tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17151049114782223392024-03-12T21:17:58.148-05:00He Reigns!"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6)."DWB Christian Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06394392832326141947noreply@blogger.comBlogger318125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715104911478222339.post-80446151314983548172018-12-18T08:29:00.003-06:002019-12-02T14:56:42.283-06:00Who Can Be Against Us?<br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text">“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,</span> <span class="text">and
they shall call His name </span></span><span class="text" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Immanuel</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span class="text" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(which means,
God with us).</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span class="text" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When Joseph woke from sleep, he
did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife but knew her
not until she had given birth to a son. And he called His name Jesus.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">~Matthew
1:23-25<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The
chorus of the song, “God With Us” by Jesus Culture says:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“God
with us, God for us<br />
Nothing can come against<br />
No one can stand between us<br />
God with us, God for us<br />
Nothing can come against<br />
No one can stand between us…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When
Christ was coming into this world, few people knew about it. There was no
announcement on the internet, no front-page news announcing the King is here,
and no TV crews camped outside the stable awaiting the proud mom and dad to
appear at the door holding their baby. In fact, aside from Mary and Joseph, and
a few family members, no one even knew Mary was expecting, and it wasn’t until
after Jesus’ birth that the shepherds followed the star, and it was two years
later that the magi came from the east. To say this birth was kept under wraps
is an understatement. But all of Heaven knew. The angels sang, and the trumpets
sounded, and I imagine the birth of God Himself in the flesh was a celebration second
to none in the heavenly realms. God came to earth to save His creation, to walk
as we walk, to talk as we talk and to live as we live. What a glorious event! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As
Christmas draws closer, I am reminded of what an event it was for Christ to
leave Heaven and become a vulnerable human, subject to cold, hunger, pain and
death. Who is this King of Glory who would give up so much for the very few who
follow Him faithfully? Only Jesus, and I am so grateful He did. No matter what
happens, I can also sing, “God with us, God for us, nothing can come against, no
one can stand between us.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><sup>“</sup></b>For those whom He foreknew
He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order
that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He
predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified,
and those whom He justified He also glorified.<b><sup> </sup></b>What then
shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be<sup> </sup>against
us (Romans 8:29-31)?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Read
Revelation 13</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">© </span>2018 Marie McGaha</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 8.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />DWB Christian Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06394392832326141947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715104911478222339.post-16386782151411680402018-12-17T08:51:00.003-06:002018-12-17T08:51:32.916-06:00Dubious Beginnings<br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">“But when the
right time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.</span></span><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span class="text"><span id="en-NLT-29097" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">God sent Him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the
law, so that He could adopt us as His very own children.</span>”<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Galatians
4:4-5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There
is a reason for everything—even when it’s not obvious to us. When Christ was
born, it wasn’t obvious to the world that the Savior had been born. Only His
parents knew He was the Son of God, and later, a few shepherds and some wise
men were given the revelation that the prophecies of Israel’s Savior had been
fulfilled. Christ’s dubious beginnings had nothing to do with His purpose or
who He was, even though there were those who never forgot He was a Nazarene and
the son of carpenter (John 1:46; Mark 6:3). There were those who scoffed at the
idea Jesus was the Christ, the Savior they had been waiting for, because He
didn’t arrive in an obvious manor, and didn’t look like what they thought a
Savior should. In a few days, the world will celebrate Christmas but not all
will celebrate Christ because He still doesn’t look like the Savior they want. But
for those who recognize Him for who He is, those who know the reason for His
birth, this is truly a time to celebrate and share His love with others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text">“For we ourselves were once foolish,
disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our
days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But
when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He
saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness,
but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration
and renewal of the Holy Spirit,</span> <span class="text">whom He poured out
on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,</span> <span class="text">so
that being justified by His grace we might
become heirs according to the hope of eternal life</span> (Titus
3:3-7).”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Read Revelation 12</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">© </span>2018 Marie McGaha</span></div>
DWB Christian Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06394392832326141947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715104911478222339.post-1366106518559879922018-12-14T08:34:00.000-06:002018-12-14T08:34:07.173-06:00Personalize It<br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">“He is the image
of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.</span></span><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span class="text"><b><sup style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span id="en-ESV-29465" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></sup></b>For by<sup data-fn="#fen-ESV-29465f" data-link="[<a href="#fen-ESV-29465f" title="See footnote f">f</a>]" style="box-sizing: border-box;"> </sup>Him all things were created, in Heaven
and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">rulers or authorities—all things were </span></span></span><span class="text" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">created </span></span><span class="text" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">through Him and for Him.</span></span><span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="text" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">And He is
before all things, and in Him all things hold together.</span></span><span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span class="text"><span id="en-ESV-29467" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the
beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent.</span><b><sup> </sup></b></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For in Him all the fullness of God
was pleased to dwell,</span><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><sup> </sup></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and through Him to reconcile to </span><span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Himself all things, whether on earth or in Heaven, making
peace by the blood of His Cross.</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Colossians
1:15-20<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As
we get closer to Christmas, the day we celebrate God Himself coming to earth in
the form of a baby named Jesus Christ, it is even more miraculous to me that He
would subject Himself to such a lowly life because He loved me! Thinking of what
Jesus did in a personalized way can help us to understand the fullness of God’s
love for mankind. Sometimes, reading the Bible can become something we do but
not something we understand in a personal way, but when we read the Bible and
insert our own names into the verses, it comes alive. One example is John 3:16 –
For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son… When we replace the
word ‘world’ with our name, it becomes a personal testimony. “For God so loved
Marie, He gave His only begotten Son…” Or “Because God loved me so much, Jesus
Christ died so I can live with Him forever…” When you personalize verses from
the Bible, they begin to take root in our hearts and become real to us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text">“Since, therefore, we have now been
justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath
of God.</span> <span class="text">For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by
the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved
by His life.</span> <span class="text">More than that, we also rejoice
in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now
received reconciliation (Romans 5:9-11).”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We
can personalize this verse by changing the pronouns:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I
have been justified by His blood, and I have been saved by Him from the wrath
of God. While I was still an enemy of God, I was reconciled to Him by the death
of Christ, and I am saved by His life. More than that, I rejoice in God through
my Lord Jesus Christ, and through Him I have now received reconciliation.” When
we look at verses in a personal way, we begin to understand what a love story
the Bible is, and the verses become a prayer from that touches the heart of
God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="text"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor
angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor
height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate (me)
from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Read
Revelation 10-11<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />DWB Christian Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06394392832326141947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715104911478222339.post-1900146314289895152018-12-12T08:15:00.001-06:002018-12-12T08:15:41.347-06:00Focus on Jesus<br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">“But you, O
