Category: Uncategorized
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Talk to God, Not About
1And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek. 2The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field…
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What’s in your hands?
6Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind.–Ecclesiastes 4 The word for quietness is linked to both peace and rest. This tells us that there is a peace and quiet that doesn’t really bring rest. Some pursue peace and simply escape their issue or never deal…
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Intentional Speech
28The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.–Proverbs 15 I played a season on my college’s improv team. I was encouraged by friends who were current team players to try out, and I had just enough Chris Farley-esque physical comedy skills to make an…
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Pain and Sovereignty
46How long, O LORD? Will you hide yourself forever?How long will your wrath burn like fire?47Remember how short my time is!For what vanity you have created all the children of man!48What man can live and never see death?Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah 49Lord, where is your steadfast love of old,which by…
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Purposeful Declaration
10And Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of release, at the Feast of Booths, 11when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place that he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12Assemble the people, men, women,…
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Cashing that Paycheck
20“The LORD will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken me.–Deuteronomy 28, part 2 The final chunk of this chapter is a depressing jolt of reality. Show covenant love to God…
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Motivations
…if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them, 14and if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.–Deuteronomy 28, part 1 This gigantic…
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Nobody Escapes
26“‘Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’–Deuteronomy 27 Imagine you are watching a movie where all the heroes are trapped. And one by one they try to escape the trap. Some try valiantly, but fail. Others almost make it, but…
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Heart and Soul
16“This day the LORD your God commands you to do these statutes and rules. You shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul. 17You have declared today that the LORD is your God, and that you will walk in his ways, and keep his statutes and his commandments and his rules, and…
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The Brother’s Name
5“If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. 6And the first…