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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 ESVThe visiting speaker who had ridden in on a bus was in need of money and had delivered a great message. He was humble and I felt like his heart was in the right place. I had already paid my tithes for the...

He said, The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; You save me from violence. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. 2 Samuel 22:1 ESVDavid sang this song to the Lord when he was delivered from all of his enemies. Where others...

 Luke Chapter 12 >> Click Here For Audio Version <<   Luke 12 Outline:12:01-03 The leaven of the Pharisees.12:04-12 Live ready for judgment.12:13-21 The rich fool.12:22-34 Seek the Kingdom of God.12:35-40 The coming of the Son of man.12:41-48 The responsibility of servants.12:49-53 Fire on the earth.12:54-59 The signs of the times.Fun Facts:— Jesus called His...

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Fathers hand. John 10:26 ESVThe star of the show that we were watching took some really bad knocks and it looked like he was going down for...

Once Saved - Always Saved? While writing about the dangers of being lukewarm in one of my devotionals, I compared our relationship with God to a marriage relationship. In a good marriage, we do our part out of love for our spouse. Likewise, there are things we do as Christians, out of love for our Creator. After all, the church is believed to be the “Bride of Christ” and betrothed to...

If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me. Psalms 50:1215 ESVA reader emailed us yesterday after I posted "A Stranger at the Diner", the...

I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth. Because you say, I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing; and dont know that you are the wretched one, miserable, poor, blind, and naked; Revelation 3:15 WEBThe needle hurt when they gave me the shot. It was...

 Luke Chapter 11 >> Click Here For Audio Version <<   Luke 11 Outline:11:1-4 Jesus teaches His disciples to pray.11:5-8 The friend at midnight.11:9-13 Asking and giving.11:14-26 Jesus and the evil spirits.11:27-28 True blessedness.11:29-32 The sign of Jonah.11:33-36 The light that is in you.11:37-41 True cleansing.11:42-44 Woe to the pharisees.11:45-54 Woe to the lawyers. Fun...

 Luke Chapter 10 >> Click Here For Audio Version <<   Luke 10 Outline:10:1-12      The mission and the message.10:13-16    The doom of the Galilean cities that had rejected Jesus.10:17-20    The return of the seventy.10:21-24    Jesus is thrilled with joy.10:25-37    The good samaritan.10:38-42    Mary and...

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They dont toil, neither do they spin, yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, wont he much more clothe you, you of little faith? Therefore dont be anxious, saying, What will we eat?, What will we drink?...

And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Acts 13:52 ESVWhile at the beach one day, I watched some kids playing with a beach ball. They would hit it and it would soar into the air, but then gradually float back down to earth. The kids would hit it again, but gravity kept pulling the ball back to earth. Without some form of lift, the ball will always fall to the ground. Yet, if...

 Luke Chapter 9 >> Click Here For Audio Version <<   Luke 9 Outline:9:1-6       Jesus sends out the twelve.9:7-9       Herod the tetrarch.9:10-17   The feeding of the five thousand.9:18-20   Peter’s confession.9:21-22   A prophecy of the passion.9:23-27   Taking up the cross.9:28-36 ...

And on the seventh day God finished his work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all His work that He had done in creation. Genesis 2:2 ESVAfter coming home from church, I went straight to work on the new mail server. I kept hearing about not working on the sabbath day on...

For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. James 3:16 ESVJust as a sponge filled with liquid is our heart within us. It absorbs all the hurts and pains in our life. Usually when we come to the Lord, it is filled with...

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. (Jeremiah 29:11–12 NIV) June Newsletter - 2015   Thank you for reading our devotional and being a part of Refreshing Hope Ministries. This is our monthly update on what has...

He said, Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Mark 14:36 WEBGrowing up in the Bible Belt as a child, my image of God was an angry, white-haired, lightning bolt wielding, disciplinarian that just waited on me to mess up. It was rare for me to go to church at all, but when I did visit the local baptist church, they showed movies like The Burning Hell with people like me on fire. God seemed sadistic...

