Psalms 50:1-6

Dear brethren,

Here is a delayed Bible passage for the day.

As with all things in life, we must always remember that God is the one true judge. No matter what we do in life, all our deeds will be judged by God. How will we stand at the day of judgment? Will we be considered one of His "faithful ones"? Just a few thoughts as you close this day.

The Bible passage comes from Psalms 50:1-6


1 The Mighty One, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.

2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.

3 Our God comes; he does not keep silence; before him is a devouring fire, around him a mighty tempest.

4 He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people:

5 "Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!"

6 The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge! Selah

In Love,

John Duvall

Romans 13:11-14

Dear brethren,

Are you sleeping now or are you awake? I am not referring to the slumber of the night when we all should be sleeping. I am refering to your life and righteousness. When you awoke out of your slumber this morning, you awoke one day closer to your salvation. In Romans 13:11-14, the apostle Paul told the brethren in Rome that "it is high time to awake out of sleep." He went on to explain "let us cast off the works of darkness." When a person awakes in the morning, he will remove the clothes of the night and put on the clothes prepared for the day. As children of God, we are to live our lives "dressed" in the "armor of light," having cast off sin and putting the Lord Jesus Christ.

Are you sleeping now or are you awake? If there is persistent sin in your life, sin you are unwilling to put away from your life, then you are still sleeping. Awake to righteousness, praying for forgiveness, and then "make no provisions for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts."

The passage for today comes from Romans 13:11-14.

11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.

14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

In Love,

John Duvall

Deuternomy 6:5-9

Dear brethren,

It is another day that the Lord has given us to live. Let us make the most of this wonderful opportunity. One great use of this day would be to study our Bibles. Find sometime today in your busy schedule to read and think upon a passage from God's Holy Word.

The passage for today is Deuteronomy 6:4-10. In this passage Moses is instructing the Israelites to teach their children the commands of God. When you read this passage, consider it from the position of the importance of you teaching yourself God's command. In order for parents to teach their children about God, the parents must first know about God.

Here is Deuternomy 6:5-9.

4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!

5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

6 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.

7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Until next time . . .

In Love,

John D.

1 Peter 1:13-21

Good morning dear brethren,

Have you given any forethought to what you will do today? We all take the time to plan out our days to some extent. But, in all of our plannings, do we keep in mind the words of Peter when he wrote: "Be holy, for I am holy." This concept of being holy is much more than and idealistic statement of an inspired man. The instructions to be holy applies to every fiber of our beings. We are to be holy in thought, in word, and in need. We should never plan or take any actions, never say anything, which would not be seen as "holy" in the site of God. It is the absence of righteousness or the presence of ungodliness that makes an action or word unholy. Consider the following passage which teaches us to be holy and why we should be holy. And yes, the standard of holiness was set by the heavenly Father.

1 Peter 1:13-21

13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;

15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,

16 because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."

17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;

18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,

19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you

21 who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

In love,

John Duvall

Psalms 119:33-40

Dear brethren,

Good Wednesday morning!

Do you need help in your pursuit of righteousness? If you are like me, then you need help. The Bible teaches us that we cannot by ourselves find and maintain righteousness. (cf. Jeremiah 10:23) However, with a lot of help, we can know the way of righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ. (cf. Romans 3:21-23)

In Psalms 119:33-40, the writer petitioned the Lord for help. All of the verses are petitions for help. Here is what you will see: "Teach me," "Give me," "Make me walk," "Incline my heart," "Turn away my eyes," "revive me," "Establish Your word," "Turn away my reproach," and again "revive me." The writer clearly understood that serving Jehovah God could not be accomplised without God's help. We must be of the same understanding within our lives.

As you read this wonderful segment of scriptures, consider carefully the requests. Are you making the same requests within your own life? If the writer of Psalms 119 was King David, then we all know what troubles he had in his life. We also see his desire to serve the Lord. Let us make the same requests of our Lord and Savior, including the request found in verse 40, "Revive me in Your righteousness."

Here is Psalms 119:33-40 presented for your consideration.


33 Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes, And I shall keep it to the end.

34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart.

35 Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it.

36 Incline my heart to Your testimonies, And not to covetousness.

37 Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, And revive me in Your way.

38 Establish Your word to Your servant, Who is devoted to fearing You.

39 Turn away my reproach which I dread, For Your judgments are good.

40 Behold, I long for Your precepts; Revive me in Your righteousness.

In Love,

John Duvall

Psalms 15:1-5

Dear brethren,

Good Monday morning to you. King David asked the question, "Who may abide in the tabernacle of the Lord?" The answer to the question is very interesting. When you read the answer, it should cause you to consider your daily actions in relation to other people. Often times in life, we worry about what others have done to us. Instead, we should be concerned with what we have done to other people. It is easier to critize other people than it is to critize ourselves.

Here is Psalms 15:1-5 for your consideration:

1 LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?

2 He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart;

3 He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;

4 In whose eyes a vile person is despised, But he honors those who fear the LORD; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change;

5 He who does not put out his money at usury, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things shall never be moved.

May you have a blessed day filled with righteousness, and opportunities to do good to others and to teach the lost.

Sincerely,

John Duvall

Matthew 7:7-12

Dear brethren,

I hope that your day is going well. Today is the first day of the week and we soon shall be assembling to worship our heavenly Father. I trust that we will see you there. If you are away traveling, then we will pray for your safe return. If you are sick, then we will pray for your speedy recovery.

We all face various trials and problems within our lives. For some of us, these trials and problems are of a physical manifestation. We battle disease, sickness, ailments, etc. For others of us, trials and problems may challenge us on a spiritual level, stripping away our strength as a Christian. In either case, we must always remember that we should never give up. We have to press on and never fail in our service to our Father in heaven.

Here is a Bible passage for your consideration. It comes from Matthew 7:7-12.

7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?

10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?

11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

Do your best to make this a great day of service to our Almighty Father.

Sincerely,

John D.