In Luke 11:27, a woman can keep quiet no longer as she is wowed by the Christ. She shouts out: "Blessed is the womb that bare thee and the paps which thou hast sucked." As she listened to Him, she could only think: "Your mother must be the happiest woman on earth. There could be no higher honor or achievement in life than to be the vessel that brought You in to this world. What a fortunate woman Your mother is!" Jesus didn’t rebuke her, for Mary really was a chosen vessel. There could only be one Mary.

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The Apostle Peter wasn't hanging his head without eye contact with the influential members of the Great Jewish Council. He spoke with confidence and with power. He wasn't embarrassed to speak up for Christ. The powerful Sanhedrin took their positions in the room and then Peter and John were ushered in, along with the man who had been healed

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"Yeah, it's all put on. He can act like that around older christians, but when u get him with us, he's no different than the rest of the gang. In fact, he often is the ring leader. He's the one who challenges us to do some of the things we do. So yeah - the guy you see, is not quite the same as the one we know. I don't want to put him down so I'll stop there."   And the red flags go up. What you see is not always what you get.

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Have you ever grumbled and complained to the Lord about some things that are happening in your life? A road trip that you were excited about falls through. Someone else gets the promotion you expected to get. An ankle is busted in December and your snowboarding season is ruined. The transmission goes in your car. Your CD/MP3 player is stolen out of your truck. Your iPod falls and smashes. You lose your job. A deal falls through. A courtship is called off. You get pink eye and the flu the first weekend your girlfriend visits your family.

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"Gaius, I'm impressed that you are going on for the Lord and thriving spiritually. I am praying that all the other dimensions of your life will prosper to the same extent. There is nothing that makes me happier than to see christians continuing on for the Lord and walking daily in the truth. I am hearing good reports about you despite the horrible things that are going on within the local church there. That Diotrephes loves to rule the roost and grabs the spotlight whenever he can. His unfair and malicious actions and wicked words are appalling. If I drop by for a visit, I will deal with him."

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Perhaps you are in the thick of a famine right now. The leaves are withering before your eyes. The grass is turning brown. The ground is hard and cracking. The water level is at an all time low. The wind is blowing and the dry dust is swirling. It's bleak and dismal. The freshness of your spiritual life is gone. Your fruitfulness has been swallowed up by barrenness. Sweetness has been choked by bitterness. Grief has smothered happiness. Hopes and dream have been dashed. It is called a spiritual famine. I've been there. You too?? The fire that once burned in your soul is gone. As you read this, you are hoping some spark in your heart may be fanned into a flame once again.

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Have you ever read in the Bible about the man who wanted to get his ear pierced? Not to be cool. Not for style. Not to enhance his image. Not to add glamour to the human body or for self gratification. Body piercings and body art today convey a message quite different from the piercings in Exodus 21:2-6. Today the language is: "I'll do what I want with my body. I'll decorate it and use it in whatever way it pleases ME. It's mine! " Body piercings today have little, if anything to do with love, submission, obedience and service to the Lord.

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Sometimes when I read I get caught up in the story. In Matthew 22:15-22, when the Pharisees dispatched a crew to trip-up Jesus in His words, I found myself thinking (a dangerous thing!!) as I was reading: "Yes, Lord give it to them. Give them a response that will expose their own hearts!!" But what about my own heart? When I read the Word of God, I shouldn't just be looking for messages for 'others.' First and foremost, the Word of God needs to expose my own heart and I need to bow each day to God's message for ME.

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I recall my Sunday School class days when I misquoted a verse. Memorizing the Word of God is important but I always found it a challenge - especially when the pressure was on. Standing before an audience to recite memory verses was my least favorite part of the Sunday School routines.

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