah to stay at least ten days," her brother and mother said. "Then she can go." 56 But he said, "Don't hinder my return. The LORD has made my mission successful, and I want to report back to my master." 57 "Well," they said, "we'll call Rebekah and ask her what she thinks." 58 So they called Rebekah. "Are you willing to go with this man?" they asked her. And she replied, "Yes, I will go." 59 So they said good- bye to Rebekah and sent her away with Abraham's servant and his men. The woman who had been Rebekah's childhood nurse went along with her. 60 They blessed her with this blessing as she parted:"Our sister, may you become
the mother of many millions!
May your descendants overcome
all their enemies."
61 Then Rebekah and her servants mounted the camels and left with Abraham's servant. 62 Meanwhile, Isaac, whose home was in the Negev, had returned from Beer- lahairoi. 63 One evening as he was taking a walk out in the fields, meditating, he looked up and saw the camels coming. 64 When Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, she quickly dismounted. 65 "Who is that man walking through the fields to meet us?" she asked the servant. And he replied, "It is my master." So Rebekah covered her face with her veil. 66 Then the servant told Isaac the whole story. 67 And Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother's tent, and she became his wife. He loved her very much, and she was a special comfort to him after the death of his mother. 25:1 NOW Abraham married again. Keturah was his new wife, 2 and she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 Jokshan's two sons were Sheba and Dedan. Dedan's descendants were the Asshurites, Letushites, and Leummites. 4 Midian's sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. These were all descendants of Abraham through Keturah. 5 Abraham left everything he owned to his son Isaac. 6 But before he died, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them off to the east, away from Isaac. 7 Abraham lived for 175 years, 8 and he died at a ripe old age, joining his ancestors in death. 9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite. 10 This was the field Abraham had purchased from the Hittites, where he had buried his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham's death, God poured out rich blessings on Isaac, who settled near Beer- lahairoi in the Negev. 12 This is the history of the descendants of Ishmael, the son of Abraham through Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian servant. 13 Here is a list, by their names and clans, of Ishmael's descendants:The oldest was Nebaioth, followed by Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 These twelve sons of Ishmael became the founders of twelve tribes that bore their names, listed according to the places they settled and camped. 17 Ishmael finally died at the age of 137 and joined his ancestors in death. 18 Ishmael's descendants were scattered across the country from Havilah to Shur, which is east of Egypt in the direction of Asshur. The clans descended from Ishmael camped close to one another. 19 This is the history of the family of Isaac, the son of Abraham. 20 When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan- aram and the sister of Laban. 21 Isaac pleaded with the LORD to give Rebekah a child because she was childless. So the LORD answered Isaac's prayer, and his wife became pregnant with twins. 22 But the two children struggled with each other in her womb. So she went to ask the LORD about it. "Why is this happening to me?" she asked. 23 And the LORD told her, "The sons in your womb will become two rival nations. One nation will be stronger than the other; the descendants of your older son will serve the descendants of your younger son." 24 And when the time came, the twins were born. 25 The first was very red at birth. He was covered with so much hair that one would think he was wearing a piece of clothing. So they called him Esau. 26 Then the other twin was born with his hand grasping Esau's heel. So they called him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when the twins were born. 27 As the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open fields, while Jacob was the kind of person who liked to stay at home. 28 Isaac loved Esau in particular because of the wild game he brought home, but Rebekah favored Jacob. 29 One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home exhausted and hungry from a hunt. 30 Esau said to Jacob, "I'm starved! Give me some of that red stew you've made." (This was how Esau got his other name, Edom-- "Red.") 31 Jacob replied, "All right, but trade me your birthright for it." 32 "Look, I'm dying of starvation!" said Esau. "What good is my birthright to me now?" 33 So Jacob insisted, "Well then, swear to me right now that it is mine." So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his younger brother. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate and drank and went on about his business, indifferent to the fact that he had given up his birthright. 26:1 NOW a severe famine struck the land, as had happened before in Abraham's time. So Isaac moved to Gerar, where Abimelech, king of the Philistines, lived. 2 The LORD appeared to him there and said, "Do not go to Egypt. 3 Do as I say, and stay here in this land. If you do, I will be with you and bless you. I will give all this land to you and your descendants, just as I solemnly promised Abraham, your father. 4 I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars, and I will give them all these lands. And through your descendants *all the nations of the earth will be blessed. 5 I will do this because Abraham listened to me and obeyed all my requirements, commands, regulations, and laws." 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar. 7 And when the men there asked him about Rebekah, he said, "She is my sister." He was afraid to admit that she was his wife. He thought they would kill him to get her, because she was very beautiful. 8 But some time later, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out a window and saw Isaac fondling Rebekah. 9 Abimelech called for Isaac and exclaimed, "She is obviously your wife! Why did you say she was your sister?" "Because I was afraid someone would kill me to get her from me," Isaac replied. 10 "How could you treat us this way!" Abimelech exclaimed. "Someone might have taken your wife and slept with her, and you would have made us guilty of great sin." 11 Then Abimelech made a public proclamation:"Anyone who harms this man or his wife will die!" 12 That year Isaac's crops were tremendous! He harvested a hundred times more grain than he planted, for the LORD blessed him. 13 He became a rich man, and his wealth only continued to grow. 14 He acquired large flocks of sheep and goats, great herds of cattle, and many servants. Soon the Philistines became jealous of him, 15 and they filled up all of Isaac's wells with earth. These were the wells that had been dug by the servants of his father, Abraham. 16 And Abimelech asked Isaac to leave the country. "Go somewhere else," he said, "for you have become too rich and powerful for us."


