Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 02:36
Matthew 7:12-27
“In everything, therefore,
treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
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This narrow gate; in other translations is called:
The strait Gate, and the small gate.
The gate in to The Kingdome of God is down a narrow path that leads to a small narrow gate,
The gate in to heaven does not need to be big or wide,
Because we are not going to be able to take all our worldly possessions in with us,
Nor will our sins be allowed in.
Our lake of faith which piles fear and anxiety on us can not fit through that gate.
This narrow path and small gate our a way of life,
Our narrow path is to obey the words of God and Christ Jesus.
to follow and obey the ways of GOD and are taught by the Holy Spirit.
Depending on Him for all our needs, and direction in this life.
it is our lack of faith in Christ Jesus that He will do as He has said He will do that takes us away from that narrow path.
Reminds me of the book and movie ‘Pilgrams progress’
we need to lay all our sin at the cross of Christ our LORD,
to have the burdens we have taken on that are not of our LORD Jesus and live a life dedicated to Him and Father GOD,
not to self nor the ways of this world.
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Matthew 7:15
Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing,
but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
You will know them by their fruits.
Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?
“So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.
A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
So then, you will know them by their fruits.
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This is what we can take through the small narrow Gate:
the fruit of the Spirit;
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;
these are listed in
Galatians 5:22-23 and in 24 we are told
“against such things there is no law.
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
These are the things we carry that can not go through the small narrow gate:
immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these.
This list can be found in Galatians 5:19-21
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Matthew 5:21-23
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,
but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
Many will say to Me on that day,
‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name,
and in Your name cast out demons,
and in Your name perform many miracles?’
And then I will declare to them,
‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’
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To go to church, to do good deeds, to feed the hungry, to cloth the needy, to teach the word of GOD, to prophesy in the name of the Lord, to even cast out demons and do miracles does not give you access to The Kingdom of God.
Jesus tells us
“he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter” And what is the will of the Father?
That we would except His Son as our LORD,
That we would live in the manner laid out by Him and His Son Christ Jesus.
To listen to the teaching of the Holy Spirit, and to follow His direction in our lives,
If we are doing this,
we will have the fruit of the Spirit;
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, filling our lives.
Father GOD desires that we love His Son Christ Jesus, and treat other believers with agape love.
Agape love refers to a pure, willful, sacrificial love that intentionally desires another’s highest good.
It exhibits selflessness, sacrifice, and unconditional care for others. This goes far beyond mere feelings, emphasizing actions and commitment.
It is the highest, most pure form of love, it is accomplished out of choice, not out of attraction or obligation.
Agape love is described in 1 Corinthians 13.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails
This is Agape Love
This is the will of Father God for us.
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Matthew 7:24-27
Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.
Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”
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The rock, the firm foundation; this is Christ Jesus. If we are rooted in Him when the trials come, We can stand strong in Him, our firm foundation
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Galatians 6:1
Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass (sin), you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
But each one must examine his own work,
and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone,
and not in regard to another.
For each one will bear his own load.
Galatians 6:6
The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him.
Do not be deceived,
God is not mocked;
for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Let us not lose heart in doing good,
for in due time, we will reap if we do not grow weary.
So then,
while we have opportunity,
let us do good to all people,
and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.
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Be encouraged to do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord,
seek the Kingdome of God and His righteousness,
desiring to live righteous as Christ lived on earth a righteous life.
For it is entering the Kingdome of GOD and spend eternity with Christ Jesus and Father GOD that is our final goal.
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I pray you will take the time to comprehend what the Holy Spirit is saying to you.
From the mouth of Christ, Him self Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
Friday, October 25, 2024, 05:28
Matthew 6:25-34
“For this reason, I say to you,
do not be worried about your life,
as to what you will eat or what you will drink;
nor for your body, as to what you will put on.
Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not worth much more than they?
And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?
And why are you worried about clothing?
Observe how the lilies of the field grow;
they do not toil nor do they spin,
yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.
But if God so clothes the grass of the field,
which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace,
will He not much more clothe you?
You of little faith!
Do not worry then, saying,
‘What will we eat?’
or ‘What will we drink?’
or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’
For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things;
for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
¶ “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Matthew 7:7-12-14
“Ask, and it will be given to you;
seek, and you will find;
knock, and it will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives,
and he who seeks finds,
and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone?
Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?
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 what is good to those who ask Him!”
In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
“Enter through the narrow gate;
for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction,
and there are many who enter through it.
For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
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Jesus lays out the pathway for us to live with out anxiety,
How to live without worry.
Really boils down Matthew 6:33
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
And He follows that up with 6:34
“So do not worry about tomorrow;
for tomorrow will care for itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Matthew 7:7
“Ask, and it will be given to you;
seek, and you will find;
knock, and it will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
If you believe in Christ Jesus and have asked Him in to your heart, If you go by the name Christian,
Then you should take the words of Jesus and apply them to your life.