Bethlehem Ephrathah,</span></span> <span class="text"><span style="background: white;">who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">from you shall come forth for me</span></span></span><span class="indent-1-breaks"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">one who is to be ruler
in Israel,</span></span> <span class="text"><span style="background: white;">whose coming forth is from of old,</span></span><span class="indent-1-breaks"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">from ancient days.</span></span>”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Micah
5:2<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve
noticed on Facebook recently there have been a number of posts about saying Merry
Christmas instead of happy holidays or season’s greetings. Apparently, Merry
Christmas has become offensive to some, although I’m not sure why. Personally,
I’ve always said Merry Christmas and always will, but I still wonder why people
who don’t believe in Christ bother to celebrate Christmas at all. The word
Christmas is a conjunction of two words – Christ and Mass, or a Mass in honor
of the Christ. There are two beliefs where the date of Christmas came from. The
first is that the pagan’s celebrated Yule, which was illegal, so the church
decided to Christianize the holiday by making it Christ’s birthday. The other
is that a popular holiday in the Roman Empire, <em><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;">dies solis invicti nati</span></em><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> (“day of the birth of the unconquered sun”)</span> was
celebrated on December 25, and the Christianizing of that holiday related “sun”
and “Son” and therefore, Christmas was born. Widespread celebration of
Christmas did not occur until the late 9<sup>th</sup> century when churches
held candlelight services at midnight on the 24<sup>th</sup> by reading verses
and praying. This was the beginning of the service Catholic churches call ‘midnight
Mass.’ Protestant churches adopted a similar service but held it at dawn on the
25<sup>th</sup>, and many churches continue to have “Sunrise Services.” Whatever
the actual origins of celebrating December 25<sup>th</sup> as Christ’s
birthday, it is still the day we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus
Christ. So however you choose to celebrate, wish everyone a very Merry
Christmas and remember, God loves you!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text">“And we have seen and testify
that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.</span> <span class="text">Whoever
confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.</span> <span class="text">So, we have come to know and to believe the love that God has
for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and
God abides in him (1 John 4:14-16).”</span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Read
Revelation 9<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">©2018 Marie McGaha</span>DWB Christian Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06394392832326141947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715104911478222339.post-7933798004877384312018-12-10T06:05:00.001-06:002018-12-10T06:11:32.780-06:00The Ultimate Verb<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">“For to us a child
is born,</span></span>
<span class="text"><span style="background: white;">to us a Son is
given;</span></span> <span class="text"><span style="background: white;">and the government shall be upon<sup data-fn="#fen-ESV-17836d" data-link="[<a href="#fen-ESV-17836d" title="See footnote d">d</a>]" style="box-sizing: border-box;"> </sup>His shoulder,</span> and His name shall
be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,</span> <span class="text"><span style="background: white;">Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.</span></span> <span class="text"><span style="background: white;">Of the increase of His government and of
peace</span></span><span class="indent-1-breaks"><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">there will be no
end,</span></span>
<span class="text"><span style="background: white;">on the throne of
David and over His kingdom,</span></span><span class="indent-1-breaks"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">to establish it and to uphold it</span></span>
<span class="text"><span style="background: white;">with justice and
with righteousness</span></span> <span class="text"><span style="background: white;">from this time forth and forevermore.</span></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span class="text"><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.</span>”<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">~Isaiah
9:6-7<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There
are more than 400 prophecies in the Bible that foretell of Christ’s birth,
telling us who He is and what He will do. God didn’t keep it a secret; He
wanted all of Israel to know that He was sending a Savior, and after Christ was
born, His life was recorded for all of us to know who He is and what His plans
for us are. God kept nothing from us, nothing hidden, so that each of us would
fully understand the scope of His love for us. And as we get closer to the day
we celebrate Christ’s birth, it fills my heart even more to know what Christ
gave up to live among us here on planet earth so that we can live for Him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It
can be difficult for a hurting world to understand that scope of love. After
all, how do we recognize love when we’ve never seen it in such magnitude? But
as Christians, that is our task every day—to show the love of Christ to others
in real and practical ways. Love is the ultimate verb—and covers a multitude of
sins (1 Peter 4:8). So, as we draw nearer the day of celebrating the ultimate
act of love, when pure love came down from Heaven, remember the sins Christ’s
love covered for you and pass that same love on to another.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="text"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“So that Christ may dwell in your hearts
through faith—that you, being rooted and <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text">grounded in love,</span> <span class="text">may
have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and
length and height and depth,</span> <span class="text">and to know the
love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with
all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:17-19).”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Read
Revelation 7</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 8.0pt;">© </span>2018 Marie McGaha<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 8.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br /></div>
DWB Christian Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06394392832326141947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715104911478222339.post-91039975362667307892018-12-07T04:13:00.001-06:002018-12-07T04:14:42.740-06:00This Smells Funny<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text">“And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid,
Mary, for you have found favor with God.</span> <span class="text">And
behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you shall
call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son
of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of his
father David,</span> <span class="text">and He will reign over the house of
Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.’”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="text"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">~ Luke 1:30-33<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There
are many instances throughout the Bible that foretell the birth of Jesus Christ
through God’s prophets, but this verse is just a little different. Not only is
it foretelling Christ’s birth, but it’s an imminent announcement directly from
Heaven to the woman who would make it possible. Mary must have been in shock—she
was a virgin, engaged to be married, and now she has to tell her fiancé she is
expecting a baby conceived by the Holy Spirit—no wonder Joseph needed his own
visit from an angel to deal! Looking at this event from a world view, I understand
why people scoff and think it couldn’t possibly be true. Human cynicism just
isn’t geared toward believing the impossible. We live believing in what we can
see, hear, taste, touch, and smell—and to our purely human minds, this smells
funny. But as Christians, our five senses aren’t what gets us through life, it’s
our sixth sense, the Spirit of God living in us, that tells us God’s Word is
true. And it is these truths that we are to share with others, even if they
scoff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text">“For who knows a person's thoughts except
the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the
thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received
not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might
understand the things freely given us by God.</span> <span class="text">And
we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the
Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual (1
Corinthians 2:11-13).”</span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Read
Revelation 6</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">©2018 Marie McGaha</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />DWB Christian Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06394392832326141947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715104911478222339.post-82949738463162983662018-12-06T04:37:00.001-06:002018-12-07T03:11:39.260-06:00Believing Is Not Seeing<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">“Therefore, the </span>Lord Himself will give you a sign. </span><span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Behold, the </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Immanuel.</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">~Isaiah
7:14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="woj">There is something magical about Christmastime; the crisp,
cold air, snow, bright lights, festive decorations, and people just seem a bit
more cheerful. But that sheen disappears after New Year’s and life is back to
its normal pace, except for those who know that our Savior’s birth
is something to celebrate every day of the year.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Although Isaiah lived about 700 years before the birth of Christ, he had no doubt
that God would fulfill His word and bring a Savior to Israel. Isaiah knew God
was faithful and would do what He said He would do. His faith was steadfast and
throughout the Book of Isaiah, he spoke of the Christ’s birth several times. What
kind of faith must Isaiah have had to believe in a Savior that would not come
into the world for centuries to come, and hold fast to that faith throughout
his entire lifetime? It’s the same faith we must have to believe in a Savior
that was born more than 2,000 years ago and is still saving people today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text">“Then He said to Thomas, </span><span class="woj">“Put
your finger here, and see My hands; put out your hand and place it in My side.
