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“For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
John 6:33

Today’s Bible Reading

The psalmist declares the power of the Lord and His glorious rule over all creation. When all people stand before almighty God, everyone will experience either terrified humiliation or joyful thanksgiving.

BibleGateway: Psalm 97 ESV Text: Psalm 97 Psalm 97 (Listen) The Lord Reigns 97:1   The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice;    let the many coastlands be glad!2   Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;    righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.3   Fire goes before him    and burns up his adversaries all around.4   His lightnings light up the world;    the earth… 

The blessings of Christianity are so abundant and constant that we tend to take them for granted and fail to be properly thankful to God for His unmerited benevolence. The ten lepers must certainly have been astounded by their healing, yet only one came back and thanked Jesus. Let us think daily on our blessings, and be like the one rather than the nine.

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BibleGateway: Luke 17:11-19 ESV Text: Luke 17:11-19 KJV Text: Luke 17:11-19 The section starts at about 1:26 and ends at about 2:30      11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he… 

Pietists and legalists are proud of their rectitude and adherence to moral codes, as though that’s praiseworthy. That’s like someone who wishes to be praised because he found a lost wallet with much cash and returned it to its owner. That’s not praiseworthy; a failure to do that would be theft. So also, our Christian sanctification is merely our duty which, as unprofitable servants, we fulfill only imperfectly.

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BibleGateway: Luke 17:1-10 ESV Text: Luke 17:1-10 KJV Text: Luke 17:1-10 The section starts at about 0:0 and ends at about 1:35      1 Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences… 

Wherein lies our hope? The hearts of unbelievers can be set only on the things of this world. The “rich man” of this parable is merely one example. His wealth is not the problem; his unbelief is. He is contrasted with the beggar Lazarus (whose name is a rendition of a Hebrew name meaning “God is my help”). Is our focus on worldly matters, or on God?

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BibleGateway: Luke 16:19-31 ESV Text: Luke 16:19-31 KJV Text: Luke 16:19-31 The section starts at about 2:36 and ends at about 4:28      19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and… 

Does God commend dishonest dealing? Certainly not. Note that the commendation of the unjust servant comes from his master, not our Lord. Our Lord’s exhortation begins in v. 9. It is not the steward’s dishonesty that God commends, but rather only the man’s prudence as an example for us to follow. As Christians, we too often fail to be “wise as serpents,” as Jesus exhorts us in Matthew 10:16.

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BibleGateway: Luke 16:1-13 ESV Text: Luke 16:1-13 KJV Text: Luke 16:1-13 The section starts at about 0:0 and ends at about 2:6      1 And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich… 

Have you ever acted as though your own ideas about how to achieve happiness were better than God’s plans for you? The father in this parable represents God, and the younger son represents those who choose to go their own way. The father allowed his younger son to discover the folly of his own ideas, and to return, chastised, to his household. How blessed we are that for Jesus’ sake, we are received back.

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BibleGateway: Luke 15:11-32 ESV Text: Luke 15:11-32 KJV Text: Luke 15:11-32 The section starts at about 1:10 and ends at about 4:4      11 And he said, A certain man had two sons: 12 And the… 

Was there anything in the lost sheep or the lost piece of money that made them of greater worth than the other ninety-nine sheep or the other nine coins? No. What differentiated them was that they were lost. The Pharisees and scribes complained that Jesus ate with sinners, so He told these parables to illustrate the seeking love of God. We were lost. Jesus sought us out and saved us.

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BibleGateway: Luke 15:1-10 ESV Text: Luke 15:1-10 KJV Text: Luke 15:1-10 The section starts at about 0:0 and ends at about 1:19      1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to… 

The first use of the Law is to show us our sins and sinful nature so that we are not deceived by the lie that we can earn salvation. It is only through Christ’s perfect life and vicarious death that our sins have been blotted out. The benefit of what Jesus has done for all mankind is received only through faith, not works.

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BibleGateway: Romans 3:19-28 ESV Text: Romans 3:19-28 KJV Text: Romans 3:19-28 The section starts at about 1:46 and ends at about 3:15      19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith… 

“Stand fast” in unchanging truth. God’s enemies present compelling and eloquent assertions and reasoning designed to create widespread falling away from genuine Christian faith. Who is in danger of falling away? Those who “did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” Continually study the saving Word of God, through which the Holy Spirit will sustain and strengthen your faith.

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BibleGateway: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17 ESV Text: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17 KJV Text: 2Thessalonians 2:1-17 The section starts at about 0:0 and ends at about 2:28      1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our… 

This is Paul’s valedictory statement. May God graciously grant that we too may be able to fight the good fight and keep the faith. Our eternal welfare is a matter of what Christ has done for us, not of what we do. Nonetheless, being saved by grace through faith, we are called to practice faithful discipleship unto the end.

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BibleGateway: 2 Timothy 4:6-22 ESV Text: 2 Timothy 4:6-22 KJV Text: 2Timothy 4:6-22 The section starts at about 0:38 and ends at about 2:47 6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the…