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For to the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he gives travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him who pleases God. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind. Ecclesiastes 2:26 WEBIn dog racing, they have a lure called a mechanical rabbit that runs along a rail. At the start of the race, the dogs line up and then chase this rabbit around the...

Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and don't do the things which I say? Luke 6:46 WEBDad always warned us about playing with fire. One day my brother, who was only about three or four years old, got a hold of a pack of matches. He hid in the closet to play with them, sitting under the clothes that were hanging in there. It wasn't long before the closet was on fire, and then the entire house. By the...

For there is no good tree that brings forth rotten fruit; nor again a rotten tree that brings forth good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people don't gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. Luke 6:43 WEBWe find it humorous when we get cut off in traffic by a rude driver and they have a Christian fish symbol on their bumper. At other times, we see...

I heard something like the voice of a great multitude, and like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of mighty thunders, saying, 'Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns! Let us rejoice and be exceedingly glad, and let us give the glory to him. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready.' Revelation 19:6 WEBI have a great wife, and we have been...

Elijah said to him, Elisha, please wait here, for Yahweh has sent me to Jericho. He said, As Yahweh lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. So they came to Jericho. 2 Kings 2:4 WEBElisha had worked serving the prophet Elijah for several years when he suddenly asked him to stay behind. Elisha said no and kept following him. Three times in a row Elijah asked him to stay behind somewhere,...

Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit. Behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split. Matthew 27:50 WEBUnder the old covenant, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies in the temple, where the manifest presence of God dwelt, once a year on Yom Kippur ( The Day of Atonement ).There was a thick veil (curtain)...

They said to the messengers who came, Thus shall you tell the men of Jabesh Gilead, Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have deliverance. The messengers came and told the men of Jabesh; and they were glad. 1 Samuel 11:9 WEBThe Ammonites besieged Jabesh Gilead, and it looked pretty hopeless for the people living there. They told the people to give up and come out, but they held on and sent...

He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give freely to him who is thirsty from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes, I will give him these things. I will be his God, and he will be my son.” Revelation 21:6–7 WEB RHM January Newsletter - 2016 Hello there, Welcome to 2016! It is a new year and we are excited to...

For I, Yahweh your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, Don't be afraid; I will help you. Isaiah 41:13 WEBWe have a proverb that we live by in music while performing: "If you hit a bad note, hit it good.' (technically, it would be "hit it well", but that's what the phrase is here). Do not let the fear of failure keep you from performing your best. If you are going to fail at something, let...

Yahweh opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, 'What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?' Balaam said to the donkey, 'Because you have mocked me, I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would have killed you.' The donkey said to Balaam, 'Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long until today? Was I ever in the habit of doing...

Yahweh said to Joshua, 'Get up! Why have you fallen on your face like that?' Joshua 7:10 WEBJoshua lay on his face before the ark of the Lord all evening. Yesterday he was a mighty warrior, but now Israel had lost the first battle at Ai because one of the men with him had broken the Lord's commandment concerning Jericho. When they crossed the river into the promised land, Jericho was the first city...

For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck up that which is planted; Ecclesiastes 3:1 WEBSpringtime is so beautiful when all of nature is blooming, then comes summer and fall. Eventually winter comes and things begin to die. The weather is no longer pleasant and inviting as it once was. All...

and your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk you in it; when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21 WEBA shepherd herding sheep down a path does not have to interact much, he just follows behind them watching. His presence is there, but he does not have to say anything. But if they come across a fork in the road, or a path on the side, the...

Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, 'Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall come again to you, and you shall be clean.' But Naaman was angry, and went away, and said, 'Behold, I thought, 'He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of Yahweh his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leper.' Aren't Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus,...

Hear, then, the parable of the farmer. When anyone hears the word of the Kingdom, and doesn't understand it, the evil one comes, and snatches away that which has been sown in his heart. Matt. 13:18 WEBOnce while praying about something, I felt like I heard a small whisper back from the Lord, encouraging me to go ahead with what I was praying about. Then immediately afterwards came doubt, unbelief,...

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13 ESVThe disciples of Jesus were mostly uneducated fishermen, but later people lined up in the streets wanting even the shadow of Peter to fall on them (Acts 5:15). There is certainly nothing wrong with an education,...

You were running well! Who interfered with you that you should not obey the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. Galatians 5:7'8 WEBThe Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians, who had turned away from following Jesus, and back to keeping the law. He asked them who had cut in on them to keep them from obeying the truth. The term 'cut in' means 'to hinder, interrupt, to get in the way.'...

For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot would say, 'Because I'm not the hand, I'm not part of the body,' it is not therefore not part of the body. If the ear would say, 'Because I'm not the eye, I'm not part of the body,' it's not therefore not part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the smelling be? 1 Corinthians...

However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself. Matt 17:27 ESVWhen Jesus came to Capernaum, the tax collectors asked Peter for taxes. Jesus told him to go fishing and the first fish that he caught would have a silver coin in its mouth,...

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be on his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 WEB RHM December Newsletter - 2015 Hi there,Thank you for reading our devotional and being a part of Refreshing Hope Ministries. This is our monthly update on what has been happening here...

For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises up again; But the wicked are overthrown by calamity. Proverbs 24:16 WEBI once adopted a little dog that no one wanted and she had been abused in the past. Whenever she did something that she thought was wrong, she would tuck her tail between her legs, walk away slowly, and hide behind the couch. No amount of coaxing would stop her or bring her back out....

Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. Dan. 2:48 ESVDaniel, who was born of royal family, was taken prisoner when Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem in 597 BC. He was taken from his homeland, made a eunuch and a servant in Babylon against his will. It wasn't the happiest of...

Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spoke and said to Daniel, Your God whom you serve continually, he will deliver you. A stone was brought, and laid on the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. Daniel 6:16 WEBAfter serving God faithfully,...

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. He ate nothing in those days. Afterward, when they were completed, he was hungry. The devil said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.' Jesus answered him, saying, 'It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but...

For his anger is but for a moment; His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may stay for the night, But joy comes in the morning. Psalms 30:5 WEBAnother night without sleep I thought as I tossed and turned on the bed. The pressure of what was going on in our life was tormenting and even though we were exhausted, we could not sleep because we knew what we had to face the next day. But when the morning arrived,...

You shall not be scared of them; for Yahweh your God is in the midst of you, a great and awesome God. Deuteronomy 7:21 WEBMoses called the Israelites together right before they went into the promised land and told them to not be afraid, for the Lord who is in the midst of you, is a great and 'awesome' God.The definition of Awesome: adjectivebreathtaking, awe-inspiring, magnificent, wonderful, amazing,...

Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great things, and difficult, which you don't know. Jeremiah 33:3 WEBWhen Jesus saw the crowds, He had compassion on them for they were lost and without a Shepherd. He would stop, teach, and heal them. He would touch them and heal their wounds. Jesus said several times in His teachings that He was the good Shepherd, and that He came to seek out and...

When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Most assuredly, I tell you, they have received their reward. Matthew 6:5 WEBIt was a long, hot day in the South and I was working on a house for an elderly lady when she invited me in to have lunch with her. As we sat down at the table,...

Don’t be afraid, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you: when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle on you. Isaiah 43:1–2 WEB November Newsletter - 2015 Thank you for reading our devotional and being...

Judah said to his brothers, 'What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, and let's sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not let our hand be on him; for he is our brother, our flesh.' His brothers listened to him. Midianites who were merchants passed by, and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. They brought...