Mar 1st Hope to see in SS and Church today. There are some out of town and some in conflict so let us be mindful of their needs and pray often for their reliance upon GOD who giveth the victory. Let the rest of us TODAY be grateful and thank The LORD for His watchcare over us. Please read Psalm 119:9-11 and let us accept His promise and stick to our vow according to what we read and say we believe. Salty! We will finish reading Leviticus and Mark this month. We need to continue. searching for the names, traits, attributes of our LORD as we read Numbers and Luke.
Leviticus 24:1-25:46 God told Moses to be very careful to listen and be very specific to tell Aaron, all the priest and all the children to obey His commandments and to observe all the statutes. Although The LORD gave everything to the people to use in the sacrifices, offerings and worship He told them how to prepare each item even describing how to prepare the olive oil for the lamps. We should not be surprised when we see that The Lord Jesus Christ is the only acceptable perfect Lamb of God who is without sin or blemish and who has paid in full the penalty for all sins. When we appreciate how God has treated us and the children of Israel it should be no problem treating others properly.Verse 17 states "Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God; for I Am the LORD thy God".
Mark 10:13-31 makes it very plain how to get to Heaven, and verse 15 tells all the requirements. Receive the gift! It is good for men to do right, but practice before doctrine is bad. Jesus makes it very clear that rich men and poor men get to Heaven the SAME way. Let your faith be founded in the Word, be right and then do right as led by The Holy Spirit. Let us all be sure that God's stewardship plan for us is BEST. Just imagine and hundredfold return on your gift to God, that God gave to you first and then and when you freely gave back to Him, you were to be rewarded 100-1 and "with persecution S" ; AND in the world to come eternal life. Do you seek for a better deal?
Psalm 44:8-26 makes the answer for the question about a better deal by stating "In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah. Does it fascinate you to hear what we read today would be the theme of the pastor's sermon this AM titled "the secrets of the heart"? God is at work!
Proverbs 10:20-21 ought to cause us to be careful in our speech.
Let us be diligent this week to read to know Him and to pray like prudent people. pj

Feb 28th Good reading today.Perhaps we could review the offerings and feasts that GOD established for the children during the exodus and see their application for us today. Unleavened bread speaks volumes about obedience and promptness. And it is used as a picture of sin and the impact it on our body/life. When they gave an offering there was a grave responsibility to make sure it was perfect with no blemish. The care required to select the best animal was hard work. If they wanted to be a peace with GOD and in fellowship with Him their freewill offering gave evidence that they wanted to keep the commandments. When the feasts were explained by God it was to remind the children of their past and previewed for them the joy they were to have in the promised land. All of these requirements and statutes that The LORD established were to be accomplished and the fathers were to teach the children about when GOD brought the children of Israel out of Egypt. We ought to learn also to put GOD first?

Mark 9:30-10:12 shows how sinful and simple man can be in his own devices. Jesus speaks of His "Passion" in verse 31 and the disciples do not understand. They want recognition and prominence but He tells them to be servants, if they want to be like Him. Jesus is The Master Teacher and uses little children as the object lesson to show humility and submission as a part of being a servant to all. We need to understand that Jesus is not teaching nor requiring self-mutilation to enter Heaven, but He is teaching about an "offense" that we do not control and that offends GOD. Let us be respectful and careful in our conduct showing our "fear" of God. How are we "salty" today by our conversation? Pray that God will cause us to know this truth about "salt" and then apply it by His GRACE so that we all will be at peace. Our lifestyle ought to be pleasing to GOD in regards to our marriages and let us remember to hate the sin of divorce but love the sinners that have been affected by divorce. Thank GOD for forgiveness of any and all sin according to 1st John 1:9.
Psalm 44:1-7 sounds like a request from people who came out of Egypt and were reminding The LORD about His faithfulness. O to be grateful!
Proverbs 10:19 reminds us to speak wisely and choose our words carefully.
This has been a great month to read. We are 1/6th of the way through the year, keep on reading to know Him and He will show you the way. pj

