Day 151, May 31 - 2 Corinthians 1

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20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.

Amen - so it is, so be it, may it be fulfilled. It was a custom, which passed over from the synagogues to the Christian assemblies, that when he who had read or discoursed, had offered up solemn prayer to God, the others responded Amen, and thus made the substance of what was uttered their own. (Strong's)

Day 150, May 30 - Acts 28

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23-24 When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved.

As powerful as Paul was and as close to God as he was, there were people who chose not to believe his words. 

Day 149, May 29 - Acts 27

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25

So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.

Sometimes we can lean on the faith of others and other times people will lean on us and our faith.

Day 128, May 28 - Acts 26

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16-18 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles--to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'

Paul shares his testimony to King Agrippa, 16-18 reminds me that I have a job to do as well, sharing God's love to those who don't know about it. 

Day 147, May 27 - Acts 25

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10 But Paul said, "I am standing before Caesar's tribunal, where I ought to be tried. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you yourself know very well.

11 If then I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek to escape death. But if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar."

Day 146, May 26 - Psalm 68

Right passage... wrong title... sorry about that

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34 Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, and whose power is in the skies.

35 Awesome is God from his sanctuary; the God of Israel--he is the one who gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God!

Day 145, May 25 - Psalm 66 & 67

Not sure where my mind was, but wrong title, but right passage link... sorry about that...

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66:19 But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. 20 Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!

Psalm 67

1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah 2 that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. 3 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! 4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah 5 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! 6 The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us.7 God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!

Day 144, May 24 - Acts 24

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23-25 

Then he [Felix] gave orders to the centurion that he should be kept in custody but have some liberty, and that none of his friends should be prevented from attending to his needs. After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, "Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you."

I wonder which aspect alarmed Felix enough to send Paul away. Of course, the next verse tells us that he was hoping to get a payoff from Paul. 

Day 143, May 23 - Acts 23

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1 And looking intently at the council, Paul said, "Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day."

6 Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, "Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial."

10 And when the dissension became violent, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him away from among them by force and bring him into the barracks.

I want to be like Paul, and be able to say "I have lived my life before God in all good conscience..."

Day 142, May 22 - Acts 22

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20-22 And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him.'

And he said to me, 'Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'"  Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, "Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live."

In this chapter Paul is giving his testimony he even confesses to his part in Stephen's death, yet once he referenced being sent to the Gentiles the leaders would listen no more. It's important to know our testimony but also know there might be times when people will stop listening to us. Hopefully, we won't be flogged, but that's always a possibility. 

Day 141, May 21 - Acts 21

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13 - 15 Then Paul answered, "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."  And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, "Let the will of the Lord be done."  After these days we got ready and went up to Jerusalem.

Oh the confidence of someone who is so is close to God. 

Day 140, May 20 - Acts 20

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28-30,32

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

Day 139, May 19 - Psalm 64 & 65

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Psalm 64:10 - The righteous will delight in the Eternal and will take shelter in Him. All those with an honest heart will glorify Him!

Psalm 65:8 - Those who inhabit the boundaries of the earth are awed by Your signs, strong and subtle hints of Your indelible presence. Even the dawn and dusk respond to You with joy.

The Voice

Day 138, May 18 - Psalm 62 & 63

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Psalm 62:1,2 - My soul quietly waits for the True God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my deliverance, my citadel high on the hill, I will not be shaken.

Psalm 63:1-4: O True God, You are my God, the One whom I trust. I see You with every fiber of my being. In this dry and weary land with no water in sight, my soul is dry and longs for You. My body aches for You, for Your presence. I have seen You in Your sanctuary and have been awed by Your power and glory. Your steadfast love is better than life itself, so my lips will give you all my praise. I will bless You with every breath of my life; I will lift up my hands in praise to Your name.
The Voice

Day 137, May 17 - Acts 19

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15 But the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?"

Does "evil" recognize you? 

Day 136, May 16 - Acts 18

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21 But on taking leave of them he said, "I will return to you if God wills," and he set sail from Ephesus.

We can make our plans, but God is still in control.

Day 135, May 15 - Acts 17

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16 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.

Our world is full of things that distract us from God, idols of a different kind, but do we find our spirits provoked? Sadly, I know mine is not nearly as much as it should be.  

Day 134, May 14 - Acts 16

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One of my favorite passages from Acts, if not the whole NT - when we're in prison we need to praise the Lord!

24-30 Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here."  And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

Day 133, May 13 - Acts 15

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7-10

And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hearthe word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?

Always a good reminder for those of us who have been in the church, we sometimes tend to put expectations on others that don't have a church background. Look for the important stuff, not the law stuff. 

Day 132, May 12 - Psalm 60 & 61

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1 Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; 2 from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, 3 for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. 4 Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah 5 For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name. 6 Prolong the life of the king; may his years endure to all generations! 7 May he be enthroned forever before God; appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him! 8 So will I ever sing praises to your name, as I perform my vows day after day.

May 11, Day 131 - Psalm 59

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16 But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress.

17 O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.

Day 130, May 10 - Acts 14

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19 But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.

20 But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.

Acts 7:58-60 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Stephen was stoned and died, while Paul was stoned and walked away. 

Day 129, May 9 - Acts 13

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45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him.

46 And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.

47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, "'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'"

48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

49 And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.

The Jews were and are God's chosen people, but he opened the door for us Gentiles as well. Very thankful for that!

Day 128, May 8 - Acts 12

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James is murdered and Peter is arrested. He is freed by an angel and he goes to the house of Mary.

11 When Peter came to himself, he said, "Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting."

12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.

I wonder what they were praying about? You would think they would have been praying for Peter and he shows up the door.  I love the fact that Rhoda recognized Peter's voice but does she let him in? No she runs and tells everyone leaving Peter standing at the door. 

Day 127, May 7 - Acts 11

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1-3 Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, "You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them."

18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, "Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life."

Even the early church struggled with not accepting those who were different are not part of their group.  But hearing how God worked they realized His hand was in this. Sometimes God does things different than we expect in people we don't expect. But we need to listen and look for God's hand in it. 

Day 126, May 6 - Acts 10

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34 - 38

So Peter opened his mouth and said: "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

God shows no partiality, that's great news for us!

Day 125, May 5 - Psalm 58

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This is a powerful Psalm of God's judgement, but it is important to remember it's God doing the judging:

11 Mankind will say, "Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth."

Day 124, May 4 - Psalm 56, 57

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56:

3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. 4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?

10 In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise, 11 in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?

57:

9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. 10 For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. 11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!

Day 123, May 3 - Acts 9

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9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. 18-20 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he [Saul/Paul] was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God."

22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.

Saul met Jesus in a dramatic way. During his blindness he didn't eat or drink. When he regained his sight what was the first thing he did? He was baptized and then he ate. He spent time learning from the disciples and then he immediately proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues. A life to emulate. 

Day 122, May 2 - Acts 8

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39-40 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

Such an amazing story! The eunuch saw him no more and went on his way rejoicing, no mention of being confused he just rejoiced. And can you imagine what Philip must have felt?!? He found himself at Azotus. What does he do? He preaches the gospel to all the towns. How do we get back to the glory of the early church?

Day 121, May 1 - Acts 7

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55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

To be so full of the Holy Spirit that you you see Jesus standing at the right hand of God and to be able to forgive. Stephen was a human just like each of us and he was able to do this, that should give us hope.