Saturday, June 30, 2018

"Rich in Mercy" for Saturday, 30 June 2018 goTandem

"Rich in Mercy" for Saturday, 30 June 2018
goTandem
"Rich in Mercy"
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! (Ephesians 2:4-5)
Are you able to practice this kind of love?
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"The Inevitable Penalty" by Oswald Chambers from My Utmost for His Highest for Sunday, 1 July 2018 Daily Devotional

"The Inevitable Penalty" by Oswald Chambers from My Utmost for His Highest for Sunday, 1 July 2018 Daily Devotional
"The Inevitable Penalty" by Oswald Chambers
Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou have paid the uttermost farthing. (MATTHEW 5:26 (RV))
“There is no heaven with a little of hell in it.” God is determined to make you pure and holy and right; He will not allow you to escape for one moment from the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit. He urged you to come to judgment right away when He convicted you, but you did not; the inevitable process began to work and now you are in prison, and you will only get out when you have paid the uttermost farthing. “Is this a God of mercy, and of love?” you say. Seen from God’s side, it is a glorious ministry of love. God is going to bring you out pure and spotless and undefiled; but He wants you to recognize the disposition you were showing — the disposition of your right to yourself. The moment you are willing that God should alter your disposition, His re-creating forces will begin to work. The moment you realize God’s purpose, which is to get you rightly related to Himself and then to your fellow men, He will tax the last limit of the universe to help you take the right road. Decide it now — “Yes, Lord, I will write that letter to-night”; “I will be reconciled to that man now.”
These messages of Jesus Christ are for the will and the conscience, not for the head. If you dispute the Sermon on the Mount with your head, you will blunt the appeal to your heart.
“I wonder why I don’t go on with God”! Are you paying your debts from God’s standpoint? Do now what you will have to do some day. Every moral call has an “ought” behind it. (From My Utmost for His Highest Classic Edition)
Bible in One Year: Job 20-21; Acts 10:24-48Job 20:1 Tzofar the Na‘amati replied,
2 “My thoughts are pressing me to answer;
I feel such an urge to speak!
3 I have heard reproof that outrages me,
but a spirit past my understanding gives me a reply.
4 “Don’t you know that ever since time began,
ever since humans were placed on earth,
5 that the triumph of the wicked is always short-lived,
and the joy of the ungodly is gone in a moment?
6 His pride may mount to the heavens,
his head may touch the clouds;
7 but he will vanish completely, like his own dung —
those who used to see him will ask, ‘Where is he?’
8 Like a dream he flies off and is not found again;
like a vision in the night he is chased away.
9 The eye which once saw him will see him no more,
his place will not behold him again.
10 His children will have to pay back the poor;
his hands will restore their wealth.
11 His bones may be filled with [the vigor of] his youth,
but it will join him lying in the dust.
12 “Wickedness may taste sweet in his mouth,
he may savor and roll it around on his tongue,
13 he may linger over it and not let it go
but keep it there in his mouth —
14 yet in his stomach his food goes bad,
it works inside him like snake venom;
15 the wealth he swallows he vomits back up;
God makes him disgorge it.
16 He sucks the poison of asps,
the viper’s fangs will kill him.
17 He will not enjoy the rivers,
the streams flowing with honey and cream.
18 He will have to give back what he toiled for;
he won’t get to swallow it down —
to the degree that he acquired wealth,
he won’t get to enjoy it.
19 “For he crushed and abandoned the poor,
seizing houses he did not build,
20 because his appetite would not let him rest,
in his greed he let nothing escape;
21 nothing is left that he did not devour;
therefore his well-being will not last.
22 With all needs satisfied, he will be in distress;
the full force of misery will come over him.
23 “This is what will fill his belly! —
[God] will lay on him all his burning anger
and make it rain over him, into his insides.
24 If he flees from the weapon of iron,
the bow of bronze will pierce him through —
25 he pulls the arrow out of his back,
the shining tip comes out from his innards;
terrors come upon him.