When Jesus noticed how large the crowd was growing, he instructed his disciples to cross to the other side of the lake. 19 Then one of the teachers of religious law said to him, "Teacher, I will follow you no matter where you go!" 20 But Jesus said, "Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but I, the Son of Man, have no home of my own, not even a place to lay my head." 21 Another of his disciples said, "Lord, first let me return home and bury my father." 22 But Jesus told him, "Follow me now! Let those who are spiritually dead care for their own dead." 23 Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. 24 Suddenly, a terrible storm came up, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went to him and woke him up, shouting, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" 26 And Jesus answered, "Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!" Then he stood up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly all was calm. 27 The disciples just sat there in awe. "Who is this?" they asked themselves. "Even the wind and waves obey him!" 28 When Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake in the land of the Gadarenes, two men who were possessed by demons met him. They lived in a cemetery and were so dangerous that no one could go through that area. 29 They began screaming at him, "Why are you bothering us, Son of God? You have no right to torture us before God's appointed time!" 30 A large herd of pigs was feeding in the distance, 31 so the demons begged, "If you cast us out, send us into that herd of pigs." 32 "All right, go!" Jesus commanded them. So the demons came out of the men and entered the pigs, and the whole herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water. 33 The herdsmen fled to the nearby city, telling everyone what happened to the demon- possessed men. 34 The entire town came out to meet Jesus, but they begged him to go away and leave them alone.


O LORD, why do you stand so far away?
Why do you hide when I need you the most?
2 Proud and wicked people viciously oppress the poor.
Let them be caught in the evil they plan for others.
3 For they brag about their evil desires;
they praise the greedy and curse the LORD.
4 These wicked people are too proud to seek God.
They seem to think that God is dead.
5 Yet they succeed in everything they do.
They do not see your punishment awaiting them.
They pour scorn on all their enemies.
6 They say to themselves, "Nothing bad will ever happen to us!
We will be free of trouble forever!"
7 Their mouths are full of cursing, lies, and threats.
Trouble and evil are on the tips of their tongues.
8 They lurk in dark alleys,
murdering the innocent who pass by.
They are always searching
for some helpless victim.
9 Like lions they crouch silently,
waiting to pounce on the helpless.
Like hunters they capture their victims
and drag them away in nets.
10 The helpless are overwhelmed and collapse;
they fall beneath the strength of the wicked.
11 The wicked say to themselves, "God isn't watching!
He will never notice!"
12 Arise, O LORD!
Punish the wicked, O God!
Do not forget the helpless!
13 Why do the wicked get away with cursing God?
How can they think, "God will never call us to account"?
14 But you do see the trouble and grief they cause.
You take note of it and punish them.
The helpless put their trust in you.
You are the defender of orphans.
15 Break the arms of these wicked, evil people!
Go after them until the last one is destroyed!


Don't be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn your back on evil. Then you will gain renewed health and vitality

What the Bible says about you....Day 10

I have the mind of Christ

1 Corinthians 2:16

"For who can know the Lord ’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ"

The amazing thing about this verse is that it shows we have a choice. We can continue to think like the world, which all of those who are not yet in relationship with Christ are bound to, or we can think like Christ.

Proverbs tells us in 23:7 that the way we think is the way we are. Paul's writing to the Colossians in chapter 3:2 challenges us to set our minds on the things above.

We can choose everyday the way we are going to think and live. We have been given a great and wonderful gift, the mind of Christ. With this gift we can see things and understand things from a totally different and very powerful perspective.

Too often the enemy wants us to be down in the dumps, hopeless, lost, depressed, and overwhelmed, but because of Christ we know have access to his perspective on things, his hope, His joy, His freedom, His view of our future!  What a gift!

