He loves you and guides you!
Ask fifty people to finish the statement "Live As If" and you are likely to get fifty different answers. For Christians it will mean something different than for non-Christians. Incorporated into the top graphic are the answers given by friends of mine. It is our desire that your answer will be different each time you visit.
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Bible and Quote - March 17-21
'Bible verse and quote' from Jan Couns
The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree; He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Psalm 92:12 Help me to quit saying, ‘This is the way I am,’ and remind me that I am capable of tremendous transformation with You. Beth Moore, b.1957, Christian author and teacher, So Long Insecurity
The righteous will still yield fruit in old age; They shall be full of sap and very green. Psalm 92:14 Grace is often most vigorous and fruitful when nature's strength decays. Thomas Coke, 1747- 1814, Welsh, first Methodist Bishop
Blessed is the man whom You chasten,
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Forgiveness
'God's Words For US' from Cecelia Lester
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)
“Be ye kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake, hath forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32 (KJV)
God’s word through the Apostle Paul, admonishes us to be kind and considerate to all we meet. The person ahead of us at the grocery store check-out line sees we have one or two items and tells us to go ahead of him or her. The member of the gas crew, working at a neighboring house,
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The Lost Child
'Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life' from Tom Kelley
An amazing story has come out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A woman named Luz Cuevas saw her six year old daughter at a birthday party she was attending. Why is that amazing? Her daughter had been declared dead six years ago in a house fire.
Here is what went down. In 1997 Cuevas was married to Pedro Vera who, that year, had fathered their daughter Delimar. A fire suddenly blazed in Delimar's room where she was supposedly sleeping. The blaze was so hot and so sudden that no one was able to get into the room to rescue the child whom fire officials assumed burned in the blaze.
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Faith and Reason
''Winging It' from Stan Smith
You know as well as I do that many (most?) people pit faith against reason. That is, they assume something like, "Faith is something you believe for no reason." Some go further and claim that faith is when you believe in something that the evidence says isn't true. Not the absence of reason, but in the face of it. So imagine my surprise when I came across this interesting statement from the pen of Luke, the physician.
In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up, after he had given commands through
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A Guide for the Trip
'The Way' from Kevin Pauley
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path…My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end. – Psalm 119:105
Men are notorious for not reading instructions. They don’t want to read the map or ask directions. We laugh and many sitcoms have used this premise as the basis for a comic situation. “How foolish of him to be so arrogant as to think he can go it alone!” we think. What is it that makes us feel this way?
We learn as children that to learn something, we must ask someone older, wiser than ourselves. Ideally, this lesson
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Comfort, A Gospel Staple (12-28-10)
'Today's Little Lift' from Jim Bullington
There is a Bible story that is as timeless as God Himself. At this time of the year it is told and retold more than at any other season. It has been dubbed the Christmas Story because tradition (whether correct in chronology or not) has it that at this time of year Messiah was born. Because we are engaged in a study of Comfort in the context of God being The God of All Comfort, this story is absolutely appropriate. For this reason, the following passage from Luke 1 is quoted in its entirety without comment (numbers in parentheses indicate the verse numbers within this chapter):
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Not Many are Thirsty for More of God If You Are, Come and Drink!
'Word from Scotland' from Sandy Shaw
Would you like something free and as much of it as you needed? The price has already been paid and the gift on offer is priceless.
There was a man who called out to all who were thirsty to come and drink. He even pointed out the source of the refreshing waters. His name was Isaiah, and I would encourage you
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Change is Good
'Voice of Inspiration' from Andy Castro
Jeremiah 18:3-4
3Then I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he was working at the wheel.
4And the vessel that he was making from clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he made it over, reworking it into another vessel as it seemed good to the potter to make it.
I am intrigued with these scriptures. They are very telling of Gods authority and great love.
In context, God is talking about Israel. But I’m thinking of Job. Job is described in Job 1:1 (Amp) as a man that was blameless and upright, and one who [reverently] feared God and abstained
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Don't wrestle with pigs...
'Refreshment in Refuge' from Gina Burgess
Sage advice from Michael Hyatt, former CEO of Thomas Nelson. Who would want to wrestle with pigs?
Isn't that just what we do when we fire back at someone who has hurt our feelings, which is what Michael Hyatt is saying. It isn't worth the fight for Believers to jab and stab at every opportunity, is it. I have heard some folks wax on proudly that they have some great debating skills like being cutting with words is something to be proud of. Well, in my book it isn't. How could that edify the body?
Solomon has a great deal to say about self-control when anger threatens
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God And Our Circumstances
''Christ in You...'' from Dale Krebbs
Are you discouraged by that you see in your life, what is happening around you, and that which you may hear about?
It becomes easy to begin to wonder where God is, and where He is taking you, where you are going. You begin to question your relationship with Him, and others around you. He has said He will NEVER leave us or forsake us. It may seem impossible to measure your relationship with Christ, because of the circumstances in your life that are beyond your control.
Yes you agree with the scripture that says that “all things work together for good…”.,
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Communicate your Image Well
'Inspiration For You' from Randy Mitchell
Learning to write, speak, express, and socialize well are some of the most valuable items a person can conquer. They aren’t easily learned, oftentimes taking lots of time and pain to master, but once properly accomplished, they can benefit both your personal and professional life in so many ways.
Let’s start with writing. Since I began learning the art of creating stories, I’ve been enduring a crash course in grammar, language, punctuation, and dialogue. Anytime I sit down to place together a series of words, I make a repetitive, conscious effort to spell check,
There are professional golfers and then there are those rare men who play golf for a living. The professional golfers are those for whom the game is not a job. It is their identity. Some years ago I talked with Hubert Green in an airport in Columbus, Ohio as he was coming in for the Memorial Tournament at Jack's place in Dublin. (for those who do not watch golf, that's Muirfield Village Golf Club designed by Jack Nicklaus)Hubert Green told
Daily Refractions
Words to Ponder
I could scarcely reconcile myself at first to this strange way of preaching in the fields, of which Whitfield set me an example on Sunday; having been all my life (till very lately) so tenacious of every point relating to decency and order, that I should have thought the saving of souls almost a sin, if it had not been done in a church. - John Wesley's Journal
'Daily Reading Plan'
from StudyLight.org
Bible-in-a-Year NAS
1 Samuel 21-22; Psalms 66; Romans 11:25-36:
David said to Ahimelech the priest, "The king has commissioned me with a matter and has said to me, 'No one is to know anything about the matter on which I am sending you and with which I have commissioned you; and I have directed the young men to a certain place.' "Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found." The priest answered David and said, "There is no ordinary bread on hand, but