26 “Total darkness is laid up for his treasures,
a fire fanned by no one will consume him,
and calamity awaits what is left in his tent.
27 The heavens will reveal his guilt,
and the earth will rise up against him.
28 The income of his household will be carried off;
his goods will flow away on the day of his wrath.
29 This is God’s reward for the wicked,
the heritage God decrees for him.”
21:1 Then Iyov responded:
2 “Listen carefully to my words;
let this be the comfort you give me.
3 Bear with me as I speak;
then, after I have spoken, you can go on mocking.
4 “As for me, is my complaint merely to other people?
Don’t I have grounds for being short-tempered?
5 Look at me, and be appalled;
cover your mouth with your hand!
6 Whenever I recall it, I am in shock;
my whole body shudders.
7 “Why do the wicked go on living,
grow old and keep increasing their power?
8 They see their children settled with them,
their posterity assured.
9 Their houses are safe, with nothing to fear;
God’s rod is not on them.
10 Their bulls are fertile without fail,
their cows get pregnant and don’t miscarry.
11 They produce flocks of babies,
and their children dance around.
12 They sing with tambourines and lyres
and rejoice to the sound of the pipe.
13 They spend their days in prosperity
and go down to the grave in peace.
14 “Yet to God they said, ‘Leave us alone!
We don’t want to know about your ways.
15 What is Shaddai, that we should serve him?
What do we gain if we pray to him?’
16 Isn’t their prosperity already theirs?
The plans of the wicked are far from me.
17 “How often is the lamp of the wicked put out?
How often does their calamity come upon them?
How often does [God] deal out pain in his anger,
18 to make them like straw in the wind,
like chaff carried off by a storm?
19 God lays up for their children
[the punishment for their] iniquity.
He should lay it on [the wicked] themselves,
so that they can feel it!
20 Let their own eyes see their own destruction
and themselves drink the wrath of Shaddai.
21 What joy can they have in their family after them,
given that their months are numbered?
22 “Can anyone teach God knowledge?
After all, he judges those who are on high.
23 One person dies in his full strength,
completely at ease and content;
24 his pails are full of milk,
and the marrow in his bones is moist.
25 Another dies with embittered heart,
never having tasted happiness.
26 They lie down alike in the dust,
and the worm covers them both.
27 “Look, I know what you are thinking
and your plans to do me wrong.
28 You ask, ‘Where is the great man’s house?
Where is the tent where the wicked once lived?’
29 Haven’t you ever questioned travelers?
Don’t you accept their testimony
30 that the evil man is saved on the day of disaster,
rescued on the day of wrath?
31 So who will confront him with his ways?
Who will repay him for what he has done?
32 For he is carried off to the grave,
people keep watch over his tomb,
33 the clods of the valley are sweet to him;
so everyone follows his example,
just as before him were countless others.
34 “Why offer me such meaningless comfort?
Of your answers, only the perfidy remains.”
Acts 10:24 and he arrived at Caesarea the day after that. Cornelius was expecting them — he had already called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Kefa entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell prostrate at his feet. 26 But Kefa pulled him to his feet and said, “Stand up! I myself am just a man.”
27 As he talked with him, Kefa went inside and found many people gathered. 28 He said to them, “You are well aware that for a man who is a Jew to have close association with someone who belongs to another people, or to come and visit him, is something that just isn’t done. But God has shown me not to call any person common or unclean; 29 so when I was summoned, I came without raising any questions. Tell me, then, why did you send for me?”
30 Cornelius answered, “Three days ago around this time, I was at minchah prayers in my house, when suddenly a man in shining clothes stood in front of me 31 and said, ‘God has heard your prayer and remembered your acts of charity. 32 Now send to Yafo and ask for Shim‘on, known as Kefa; he is staying in the house of Shim‘on, a leather-tanner, by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. Now all of us are here in the presence of God to hear everything the Lord has ordered you to say.”
34 Then Kefa addressed them: “I now understand that God does not play favorites, 35 but that whoever fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him, no matter what people he belongs to.