Feb 27th I hope you are enjoying your reading and time in prayer. It seems to me that when I(we) think it is all in a row a corner shows up unexpected and I(we) get caught up in the trivia of the day and put my(our) God on hold. Thanks be to GOD for The Scriptures and especially 1st John 1:9.
Leviticus 20:22-27 starts out by stating what is to be the best lifestyle for a child of God. All the promises are plain and the requirements and conditions for "Peace with GOD" are made known. Verse 26 ought to be our life verse because He claims us for Himself! 21:1-24 sets a high standard for the priest and the high priest so that they do not defile themselves. Let us look carefully on our conduct and live a life of separation, sanctification and purity. 22:1-20 identifies some of the responsibilities of the priest. In verse 2 it was stated that "that they profane not my holy name in those things which they hallow unto me: I am the LORD", and we as priest should be careful in our ministry.
Mark9:1-29 What an experience those men had on the mountain when Jesus was transfigured. It was made plain that Jesus was not just a giver of the law as Moses nor a prophet as Elijah but that He was the Messiah, the fulfillment of all the law and prophecies. Jesus as Omnipotent God in the flesh ever present as human and always fully GOD. Their instruction were GOD given and easy to understand "Hear Him", because He is the beloved Son of God and these instructions are for every born again believer today.
Psalm 43:1-5 ought to cause us to pray for The President and that he be saved and act like he is a son of our God and our brother. Pray also that he be guided by The Holy Spirit for the Glory of God and the good of our country.
Proverbs 10:18 is not easy to misunderstand and the effect is harsh, on us and others. Pray that we be prudent in our speech and diligent in our desire to honor and please our Saviour. As we read to know Him, let us strive to be like Him. pj

Feb 26th If we could be convinced that all we read is true and applicable in our life today, I am persuaded that we would be different and the world would be a better place to live.
Leviticus 19:1-20:21 ought to causes us to repent of our sins and beg for forgiveness from The LORD our God. He has said that He is holy and that we shall be holy. The lifestyle dictated by God is for His glory and our good and can be accomplished by His GRACE. Verse 37 states " Therefore shall ye observe all my statutes, and all my judgements, and do them: I am the LORD". Get right, be right and stay right. All the sexual sins described are an abomination. The impact of these may vary from death, being burnt by fire or being childless. The admonition for us today in verse 7 is " Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God".
Mark 8:10-38 shows the care of Jesus for His disciples and He gently rebukes them in verse 17. The Gospel is plainly spoken in verse 31. Jesus ask a hard question that rings in every mans ears, even today, "Whom say ye that I am"? The answer each man gives will have eternal consequence. Verses 35-37 declares for all men the options that are available today and the impact of their choice. I understand the call given of "Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" is as clear as was given to the children of Israel, for He is The LORD. Let us be thankful for the opportunity to know Him personally as our Lord and Saviour.
Psalm 42 encourages the reader and reminds us to remember to"hope thou in God".
Hope you have a good day and are lifted up because you read to know Him. pj

Feb 25th Wednesday I'm sure you are very happy that you do not live in the days written about in Leviticus. I'm glad that I don't have to offer sacrifices nor go through a human priest to get things right with God, yet we still go through a High Priest The Lord Jesus Christ, to get to GOD The Father today. The reason any and all come is for an atonement and cleansing from all our sins before The LORD.
Leviticus 17:11-14 makes it clear what attitude the children of God were to have concerning blood. Sin can only be satisfied by the shedding of blood. We, as sinners will lose our life's blood to pay the sin debt or they/we must slay an innocent animal and offer it's blood in our stead. Thanks be to God for salvation through Jesus, The Innocent Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. 18:1-30 restates what their doings ought to be and what they should not do. Privacy, decency, respect and good conduct coupled with doing the judgments, keeping the statutes and ordinances and walking therein to please The LORD. Verses 27-30 are plain and specific and as the Jews were instructed to observe them, they are given to us as examples of what our Lord expects of us today.
Mark7:24-37 reports the compassion of Jesus and how He so gently treated the Syrophenician woman in words and deeds by healing her daughter. Mark 8 records the miracle of feeding 4000 men+. We ought to see the power and compassion of Christ as he teaches His disciples that through Him men serve men. He takes what they have and after blessing the bread and fish He breaks and gives so that they might set before the people. Hope you have a good day as you read to know Him. pj

Feb 24th Leviticus15:1-32 deals with the personal issues of being healthy, clean and sanitary. One may question and say these things are private and between a man and a woman, yet God sets the standard for conduct in all aspects of our lives. Leviticus 16:1-28 describes for us a beautiful picture that represents The Lord Jesus Christ as our sacrifice for our sin and our only sure means of having the sins taken away forever and not to be remembered again. We ought to be excited that we can come into the presence of GOD by the shed blood of our mediator, The Lord Jesus, and also by His name ask any thing of our Heavenly Father.We ought to be grateful that Jesus is our sin offering and scapegoat who makes provision for the forgiveness of sin and the removal of the guilt for our sins.