Think about that today and apply it as you feel hurt, hopeless, or lost today. Apply the mind of Christ to your life, relationships, work, problems, and all things today! It will radically change you. It will show you how to have a hope and a future even in the most difficult of circumstances

Reading through the Word....Day 10

GENESIS 23:1- 24:51
MATTHEW 8:1- 17
PSALM 9:13- 20
PROVERBS 3:1- 6


When Sarah was 127 years old, 2 she died at Kiriath- arba (now called Hebron) in the land of Canaan. There Abraham mourned and wept for her. 3 Then, leaving her body, he went to the Hittite elders and said, 4 "Here I am, a stranger in a foreign land, with no place to bury my wife. Please let me have a piece of land for a burial plot." 5 The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6 "Certainly, for you are an honored prince among us. It will be a privilege to have you choose the finest of our tombs so you can bury her there." 7 Then Abraham bowed low before them and said, 8 "Since this is how you feel, be so kind as to ask Ephron son of Zohar 9 to let me have the cave of Machpelah, down at the end of his field. I want to pay the full price, of course, whatever is publicly agreed upon, so I may have a permanent burial place for my family." 10 Ephron was sitting there among the others, and he answered Abraham as the others listened, speaking publicly before all the elders of the town. 11 "No, sir," he said to Abraham, "please listen to me. I will give you the cave and the field. Here in the presence of my people, I give it to you. Go and bury your dead." 12 Abraham bowed again to the people of the land, 13 and he replied to Ephron as everyone listened. "No, listen to me," he insisted. "I will buy it from you. Let me pay the full price for the field so I can bury my dead there." 14 "Well," Ephron answered, 15 "the land is worth four hundred pieces of silver, but what is that between friends? Go ahead and bury your dead." 16 So Abraham paid Ephron the amount he had suggested, four hundred pieces of silver, as was publicly agreed. 17 He bought the plot of land belonging to Ephron at Machpelah, near Mamre. This included the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees nearby. 18 They became Abraham's permanent possession by the agreement made in the presence of the Hittite elders at the city gate. 19 So Abraham buried Sarah there in Canaan, in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre, which is at Hebron. 20 The field and the cave were sold to Abraham by the Hittites as a permanent burial place. 24:1 ABRAHAM was now a very old man, and the LORD had blessed him in every way. 2 One day Abraham said to the man in charge of his household, who was his oldest servant, 3 "Swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not let my son marry one of these local Canaanite women. 4 Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son Isaac." 5 The servant asked, "But suppose I can't find a young woman who will travel so far from home? May I then take Isaac there to live among your relatives?" 6 "No!" Abraham warned. "Be careful never to take my son there. 7 For the LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and my native land, solemnly promised to give this land to my offspring. He will send his angel ahead of you, and he will see to it that you find a young woman there to be my son's wife. 8 If she is unwilling to come back with you, then you are free from this oath. But under no circumstances are you to take my son there." 9 So the servant took a solemn oath that he would follow Abraham's instructions. 10 He loaded ten of Abraham's camels with gifts and set out, taking with him the best of everything his master owned. He traveled to Aram- naharaim and went to the village where Abraham's brother Nahor had settled. 11 There the servant made the camels kneel down beside a well just outside the village. It was evening, and the women were coming out to draw water. 12 "O LORD, God of my master," he prayed. "Give me success and show kindness to my master, Abraham. Help me to accomplish the purpose of my journey. 13 See, here I am, standing beside this spring, and the young women of the village are coming out to draw water. 14 This is my request. I will ask one of them for a drink. If she says, `Yes, certainly, and I will water your camels, too! '-- let her be the one you have appointed as Isaac's wife. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master." 15 As he was still praying, a young woman named Rebekah arrived with a water jug on her shoulder. Her father was Bethuel, who was the son of Abraham's brother Nahor and his wife, Milcah. 16 Now Rebekah was very beautiful, and she was a virgin; no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came up again. 17 Running over to her, the servant asked, "Please give me a drink." 18 "Certainly, sir," she said, and she quickly lowered the jug for him to drink. 19 When he had finished, she said, "I'll draw water for your camels, too, until they have had enough!" 20 So she quickly emptied the jug into the watering trough and ran down to the well again. She kept carrying water to the camels until they had finished drinking. 21 The servant watched her in silence, wondering whether or not she was the one the LORD intended him to meet. 22 Then at last, when the camels had finished drinking, he gave her a gold ring for her nose and two large gold bracelets for her wrists. 23 "Whose daughter are you?" he asked. "Would your father have any room to put us up for the night?" 24 "My father is Bethuel," she replied. "My grandparents are Nahor and Milcah. 25 Yes, we have plenty of straw and food for the camels, and we have a room for guests." 26 The man fell down to the ground and worshiped the LORD. 27 "Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master, Abraham," he said. "The LORD has been so kind and faithful to Abraham, for he has led me straight to my master's relatives." 28 The young woman ran home to tell her family about all that had happened. 29 Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban. 30 When he saw the nose- ring and the bracelets on his sister's wrists, and when he heard her story, he rushed out to the spring, where the man was still standing beside his camels. Laban said to him, 31 "Come and stay with us, you who are blessed by the LORD. Why do you stand here outside the village when we have a room all ready for you and a place prepared for the camels!" 32 So the man went home with Laban, and Laban unloaded the camels, gave him straw to bed them down, fed them, and provided water for the camel drivers to wash their feet. 33 Then supper was served. But Abraham's servant said, "I don't want to eat until I have told you why I have come." "All right," Laban said, "tell us your mission." 34 "I am Abraham's servant," he explained. 35 "And the LORD has blessed my master richly; he has become a great man. The LORD has given him flocks of sheep and herds of cattle, a fortune in silver and gold, and many servants and camels and donkeys. 36 When Sarah, my master's wife, was very old, she gave birth to my master's son, and my master has given him everything he owns. 37 And my master made me swear that I would not let Isaac marry one of the local Canaanite women. 38 Instead, I was to come to his relatives here in this far- off land, to his father's home. I was told to bring back a young woman from here to marry his son. 39" `But suppose I can't find a young woman willing to come back with me?' I asked him. 40 `You will, 'he told me, `for the LORD, in whose presence I have walked, will send his angel with you and will make your mission successful. Yes, you must get a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father's family. 41 But if you go to my relatives and they refuse to let her come, you will be free from your oath.' 42 "So this afternoon when I came to the spring I prayed this prayer:`O LORD, the God of my master, Abraham, if you are planning to make my mission a success, please guide me in a special way. 43 Here I am, standing beside this spring. I will say to some young woman who comes to draw water," Please give me a drink of water! "44 And she will reply," Certainly! And I'll water your camels, too! "LORD, let her be the one you have selected to be the wife of my master's son. '45" Before I had finished praying these words, I saw Rebekah coming along with her water jug on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water and filled the jug. So I said to her, `Please give me a drink.' 46 She quickly lowered the jug from her shoulder so I could drink, and she said, `Certainly, sir, and I will water your camels, too! 'And she did. 47 When I asked her whose daughter she was, she told me, `My father is Bethuel, the son of Nahor and his wife, Milcah.' So I gave her the ring and the bracelets. 48 "Then I bowed my head and worshiped the LORD. I praised the LORD, the God of my master, Abraham, because he had led me along the right path to find a wife from the family of my master's relatives. 49 So tell me-- will you or won't you show true kindness to my master? When you tell me, then I'll know what my next step should be, whether to move this way or that." 50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, "The LORD has obviously brought you here, so what can we say? 51 Here is Rebekah; take her and go. Yes, let her be the wife of your master's son, as the LORD has directed."


Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside. 2 Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached Jesus. He knelt before him, worshiping. "Lord," the man said, "if you want to, you can make me well again." 3 Jesus touched him. "I want to," he said. "Be healed!" And instantly the leprosy disappeared. 4 Then Jesus said to him, "Go right over to the priest and let him examine you. Don't talk to anyone along the way. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy, so everyone will have proof of your healing." 5 When Jesus arrived in Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, 6 "Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and racked with pain." 7 Jesus said, "I will come and heal him." 8 Then the officer said, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed! 9 I know, because I am under the authority of my superior officers and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, `Go, 'and they go, or `Come,' and they come. And if I say to my slaves, `Do this or that, 'they do it." 10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd, he said, "I tell you the truth, I haven't seen faith like this in all the land of Israel! 11 And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. 12 But many Israelites-- those for whom the Kingdom was prepared-- will be cast into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 13 Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, "Go on home. What you have believed has happened." And the young servant was healed that same hour. 14 When Jesus arrived at Peter's house, Peter's mother- in- law was in bed with a high fever. 15 But when Jesus touched her hand, the fever left her. Then she got up and prepared a meal for him. 16 That evening many demon- possessed people were brought to Jesus. All the spirits fled when he commanded them to leave; and he healed all the sick. 17 This fulfilled the word of the Lord through Isaiah, who said, "He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases."


LORD, have mercy on me.
See how I suffer at the hands of those who hate me.
Snatch me back from the jaws of death.
14 Save me, so I can praise you publicly at Jerusalem's gates,
so I can rejoice that you have rescued me.
15 The nations have fallen into the pit they dug for others.
They have been caught in their own trap.
16 The LORD is known for his justice.
The wicked have trapped themselves in their own snares.
Quiet Interlude17 The wicked will go down to the grave.
This is the fate of all the nations who ignore God.
18 For the needy will not be forgotten forever;
the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed.
19 Arise, O LORD!
Do not let mere mortals defy you!
Let the nations be judged in your presence!
20 Make them tremble in fear, O LORD.
Let them know they are merely human.