36 “Here is the message that he sent to the sons of Isra’el announcing shalom through Yeshua the Messiah, who is Lord of everything. 37 You know what has been going on throughout Y’hudah, starting from the Galil after the immersion that Yochanan proclaimed; 38 how God anointed Yeshua from Natzeret with the Ruach HaKodesh and with power; how Yeshua went about doing good and healing all the people oppressed by the Adversary, because God was with him.
39 “As for us, we are witnesses of everything he did, both in the Judean countryside and in Yerushalayim. They did away with him by hanging him on a stake;[Acts 10:39 Deuteronomy 21:23] 40 but God raised him up on the third day and let him be seen, 41 not by all the people, but by witnesses God had previously chosen, that is, by us, who ate and drank with him after he had risen again from the dead.
42 “Then he commanded us to proclaim and attest to the Jewish people that this man has been appointed by God to judge the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets bear witness to him, that everyone who puts his trust in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
44 Kefa was still saying these things when the Ruach HaKodeshfell on all who were hearing the message. 45 All the believers from the Circumcision faction who had accompanied Kefa were amazed that the gift of the Ruach HaKodesh was also being poured out 46 on the Goyim, for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Kefa’s response was, 47 “Is anyone prepared to prohibit these people from being immersed in water? After all, they have received the Ruach HaKodesh, just as we did.” 48 And he ordered that they be immersed in the name of Yeshua the Messiah. Then they asked Kefa to stay on with them for a few days. (Complete Jewish Bible).
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WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One Who is leading.
 (from My Utmost for His Highest, March 19, 761 L)
My Utmost for His Highest © 1992 by Oswald Chambers Publications Association, Ltd. Original edition © 1935 by Dodd, Mead & Company, Inc. Copyright renewed 1963 by Oswald Chambers Publications Association, Ltd. All rights reserved. United States publication rights are held by Discovery House, which is affiliated with Our Daily Bread Ministries.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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"July 2018 eShmooze Letter" for Saturday, 30 June 2018 from The Word of Messiah in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States

"July 2018 eShmooze Letter" for Saturday, 30 June 2018 from The Word of Messiah in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
July 2018
Sharing Your Faith by Sam Nadler
Sharing your faith is part of your living, growing, spiritual relationship in the Lord. Sharing your faith is your relating to people outside of the body of Messiah.
(Continue to read more...) Sharing your faith is part of your living, growing, spiritual relationship in the Lord. Sharing your faith is your relating to people outside of the body of Messiah. Sharing your faith is also known as “witnessing”, “testifying”, or “attesting.” In fact, believers in Yeshua have not only the power but also the same God-given responsibility to let others know the Good News. For Yeshua said in Matthew 10:32-33, “Whoever will confess Me before men, I will also confess that person before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever will deny me before men, I will deny that person before my Father who is in heaven.”
God doesn’t give a believer responsibility without first giving him the power to fulfill that responsibility. The New Covenant teaches that all believers are especially enabled by the Holy Spirit to share the faith as His witnesses.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Acts 1:8 also shows that a witness is who you are, not merely what you do. When someone witnesses a crime, that person is a witness whether they say anything or not. So also, you are His witness as well. There are various ways to share your faith. Let’s consider four of them.
THE PRACTICAL WITNESS: In Matthew 5:15-16, the Messiah taught us to be practical: “Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
This speaks of a house testimony, how we are to live in order to earn the right to be heard. The evidence of a changed life is, as witness, all believers are expected and enabled to provide. Thus, this practical witness earns you the right to be heard, and brings glory to your Heavenly Father!
THE PRIVATE WITNESS: Think of someone you could share important personal matters with in private. What can be more important than the Great News of Messiah? (John 1:45). There are many prophecies about Yeshua written by Moses and the Prophets. Take the time to read and familiarize yourself with at least some of these prophesies. Especially focus on Isaiah 52:13-53:12. When you share your faith, remember that you are planting a seed, not the whole tree!
THE PUBLIC WITNESS: There are times when the Lord provides opportunities for believers to publicly proclaim their faith. These are opportunities that are usually reserved for the experienced believers, trained and mature in their faith.