Mark 7:1-23 We can observe the critics of Jesus as they try to fit Him into their mold and concept of God based upon the traditions of men. It is thrilling to find on this day the washing emphasis being described in Leviticus being used as a rule of conduct in Mark. What a coincidence. Let us not fall into the same trap of considering that our washing with water only will make us acceptable to Holy God. The sin issue is of the heart. Let us not be without understanding, but be people who use the ears that we have to hear truth and then obey.

Psalm 40:11-17 ask a good question of how and where do we rejoice? What is your concept of God's lovingkindness? I hope you are thrilled at the thought that The Lord God thinks upon you.

Proverbs 10:13-14 again established the difference between a wise man and a man void of understanding and this ought to cause us to choose carefully our lifestyle. Let us read to know Him, not to be just stirred but changed. pj

Feb 23rd Leviticus is written for our learning and teaches us that we are to be clean and healthy. We are His people and we represent God to the world today as much as did the Israelites in their time. My wife and I discussed the reading today and came to the conclusion that perhaps there would be LESS sickness today if the sick people stayed at home, were treated properly, washed their clothes and waited until the signs of illness/leprosy were gone before reentering the public area. I realize we don't have priest as the clearing agency today and I am grateful for Doctors and health care providers, but some common sense might be a sane choice. God provided for the Jews guidelines and He expected them to observe the law and this was plainly stated in verses 14:54-57 for their good.
Mark 6:30-56 allows us to see the gentle and yet strong manner that He(Jesus)used to teach His disciples. Jesus is the Master Teacher and He demonstrated some of His traits in the feeding of the 5000 men+. The miracle of His walking on the water demonstrates His Almighty Power in control of His creation and yet He shows His love and concern for the disciples and made a declaration to them "it is I; be not afraid" so that they would be of good cheer (verse50). How many times has The Lord favored you with a similar type experience?
Psalm 40 may be one of the most quoted Psalms because so many of us relate to the words that tell of our salvation experience and the benefits of God taking us out of the miry clay. I hope you can relate to this Psalm and will take time again to thank The Lord for His touch in your life. Please focus on verse 10 and exercise every opportunity to tell others about our Saviour.
Proverbs 10 should be read with the goal of being like the righteous man. Let us all be concerned about the influence we have on others. pj

Feb 22nd We had a great time in class today. There were several people absent and some made sure we knew why they were out. There are a few people having difficulty reading every day and they admit things go better for them when they put The Lord first by reading and praying early each day. We had a table exercise today where verses were assigned to be read and discussed with a report by each table as to the most significant truth in the verses. It was not as smooth as I had planned so we will do a different type program next week.
The home work for this week was a handout to be completed and verses concerning assurance of salvation to be read and studied. Our goal is to read "to know Him" and this reading will influence our faith and evidence of our growth will soon appear.
Leviticus gives us insight to God's concept of Holiness and how offerings were to be made by the priest. Emphasis was made concerning sanitation, cleanliness and health issue demonstrated by leprosy. God wants His people to be different, to follow holiness and not practice pagan rituals. Sanctification is our responsibility as we realize who we represent and the impact of disobedience. Be right and then Do right.
Mark records many events where Jesus did miracles, healed some people and had compassion on those who were following Him. His parable of the sower and the explanation for the disciples was similar to that of Matthew. Perhaps the term "broadcast" is appropriate here in that the sower would spread the seed by the handful on the area to be sown and the seed would fall as the Lord allowed. It is fair for Him to expect that the seed that fell on good ground would produce 30-60-100fold just as He has the "right" to expect a like production of fruit in our lives.
Psalm 37 is one of my favorite readings because of the direct and plain teaching for believers. The "how to" for living a good and clean life in a bad and dirty place are clear and specific. Hope you enjoy your faith today and grow in Grace and knowledge of Him. pj