Jesus tells us He will take care of all our needs, ALL.
We do not need wealth,
We do not need name brand clothing.
We do not need gourmet meals.
We do not need the latest electronic devises.
We do not need worldly positions.
What we need is a relationship with Christ our LORD.
But in this country, it seems most are so concerned and busy going about gathering and collecting things that Christ is left out of our reassigning,
He seems to be left out of our daily lives because we are running after worldly things rather than Him.
Christ Jesus straight out tells us to;
Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness,
And He will take care of our needs.
Simple and to the point.
But rather than to trust Him, rather than to put our trust and faith in Him, We tend to lean on our own understanding and set out to do all things on our own.
But yet will say “I trust the Lord”
Look at your life:
What is your faith set in?
Where is your trust seated?
If they are in Christ Jesus,
Then why are you striving for what you need?
Answer;
What you are striving after is not what you really need.
But what you want.
First words found in the Bible:
"In the beginning God."
This is how our lives should start each and every day.
First thing every morning with our heart, mind and soul, we should first and foremost, seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
As for the rest, it will come from the Lord Himself without your being anxious.
All that is needful for us shall be added to our lives by Him, our LORD.
Christ Jesus promise to provide what we have need of; Food, clothing, shelter, and so forth,
He will provide our needs as we seek after Him and His Kingdome, His righteousness.
Set all your mind on seeking the Lord.
Coveting things will only lead you in to poverty, anxiety and leaving in misery:
trusting in God will lead you to the narrow path that leads to the small gate and life.
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
Think about what you do and why you do it.
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Tuesday, October 22, 2024, 03:20
Have you willfully been taken captive?
Colossians 2:8
¶ See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
Colossians 3:2
Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
Colossians 3:23 (22-25)
¶ Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth,
not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.
Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance.
It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.
For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.
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There are a few things here that it seems most Christians have not grasped:
Think about this;
When a fellow Christian is talking about their employment or employer, it positive?
Or negative?
This will show you who they are truly working for, The LORD, self or man.
Working as unto the Lord you have no reason to complain, gripe or grumble, for you are working for GOD Himself.
Psalms 56:11
In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
Psalms 118:6
The LORD is for me; I will not fear;
What can man do to me?
Psalms 56:4
In God, whose word I praise,
In God I have put my trust;
I shall not be afraid.
What can mere man do to me?
being on the wrong side of Father GOD should bring fear to your heart.
If you have excepted Christ and are still trying to please men or self you are walking a fine line that is filled with landmines, things that you can not see nor do you have any defense from.
The LORD will not break you r will and if you chose to live in sin, live for the things of this world you should not except Father God, Christ Jesus nor the Holy Spirit to answer your prayers.
GOD is not a short order cook;
He is not a genie in a bottle you can call up only when you want something.
Either you have repented of your sins and turned from them and turned to GOD or you have not.
It is not and can never be a no/off situation,
for if that is the way you live you need to recommit to the LORD and change the way you live.
Chose this day whom you will serve; GOD, man or self.
If you chose GOD you have no reason to live in fear,
If you chose self or men, you better fear GOD,
the one who will pronounce judgment against;
To sentence you to the pit of fire, hell.
If you chose men or self-realize that you are striving for wealth, for it is all for worldly gain, and for worldly gain you need wealth.
Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters;
for either he will hate the one and love the other,
or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and wealth.
Luke 16:13
“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and wealth.”
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Colossians 3:12-17
So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.
Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Whatever you do in word or deed,
do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
1 Corinthians 15:33-34
Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”
Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning;
for some have no knowledge of God.
I speak this to your shame.
A word from Christ our Lord to the Christian:
Revelation 3:15-22
I know your deeds,
that you are neither cold noe hot;
I wish that you were cold or hot.
so because yo are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold,I will spit you out of My mouth.
Because you say,
"I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,"
and you do not know youare wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,
I advise you to but from Me gold refined by fire so that you may becaome rich, and white garments so that you may cloth yorself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed;and eye salveto anoint your eyes so that you may see.
Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline;
therefore be zealous and repent.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock;
if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
He whho overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne,
as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spiritt saya to the church."
are you the chruch?
have you allowed yourself to be taken captive by the world and its ways?
Christ Jesus is patiently standing at the door of your heart, knocking, waiting for you to ask Him in.
Saturday, October 19, 2024, 05:49
Being made new
Colossians 3:1-4
¶ Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ,
keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
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If you belong to Christ the things on your mind should be on the things of GOD the things of heaven,
His kingdom, His rightlessness.
Matthew 6:33
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.”
Belonging to Christ our minds should be set on things above not on things on this earth.
Yes, we physically live on this earth but we are not to be apart of this earth nor its ways.
Some might put it this way
“so heavenly minded, your no earthly good.”
That is not a bad thing.