THE PERSUASIVE WITNESS: As it states in 2 Corinthians 5:11, “knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men.”What motivates a persuasive witness? “knowing the fear of the Lord.” You should never be a “pushy” witness, but you should be a persuasive witness. Sometimes this is the particular gift of God that the Holy Spirit enables you with.
“But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills” (1 Corinthians 12:11).
Though the gift of persuasion may not be given to every believer, one should be prepared to confidently present your faith and “to give an answer for the hope that is within you” (1 Peter 3:15b).
We have developed materials to equip all believers to share their faith with confidence, such as “The Messianic Answer Book” and the “Even You Can Share” booklet. Additionally, we have recorded a ten-session video course entitled “Share Messiah” seminar on our website, which can prove to be a great resource to you or your congregation. It was encouraging to hear from Heather in Montreal, Canada:
Dear Sam,
I watched your teaching in the “Share Messiah” series of videos, and literally the scales fell off my eyes. I’m a fairly new believer, although raised in a gentile home, I knew Jesus was Jewish but never really thought about it. It’s as if we gentiles are given a Nordic, anglicized version of the Jewish Scriptures.
I have to say, you really brought this home to me. My life has changed so much for the better since I became a believer, and it is really thanks to the Jewish people and their Scriptures. Thanks so much for your teaching.
Blessings in Yeshua,
Heather
Remember, the idea is to build relationships through asking questions, having genuine concern for the other person, and by being there for your friend whenever there is a need: Messiah’s love is still the best witness of all (John 13:34-35). Let’s reach out together to all, with the Good News of our Messiah!
READ MORE
Give Me Liberty...In Messiah! by Sam Nadler
In history, our nation’s forefathers sought liberty from the tyranny of England’s King George. They believed that since we are creations, beings created to live in relationship to the Creator, certain truths are self–evident.
(Continue to read more...) In history, our nation’s forefathers sought liberty from the tyranny of England’s King George. They believed that since we are creations, beings created to live in relationship to the Creator, certain truths are self–evident. Namely, that all people are created equal, and such truth demands ‘liberty and justice for all.’ In Scripture, liberty brings forth many blessings. In the world in which we live, we see an interesting phenomenon in some recently liberated countries: liberty does not always, in and of itself, provide blessing. In fact, we see that liberty without godliness produces insecurity, looting and terror. In Messiah, however, liberty is an opportunity to have personal fulfillment in the very purpose of our creation.
Liberty brings Release from Bondage
The prophet Isaiah wrote that one of the things Messiah was to accomplish would be to bring about freedom and liberty: “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners” (Isaiah 61:1). This portion is explicitly fulfilled by Yeshua in Luke 4:16-21. The promise is that the Messiah will set the captives free. But captives of what? Freedom from what? Often we think of freedom in political, health related, or economic terms: slaves freed from an evil master, deliverance from the ravages of disease, or a person freed from the bondage of poverty. Being set free provides the liberty to make choices that are no longer limited by a master, illness, or financial restrictions. This is certainly a freedom that most people desire and even seek. But the Bible speaks of a deeper freedom and a greater liberty. The Scripture speaks of a freedom from the mastery of sin. Sin not only defiles the soul, but also perverts our liberty into a license that results in an even worse bondage. Biblical liberty sets people free to fulfill the very purpose of their creation, to enjoy a relationship with God. Some might object, “With all His rules, God is a great limitation on my liberty!” Not at all. Just as a train is only fulfilled and free while on the track, so we are only fulfilled and free when we are “on track” in His will, which is revealed in His word. Though you may have been derailed by sin, freedom can be enjoyed when His word is applied.
In this regard, the New Covenant writer, Paul, along with Moses, Isaiah, and all the prophets declares with one voice: “It was for freedom that Messiah set us free; therefore, keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galations 5:1, 13). Peter also warns in his first letter, “Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bond slaves of God” (1 Peter 2:16). In fact, he then states in 1 Peter 2:19 that false teachers teach an abuse of ‘liberty’ that is mere licentiousness, “promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.” While sin promises freedom, it ensnares the soul in further misery. Therefore, let us stand firm in the freedom and grace we have in Messiah!