Then his master called him and said to him, You contemptible and wicked attendant! I forgave and cancelled all that [great] debt of yours because you begged me to. And should you not have had pity and mercy on your fellow attendant, as I had pity and mercy on you? And in wrath his master turned him over to the torturers (the jailers), till he should pay all that he owed. So also My heavenly Father...

 Luke Chapter 8 >> Click Here For Audio Version <<   Luke 8 Outline:8:1-3      Women contribute to the ministry of Jesus.8:4-15    The parable of the Sower.8:16-18  The parable of the lamp and the cover.8:19-21  The mother and brothers of Jesus seek Him out.8:22-25  The calming of the storm.8:26-39  The Gerasene demoniac.8:40-41...

But when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, It is a ghost! and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid. Peter answered Him, Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water. He said, Come. So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. Matthew 14:26 ESVThe wind...

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 ESVAs I writhed in pain in the chair, the dentist wrestled on with the split tooth. It was very painful and I did not want him to touch it, let alone pull on it, but the toothache would not go away until all of it was removed. Like Esau, I began to comfort myself...

And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times. And he broke down and wept. Mark 14:72 ESVAfter walking closely with the Lord Jesus for over three years, Peter had denied that he even knew Jesus three times in one night. Earlier that evening, Jesus had even told Peter this would happen, but...

For most of this year I have meant to rework our data center. We host everything ourselves in house because we send about 3 million emails a month through 10 virtual servers and our website gets about 300,000 visitors a month itself. Also with the equipment in hands reach, I can write scripts and configure it to do anything that I want immediately without having to call someone. For us, third party...

 Luke Chapter 7 >> Click Here For Audio Version <<    Luke 7 Outline: 7:1-10 Jesus heals a Centurion’s servant. 7:11-17 Jesus raises a widow’s son from the dead. 7:18-23 John’s disciples question Jesus 7:24-35 Jesus commends John the Baptist 7:36-39 Penitent woman anoints Jesus 7:40-43 Parable of the forgiven debtors 7:44-50 Jesus forgives the...

He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them He remains faithful forever. Psalms 146:6 NIVLooking back over my life, I now see things that the Lord told me twenty-five years ago coming to pass. Things that I had put on the shelf, thinking that perhaps I had missed Him in some way, I am now living. There were a few times that I was convinced that I had ruined His plans for me....

May He grant you your hearts desire and fulfill all your plans! Psalms 20:4 ESVIt was so hot in the field that day that people were getting sick to their stomachs and the rest of us had to crop their row. As a young boy about twelve working in the tobacco field, my world was very small. My family was the least of the least and I was in my twenties before I even knew what college was, and we could never...

They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you. Jeremiah 1:19 ESVThings were finally going well in our computer business. We had one particular client with multiple locations that took up all the time that we could give them. For the first time in forever, we could work all that we wanted and they loved us. We had our own keys...

 Luke Chapter 6 >> Click Here For Audio Version <<    Luke 6 Outline: 6:1-5      The disciples pick grain on the Sabbath. 6:6-11    Jesus heals a man’s hand on the Sabbath. 6:12       Jesus prays all night on a mountain. 6:13-16  Jesus names 12 apostles. 6:17-19  Jesus heals multitudes. 6:20-23  Four...

And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before. Then the LORD said to Jacob, Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you. Genesis 31:2 ESVThings were beginning to be difficult for Jacob where he worked. The Lord had certainly put him there, prospered him greatly and he had become wealthy. Up until then, his father-in-law had always treated him with...

These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. John 15:11 ESVPeter and the apostles were beaten by the religious leaders and told not mention Jesus anymore, yet they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for His name (Acts 5:41). When Paul and Silas were imprisoned, they...

Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? Isaiah 43:18 ESVWhile sitting in church one morning listening to the speaker drone on, I yawned, searched for the time and wondered how long was left before we could go home. Having served the Lord a couple decades, graduated seminary and been ordained twice,...