Do not disbelieve but believe.”</span> <span class="text">Thomas answered
him, “My Lord and my God!”</span> <span class="text">Jesus said to
him, </span><span class="woj">“Have you believed because you have seen Me? Blessed
are those who have not seen and yet have believed (John 20:27-29).”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Read
Revelation 5</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">©2018 Marie McGaha</span></span></div>
DWB Christian Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06394392832326141947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715104911478222339.post-11549281199934333462018-12-05T09:16:00.000-06:002018-12-05T09:16:42.894-06:00The Hands & Feet of Jesus<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">“In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.</span></span><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span class="text"><span id="en-ESV-26036" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">He was in the beginning with God.</span></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span class="text"><span id="en-ESV-26037" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">All things were made through Him, and without Him was not
anything made that was made.</span></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span class="text"><span id="en-ESV-26038" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">In Him was life, and the life was the light of
men.</span><b><sup><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></sup></b>The light shines in the darkness, and the
darkness has not overcome it.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="text"><span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">~John 1:1-5<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“In
the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1).” The
Bible goes on to tell that the world was dark, void, and without form, covered
in water but then a magnificent thing happened, God spoke. And when He did, the
world took shape and became a place perfect for human life. The Old Testament
goes on to tell us how that all happened, and then becomes a rich history of
mankind and our relationship with God, all leading up to the most magnificent
thing of all, the birth of Jesus Christ. Everything from Genesis to Matthew was
leading up to the One who would be responsible for the salvation of us all
because no matter what mankind was given, we just aren’t capable of saving
ourselves. Sacrifices didn’t do it, works didn’t do it, being good didn’t do
it, only the perfect sacrifice of all could cover the sins of billions and make
room for us in Heaven. And when Jesus chose to leave Heaven behind, to be born
into a world that would hate Him, (and not just in His own day but in all the
centuries to come), to reach out to the lost, lonely, desperate generations of
people crying out for something, anything at all, He made the greatest gesture
of love ever known—and was born to a life none of us can even imagine. He
lived only thirty-three years, yet His legacy of love and salvation has
survived for more than 2,000 years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="text"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This Christmas share the love of Jesus Christ
and the message of salvation in whatever way you’re able because the world
still hurts and we are still called to be the hands and feet of Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">“Worthy are you,
our Lord and God,</span></span> <span class="text"><span style="background: white;">to
receive glory and honor and power,</span></span> <span class="text"><span style="background: white;">for You created all
things,</span></span> <span class="text"><span style="background: white;">and by Your will they existed and were created.”</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="text"><span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">~Revelation 4:11</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="text"><span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="text"><span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Read Revelation 4</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="text"><span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="text"><span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">©2018 Marie McGaha</span></span></span></div>
<br />DWB Christian Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06394392832326141947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715104911478222339.post-21882692414767850712018-12-04T07:13:00.001-06:002018-12-04T07:14:40.730-06:00Proclaim The Good News<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">“Sing to the Lord,
all the earth;</span></span> <span class="text"><span style="background: white;">Proclaim
the good news of His salvation from day to day.</span></span> <span class="text"><span style="background: white;">Declare His glory among
the nations,</span></span> <span class="text"><span style="background: white;">His wonders among all peoples.</span>”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">~1
Chronicles 16:23-24<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There
is no better day to praise the Lord and declare the good news of salvation than
today! Each day is a great day to declare the glory of the Lord and sing His
praises but as we go into this holiday season of celebrating the birth of Jesus
Christ, we have the opportunity to tell even more people about what He has done
in our lives. It seems impossible to me in this day and age there are still
those who don’t know the goodness of the Lord. They are going through this
holiday season stressed out, harried and hurried, as they attend parties, buy
gifts and try to please everyone on their Christmas list while going further in
debt to do so. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Years
ago, when I still had children at home, one of my older sons brought his friend
to our church’s Christmas service. About half way through, the friend asked if
he could speak to me privately, so we went to a classroom. After a long moment,
he said, “So, you believe some girl thousands of years ago became pregnant by a
Spirit, had a baby, and that baby decides where you go when you die?” I couldn’t
help but chuckle. After talking with him for a while, I found that he had never
been to church, had no idea what the Bible was, who Christ was, or why we
celebrated Christmas at all. His mother was a Wiccan, had raised him in her
beliefs, and to him, Christmas was just some random holiday with a fat man in a
red suit who brought kids presents. I asked him if he had seen nativity
exhibits and what he thought they were—his mother told him they were a symbol
of a fairy tale that weak people depended on, like the Cross, and churches. I
had the opportunity to explain the Bible, Jesus Christ, and the importance of
the Cross to a young man who had never heard the Word of God. I had the
opportunity to proclaim the good news of His salvation and that boy accepted
Jesus Christ as his Savior. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Christmas is the perfect opportunity to tell a
hurting world what Christ can do for them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text">“For the </span><span class="small-caps">Lord</span><span class="text"> is great
and greatly to be praised; </span><span class="text">He is also to be feared above all gods.</span> <span class="text">For all the gods of the peoples are idols,</span> <span class="text">But the </span><span class="small-caps">Lord</span><span class="text"> </span></span><span class="text" style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">made the heavens.</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="text" style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Honor and
majesty are before Him; </span><span class="text" style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Strength and gladness are in His place (1 Chronicles 16:25-27).”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Read
Revelation 3</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">© 2018 Marie McGaha</span>DWB Christian Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06394392832326141947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715104911478222339.post-58225388469739232862018-12-03T07:20:00.000-06:002018-12-03T07:20:17.778-06:00Tis The Season<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">“But when the
fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman,
born under the law,</span></span><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span class="text"><span id="en-ESV-29120" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might
receive adoption as sons.</span></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span class="text"><b><sup style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span id="en-ESV-29121" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></sup></b>And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His
Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”</span></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span class="text"><b><sup style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span id="en-ESV-29122" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></sup></b>So, you
are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Galatians
4:4-7<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As
we go into the Christmas season there are many reasons I feel excited. First,
the weather. I love the snow. I love going up to our local ski and tubing spot
with my grandkids and spending the day on the slopes. My husband and I also
take our dogs up the mountain and let them run. They also love the snow and
love sniffing out snowshoe hares. Winter is my favorite season with crackling
fires, spiced cider, and hot soup. It’s also the time of year when I reflect on
the most important event in history, the birth of Christ, which occurred
against almost impossible odds, for one simple purpose—God loves us so much, He
came to earth as a man, born to a simple woman to be raised by a carpenter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="woj"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“For God so loved the world, that He gave His
only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal
life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the
world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him (John 3:16-17).”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jesus
Christ gave up Heaven to live as a man amongst us, to come into the world in
the usual way, live a life with no frills, and offer Himself up as the ultimate
sacrifice to offer you and me the chance to spend eternity in Heaven with Him.