My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart, for they will give you a long and satisfying life. Never let loyalty and kindness get away from you! Wear them like a necklace; write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will gain a good reputation. Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths

What does the Bible say about you...Day 9

God is always thinking about you

Psalm 139:17,18

"How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand"

Most of us hope to have favor with our bosses or other people that are have some level of influence over our lives. Our hope is that some way we will be noticed and our lives will be made better because of the favor given.

The one who has influence over everything; knows you, sees you, recognizes you and will give you favor in all the areas you need.

You are never alone or abandoned. God is always thinking about you, which means he knows everything you are going though, understands what you are going through and is there for you!

What favor? What more favor can you have that having the all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present God always thing about you.

Think about that today!

Reading through the Word....Day 9

GENESIS 20:1- 22:24
MATTHEW 7:15- 29
PSALM 9:1- 12
PROVERBS 2:16- 22


Now Abraham moved south to the Negev and settled for a while between Kadesh and Shur at a place called Gerar. 2 Abraham told people there that his wife, Sarah, was his sister. So King Abimelech sent for her and had her brought to him at his palace. 3 But one night God came to Abimelech in a dream and told him, "You are a dead man, for that woman you took is married." 4 But Abimelech had not slept with her yet, so he said, "Lord, will you kill an innocent man? 5 Abraham told me, `She is my sister, 'and she herself said, `Yes, he is my brother.' I acted in complete innocence!" 6 "Yes, I know you are innocent," God replied. "That is why I kept you from sinning against me; I did not let you touch her. 7 Now return her to her husband, and he will pray for you, for he is a prophet. Then you will live. But if you don't return her to him, you can be sure that you and your entire household will die." 8 Abimelech got up early the next morning and hastily called a meeting of all his servants. When he told them what had happened, great fear swept through the crowd. 9 Then Abimelech called for Abraham. "What is this you have done to us?" he demanded. "What have I done to you that deserves treatment like this, making me and my kingdom guilty of this great sin? This kind of thing should not be done! 10 Why have you done this to us?" 11 "Well," Abraham said, "I figured this to be a godless place. I thought, `They will want my wife and will kill me to get her. '12 Besides, she is my sister-- we both have the same father, though different mothers-- and I married her. 13 When God sent me to travel far from my father's home, I told her, `Wherever we go, have the kindness to say that you are my sister.'" 14 Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen and servants-- both men and women-- and gave them to Abraham, and he returned his wife, Sarah, to him. 15 "Look over my kingdom, and choose a place where you would like to live," Abimelech told him. 16 Then he turned to Sarah. "Look," he said, "I am giving your `brother 'a thousand pieces of silver to compensate for any embarrassment I may have caused you. This will settle any claim against me in this matter." 17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and the other women of the household, so they could have children. 18 For the LORD had stricken all the women with infertility as a warning to Abimelech for having taken Abraham's wife. 21:1 THEN the LORD did exactly what he had promised. 2 Sarah became pregnant, and she gave a son to Abraham in his old age. It all happened at the time God had said it would. 3 And Abraham named his son Isaac. 4 Eight days after Isaac was born, Abraham circumcised him as God had commanded. 5 Abraham was one hundred years old at the time. 6 And Sarah declared, "God has brought me laughter! All who hear about this will laugh with me. 7 For who would have dreamed that I would ever have a baby? Yet I have given Abraham a son in his old age!" 8 As time went by and Isaac grew and was weaned, Abraham gave a big party to celebrate the happy occasion. 9 But Sarah saw Ishmael-- the son of Abraham and her Egyptian servant Hagar-- making fun of Isaac. 10 So she turned to Abraham and demanded, "Get rid of that servant and her son. He is not going to share the family inheritance with my son, Isaac. I won't have it!" 11 This upset Abraham very much because Ishmael was his son. 12 But God told Abraham, "Do not be upset over the boy and your servant wife. Do just as Sarah says, for Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted. 13 But I will make a nation of the descendants of Hagar's son because he also is your son." 14 So Abraham got up early the next morning, prepared food for the journey, and strapped a container of water to Hagar's shoulders. He sent her away with their son, and she walked out into the wilderness of Beersheba, wandering aimlessly. 15 When the water was gone, she left the boy in the shade of a bush. 16 Then she went and sat down by herself about a hundred yards away. "I don't want to watch the boy die," she said, as she burst into tears. 17 Then God heard the boy's cries, and the angel of God called to Hagar from the sky, "Hagar, what's wrong? Do not be afraid! God has heard the boy's cries from the place where you laid him. 18 Go to him and comfort him, for I will make a great nation from his descendants." 19 Then God opened Hagar's eyes, and she saw a well. She immediately filled her water container and gave the boy a drink. 20 And God was with the boy as he grew up in the wilderness of Paran. He became an expert archer, 21 and his mother arranged a marriage for him with a young woman from Egypt. 22 About this time, Abimelech came with Phicol, his army commander, to visit Abraham. "It is clear that God helps you in everything you do," Abimelech said. 23 "Swear to me in God's name that you won't deceive me, my children, or my grandchildren. I have been loyal to you, so now swear that you will be loyal to me and to this country in which you are living." 24 Abraham replied, "All right, I swear to it!" 25 Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well that Abimelech's servants had taken violently from Abraham's servants. 26 "This is the first I've heard of it," Abimelech said. "And I have no idea who is responsible. Why didn't you say something about this before?" 27 Then Abraham gave sheep and oxen to Abimelech, and they made a treaty. 28 But when Abraham took seven additional ewe lambs and set them off by themselves, 29 Abimelech asked, "Why are you doing that?" 30 Abraham replied, "They are my gift to you as a public confirmation that I dug this well." 31 So ever since, that place has been known as Beersheba-- "well of the oath"-- because that was where they had sworn an oath. 32 After making their covenant, Abimelech left with Phicol, the commander of his army, and they returned home to the land of the Philistines. 33 Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and he worshiped the LORD, the Eternal God, at that place. 34 And Abraham lived in Philistine country for a long time. 22:1 LATER on God tested Abraham's faith and obedience. "Abraham!" God called. "Yes," he replied. "Here I am." 2 "Take your son, your only son-- yes, Isaac, whom you love so much-- and go to the land of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will point out to you." 3 The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son Isaac. Then he chopped wood to build a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place where God had told him to go. 4 On the third day of the journey, Abraham saw the place in the distance. 5 "Stay here with the donkey," Abraham told the young men. "The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back." 6 Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac's shoulders, while he himself carried the knife and the fire. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac said, "Father?" "Yes, my son," Abraham replied. "We have the wood and the fire," said the boy, "but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?" 8 "God will provide a lamb, my son," Abraham answered. And they both went on together. 9 When they arrived at the place where God had told Abraham to go, he built an altar and placed the wood on it. Then he tied Isaac up and laid him on the altar over the wood. 10 And Abraham took the knife and lifted it up to kill his son as a sacrifice to the LORD. 11 At that moment the angel of the LORD shouted to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Yes," he answered. "I'm listening." 12 "Lay down the knife," the angel said. "Do not hurt the boy in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld even your beloved son from me." 13 Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a bush. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering on the altar in place of his son. 14 Abraham named the place "The LORD Will Provide." This name has now become a proverb:"On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided." 15 Then the angel of the LORD called again to Abraham from heaven, 16 "This is what the LORD says:Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your beloved son, I swear by my own self that 17 I will bless you richly. I will multiply your descendants into countless millions, like the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore. They will conquer their enemies, 18 and through your descendants, *all the nations of the earth will be blessed-- all because you have obeyed me." 19 Then they returned to Abraham's young men and traveled home again to Beersheba, where Abraham lived for quite some time. 20 Soon after this, Abraham heard that Milcah, his brother Nahor's wife, had borne Nahor eight sons. 21 The oldest was named Uz, the next oldest was Buz, followed by Kemuel (the father of Aram), 22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel. 23 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. 24 In addition to his eight sons from Milcah, Nahor had four other children from his concubine Reumah. Their names were Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.


"Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are really wolves that will tear you apart. 16 You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit. You don't pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles. 17 A healthy tree produces good fruit, and an unhealthy tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can't produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can't produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, the way to identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit that is produced. 21" Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as `Lord,' but they still won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven. 22 On judgment day many will tell me, `Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name. '23 But I will reply, `I never knew you. Go away; the things you did were unauthorized.' 24 "Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse, because it is built on rock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and ignores it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will fall with a mighty crash." 28 After Jesus finished speaking, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 for he taught as one who had real authority-- quite unlike the teachers of religious law.


For the choir director:A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune "Death of the Son."
1 I will thank you, LORD, with all my heart;
I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.
2 I will be filled with joy because of you.
I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.
3 My enemies turn away in retreat;
they are overthrown and destroyed before you.
4 For you have judged in my favor;
from your throne, you have judged with fairness.
5 You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
you have wiped out their names forever.
6 My enemies have met their doom;
their cities are perpetual ruins.
Even the memory of their uprooted cities is lost.
7 But the LORD reigns forever,
executing judgment from his throne.
8 He will judge the world with justice
and rule the nations with fairness.
9 The LORD is a shelter for the oppressed,
a refuge in times of trouble.
10 Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, O LORD, have never abandoned anyone who searches for you.
11 Sing praises to the LORD who reigns in Jerusalem.
Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds.
12 For he who avenges murder cares for the helpless.
He does not ignore those who cry to him for help.

