Thought for the day: June 19th

From a twitter-friend, Keith @klong00:

"Isn't it time that those who call themselves Christians stop trying to change the Word of God and instead let the Word of God change them?"


My friend Karen once said, when seeing others advise someone confessing spiritual weakness at the time to read a number of spiritual themed books:


"Maybe if we stop reading books ABOUT the bible, and start reading THE bible, we won't feel as weak as some do!"

(more of a paraphrase, point being, though ...)


How's your bible reading going?

444 Cool Verses: Acts

This is some powerful stuff! You could do a study session just cross referencing the wording in this passage.

Acts 17
22Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.

23For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.

24God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;

25Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

26And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;

27That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

28For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

29Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.

30And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

31Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

440 Cool Verses

Job 33
26He shall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him: and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render unto man his righteousness.

27He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not;

28He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light.

Acts 16
29Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,

30And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

31And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Judges 3
15But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.

Job 34
31Surely it is meet to be said unto God, I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more:

32That which I see not teach thou me: if I have done iniquity, I will do no more.

36My desire is that Job may be tried unto the end because of his answers for wicked men.

37For he addeth rebellion unto his sin, he clappeth his hands among us, and multiplieth his words against God.

Job 35
13Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty regard it.

14Although thou sayest thou shalt not see him, yet judgment is before him; therefore trust thou in him.

15But now, because it is not so, he hath visited in his anger; yet he knoweth it not in great extremity:

16Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vain; he multiplieth words without knowledge.

398: Cool Verses, Acts- a fav story

Acts 11
18When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.

Amen! Where would I be if He had not?

Below is one of my favorite NT stories, these Christians were so "busy" praying they were too busy to see God had answered their prayer:

Acts 12
12And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.

13And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.

14And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.

15And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.

16But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

This sounds somewhat familiar, doesn't it? Someone gives a good speech and people say it's God?

21And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.

22And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.

23And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.

24But the word of God grew and multiplied.

++++++++++++++++++++++

You know, I could put the verses I like from from Acts 13 here, but it would basically be the whole chapter- why not go read it for yourself? ;o)

395: Cool Verses

Acts 10
1There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,

2A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.

Joshua 6
27So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was noised {spread} throughout all the country.

Joshua 7
8 O LORD, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!

12Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.

Joshua 10
42And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel.

Job 23
10But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

11My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.

12Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

391: Cool verses- Joshua

Joshua 1
5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

8This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

9Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Joshua 2
11And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.

Joshua 3
5And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you.

Joshua 4
22Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.

23For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over:

24That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever.

Joshua 5
13And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?

14And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant?

15And the captain of the LORD's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

Proverbs 16: Wise words, Anger

Proverbs 16
2All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.

3Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.

6By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.

7When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

9A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.

13Righteous lips are the delight of kings; and they love him that speaketh right.

16How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!

20He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he.

21The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.

32He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

"Cursed be he ..."

This would fall under "cool verses" but I thought it deserved a separate post because, well, how interesting are these verses? All of this basically covered plain, good ol' morality, ya know?

Deuteronomy 27
15Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.

16Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.

17Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour's landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen.

18Cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way. And all the people shall say, Amen.

19Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.

20Cursed be he that lieth with his father's wife; because he uncovereth his father's skirt. And all the people shall say, Amen.

21Cursed be he that lieth with any manner of beast. And all the people shall say, Amen.

22Cursed be he that lieth with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.

23Cursed be he that lieth with his mother in law. And all the people shall say, Amen.

24Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbour secretly. And all the people shall say, Amen.

25Cursed be he that taketh reward to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say, Amen.

26Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.

(I also have to say I'm relieved to find a verse that addresses brothers and sisters not marrying. For some reason Hannah is wanting "proof" the bible says she cannot marry Jackson, LOL not that I think she actually wants to, but she's found something to question I guess!)

Cool verses 4-15

Acts 5
3But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

4 ... why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

9Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? ...

16There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.

28Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.

29Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

32And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

38And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:

39But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.

42And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

Deuteronomy 23:
21When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.

22But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee.

23That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the LORD thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.

Cool verses 4-13

Acts 3:
26Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.

Acts 4:
12Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

13Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

31And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

33And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.

Deuteronomy 18
10There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.

11Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

12For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

Deuteronomy 20 ("the company you keep ..." )
16But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:

17But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee:

18That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God.

Proverbs 14
1Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.

14The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from {above} himself.

15The simple {naive} believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well {considers carefully} to his going.

16A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is {self} confident.

17He that is soon angry {quick tempered} dealeth foolishly: and a man of wicked devices is hated.

Cool verses 4-10

I thought this was an interesting cross reference for the passage in Galations about the ones who creep in unawares-

Deuteronomy 13
3Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

4Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.

5And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.

6If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers;

7Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth;

8Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him:

I also like the emphasis of friends in this passage, as well. It shows even in the OT the Lord was cautioning us on who we should be allowing ourselves to be around, and even more important in who we allow our children to be influenced by. Do you agree?


Job 13
15Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.
16He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him.

17Hear diligently my speech, and my declaration with your ears.

18Behold now, I have ordered my cause; I know that I shall be justified.

23How many are mine iniquities and sins? make me to know my transgression and my sin.

(Amen!!) I should have read this last year ...


Proverbs 10
4He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.

17He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.

29The way of the LORD is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.

32The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness.

How are YOU doing?

I have quite a day ahead of me! Lots to do, too little time. If politics and activism interest you, I've been blogging a bit about current events and such on my political themed blog. Hop on over and feel free to comment if you'd like.

We're doing well. I got a new dishwasher last night- for free! I'm very excited. I'm on a mission to get routines back in every aspect of our lives. I believe it would greatly help with the stress levels in our home. The kids are doing soccer now, tonight is our second practice. They're both very excited about it. I'm Twittering now, if you can't tell ;o) So follow me!

I'm going to be doing a giveaway soon here on the blog. Maybe next week- we'll see! I'll have to think more about it. It will be my first giveaway so I'm hoping it will go over well.

How is your bible reading going? How about my Bible in a Year pals? Amy? (looking around) are you out there? I'm keeping up. I have some "back reading" but it's not too bad. The routine thing will help a lot in that area.

Something to pray about:
We're desperately wanting to get the kids back in private Christian school next school year. Please pray that we will see any open doors the Lord has for us, and that His will be done. I truly believe it's His will for them to be back there next school year. Jackson needs it, badly. Also pray for Jackson. The Lord knows his needs.

Link me to your updates if you've already posted a personal update on your own blogs I have not commented to! (((group hugs))))

How is your reading going?

I'm going to work up a different format for the bible reading challenge. What do you think would work best? One thread a week, to converse as we wish or just check in? I confess I've fallen behind in my reading. I've been playing "catch up" with the BIAY list.

How about you?

BIAY- February 8th

BIAY- February 5th

BIAY- February 4th

BIAY- February 3rd

BIAY- February 2nd

BIAY- February 1st

BIAY- January 31st