His ultimate sacrifice is offered to us for no other reason than His great love
for us. So, as we go into December and celebrate this season with trees,
lights, and grand decorations, giving gifts to one another, and eating and
drinking our fill, let’s contemplate the true reason for this season. We are
celebrating the birth of our Savior, who gave up the glory of Heaven so that we
might have everlasting life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“And
this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom You have sent (John 17:3).”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Read
Revelation 1-2<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">© 2018 Marie McGaha</span></span></div>
DWB Christian Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06394392832326141947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715104911478222339.post-62789440979481110262018-11-30T07:03:00.001-06:002018-11-30T07:03:24.336-06:00Happy Hanukah<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text">“At that time the Feast of Dedication took
place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the
temple, in the colonnade of Solomon.</span> <span class="text">So the Jews
gathered around Him and said to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If
you are the Christ, </span></span><span class="text" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">tell us plainly.”</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~John
10:22-24<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The
Hebrew word Chanukah means ‘dedication’ and came about in the second century
when the Jewish people living in Israel were subject to Greco-Assyrian influence
and revolted. Determined to stay true to God and not adopt the custom of
worshipping idols like the invaders, they drove the Greco-Assyrian government
out and recaptured the second temple. They cleansed the temple and rededicated it
to the God of Israel. They lit the Menorah, and although there was only enough
oil for one day, it miraculously burned for eight days, which is why Hanukkah
is also called The Festival of Lights. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This
year, Hanukkah commences on the evening of December 2, 2018 by lighting one
candle of the Menorah, then, each consecutive night, another candle is lit, ending
on December 10, 2018, when the last of the eight candles are lit. Prior to the
lighting of the candle, special blessings are said, and songs are sung afterward.
Jews recite the special Hallel prayer daily, and add V'Al HaNissim <span style="mso-color-alt: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="color: #444444;">(</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;">an addition to the Amidah and Birkat Hamazon on Hanukkah and Purim)</span><span style="color: #444444;"> to their daily prayers
and in the Grace After Meal</span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">s, to offer praise and thanksgiving to God for
“delivering the strong into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of
the few and the wicked into the hands of the righteous.” It is also tradition
to eat foods fried in oil such as latkes (a type of fried pancake made from
potatoes, vegetables or fruit) or sufganiyot (a fried jelly-filled donut).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jewish
traditions are a part of who we are as Christians, and how we became a part of
God’s family. I hope you will learn more about our Jewish ancestry and
celebrate this wonderful season of Hanukah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blessing
For Hanukah<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, she’asah nisim
la’avoteinu, bayamim haheim baziman hazeh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; margin: 0in 0in 15pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Praised
are you, God, Spirit of the Universe, who performed miracles for our ancestors
in their day at this season.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Read Jude</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">© 2018 Marie McGaha</span>DWB Christian Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06394392832326141947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715104911478222339.post-73923800421163242042018-11-29T07:48:00.000-06:002018-11-29T07:53:26.041-06:00Pride of Life<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="woj">“Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me,
for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your
souls.</span> <span class="woj">For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">~Matthew
11:28-30<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Life
can become a burden that weighs us down with worry and stress as we try to take
care of everything that needs taking care of, but that’s not how the Lord would
have us go through life. We carry our burdens like badges of honor, whether it’s
our physical ailments, having to care for others, lack of money to pay bills,
or whatever it may be. We choose to allow those things to weigh us down rather
than choosing to cast our burdens on the Lord and rest in Him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text">“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty
hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you,</span> <span class="text">casting
all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:6-7).”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Choosing
to carry our burdens comes out of pride. It’s as simple as that. We think
carrying our burdens, wearing them for the world to see, talking about how they
weigh us down shows how strong we are, how we endure, and what a selfless life
we live but it doesn’t. It is nothing more than the pride of life that leads to
arrogance, ostentation, pride in self, presumption, and boasting. It is a
negative part of who we are as humans and it is in total opposition to God. Carrying
those burdens is what people who don’t know the Lord does; as Christians, we
are to follow Christ’s example and there is no place in the Bible where Jesus chewed
His fingernails worrying about what the day would bring. Humble yourselves and
cast your cares on the Lord. You cannot go with God if you keep allowing the
world to drag you down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444;"><span class="text"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say,
rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord
is at hand;</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span class="text">do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the
peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:4-7).”</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text">Read 3 John</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">©2018 Marie McGaha</span></div>
<br />DWB Christian Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06394392832326141947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715104911478222339.post-12325070780473663742018-11-28T08:06:00.001-06:002018-11-28T08:06:07.796-06:00Chasing The Wind<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">“Yet when I considered all that my hands had done</span></span> <span class="text"><span style="background: white;">and the toil I had expended to accomplish it,</span></span> <span class="text"><span style="background: white;">behold, it all was futile and chasing after the wind.</span></span> <span class="text"><span style="background: white;">There was nothing to be gained under the sun.</span></span>”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">~Ecclesiastes 2:11<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Solomon was the richest king to have lived, not only that, he was upright before the Lord and had great wisdom. But when it came to the end of his life, he knew that everything he had on earth, everything he had done, was “futile” and useless as “chasing the wind.” I think we all want to leave something behind so that we will be remembered, and there’s nothing wrong with leaving an inheritance for our children, in fact, it’s biblical (Proverbs 13:22). While it might be nice to leave an inheritance such as a life insurance policy, the family business or a home, our legacy should be something far more important than monetary value.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="text"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in or steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Matthew 6:19-21).”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What we pursue, whether good or bad, our children learn what is most important to us. When we pursue the things of the Lord, like righteousness, love, peace, and virtue, they learn those things as well, and even if they stray at some point in their lives, those things remain as their foundation and they will return to them (Proverbs 22:6). The things we leave behind for our children may be a nice for them to have, but the legacy of faith, hope and love in Jesus Christ is the most important.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-top: 12pt;">
<span class="text"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any virtue and if there is anything worthy of praise—dwell on these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—put these things into practice, and the God of peace will be with you (Philippians 4:8-9).”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Read 2 John<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">©2018 Marie McGaha</span>DWB Christian Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06394392832326141947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715104911478222339.post-32285272961642238072018-11-27T10:06:00.001-06:002018-11-27T10:06:15.486-06:00Doing Good<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">“And let us
not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not
give up.</span><b><sup><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></sup></b>So then, as we have opportunity, let us do
good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of
faith.</span>”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Galatians
6:9-10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This
time of year, there is a huge push for cash donations, and often, those who are
unable to give, can feel as if they aren’t helping others. However, there are
others way to do good that doesn’t involve donations. Each of us has the
opportunity to do good no matter where we live or what is going on in our
lives. Doing good is something that has a direct effect on the lives of others
and does not necessarily involve donating money or time to a charitable cause.