Wisdom will save you from the immoral woman, from the flattery of the adulterous woman. She has abandoned her husband and ignores the covenant she made before God. Entering her house leads to death; it is the road to hell. The man who visits her is doomed. He will never reach the paths of life. Follow the steps of good men instead, and stay on the paths of the righteous. For only the upright will live in the land, and those who have integrity will remain in it. But the wicked will be removed from the land, and the treacherous will be destroyed

What the Bible has to say about you...Day 8

You are the beloved

Song of Songs 6:3

"I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine"


The book of Song of Songs (Song of Solomon) is a love story it is allegorical and natural, in other words it shows us God's great love for us and can be used to as an example of the love that a husband and wife should have for each other.

All of us have in our hearts and minds an idea of how we want to be loved. Some have a great relationship in their lives that allows them to live that idea, others are still hoping. 

This scripture reveals to us that the love we are looking for is already here. The Lord believes in us completely supports us totally, never gives up on us and is doing everything to make us feel loved.

There is no one that believes in you more than the Lord. There is no one that loves you more! There is no one that wants the best for you and wants you more fulfilled than the Lord.

Challenge yourself today to allow Him to show you this great love. He is always looking at you through the eyes of love! He believes in you!

Reading through the Bible....Day 8

GENESIS 18:16- 19:38
MATTHEW 6:25- 7:14
PSALM 8:1- 9
PROVERBS 2:6- 15

Then the men got up from their meal and started on toward Sodom. Abraham went with them part of the way. 17 "Should I hide my plan from Abraham?" the LORD asked. 18 "For Abraham will become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him. 19 I have singled him out so that he will direct his sons and their families to keep the way of the LORD and do what is right and just. Then I will do for him all that I have promised." 20 So the LORD told Abraham, "I have heard that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah are extremely evil, and that everything they do is wicked. 21 I am going down to see whether or not these reports are true. Then I will know." 22 The two other men went on toward Sodom, but the LORD remained with Abraham for a while. 23 Abraham approached him and said, "Will you destroy both innocent and guilty alike? 24 Suppose you find fifty innocent people there within the city-- will you still destroy it, and not spare it for their sakes? 25 Surely you wouldn't do such a thing, destroying the innocent with the guilty. Why, you would be treating the innocent and the guilty exactly the same! Surely you wouldn't do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?" 26 And the LORD replied, "If I find fifty innocent people in Sodom, I will spare the entire city for their sake." 27 Then Abraham spoke again. "Since I have begun, let me go on and speak further to my Lord, even though I am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose there are only forty- five? Will you destroy the city for lack of five?" And the LORD said, "I will not destroy it if I find forty- five." 29 Then Abraham pressed his request further. "Suppose there are only forty?" And the LORD replied, "I will not destroy it if there are forty." 30 "Please don't be angry, my Lord," Abraham pleaded. "Let me speak-- suppose only thirty are found?" And the LORD replied, "I will not destroy it if there are thirty." 31 Then Abraham said, "Since I have dared to speak to the Lord, let me continue-- suppose there are only twenty?" And the LORD said, "Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty." 32 Finally, Abraham said, "Lord, please do not get angry; I will speak but once more! Suppose only ten are found there?" And the LORD said, "Then, for the sake of the ten, I will not destroy it." 33 The LORD went on his way when he had finished his conversation with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his tent. 19:1 THAT evening the two angels came to the entrance of the city of Sodom, and Lot was sitting there as they arrived. When he saw them, he stood up to meet them. Then he welcomed them and bowed low to the ground. 2 "My lords," he said, "come to my home to wash your feet, and be my guests for the night. You may then get up in the morning as early as you like and be on your way again." "Oh no," they said, "we'll just spend the night out here in the city square." 3 But Lot insisted, so at last they went home with him. He set a great feast before them, complete with fresh bread made without yeast. After the meal, 4 as they were preparing to retire for the night, all the men of Sodom, young and old, came from all over the city and surrounded the house. 5 They shouted to Lot, "Where are the men who came to spend the night with you? Bring them out so we can have sex with them." 6 Lot stepped outside to talk to them, shutting the door behind him. 7 "Please, my brothers," he begged, "don't do such a wicked thing. 8 Look-- I have two virgin daughters. Do with them as you wish, but leave these men alone, for they are under my protection." 9 "Stand back!" they shouted. "Who do you think you are? We let you settle among us, and now you are trying to tell us what to do! We'll treat you far worse than those other men!" And they lunged at Lot and began breaking down the door. 10 But the two angels reached out and pulled Lot in and bolted the door. 11 Then they blinded the men of Sodom so they couldn't find the doorway. 12 "Do you have any other relatives here in the city?" the angels asked. "Get them out of this place-- sons- in- law, sons, daughters, or anyone else. 13 For we will destroy the city completely. The stench of the place has reached the LORD, and he has sent us to destroy it." 14 So Lot rushed out to tell his daughters 'fianc鳬 "Quick, get out of the city! The LORD is going to destroy it." But the young men thought he was only joking. 15 At dawn the next morning the angels became insistent. "Hurry," they said to Lot. "Take your wife and your two daughters who are here. Get out of here right now, or you will be caught in the destruction of the city." 16 When Lot still hesitated, the angels seized his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters and rushed them to safety outside the city, for the LORD was merciful. 17 "Run for your lives!" the angels warned. "Do not stop anywhere in the valley. And don't look back! Escape to the mountains, or you will die." 18 "Oh no, my lords, please," Lot begged. 19 "You have been so kind to me and saved my life, and you have granted me such mercy. But I cannot go to the mountains. Disaster would catch up to me there, and I would soon die. 20 See, there is a small village nearby. Please let me go there instead; don't you see how small it is? Then my life will be saved." 21 "All right," the angel said, "I will grant your request. I will not destroy that little village. 22 But hurry! For I can do nothing until you are there." From that time on, that village was known as Zoar. 23 The sun was rising as Lot reached the village. 24 Then the LORD rained down fire and burning sulfur from the heavens on Sodom and Gomorrah. 25 He utterly destroyed them, along with the other cities and villages of the plain, eliminating all life-- people, plants, and animals alike. 26 But Lot's wife looked back as she was following along behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. 27 The next morning Abraham was up early and hurried out to the place where he had stood in the LORD's presence. 28 He looked out across the plain to Sodom and Gomorrah and saw columns of smoke and fumes, as from a furnace, rising from the cities there. 29 But God had listened to Abraham's request and kept Lot safe, removing him from the disaster that engulfed the cities on the plain. 30 Afterward Lot left Zoar because he was afraid of the people there, and he went to live in a cave in the mountains with his two daughters. 31 One day the older daughter said to her sister, "There isn't a man anywhere in this entire area for us to marry. And our father will soon be too old to have children. 32 Come, let's get him drunk with wine, and then we will sleep with him. That way we will preserve our family line through our father." 33 So that night they got him drunk, and the older daughter went in and slept with her father. He was unaware of her lying down or getting up again. 34 The next morning the older daughter said to her younger sister, "I slept with our father last night. Let's get him drunk with wine again tonight, and you go in and sleep with him. That way our family line will be preserved." 35 So that night they got him drunk again, and the younger daughter went in and slept with him. As before, he was unaware of her lying down or getting up again. 36 So both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father. 37 When the older daughter gave birth to a son, she named him Moab. He became the ancestor of the nation now known as the Moabites. 38 When the younger daughter gave birth to a son, she named him Ben- ammi. He became the ancestor of the nation now known as the Ammonites.


