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MATTHEW 23:11 ESV 11 The greatest among you shall be your servant. Jesus was our perfect example (as well as being our Savior and Lord). No one could ever be more special than Jesus Christ, but He did not consider Himself too good to work hard and even to do menial tasks like washing feet (which would be equivalent to cleaning toilets today). You are special because God created you. You are very valuable – valuable enough for Jesus Christ to die so you could be in God’s family. But as a child of God, you are to be “clothed with humility.” Acting like you are better than other people does not please God. And it won’t make you many friends, either! 1 PETER 5:5 ESV 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” You are valuable and precious, but so is every other human being. God loves us all. So don’t treat anyone else as if you are better than they...

LEVITICUS 19:32 NLT 32 “Stand up in the presence of the elderly, and show respect for the aged. Fear your God. I am the LORD. When I was young a popular idea was that you should not trust anyone over the age of 30. Now that I have lived many years I see how that idea was from the devil – who would like to steal good things from people by cutting them off from the wisdom of those with much experience. 1 TIMOTHY 5:1a NLT 1 Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father. Why should we respect the elderly? First, because they are people made in the image of God and we should respect everyone – regardless of age. Second, because by living you learn. If you pay attention, the longer you live, the more you can learn. JOB 32:7 NLT 7 I thought, ‘Those who are older should speak, for wisdom comes with age.’ It’s not always true that an older person has learned what they should. But to ignore their experience and wisdom gained from many ...

REVELATION 3:20 NKJ 20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. Although this verse has been used to encourage sinners to receive Jesus, it is actually addressed to those who are already believers. Jesus is not a gate-crasher. He only enters the areas of your life into which He is invited. It is a common mistake to reserve areas of our lives which we do not invite Jesus to enter. But we need His help in everything. He is our Savior, the One who can deliver us. Remember, Jesus did not come to condemn us but to deliver us from bondage. He proved how much He loves us by dying to save us. JOHN 3:17 NKJ 17 “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. We cannot hide anything from God. He knows our every thought already. Yet He loves us and desires to help us. But He allows us to choose to open up to Him, or not. 1 COR...

Fasting means going without something, usually food. MATTHEW 9:14-15 NKJ 14 Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. The New Testament does not command us to fast. But it indicates that fasting will be done and can be useful. Fasting can help you, if approached correctly. But if you approach fasting as a way to gain points with God, you are wasting your time (see Luke 18:9-14 where Jesus tells of the religious Pharisee who fasted twice a week). Fasting will not force God to do anything. There is no need to do that anyway. God is perfect and perfectly willing to help people. God is not the problem. Fasting is not a magic wand. Nor is it a substitute for studying God’s Word or praying. But we don’t w...

2 CORINTHIANS 4:13 NIV 13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, We are not supposed to just quietly believe. We should express our belief by speaking it. In Mark 11:23 when Jesus taught about faith, He stressed the importance of what you say. Real faith not only believes, but it speaks what it believes. The world would have us believe words are not that important. They think we can just say anything and it doesn’t matter, that “it’s just talk!” But the Bible teaches that our words are extremely important. Here are just a few verses on the subject. PROVERBS 18:21 NIV 21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. MATTHEW 12:37 NIV 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.“ ROMANS 10:10 NIV 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. S...

LUKE 21:25,26,28 NKJ 25 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 “men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. 28 “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” Unprecedented troubles seem to be sweeping the earth. What should we do when we see these things happening? Jesus said we should “look up and lift up our heads!” That is, we should not be discouraged or disheartened by all the troubles on earth, as if we have no hope. Instead we are to continue in faith, knowing that our Lord will always take care of us, and that our final redemption is drawing nearer. We must remember that God is truly our Source and that He has promised to never forsake us, but to always provide for us. As we await the return of our...

DEUTERONOMY 6:6-7 NKJ 6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. God holds all parents responsible for teaching their children. But that does not require some formal approach to instruction. The best way is a natural flow of information as we go through life. God’s Word tells us that teaching our children should happen during the normal events of daily life. We can illustrate truth and apply it to what happens every day, just as Jesus did with His disciples. We must also realize that everything our children see us do in life is also unintentionally teaching them. Whatever they see you do is a lesson your children are watching and learning from. If you never speak of God and His Word, it communicates to your children that God is not very important to you. If you don’t read your Bible, don’...

JOHN 20:31 NKJ 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. “But how can I believe in an invisible God?” The same way you believe in the wind. No one has ever seen the wind. But we all see the effects of the wind. You may not see God, but open your eyes and look around and you will see God in action. In His marvelous creation, in people’s testimonies of God’s provision and deliverance, in miracles happening all over the earth, in answered prayer. It is not necessary to see God, or feel God, to believe in Him! JOHN 20:29 NKJ 29 Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” If it was always easy to believe, there would be no reward offered for believing. No one offers a reward or bonus for doing something easy. HEBREWS 11:6 NKJ 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God m...

It’s simple – but you will need God’s help to do it. JOHN 15:12 NIV 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Love as Jesus loved! Be willing to lay down your life to bless your spouse. Few would ever want to get rid of a spouse who truly practices this principle. The ingredients for having a great marriage are the same as having any great relationship: communication, honesty, commitment, kindness, and attention. If your aim is to bless your spouse and make them happy, it is very likely they will eventually respond by loving you. If you are the only one in your marriage practicing this, it can be difficult. But your only other choice is to treat them badly in return. How can that produce anything good? You are God’s representative. He put you where you are so He could express His love through you. God loves your spouse – whether you think they deserve it or not. The Bible teaches us to put the interests of others first. ROMANS 12:10 NIV 10 Be devoted to one an...