Doing good for others can be as close as your next-door neighbor who needs a
ride to the store, or a babysitter for a doctor appointment. Doing good can be
as simple as listening to someone who is having a rough time, taking a meal to
someone who has been ill, or helping an elderly neighbor rake leaves or shovel
snow. There are many opportunities and practical ways to do good every single
day that shows the love of Christ in our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Give,
and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together,
running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use
it will be measured back to you (Luke 6:38).”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You’ve
probably heard the phrase, “You can’t out give God.” It’s absolutely true. God
has given us so very much, but His giving continues in everything we do. When
we give, God gives more to us, and it becomes a lovely continuous circle of
giving and receiving. When we accept Christ, He pours His love into us, and we
then pour out that love on others, and as we do, He pours more into us! It’s
like a fountain that continues to circulate and pour forth and allows us to
continue to give to others and do more and more good. So, as we go into this
season of giving, remember that you have so much to give, so many ways to bless
others and show the love of Christ in real, helpful ways.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“But
the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and
perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed
in his doing (James 1:25).”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Read 1 John</span></div>
<br /><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">©2018 Marie McGaha</span>DWB Christian Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06394392832326141947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715104911478222339.post-88699192389519975432018-11-26T09:26:00.002-06:002018-11-26T09:26:31.536-06:00Change Someone's Life<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="woj"><span style="background: white;">“You are the light of the
world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.</span><b><sup style="box-sizing: border-box;"></sup></b></span><b><span id="en-ESV-23250" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> </span></span></b>Nor
do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives
light to all in the house.<b><sup><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></sup></b>In the same way, let your light shine before
others, so that<sup data-fn="#fen-ESV-23251b" data-link="[<a href="#fen-ESV-23251b" title="See footnote b">b</a>]" style="box-sizing: border-box;"> </sup>they may see your good works and give
glory to your Father who is in heaven.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Matthew
5:14-16<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The
above verse from the Sermon on the Mount is to all believers both then and now.
We are to be a light that shines the glory of what Christ has done for us to
the rest of the world. Our light is the love of Christ within us. It is there
to draw others to us so we can share the joy of the Lord and tell them the Good
News of Jesus Christ. We live in a world that is quite literally going to hell—a
world without love, hope, or help. But as followers of Jesus, we have love, hope,
joy, and peace—all the things this world longs for and can’t seem to hold on to
for more than a few seconds at a time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text">“Again, Jesus spoke to them, saying, </span><span class="woj">‘I am
the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness
but will have the light of life’ (John 8:12).”</span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The
world around us is darkness, but in Christ, we have light. His light brings us
peace and life free of the worries of this world. We don’t have to fear the
future because ours is secure in Him. His light frees us from fear and worry of
what might happen because our peace and security lie within the light of His
glory. And once we are filled with the glory of Christ, we can’t help but shine
like a beacon in the night. That light attracts others and gives us the
opportunity to share what Christ has done for us. In a hurting world, you can be
the light that changes someone’s life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“The
Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord
is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1).”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Read
2 Peter 1-3<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">©2018 Marie McGaha</span></span>DWB Christian Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06394392832326141947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715104911478222339.post-57419451598204588772018-11-21T08:07:00.001-06:002018-11-21T08:07:11.793-06:00Everlasting Life<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">“I will give to the
Lord the thanks due to His righteousness,</span></span> <span class="text"><span style="background: white;">and I will sing praise to the Name of
the Lord, the Most High.</span></span>” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="text"><span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Psalm 7:17<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="text"><span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whether we live in
a mansion or apartment, city or country, have everything we could dream of, or
just dream of everything we could someday have, we all have a reason to give
thanks to the Lord and sing His praises. While we all have “stuff” that we are thankful for, it should not be the main reason why we give thanks or sing praises to the Lord. Our “stuff” is meaningless
in the long run and will all be left here when we leave this planet. Like the
psalmist, our thanks and praise is for the Lord alone, for who He is, because
of His righteousness. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text">“The God who made the world and everything in
it, being Lord of Heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by
man, nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything,
since He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything
(Acts 17:24-25).”</span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text">The Lord is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving
for no other reason than who He is, but each of us have many reasons for being
thankful—salvation and everlasting life being at the top of the list. That
alone is worthy of our gratitude, but He does so much more for us. As you get
ready for Thanksgiving, look around at the family coming to visit, the food
being prepared, the people who are working so hard to prepare that food, the
home that keeps you warm, and give thanks for those things. But as you bow your
head, remember what the Lord has done, His sacrifice for our salvation and the
love He has given each of us by bringing us from where we were in the
darkness into His marvelous light. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444;"><span class="text"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“You turned my mourning into dancing.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span class="text">You
removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.</span> <span class="text"> So
my soul will sing to You and not be silent.</span> Oh Lord</span></span><span class="text"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> my
God, I will praise You forever (Psalm 30:12-13).”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Read 1 Peter 3-5</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">© 2018 Marie McGaha</span></span></span>DWB Christian Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06394392832326141947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715104911478222339.post-85142522980097721222018-11-20T07:13:00.000-06:002018-11-20T07:14:33.200-06:00No Matter What<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">“Rejoice always,</span><b><sup><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></sup></b>pray
without ceasing,</span><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span class="text"><span style="color: black;"><span id="en-ESV-29623" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of
God in Christ Jesus for you.</span>”<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~1
Thessalonians 5:16-18<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I
call these verses God’s marching orders for each of us. The will of God in
Christ is for us to rejoice, pray and give thanks always and without ceasing.