"So I tell you, don't worry about everyday life-- whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes. Doesn't life consist of more than food and clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don't need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are. 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not. 28" And why worry about your clothes? Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won't he more surely care for you? You have so little faith! 31 "So don't worry about having enough food or drink or clothing. 32 Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, 33 and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern. 34" So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today. 7:1 "STOP judging others, and you will not be judged. 2 For others will treat you as you treat them. Whatever measure you use in judging others, it will be used to measure how you are judged. 3 And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye *when you have a log in your own? 4 How can you think of saying, `Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,' when you can't see past the log in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First get rid of the log from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye. 6" Don't give what is holy to unholy people. Don't give pearls to swine! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you. 7 "Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks. 9 You parents-- if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11 If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. 12" Do for others what you would like them to do for you. This is a summary of all that is taught in the law and the prophets. 13 "You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way. 14 But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it."


For the choir director:A psalm of David, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.
1 O LORD, our Lord, the majesty of your name fills the earth!
Your glory is higher than the heavens.
2 You have taught children and nursing infants
to give you praise.
They silence your enemies
who were seeking revenge.
3 When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers--
the moon and the stars you have set in place--
4 what are mortals that you should think of us,
mere humans that you should care for us?
5 For you made us only a little lower than God,
and you crowned us with glory and honor.
6 You put us in charge of everything you made,
giving us authority over all things--
7 the sheep and the cattle
and all the wild animals,
8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,
and everything that swims the ocean currents.
9 O LORD, our Lord, the majesty of your name fills the earth!

For the LORD grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of good sense to the godly. He is their shield, protecting those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of justice and protects those who are faithful to him. Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will know how to find the right course of action every time. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy. Wise planning will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe. Wisdom will save you from evil people, from those whose speech is corrupt. These people turn from right ways to walk down dark and evil paths. They rejoice in doing wrong, and they enjoy evil as it turns things upside down. What they do is crooked, and their ways are wrong