Morning Scripture Reading - Numbers 6:22-27

Numbers 6:22-27 New International Version (NIV)

The Priestly Blessing

22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

24 “‘“The Lord bless you
    and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face shine on you
    and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord turn his face toward you
    and give you peace.”’

27 “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

Afternoon Scripture Reading - Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 New International Version (NIV)

6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Morning Scripture Reading - Acts 2:21

Acts 2:21 New International Version (NIV)

21 And everyone who calls
    on the name of the Lord will be saved.’[a]

Footnotes:

1. Acts 2:21 Joel 2:28-32

Afternoon Scripture Reading - 2 Samuel 22:26-30

2 Samuel 22:26-30 New International Version (NIV)

26 “To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
    to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
27 to the pure you show yourself pure,
    but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
28 You save the humble,
    but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.
29 You, Lord, are my lamp;
    the Lord turns my darkness into light.
30 With your help I can advance against a troop[a];
    with my God I can scale a wall.

Footnotes:

1. 2 Samuel 22:30 Or can run through a barricade

Morning Scripture Reading - Joshua 3:14-17

Joshua 3:14-17 New International Version (NIV)

14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordanis at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heapa great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan,while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

Afternoon Scripture Reading - Ephesians 2:19-22

Ephesians 2:19-22 New International Version (NIV)

19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Morning Scripture Reading - Psalm 84:10-11

Psalm 84:10-11 New International Version (NIV)

10 Better is one day in your courts
    than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
    the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
    from those whose walk is blameless.

Afternoon Scripture Reading - Ecclesiastes 5:2-3

Ecclesiastes 5:2-3 New International Version (NIV)

2 Do not be quick with your mouth,
    do not be hasty in your heart
    to utter anything before God.
God is in heaven
    and you are on earth,
    so let your words be few.
3 A dream comes when there are many cares,
    and many words mark the speech of a fool.

Mid-Week Message - An Admonition

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."  Ephesians 4:29 (NIV)

I love to read.  Immersing myself in a really good book has brought me joy since I learned to read.  It has been a pathway to other worlds and I have taken part in adventures that I would never have dreamed of on my own.  So many characters of literature have become pieces of my memory and heart.  How I admire authors who can weave the tales that draw me in to the point that I feel as if I was a participant in the scenes that unfold. 

As I have grown older I find that I am much more selective in what I choose to engage my mind.  I long for the stories that are told in a wholesome way, lacking the crude expletives that seem to be so  abundant in what is spoken these days.  I simply don't understand, with the vast selection of words available, why it is necessary to choose such vile expressions.  Words, written or spoken, carry power.  

As I was considering this article and thinking of the verse above, a simple thought came to mind.  Jesus is Jesus all the time.  When He walked on this earth there was never a time when He was anything less than the Son of God.  He didn't present Himself one way to strangers and another to His family or friends.  Nor did he act one way on Sunday and another on Monday.  He spoke, and lived, truth.  He was genuine.  Always.  

Sadly, we don't see that as often as we should.  Too many wear a Christian mask in public but behind closed doors become someone else entirely.  Swearing and cursing are rampant in our society, even among many who claim to be followers of Jesus.  Unwholesome talk fills our movies and our books but also our workplaces and our schools.  It debases our morality and ruins how others view us.  How can we ever expect to win others to Christ when we portray the world?

Just as Jesus is Jesus all the time, so we are responsible for being Christians all the time, if, in fact, we have been cleansed by His blood and become His disciples.  We need to ask the Lord to help us walk and talk in ways that please Him and that edify others.   Our words, written or spoken, should be chosen wisely because we represent Almighty God and we may never know whose life is being impacted by our presence.  The seeds we sow, good or bad, matter.  Both in public and in our homes.  

Simply, our time on earth is not given to us to "fit in."  We should be the anomaly rather than the norm.  Our lives are brief and we may only have today to make an impact on the lives around us.  Do we want to be remembered for sharing the Lord's love and speaking encouragement or as ones who professed to be Christians but showed little or no fruit that it was true?  May the Father open our eyes and ears this week and lead us in the way we should go.  God bless.

Morning Scripture Reading - Isaiah 55:8-13

Isaiah 55:8-13 New International Version (NIV)

8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 As the rain and the snow
    come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
    without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
    so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
12 You will go out in joy
    and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
    will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
    will clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
    and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,
    for an everlasting sign,
    that will endure forever.”

Afternoon Scripture Reading - 1 John 4:4-6

1 John 4:4-6 New International Version (NIV)

4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us.This is how we recognize the Spirit[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

Footnotes:

1. 1 John 4:6 Or spirit

Morning Scripture Reading - 1 Peter 1:17-21

1 Peter 1:17-21 New International Version (NIV)

17 Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially,live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

Afternoon Scripture Reading - 2 Timothy 2:1-7

2 Timothy 2:1-7 New International Version (NIV)

The Appeal Renewed

2 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnessesentrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. 3 Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. 5 Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. 7 Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.

Morning Scripture Reading - 1 Peter 1:3-9

1 Peter 1:3-9 New International Version (NIV)

Praise to God for a Living Hope

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.