Psalms 57:9-11 NIV — from bible.com
I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.
Psalms 57:5 NIV— from bible.com
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.
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Acts 10:34-35
Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.
Psalms 51:10-12
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Psalms 51:17
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.
Proverbs 4:23 NIV — from bible.com
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
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1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NIV — from bible.com
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah
18 Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”
19 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.”
20 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.”
Jesus Predicts His Death
21 Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. 22 And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
Proverbs 8:27-31 NIV (speaking about wisdom)
I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth. Then I was constantly at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind.
John 12:12-16 NIV — from biblegateway.com
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
“Hosanna![a]”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[b]
“Blessed is the king of Israel!”
14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:
15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;
see, your king is coming,
seated on a donkey’s colt.”[c]
16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Psalms 36:5-7 NIV — from bible.com
Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, LORD, preserve both people and animals. How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
Luke 5:31-32 — from bible.com
“Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.””
Luke 5:31-32 NIV
From DSC:
LORD, thank you for your grace, patience, and love.
Houses of worship to move streaming from social media to dedicated platforms — from inavateonthenet.net
Excerpt:
A report by Pushpay, with data from over 1,700 organisations has found that while 91% of churches currently livestream worship services on social media, only 47% plan to do the same in the upcoming year.
The report, entitled ‘State of Church Tech 2023 is available to download here.
The reason cited for this shift is organisations’ lack of control on social media platforms to maintain engagement, as users are bombarded with pop-up windows, notifications, status updates, and more.
This is driving a rise in custom video players, website embeds, mobile app streaming, and other platforms that are better suited to maintain engagement.
Psalms 34:18 NIV — from bible.com
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
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Psalms 34:8 NIV — from bible.com
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.
From DSC:
I’m very grateful for the LORD’s grace, forgiveness, love/friendship, faithfulness, mercy, wisdom, guidance, and patience. Thank you LORD! And thank you for being *active* in my life. As you know, I need that.
It’s taken me years…no…decades to better understand and connect my mind and my heart with some of these things. For example, I used to see the LORD as a toe-tapping heavenly Being…looking down scornfully at me from above and saying, “Get your *(&^ together Daniel!” For years, I didn’t see Him as being on my team.
As my spiritual journey continued — and after many years, trials, and failures had passed — I came to see that He actually WAS on my team. I had had an incorrect view of Him.
Over time, his toe stopped tapping in my mind. I discovered that He did want what was best for me. At times, my trust levels weren’t what I thought they were. By demonstrating His faithfulness, my trust levels have risen. Thanks again LORD.
I realize that I still have a long ways to go yet.