Belonging to Christ Jesus fully understanding what He did for you at the cross, your love for Him should be of first important in your life, not what you wear, eat nor positions of things of this world.
Matthew 6:19-21
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
So where is your heart?
With Christ?
Or with this world?
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Colossians 3:5-11
¶ Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.
But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.
Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him— a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.
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Our bodies are to be as dead to sin, all sin.
We are to let go of; to remove from our lives; anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech
we are not to lie to one another.
Coming to Christ Jesus our LORD we are to put aside our old ways of living, our old ways of thinking, allowing the Spirit of GOD to cloth us with a new life, renewing us in the truth of GOD that we may reflect the image of Christ Jesus our Lord to each other.
It doesn’t mater who we are or where we come from,
This should be expected of us if we have turn to Christ.
We are to live in the world, but yet not in its ways,
Christ has given everyone the opportunity to do so by giving of Himself on the cross and then rising aging three days later, victories over death and hell.
The thing is; will we totally except Him and turn from the sins and ways of this world, and its ways?
We have been chosen, but will we now choose Him?
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Colossians 3:12-17
¶ So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.
Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
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Being one who has been chosen of God, one who is considered to be holy and beloved, believers should be willing to give all to Christ Jesus and chose to live with a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience with all who are believers in Christ, with our hearts set to not offend our fellow believers, forgiving each other just as Christ has forgiven us. for just as the Lord forgave us, we also should forgive each other.
Before anything ells, in the body of Christ we should live out love, which is the perfect bond of unity not only in the church but in the world also.
As a Christian, a believer in and follower of Christ Jesus, we should live in the peace of Christ and allow that peace to rule in our hearts, for we were called in one body, the body of Christ Jesus we should be thankful for what Christ Jesus has done for us and for our brothers in Christ.
“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. .
Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”
As a Christian, a believer in and follower of Christ Jesus are you willing to let go of all worldly ways and desires to follow and obey His word?
Are you willing to put Him first in all your ways?
Are you willing to live a life thankful being grateful for what He has done for you, a life of gratitude, a life of love forgiving as you have been forgiven?
A body divided can not stand,
A body unified with love can stand and withstand anything that may come its way.
Are you willing to love in this manner?
The body of Christ is to stand together in love through all things, being more concerned of the needs of others in the body then those of their own.
If the Bride; the church of Christ Jesus grasped the teaching of Christ in Colossians 3 And each of us treated one another in this manner what a difference it would make in this world.
i will leave you with this:
1John 3:16
We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
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Thursday, October 17, 2024, 05:00
This is the first and foremost note in my Bible;
Well after
"you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, you mind and soul, and your neighbor as yourself."
The Holy Spirit uses these to draws me back to where i should be.
Psalms 1
¶ How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.
¶ The wicked are not so,
But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked will perish.
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In all the notes in my bible this is the one i go back to most often.
i try to be constantly aware of my surroundings,
who i am listening to,
who i am associating with.
For if you are;
walking in the counsel of the wicked,
or stand in the path of sinners,
or sit in the seat of scoffers!
Then you are associating with those people.
The words of Father GOD are clear on these relationships.
DON’T have then,
stay away from them.
1Kings 11:2
“You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods.”
Proverbs 20:19
He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets, Therefore do not associate with a gossip.
Proverbs 22:24
Do not associate with a man given to anger; Or go with a hot-tempered man
Proverbs 24:21
My son, fear the LORD and the king;
Do not associate with those who are given to change,
For their calamity will rise suddenly,
And who knows the ruin that comes from both of them?
These also are sayings of the wise.
To show partiality in judgment is not good.
He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
Peoples will curse him,
nations will abhor him;
But to those who rebuke the wicked will be delight,
And a good blessing will come upon them.
1Corinthians 5:9
I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people;
1 Corinthians 5:11
But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler
not even to eat with such a one.
For what have I to do with judging outsiders?
Do you not judge those who are within the church?
But those who are outside, God judges.
REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES.
2Thessalonians 3:14
If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter,
take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame.
These words have been a guiding light for me for over 40 years.
At times in my life, i have lost my way and associated with the wrong people but each time the Holy Spirit has brought me back to the narrow path.
And each time i repent and turn from the evil ones in my life the Lord has blessed me.
These times have happened when i have seemed to be to busy to spend time in GODs word, and then drift away.
The Lord tells us He will never leave us nor forsake us,
and He has never failed to be there to draw me back.
Psalms 23
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Psalms 1
¶ How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.
¶ The wicked are not so,
But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked will perish.
In the end of this life where will you be?
Blessed by the Lord?
Or perish with the wicked?
That choice is yours to make,
Will you walk in the counsel of the wicked?
Will you stand in the path of sinners?
Will you sit in the seat of scoffers?
Or will you
Set you delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law meditate day and night?
The choice is yours to make.
No one can make it for you.
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