Liberty brings Restoration for Creation
This liberty is not for us alone but for all creation, as Paul also writes: “that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). The only hope for all creation is our promised glory and liberty in Messiah. In fact, it might be said that we are ‘joined at the hip’ with creation. We were created in His image to represent Him in creation. But sin came in. Therefore, the creation is now subject to vanity, or ‘corruption’ (Romans 8:20). Life, apart from the Lord of Life, is empty and vain, regardless of your wealth, or prominence. This world cannot fulfill you. In Genesis 3:16-19, God imposed His judgement on creation along with Adam and Eve. Isn’t that unfair? No, not at all. Creation was created for us (and was under the dominion of man), so it was judged along with us. In a paradigm shift, one change affects the whole. Just as man’s greed has polluted rivers and streams, so man’s fall corrupted all creation. But corruption was never designed to be final. There is hope for creation as surely as Messiah has been raised from the dead for us. If, for man’s sin, the earth was cursed, so creation shares in man’s redemption. Presently we are hidden with Messiah in God. At our glorious revelation with the Lord at His Second Coming, the earth itself will be healed, and ‘the lion will lay down with the lamb (yearling)’ (Isaiah 11:6)! Creation itself needs freedom and redemption, but it’s dependent upon us! Creation’s hope is in our revelation. Why desire the world’s glory, when it depends on ours?! Do not look to the creation, but to the Creator for fulfillment. As good as it gets here, is as good as it will ever be for non-believers. But the best experience this world offers is incomparable to the glory that will follow. For eye has not seen nor has ear heard what God has prepared for those that love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9)! In your freedom stay on track, and don’t live by the world’s values, but in Messiah’s victory and grace.
Liberty Brings A Return to Blessing
“You shall thus consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a release through the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family”(Leviticus 25:10).
The liberty that brings release was a release to return to both home and family. This is the picture that points to Messiah’s true liberty and jubilee. God created us in His image not only to represent Him to the world, but also to relate to Him forever. When sin entered the world and our souls, it separated us from relating rightly to God. Isaiah declares, “…Sin has separated you from your God…” (Isaiah 59:1, 2). Thus, when we repent (teshuvah, to turn back) we are literally turning away from the sin which causes separation, and turning back to God. It is for this relationship that all our hearts hunger; it is this fulfillment that liberty provides in Messiah. But without the Lord, liberty is a mirage that leads to a “dry and weary land where there is no water“ (Psalm 63:1). Like money, or any other resource, freedom requires faithfulness in order to find fulfillment. “But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides in it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does” (Jacob/James 1:25). Ultimately, liberty is opportunity for the Lord to provide your thirsty soul with what it really needs: His Love in Yeshua.
As we rejoice in our liberty, let us pray for Iraqis, Afganis, Israelis, and other “liberated” peoples to look to God’s word to live out that liberty for His glory, and for their eternal blessing.READ MORE
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The Lutheran Hour Ministries Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries By Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour Daily Devotion - Sunday, July 1, 2018 "False Faces"

The Lutheran Hour Ministries Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries By Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour Daily Devotion - Sunday, July 1, 2018 "False Faces"
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries By Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour "False Faces" for Sunday, July 1, 2018
2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Lisa Giaconda was the lady who served as the model for the Mona Lisa.
I wonder, when the painting was finished did she turn to da Vinci and say,
1. "Lenny, do I really look that chubby? Couldn't you have taken off a few pounds?"
2. "And my eyes, why didn't you get rid of those circles and add a little eye shadow?"
3. "It's not a bad picture as far as oil paintings go, but I don't like my smile. It's really not a smile at all. It's sort of a snicker-smile. I know you're an artist and all that, but I'm going to be looking at this painting for a long time, so I want to make sure it's done right. Let's try it again, okay?"
