#0002143

Genuine moral fiber is developed by enduring the discipline of faith. When you have made your request to God, and the answer still has not come, what are you to do? Keep on believing His Word! Never be swayed from it by what you may see or feel.Then as you stand firm, your power and experience is being developed, strengthened. and deepened. When you remain unswayed from your stance of faith, even in view of contradictions to God's Word, you grow stronger on every front. He worked this way in the lives of all the great Bible characters. Abraham, Moses, and Elijah were not great in the beginning but made great through the discipline of their faith. Only through that discipline were they then equipped for the work to which God had called them...-LBCowman, Streams..............Mark9:23 "Everything is possible for him who believes."

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#0002144

We pray for love for others, and God sends unique suffering by sending people our way who are difficult to love and who say things that get on our nerves and tear at our heart. He does this because 'love is patient, love is kind. . . . It is not rude, . . . it is not easily angered. . . . It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails'(1Cor13:4-8). Yes, we pray to be like Jesus, and God's answer is: "I have tested you in the furnace of affliction"(Isa48:10); "Will your courage endure or your hands be strong?"(Eze22:14); "Can you drink the cup?"(Mat20:22). The way to peace and victory is to accept every circumstance and every trial as being straight from the hand of our loving Father and divinely appointed...- Cowman- Reimann, Streams.....Eph2:4,5 "But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. It is only by God's grace that you have been saved.”

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#0002145

If you are idle, be not solitary if you are solitary be not idle...- Samuel Johnson..........Jn15:15 "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you."

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#0002146

He who knows enough is enough will always have enough...- Lao Tzu.................Prv16:3 "Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established."

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#0002147

"So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law(Gal5:1).- For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love(Gal5:13). For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself(v14).' But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another(v15). So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves(v16). The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions(v17). But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.”

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#0002148

"We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ(2Cor3:4). It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God(v5). He has enabled us to be ministers of His new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death: but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life(v6). The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses' face. For His face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away(v7). Shouldn't we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life(v8)."

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#0002149

"If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God(2 Cor3:9)! In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way(v10). So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever! Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold(v12). We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away(v13). But the peoples minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ(v14). Yes, even today when the read Moses' writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand(v15). But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away(v16).

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#0002150

Without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods...- Aristotle.....2Cor3:1-3 "Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? Are we like others, who need to bring you letters of recommendation, or who ask you to write such letters on their behalf? Surely not! The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. Your lives are a letter written in our hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This 'letter' is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts."

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#0002151

"So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord--Who is the Spirit--makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.(2Cor3:18)- Therefore, since God in His mercy has given us this new way, we never give up(2Cor4:1). We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don't try to trick anyone or distort the Word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this(v2). If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing(v3). Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the mind of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God(v4). You see, we don't go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus sake(v5). For God, Who said, "Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

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#0002152

When people get married, they immediately have a new perspective and begin to act accordingly. This is how it should be when we take Christ as our Savior, our Sanctifier, our Healer, our Deliverer, our Redeemer. He expects us to have a new perspective, in which we recognize Him in the capacity and the role we have trusted Him for, and in which we allow Him to be everything to us we have claimed by faith...- Cowman-Reimann, Messages for the Morning Watch, Streams........Gen24:15,26,27 "Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. . . . Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord saying, 'Praise be to the Lord, . . . who has not abandoned His kindness and faithfulness."

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#0002153

The power to bring me out of solitude--or to push me back into it--had never belonged to another person. It was mine and only mine...- Martha Beck.....2Cor12:8-10 "Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time He said, 'My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.' So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

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#0002154

My life is one long curve, full of turning points...- Pierre Elliott Trudeau.....2Cor13:3,4 "I will give you all the proof you want that Christ speaks through me. Christ is not weak when He deals with you; He is powerful among you. Although He was crucified in weakness, He now lives by the power of God. We, too, are weak, just as Christ was, but when we deal with you we will be alive with Him and will have God's power."

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#0002155

Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out...- Vaclav Havel...........Prv13:12 "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life."

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#0002156

"We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves(2Cor4:7). We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed but not driven to despair(v8). We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed(v9). Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies(v10).- That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day(2Cor4:16). For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever(v17)! So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever(v18).

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#0002157

There is no surprise more magical than the surprise of being loved, it is God's finger on man's shoulder...- Charles Langbridge Morgan.....Luke10:41,42 "Martha, Martha, thou are careful and troubled about many things: but one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

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#0002158

The object of the superior man is truth... - Confucius.......Rom8:12-14 "Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God."

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#0002159

"Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them(Psa39:6).- What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed(Rom6:21)?- These things I have spoken unto you that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world(Jn16:33).- The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: the Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace(Num6:24-26)."

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#002160

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters(Psa23:1,2).- The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak(Mat26:41).- He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged(Isa42:3).- For He knows how weak we are; He remembers we are only dust. Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. The wind blows and we are gone--as though we had never been here. But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear Him. His salvation extends to the children's children of those who are faithful to His covenant, of those who obey His commandments(Psa103:14-18)!"

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#0002161

"Don't team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness(2Cor6:14)? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever(v15)? And what union can there be between God's temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: 'I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people(v16). Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them,' says the Lord. Don't touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you(v17). And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters,' says the Lord Almighty(v18)."

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#0002162

"The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him: and the Lord shall cover Him all the day long, and He shall dwell between his shoulders(Deut33:12).- There were many priests under the old system, for death prevented them from remaining in office(Heb7:23). But because Jesus lives forever, His priesthood lasts forever(v24). Therefore He is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through Him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf(v25).- So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe(Heb4:14). This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin(v16). So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most(v16)."

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#0002163

"The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him(2Chr16:9).- We know that all things work together for good to them that love God(Rom8:28).- Surely the wrath of man shall praise Thee: the remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain(Psa76:10).- Your road led through the sea, Your pathway through the mighty waters--a pathway no one knew was there. You led Your people along that road like a flock of sheep, with Moses and Aaron as their shepherds(Psa77:19,20).- Who can be compared with the Lord our God, Who is enthroned on high? He stoops to look down on heaven and on earth(Psa113:5,6).- All the people of the earth are nothing compared to Him. He does as He pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth. No one can stop Him or say to Him, 'What do you mean by doing these things(Dan4:35)?- His rule is everlasting, and His Kingdom is eternal(Dan4:34b)."

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#0002164

"Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too(2Cor5:11). Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart(v12). If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit(v13). Either way, Christ's love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life(v14). He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them(v15)."

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#0002165

"So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know Him now(2Cor5:16)! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun(v17)! And all of this is a gift from God who brought us back to Himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him(v18). For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation(v19). So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, 'Come back to God(v20)!' For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ(v21)."

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#0002166

I try to do the right thing at the right time. They may just be little things, but usually they make the difference between winning and losing... - KareemAbdul-Jabar............1Tim4:8 "Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come."

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#0002167

I try to do the right thing at the right time.They may just be little things, but usually they make the difference between winning and losing... - KareemAbdul-Jabar.....1Tim4:8 "Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come."

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#0002168

The virtuous soul that is alone and without a master is like a lone burning coal; it will grow colder rather than hotter... -John of the Cross..........Psa36:7-9 "How excellent is Thy loving kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Thy house; and Thou shalt make them drink of the river of Thy pleasures. For with Thee is the fountain of life: in Thy light shall we see light."

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#0002169

And all people live, Not by reason of any care they have for themselves, But by the love for them that is in other people...- Leo Tolstoy........2Tim2:19 "The Lord knoweth them that are His.- Jn10:14,27,28 "I Am the good shepherd, and know My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand."