Thought for the Day

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Sam 16:7) Remember to look beyond appearances. #TFTD

When James and Cephas and John, who were acknowledged pillars, recognized the grace that had been given to me, they gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. (Gal 2:9) It’s better to work together

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The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Ps 27:1) What makes you afraid?

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If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea. (Isa 48:18) Don’t pass up long term flourishing for short term gain.

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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. (Isa 53:5) It’s the great mystery of the cross: that punishment could bring peace, and wounds could be healing.

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Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. (Act 8:30-31) Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

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I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus (1Cor 1:4) Grace is the greatest gift we could ever receive.

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Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:10-11) Can you imagine dropping everything to follow someone you just met? Jesus must have been convincing!

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Do not withhold your mercy from me, Lord; may your love and faithfulness always protect me. (Ps 40:11) May God’s love and faithfulness protect you today.

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I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. (Gal 1:6-7) Never settle for second best.

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“Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. (Matt 12:18) What does ‘justice to the nations’ mean in 2020?

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But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord. (Jer 1:7-8) Don’t make excuses, God will always be with you!

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The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. (Acts 10:45) God’s message is for everyone, even the people we least expect.

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Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. (Matt 3:13) Have you been baptized? What does your baptism mean to you today?

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Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” (1 Sam 7:12) Where do you need to acknowledge God’s help?

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“What was it he said to you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you.” (1 Sam 3:17) Are you prepared to hear the truth, even if you don’t like it?

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So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. (1 Sam 3:9) Take a moment to listen.

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From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Eph 4 16) Christianity is a team sport, and everyone has a part to play.

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And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. (Eph 3:17-18) Think about how much God loves us.

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Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. (Isa 16:1) Don’t let Christmas cheer turn into January blues, the Good News is for the whole year.

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By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. (Heb 11:8)

No one knows what 2020 will hold, so at some point we’ll all need to act on faith.

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“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” (Exo 3:5) What does ‘holy ground’ mean to you?

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When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” (Gen 28:16) God can be present somewhere, even before we recognize it.

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By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. (Heb 11:8)

No one knows what 2020 will hold, so at some point we’ll all need to act on faith.

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For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. (Eccl 3:1)

A lot is going to happen this coming year, but God is always going to be there.

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Using the gift that God gave me, I did the work of an expert builder and laid the foundation, and someone else is building on it. But each of you must be careful how you build. (1Co 3:10)

What will you build in 2020?

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Jesus spoke to the Pharisees again. “I am the light of the world,” he said. “Whoever follows me will have the light of life and will never walk in darkness.” (Joh 8:12)

Darkness outside does not equal darkness in your soul.

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Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing. Heb 10:25,

What a great day to be in Church!

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I heard a loud voice speaking from the throne: “Now God’s home is with people! He will live with them, and they shall be his people. God himself will be with them, and he will be their God.
(Rev 21:3)

Remember what awaits you!

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Those who find me find life, and the LORD will be pleased with them. (Pro 8:35)

Find anything as interesting as Jesus this Christmas?

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The whole group was pleased with the apostles’ proposal, so they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a Gentile from Antioch who had earlier been converted to Judaism. (Act 6:5)

How will you celebrate St Stephen’s day?

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She gave birth to her first son, wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger—there was no room for them to stay in the inn. (Luk 2:7)

Today we celebrate the Saviour’s day!

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John’s father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he spoke God’s message: “Let us praise the Lord, the God of Israel! He has come to the help of his people and has set them free. (Luk 1:67-68)

What message do we speak today?

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When the baby was a week old, they came to circumcise him, and they were going to name him Zechariah, after his father. But his mother said, “No! His name is to be John.” (Luk 1:59-60)

Lot’s of expectations. What are yours?

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Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing. Heb 10:25,

What a great day to be in Church!

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“Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets, you stone the messengers God has sent you! How many times I wanted to put my arms around all your people, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not let me! (Luk 13:34)

The Gospel has always struggled to be heard

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Do not lose your courage, then, because it brings with it a great reward. You need to be patient, in order to do the will of God and receive what he promises. (Heb 10:35-36) Waiting is hard but its part of our calling as Christians

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And the Holy Spirit also gives us his witness. First he says, “This is the covenant that I will make with them in the days to come, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts and write them on their minds.” (Heb 10:15-16)

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Jesus continued, “Now to what can I compare the people of this day? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace. One group shouts to the other, ‘We played wedding music for you, but you wouldn’t dance! We sang funeral songs, but you wouldn’t cry!’ (Luk 7:31-32)

So many adverts asking you to dance. Whose tune will you follow?

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So they set a date with Paul, and a large number of them came that day to the place where Paul was staying. From morning till night he explained to them his message about the Kingdom of God, and he tried to convince them about Jesus by quoting from the Law of Moses and the writings of the prophets. (Act 28:23)

How would you explain Advent to someone else?

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Do not let all kinds of strange teachings lead you from the right way. It is good to receive inner strength from God’s grace, and not by obeying rules about foods; those who obey these rules have not been helped by them. (Heb 13:9)

Make sure your Christmas is on the right foundation

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Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing. Heb 10:25,

What a great day to be in Church!

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The time came for Elizabeth to have her baby, and she gave birth to a son. (Luk 1:57)

Almost there, couple of weeks to go!

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Remember that the person who plants few seeds will have a small crop; the one who plants many seeds will have a large crop. (2Co 9:6)

Be generous in sowing the Gospel seed

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So we do not boast about the work that others have done beyond the limits God set for us. Instead, we hope that your faith may grow and that we may be able to do a much greater work among you, always within the limits that God has set. (2Co 10:15)

Have you reached your limits?

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When John’s disciples told him about all these things, he called two of them and sent them to the Lord to ask him, “Are you the one John said was going to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Luk 7:18-19)

Who were you expecting?

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May grace and peace be yours in full measure through your knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. (2Pe 1:2)

How can you be a blessing to others?

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For it was by hope that we were saved; but if we see what we hope for, then it is not really hope.

For who of us hopes for something we see? (Rom 8:24)

Where is your hope this Monday?

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Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing. Heb 10:25,

What a great day to be in Church!

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Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” (Luk 10:16)

We are Jesus representatives

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