How many of us actually do that? From the shape of things, not many, at least
not always and without ceasing. We tend to look at our circumstances and pray
when we need God to lend a hand. We tend to rejoice and give thanks when God
answers that prayer or handles that need. But that isn’t the way God wants us
to do things. He wants us to look to Him and not our circumstances. He wants us
to rejoice in every situation, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in every
circumstance, which includes those we’d rather not be in. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text">“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the
Lord, so walk in Him,</span> <span class="text">rooted and built up in Him and </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">established in the faith, just as you were
taught, abounding in thanksgiving (Colossians 2:6-7).”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When
we accept Christ as our Savior, we are given an unimaginable gift of everlasting
life, eternal and full of glory. As we live our lives rooted in Christ, that
is, to accept the fullness of the Word of God and practice it in our daily
lives, we become rooted in what Jesus teaches. From that we abound in
thanksgiving that flows from our hearts onto everything else in our lives. So
we can be thankful in every situation knowing that our present circumstances
are of no real concern. We are subject to life’s ups and downs, just like
everyone else but because of who we are in Christ Jesus, we can rejoice in all
things, pray without ceasing, and give thanks no matter what our circumstances
look like.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text">“Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand
what the will of the Lord is.</span> <span class="text">And do not get
drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the
Spirit,</span> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">addressing one another in psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving
thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ
(Ephesians 5:17-21).”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Read
1 Peter 1-2<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">© 2018 Marie McGaha</span></span>DWB Christian Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06394392832326141947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715104911478222339.post-84221419459827738472018-11-19T10:06:00.004-06:002018-11-20T07:14:02.905-06:00Give Thanks<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text">“Make a joyful noise to the Lord,
all the earth!</span> <span class="text">Serve
the Lord with gladness!</span> <span class="text">Come into His presence with singing!</span>
<span class="text">Know that the Lord, He is God!</span>
<span class="text">It is He who </span></span><span class="text" style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">made us, and we are His;</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span class="text" style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span class="text" style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Enter His gates with thanksgiving,</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><span class="text" style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and His courts with praise!</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><span class="text" style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Give thanks to Him; bless His
name!</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span class="text" style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For
the Lord is good;</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span class="text" style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">His steadfast love endures forever,</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><span class="text" style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and His faithfulness to all
generations.</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">~Psalm 100<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In 1621 the Pilgrims and<span style="background: white;"> </span><span style="background: white;">Wampanoa</span> Indians held
the first feast that our modern-day Thanksgiving is drawn from. The Pilgrims
gave thanks in prayer as part of their religious service on a daily basis, but
it wasn’t until that first harvest and abundance of food that the first feast
was held. Our Thanksgiving Day has evolved over the years, and we don’t necessarily
celebrate Thanksgiving for the same reasons the Pilgrims did. Most of us don’t have
to till the land for food, or hope we kill an animal so our kids don’t starve—we
go to the grocery store where food is abundant. Most of us celebrate
Thanksgiving because it’s what we do every year, and we don’t give much thought
to why or for what we have to be thankful for. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text">“Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast
love,</span>
<span class="text">for His wondrous works to the children of man!</span> <span class="text">For He </span></span><span class="text" style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">satisfies the longing soul,</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="text" style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">and
the hungry soul He fills with good things (Psalm 107:8-9).”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="text"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We live in one of the most prosperous times in
history in one of the most prosperous countries, but as Christians, we have much
more to be thankful for than material belongings. We still must be thankful for
the home we have, the job, car, and all of the things the world puts so much value
on but being thankful for our place in Christ is the most valuable part of our
who we are. Holding on to our faith, salvation, and our love for the Lord must
always be more important than anything else in our lives. And what Christ did
for us on the Cross at Calvary is not just worthy of our thanks on a certain
day of the year, He is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving every single day
of the year. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text">“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is
good,</span> <span class="text">for His
steadfast love endures forever.</span> <span class="text">Give thanks to the God of gods,</span> <span class="text">for His steadfast love endures forever.</span>
<span class="text">Give thanks to the Lord of
lords,</span> <span class="text">for His
steadfast love endures forever;<b><sup></sup></b></span><b> </b>to Him who
alone does great wonders,<span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span class="text">for His steadfast love endures forever;</span>
<span class="text">to Him who by understanding made
the heavens,</span><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span class="text">for His steadfast love endures forever;</span>
<span class="text">to Him who spread out the earth above
the waters,</span> <span class="text">for
His steadfast love endures forever;</span> <span class="text">to Him who made the great lights,</span>
<span class="text">for His steadfast love endures
forever;</span> <span class="text">the
sun to rule over the day,</span> f<span class="text">or His steadfast love endures forever;</span>
<span class="text">the moon and stars to rule over the
night,</span><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span class="text">for His steadfast love endures forever (Psalm
136:1-9).”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Read
James 1-4<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">©</span>2018 Marie McGaha</span></div>
DWB Christian Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06394392832326141947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715104911478222339.post-72385548772029409752018-11-15T06:50:00.001-06:002018-11-15T06:52:55.004-06:00Be Determined<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">“For I delight
in the law of God, in my inner being,</span></span><span style="background: white;"> <span class="text"><span id="en-ESV-28099" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">but I see in my members another law waging war
against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells
in my members.</span></span> <span class="text"><span id="en-ESV-28100" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this
body of death?</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="text"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">Thanks be to God
through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my
mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.</span>”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">~Romans 7: 22-25<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is a legend attributed to one of the Indian tribes that
says every man has two wolves inside him. One is good and the other, evil. A
young man asked the wise old man how to know which one was the strongest, and the
wise old man answered, “The one you feed the most.” The same is true if we
apply the story biblically. We have two natures, one that strives to do good,
and the other that wants to slap the skin off someone’s face if they look at us
sideways. Our old nature feeds the sin that dwells within us, and even when we
are saved by accepting Christ as our Savior, that old nature can haunt us. Like
Paul, our minds might determine to serve the Lord, but we still battle our
fleshly desires.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text">“Let not sin therefore reign in your
mortal body, to make you obey its passions.</span> <span class="text">Do
not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness
but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to
life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness (Romans
6:12-13).”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Just
as we are what we eat, we are spiritually what we practice, and if we aren’t
practicing righteousness, we are practicing unrighteousness. Practicing
righteousness is more than reading a few chapters of the Bible, a devotion, and
offering up a quick prayer in the morning. Practicing righteousness is
something we do all day long in everything we say and everything we do. Like eating
food, what we put into our bodies determines how healthy we are. Eat junk food
and sugar all day and your body is going to reflect that. Put junk into your
mind and you’re going to reflect that in what you do and say. What you read,
the music you listen to, and the TV shows you watch have an impact on your
mind. The people you hang with do too. The jokes they tell, the conversations
they have, the things they do, also have an effect. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Practicing
righteousness does not come naturally, it is something we decide to do. We set