Of course, the art history books record no such conversation ever having taken place, but I'd be surprised if something like that didn't happen. That's because most people don't like the way they look.
Talk to the supermodel whose mug is on a multitude of magazines; visit with the actress whose countenance has filled the largest movie screen and, they will, without hesitation, give you a complete list of the things which are wrong with their faces and figures. Because we are obsessed by appearances, tabloids regularly run features on the celebrities who have let themselves go to pot, and articles about the stars who have taken off too much weight too fast.
Of course, you don't have to be a model or a movie star for the average person to think a few improvements are in order. If you doubt that, ask people about their New Year's resolutions.
You should know this exterior stuff is not what God sees when He looks at you.
When God gazes upon you, He sees past the shell; when God looks at you, He sees your interior: your mind and soul. Even if you're a pretty nice individual, even if you try to be a person of honor, even if you work hard at being the best you can be, you, like all of humanity, have your flaws and failings, your shortcomings, and yes, your sins.
Talking about the part of us which God sees, the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah said, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 'I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds'" (Jeremiah 17:9-10).
Think about it. Our happiness depends on people not seeing what we're thinking, not knowing all we're doing. If our thoughts of lust, greed, anger, pride were all flashed on our faces so everyone could read them, who among us would show ourselves in public ever again?
Knowing who we really are and recognizing we could never change ourselves, the Heavenly Father decided to bring about some changes. Unlike a change made to a person's external appearance, the changes God initiated changed our hearts, our minds, our relationship with Him, and our eternity. Through the sacrifice of His Son and the faith-giving work of the Holy Spirit, the old is gone, the new has come.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, create in me a new heart and renew a right spirit within me. In Jesus' Name I pray it. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Ecclesiastes 10-12; Acts 10:24-48Ecclesiastes 10:1 Just as dead flies make perfumed oil stink,
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 A wise man’s heart leads him rightly,
but a fool’s heart leads him astray;
3 and when a fool travels, he has no good sense,
thus showing everyone that he is a fool.
4 If a ruler gets angry at you, stay at your post,
because calmness soothes great offenses.
5 Another evil I have seen under the sun,
the kind of mistake rulers make, is that
6 fools are promoted to high positions,
while the rich occupy humble places.
7 I have seen servants riding horses,
while princes walk on foot like slaves.
8 He who digs a pit may fall into it;
he who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
9 He who quarries stones may get hurt by them,
he who chops wood puts himself in danger.
10 If the [hatchet’s] iron [blade] is blunt,
and [its user] doesn’t sharpen it,
he will have to exert more effort;
but the expert has the advantage of his skill.
11 If a snake bites before it is charmed,
the snake-charmer has no advantage.
12 The words spoken by the wise bring them favor,
but the lips of a fool swallow him up.
13 What he says starts with foolishness
and ends with wicked madness.
14 A fool keeps talking and talking,
yet no one knows what the future will bring —
can anyone tell a person
what will happen after he’s gone?
15 The efforts of a fool wear him out;
he doesn’t even know the way to town!
16 Woe to you, land, when your king is a child,
and your leaders start their parties in the morning!
17 Happy are you, land, when your king is well-born,
and your princes eat at the proper time,
in order to stay strong, not to get drunk!
18 When the owner is lazy, the roof sags;
when hands are idle, the house leaks.
19 Parties are made for having a good time,
wine adds cheer to life,
and money has an answer for everything.
20 Don’t insult the king, not even in your thoughts;
and don’t insult the wealthy, not even in your bedroom;
for a bird in the air might carry the news,
a creature with wings might repeat what you said.
11:1 Send your resources out over the seas;
eventually you will reap a return.
2 Divide your merchandise into seven or eight shares,
since you don’t know what disasters may come on the earth.
3 If the clouds are full of rain,
they empty themselves on the earth.
Whether a tree falls toward the north or the south,
the place where the tree falls is where it stays.
4 He who keeps watching the wind will never sow;
he who keeps looking at the clouds will never reap.
5 Just as you don’t know the way of the wind
or how bones grow in a pregnant woman’s womb,
so you don’t know the work of God,
the maker of everything.