our minds on things above (Colossians 3:2-17) and determine to practice those
things which bring life—compassion, kindness, humility, and patience. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text">“For when you were slaves of sin, you were free
in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time
from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those
things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin
and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to
sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is
death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord
(Romans 6:20-23).”</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="text"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="text"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Read Hebrews 10-13</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="text"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">© 2018 Marie McGaha</span></span></div>
DWB Christian Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06394392832326141947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715104911478222339.post-66087895370012128372018-11-14T07:30:00.003-06:002018-11-14T07:32:26.280-06:00Wallowing With The Pigs<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">“Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with
every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,</span><b><sup><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></sup></b>even
as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and blameless before Him. In love</span><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span class="text"><span id="en-ESV-29195" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">He predestined us for adoption to Himself as
sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will</span>.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">~Ephesians
1:3-5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Do
you consider yourself “chosen” by God? It’s an overwhelming idea that the God
of all Creation would look down at the billions of people on earth and choose
me! But that’s what He did for each of us who follow Christ. The Lord of All
hand picks each one of us no matter what our circumstances may be. No matter
what kind of trouble we’ve been into, what sins we’ve committed, or what kind
of blubbering mess we appear to be—we were hand-picked by the Lord. For me,
that’s an awesome, awe-inspiring revelation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">“Put on then, as God's
chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility,
meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a
complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has
forgiven you, so you also must forgive.</span></span><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span class="text"><span id="en-ESV-29515" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">And above all these put on love, which binds
everything together in perfect harmony (</span></span>Colossians 3:12-14).”<span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We
are all chosen to be part of God’s grand plan, however, we still have a choice
just like Adam and Eve in the Garden. God gave us free will because He wants us
to give ourselves freely to Him, to His plan, and above all, to love Him in
return. God loves us in our worst moments but it’s only in our best moments
that we love Him. Once we accept that Christ is the only answer for our lives,
we return God’s love, but it doesn’t end there. He expects us to not only love
Him, but to love others—and not just other Christians. No, God expects us to
love others in their worst moments, the way He loves us. It’s easy to love
someone who loves us, but loving the unlovable, those still living in their
sins, wallowing in the filth of this world—it gets a little more difficult. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I
am reminded of the prodigal son who spent his inheritance on gambling,
drinking, and wild living and then wound up wallowing with the pigs trying to
feed himself on their slop. No matter what kind of life we’ve lived, until we
accept Christ as our Savior, we are all wallowing with the pigs. Not one of us
is better than another, the difference is, like the prodigal son, we came to
our senses and took the hand Christ offers. It is then up to us to offer a hand
to others. Love one another!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="woj">“And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against
heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But
the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and
put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.</span> <span class="woj">And
bring the fattened calf and kill it and let us eat and celebrate.</span> <span class="woj">For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and
is found.’ And they began to celebrate (Luke 15:21-24).”</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Read
Hebrews 7-9<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">©2018 Marie McGaha</span></span></div>
DWB Christian Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06394392832326141947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715104911478222339.post-88476275684678237802018-11-13T06:33:00.003-06:002018-11-13T06:33:49.854-06:00Use Your Sword<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">“And Jesus, full
of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the
Spirit in the wilderness</span><b><sup><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></sup></b></span><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">for forty
days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those
days. And when they were ended, He was hungry.</span></span><span style="background: white;"> <span class="text"><span id="en-ESV-25058" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">The devil said to Him, ‘If you are the Son of God,
command this stone to become bread.’ And Jesus answered him, <span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"></span></span><span class="woj">‘It is written, ‘Man shall not live by
bread alone.</span>’”</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Luke
4:1-4<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We
have all been tempted at one time or another. I’m tempted every Thanksgiving to
eat more pumpkin pie than I should! We talk about temptation without giving it
a lot of thought but when Jesus was tempted in the desert, the entire future of
mankind was at stake. But Jesus had an answer—the Word of God. No matter what
the devil offered, Jesus never offered an opinion, He simply used God’s Word
and defeated the devil. What might our lives look like if we approached temptation
the same way Jesus did?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text">“And when Jesus was baptized, immediately He
went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw
the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on Him; </span>and behold, a Voice from Heaven
said, ‘This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased’ (Matthew
3:16-17).”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I
find it interesting that it wasn’t until after Jesus was baptized in water and
by the Holy Spirit, that He heard the voice of God, and only then did the devil
try to divert Christ’s attention away from His God-given purpose. But no matter
what the devil said, Jesus answered by using God’s Word. The Word of God is
powerful. The Bible says it’s living and active, sharp enough to divide the soul
and judge the heart (Hebrews 4:12). God’s Word is called the sword of the Spirit
and is part of the armor of God (Ephesians 6:17), but like any weapon, we must
know how to use it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text">“We exhorted each one of you and
encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, Who
calls you into His own kingdom and glory.</span> <span class="text">And we also thank God constantly<sup data-fn="#fen-ESV-29567d" data-link="[<a href="#fen-ESV-29567d" title="See footnote d">d</a>]" style="box-sizing: border-box;"> </sup>for this, that when you received the
Word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of
men<sup data-fn="#fen-ESV-29567e" data-link="[<a href="#fen-ESV-29567e" title="See footnote e">e</a>]" style="box-sizing: border-box;"> </sup>but as what it really is, the Word of
God, which is at work in you believers (1 Thessalonians 2:12-13).”</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Read
Hebrews 4-6<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">© 2018 Marie McGaha</span></span></div>
DWB Christian Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06394392832326141947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715104911478222339.post-66381529336085164252018-11-12T07:44:00.000-06:002018-11-12T07:44:01.349-06:00Our Weakest Moments<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="text"><span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the
rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this
present darkness, against </span></span></span><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the spiritual
forces of evil in the heavenly places.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Ephesians 6:12<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most
people have either heard this verse, or used this verse, when someone is having
problems, either physical or spiritual. But what does it mean? We might not be
in a physical fight, but certainly, we do have emotional and spiritual battles,
and we do wrestle with ourselves. And it wears us out. Sometimes, those battles
can get so intense that we feel like curling up in a ball and giving up. That’s
what satan does to us. He attacks our mind, especially when we have something
going on in the physical world. When we’re facing a crisis, have medical
issues, financial problems, have lost a loved one, or anything that affects us
emotionally, satan uses those moments to attack. He is always there in our
weakest moments and kicks us while we’re down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Do
not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your
mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is
good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2).”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We
are physical beings, we live in the physical world, and we rely on our five
senses to tell us what is going on. But when it comes to spiritual forces, our physical
senses are useless and satan knows that. When we are under attack by what we
can’t see, taste, hear, touch or smell, we can be quickly overcome by fear,
doubt, anxiety, worry, and stress. And all of those are in our mind, yet they
can quickly take a physical toll on our bodies. We get run down, tired, lose
sleep, and it becomes a vicious cycle that overwhelms us and takes us farther
from God. But there is something we can do about it—first, pray. Pray. Pray.
Pray some more. Especially when we don’t feel like praying. Secondly, praise
God. Give the Lord all the glory and praise due His Name for the victory He is
giving us in overcoming the devil. Third, worship. Put on worship music and
sing. The enemy of our spirit and mind cannot stand in the presence of prayer,
praise and worship. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text">“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say,
rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at
hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.</span> <span class="text">And the
peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts
and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:4-7).”</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Read
Hebrews 1-3<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">©2018 Marie McGaha</span></span>DWB Christian Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06394392832326141947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715104911478222339.post-20833844357743940042018-11-08T08:03:00.000-06:002018-11-08T08:03:11.916-06:00Holding Grudges<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="woj"><span style="background: white;">“So, if you are offering
your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something
against you,</span></span><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span class="woj"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span id="en-ESV-23259" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be
reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">”</span></span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Matthew
5:23-24 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">People
hold grudges. We also hold on to pain caused by others. We feel as if we are
owed something by those who have ridiculed and hurt us. We feel as if holding
on to those painful events, we are somehow teaching the person we blame a
lesson. But we aren’t doing a thing to that person, we are only allowing them
to continue to hurt us. Holding on to pain causes resentment and anger that
affects every part of our lives and keeps us from being what God wants us to
be. When we hold on to past events that hurt us, we are holding on to the
person who caused the pain, and we remain their victim. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We
can cry out to God to make the pain go away but until we let go of the pain,
and the person who caused it, the pain won’t go away. We must let go and forgive
those who hurt us if we are to ever be what God wants us to be in Him. Forgiving
people who hurt us isn’t easy, but it is possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text">“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy
and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness,
and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint
against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you,
so you also must forgive (Colossians 3:12-13).”</span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It
can be easy to think that someone who has hurt us deserves our anger and we
shouldn’t have to forgive them. But forgiving those who have hurt us isn’t for
them, it’s for us. Unforgiveness causes anger, hatred, and resentment, which
can lead us to turn away from God instead of to Him. When we forgive, we are
saying, “I am not going to carry this burden any longer. I am giving my burdens
over to God and I’m freeing up that place in my heart for the Lord to occupy instead.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="woj">“Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me,
for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your
souls.</span> <span class="woj">For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Read
Philemon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">©</span>2018 Marie McGaha</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />DWB Christian Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06394392832326141947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715104911478222339.post-91209789178997364112018-11-07T09:44:00.002-06:002018-11-07T09:44:57.583-06:00Dancing In Heaven <br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">“Yours, O Lord, is
the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for
all that is in the heavens and in the earth is Yours. Yours is the kingdom, O
Lord, and You are exalted as head above all.</span></span><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span class="text"><b><sup style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span id="en-ESV-11177" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></sup></b>Both
riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all. In Your hand are
power and might, and in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to
all.</span></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span class="text"><b><sup style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span id="en-ESV-11178" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></sup></b>And now we thank you, our God, and praise Your glorious Name.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">~1
Chronicles 29:11-13<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I
was posting our book of the month on my company website this morning and got to
thinking of how wonderful the Lord really is. The book is called Signing To The
Angels by Claire Muller. It’s the true story of how this wonderful, godly lady
and her husband adopted a two-year-old girl no one wanted. Shelly was born deaf
and mute, she couldn’t walk or feed herself, yet she was a sparkling little
jewel God had created. Shelly only lived to age 21 but in her short life, she
touched the lives of all she met. And although I never met her, just by reading
this book, Shelly left an indelible mark on my soul. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text">“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation
in the knowledge of Him,</span> <span class="text">having the eyes of your hearts
enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called
you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints,</span> <span class="text">and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who
believe, according to the working of His great might that He
worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His
right hand in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:17-20).”</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sometimes,
I think we forget how blessed we are, and how much God has done for us because
we get bogged down in trials of life. Our five senses are on overload and our
lives are filled with the stresses of this world and it can become too much to
bear. This life is but for a moment and then it will be over, and what lies
beyond is a life with Christ Jesus. A glorious life that we can’t imagine now
but will cause this life to fade from memory. Every trial we face, every day we
press forward is leading us home to glory in Christ Jesus. We endure using the
Lord’s strength, drawing on His wisdom and love, through prayer and worship.
And one day, like Shelly, we will be dancing in Heaven on streets of gold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text">“So as to walk in a manner worthy of the
Lord, fully pleasing to Him: bearing fruit in every good work and
increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power,
according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with
joy;</span> <span class="text">giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share
in the inheritance of the saints in light (Colossians 1:10-12).”</span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Read
Titus<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You
can see Signing To The Angels by Claire Muller <a href="https://www.dwbpublishing.com/2018/09/blog-post.html" target="_blank">here</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvidxdVCPLoV0g8kA7WIclABGE8bXed76EOvTCEuCyWgrxrzAb2CRXy09Bni3MDQTsL1z6gxNTW3Cs4-qhl_ql4WU5Kqo3QCqTvX55E9kZlTjQGRHkwnbarxeu7YDW_zx8NwIE_ZTBZph/s1600/Signing_To_The_Angel_Cover_for_Kindle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvidxdVCPLoV0g8kA7WIclABGE8bXed76EOvTCEuCyWgrxrzAb2CRXy09Bni3MDQTsL1z6gxNTW3Cs4-qhl_ql4WU5Kqo3QCqTvX55E9kZlTjQGRHkwnbarxeu7YDW_zx8NwIE_ZTBZph/s200/Signing_To_The_Angel_Cover_for_Kindle.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">© </span>2018 Marie McGaha</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />DWB Christian Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06394392832326141947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1715104911478222339.post-76988046111399083772018-11-06T04:40:00.002-06:002018-11-06T04:40:52.753-06:00Guard Your Heart<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="woj"><span style="background: white;">“If your right eye causes
you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one
of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.</span></span><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span class="woj"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span id="en-ESV-23265" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">And if your
right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is
better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.</span>”<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Matthew
5:29-30<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Modern
technology has brought some marvelous innovations. In addition to advances in
medicine and healthier living, it has brought us closer together. When I was a
child, we never imagined being able to video chat with my grandmother the way I
can with my grandchildren now. We have information from across the world at the
click of a mouse or the touch of a screen twenty-four hours a day, but we also
have the corruption that comes with it. There is nothing meant for good that the
devil doesn’t use to corrupt. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text">“Incline my heart to Your testimonies,</span><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">and
not to </span></span><span class="text" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">selfish gain!</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="text" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Turn
my eyes from looking at worthless things;</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="text" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and give
me life in Your ways (Psalm 119:36-37.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What
we watch and listen to may seem harmless, but it isn’t. Whatever comes in
through our senses, goes to our hearts. We can’t unsee or unhear anything, and
the more that we allow in, the tighter the grip it has. We guard our hearts and
mind by guarding what we see and hear. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="text"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by
the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be
conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and
acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:1-2).”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="text"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Read 2 Timothy<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">©</span>2018 Marie McGaha</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />DWB Christian Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06394392832326141947noreply@blogger.com0