6 In the morning, sow your seed;
and don’t slack off until evening;
for you don’t know which sowing will succeed,
this, or that, or if both will do well.
7 Then the light will be sweet,
and it will be a pleasure to see the sun.
8 For if a person lives many years,
let him take joy in them all;
yet remembering that there will be many days of darkness,
that all to come is futile.
9 Young person, if you spend your youth only having fun,
if you use your early years just to entertain yourself,
if you follow your heart as you live your life,
and let your eyes be your guide;
understand that for all these things
God will bring you to judgment.
10 Therefore, remove anger from your heart;
and keep from harming your body;
for neither adolescence nor youth
has any lasting value.
12:1 So remember your creator while you are young,
before the evil days come,
and the years approach when you will say,
“They no longer give me pleasure”;
2 before the sun and the light grow dim,
also the moon and the stars;
before the clouds return after the rain;
3 on the day when the guards of the house are trembling,
and men of courage are bent over double;
when the women stop grinding grain,
because there are so few;
when the women at the windows
can no longer see out;
4 when the doors to the streets are kept shut;
when the noise from the grain-mill fades;
when a person is startled by the chirp of a bird,
yet their singing is hard to hear;
5 when they will be afraid to go up a hill,
and terrors will stalk the way,
even though the almond tree is in bloom;
when the locust can only drag itself along,
and the caper berry has no [aphrodisiac] effect —
because the person is headed for his eternal home,
and the mourners are already gathering
in the marketplace —
6 before the silver cord is snapped
the bowl of gold is cracked,
the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
the pulley is broken at the cistern,
7 the dust returns to earth, as it was,
and the spirit returns to God, who gave it!
8 Pointless! Meaningless! — says Kohelet,
Nothing matters at all!
9 Not only was Kohelet wise, he also taught the people what he knew; also he weighed, researched and corrected many ethical sayings. 10 Kohelet worked to develop an attractive writing style, in which he expressed the truth straightforwardly. 11 The sayings of the wise are as sharp as goads, and those given by leaders of assemblies are like well-fixed nails; [in this case,] they are presented by a single shepherd. 12 In addition, my son, take heed: one can write many books — there’s no end to it; and one can study so much that it wearies the flesh.
13 Here is the final conclusion, now that you have heard everything: fear God, and keep his mitzvot; this is what being human is all about. 14 For God will bring to judgment everything we do, including every secret, whether good or bad.
[Here is the final conclusion, now that you have heard everything: fear God, and keep his mitzvot; this is what being human is all about.]
Acts 10:24 and he arrived at Caesarea the day after that. Cornelius was expecting them — he had already called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Kefa entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell prostrate at his feet. 26 But Kefa pulled him to his feet and said, “Stand up! I myself am just a man.”
27 As he talked with him, Kefa went inside and found many people gathered. 28 He said to them, “You are well aware that for a man who is a Jew to have close association with someone who belongs to another people, or to come and visit him, is something that just isn’t done. But God has shown me not to call any person common or unclean; 29 so when I was summoned, I came without raising any questions. Tell me, then, why did you send for me?”
30 Cornelius answered, “Three days ago around this time, I was at minchah prayers in my house, when suddenly a man in shining clothes stood in front of me 31 and said, ‘God has heard your prayer and remembered your acts of charity. 32 Now send to Yafo and ask for Shim‘on, known as Kefa; he is staying in the house of Shim‘on, a leather-tanner, by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. Now all of us are here in the presence of God to hear everything the Lord has ordered you to say.”
34 Then Kefa addressed them: “I now understand that God does not play favorites, 35 but that whoever fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him, no matter what people he belongs to.
36 “Here is the message that he sent to the sons of Isra’el announcing shalom through Yeshua the Messiah, who is Lord of everything. 37 You know what has been going on throughout Y’hudah, starting from the Galil after the immersion that Yochanan proclaimed; 38 how God anointed Yeshua from Natzeret with the Ruach HaKodesh and with power; how Yeshua went about doing good and healing all the people oppressed by the Adversary, because God was with him.
39 “As for us, we are witnesses of everything he did, both in the Judean countryside and in Yerushalayim. They did away with him by hanging him on a stake;[Acts 10:39 Deuteronomy 21:23] 40 but God raised him up on the third day and let him be seen, 41 not by all the people, but by witnesses God had previously chosen, that is, by us, who ate and drank with him after he had risen again from the dead.
42 “Then he commanded us to proclaim and attest to the Jewish people that this man has been appointed by God to judge the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets bear witness to him, that everyone who puts his trust in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
44 Kefa was still saying these things when the Ruach HaKodeshfell on all who were hearing the message. 45 All the believers from the Circumcision faction who had accompanied Kefa were amazed that the gift of the Ruach HaKodesh was also being poured out 46 on the Goyim, for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Kefa’s response was, 47 “Is anyone prepared to prohibit these people from being immersed in water? After all, they have received the Ruach HaKodesh, just as we did.” 48 And he ordered that they be immersed in the name of Yeshua the Messiah. Then they asked Kefa to stay on with them for a few days. (Complete Jewish Bible).
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Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM). 
CHANGE THEIR WORLD. CHANGE YOURS. 
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.
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"Independence Day: Day 3" for Saturday, 30 June 2018 - goTandem

"Independence Day: Day 3" for Saturday, 30 June 2018 - goTandem
"Independence Day: Day 3"
"Jesus replied, 'I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.'" (John 8:34-36)
Let's take a moment today to remember what Christ actually did for us. This is not meant to be this deep, maudlin reflection but an honest look at what it took for Christ to accept the cross for our freedom.
Christ left heaven with all of its riches and power and traded it for a manger and a life of incredibly humble servitude. He offended his friends with his humility. He made the choice to accept one of the most brutal and humiliating deaths on the cross so we might know what it is to be called sons and daughters of God. But more than all of that, He willingly put himself in a position to experience hell, the absence of the Father, so we would never have to.
But again, this shouldn't be depressing. We should be excited. Christ's sacrifice should push us toward action. The God of the universe has directed a love so great that He was willing to do all of that so we wouldn't have to endure true separation from Him. He accepted the punishment so we wouldn't have to.
And because He has, we are free. We are no longer slaves, but a part of the family forever.
The Holy Holidays - goTandem
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"Together Forever" for Saturday, 30 June 2018 - goTandem

"Together Forever" for Saturday, 30 June 2018 - goTandem
"Together Forever"
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow--not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below--indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
Have you ever felt separated from God's love? How does this help?
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"Paul’s uneasy advice to slaves" by Stephen M. Miller in Olathe, Kansas, United States for Saturday, 30 June 2018 - Bible blog of award-winning bestselling Christian author, Stephen M. Miller.

"Paul’s uneasy advice to slaves" by Stephen M. Miller in Olathe, Kansas, United States for Saturday, 30 June 2018 - Bible blog of award-winning bestselling Christian author, Stephen M. Miller.
Stephen M. Miller
"Paul’s uneasy advice to slaves" by Stephen M. Miller
Q: Paul’s advice to slaves is particularly troubling in our culture that sees slavery as thoroughly selfish on the part of the slave owner, and absolutely unjustifiable. So how can we justify cutting Paul some slack and allowing him to get by with telling slaves to work for their masters as though they are working for their “brother” (1 Timothy 6:2)?
A: One battle at a time. Paul was fighting for the life of an emerging religion that was still in diapers. Christianity and the survival of the church that contained the Good News of Jesus—that was Paul’s main focus. He wasn’t out to change entrenched cultural practices. He was introducing his world to Jesus. Perhaps he figured that once people got to know Jesus, they would start acting like him, and free their slaves. In the meantime, he settles for reminding the slaves and slave masters that they are brothers and sisters in the family of God.
Excerpt from Leader’s Guide & Atlas for 1, 2 Timothy
The post Paul’s uneasy advice to slaves appeared first on Stephen M. Miller. 
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