Feb 21st Hope you are enjoying reading His Word so that you may know Him. Leviticus11:1-12:8 makes it clear what God had in mind for His children. He wanted His people healthy. They were passing through nations of unbelievers and the Israelites were to be different and not act like nor eat like them. I suspect if we were more alert to our eating habits today, even to the point of avoiding some food item, we would be healthier and certainly different from the world.
Mark5:21-43 shows how many have a wrong/false concept of GOD. We expect God to operate on our time schedule and when He does not we get frustrated. His delays or not denials. He does not get angry because people touch Him or His garments. Jesus gave the woman who touched His garment assurance that because of her faith she was made whole. Meanwhile Jarius was being told that his daughter was dead and not to bother Jesus, but the Master said "be not afraid only believe" and then they went to the house. What will it take for us to say "it is enough, just that He said so" for us to believe? Jesus spoke the word to the damsel "arise" and that was enough. What has He done for you and who have you told?
Psalm 38 seems to be spoken by a person who is broken hearted and contrite, yet turns to God and seeks help. What will it take for us to be ready to halt and declare our iniquities to The LORD?
Proverbs10:8-9 is very similar to Psalm 1 and declares the conduct of a wise man and records the benefits of being and doing right. pj

Feb 20th Leviticus 9:7-10:20 makes it very plain that doing your worship and sacrifice God's way is always BEST. We need a revival of obedience and respect for the things of God. Evidence of this obedience is plain in verse 9:23-24 however 10:1-2 demonstrate what happens when we disrespect Him. We see the trait of Jealousy expressed by GOD and are reminded that He expects the preeminence in and from His children, ministers and priest of whom we are. One requirement that was made clear to Aaron was stated in verses 8-11 of teaching the children of Israel about GOD and His Ways. We need to be very careful as ministers and teachers to obey God and observe His commandments and statues so that we do not lead little children astray by either wrong words or wrong deeds.

Mark 4:26-5:20 show the Omnipotence of Jesus over His creation. I hope you find verse 4:36 very exciting and applicable in your life. When we enter into storms we ought to look for His heart when we cannot see His hand, but if we keep our eyes on the "bad circumstances" we will fear exceedingly as did the disciples when they were in the boat in the storm with Jesus. I hope you have experienced a similar event in your life so that you too have said "what manner of man is this" and then quickly thanked GOD for His favor in your life. Your salvation experience may not have been as dramatic as that of the demon possessed man of Chapter 5 but the after miracle instructions are clear and specifically dictated by Jesus in verse 19. We are to extend the ministry of Jesus in our area of influence, the Gospel, repentance toward God and faith in Jesus, which is salvation from the wrath of GOD.

Psalm 37:29-40 describes a man of faith. Continue to take note of the infinitive verbs and apply them in your daily life.
Proverbs 10:6-7 offers insight as to what God expects of His children. pj

Feb 19th When you read Leviticus how significant to you is the fact that God has made atonement for your sins? What is your attitude when you sing and say "Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee"? We are not required to make a burnt offering today but how do you see God making provisions for us through Jesus? We are helpless but not hopeless. We will read in Hebrews 9:22b and without shedding of blood is no remission (forgiveness of sin). O to be wholly Holy. Re look verses7:37-38 and realize God's standard of forgiveness of sin. It is a beautiful picture given today by God through Moses in the anointing of Aaron as High Priest where all the people saw the demonstration of what had been taught about offerings for sins. Let us not forget we have a High Priest today(Heb7:22-28) who is ever making intercession for believers. In Mark 3:31-4:25 records the parable of the sower and the interpretation with the admonition of "Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given". How does this impact your life? Even when we read about the candlestick in verse 21 we see three options that all men who have a candle have. Where is your candle today? Psalm 37 is rich, strong and confrontational. When we read verses 18-28 we ought to see an example to follow, promises to claim and guidance for daily living. When we add in Proverbs 10:5 to this mix and realize that we are adopted sons of GOD we ought to search our hearts for sins, confess them, and strive to forsake those that easily beset us, then accept His cleansing and then do right. pj

Feb 18th The book of Leviticus is strong. How does a sinful soul approach a Holy GOD? The desire of every man ought to be to know Him and to be in His presence all the time. Enoch (Gen 5:22) gave us a good example to follow. O to be wholly Holy. The Lord has set the requirement, shown the way, told the truth, given all we need to offer and requires that we believe and obey, that is to BE RIGHT. Then we need to DO RIGHT and get right with our brothers, family members and neighbors. We ought to learn from reading Leviticus about reconciliation and restoration and that timing is important. NOW is the time to get right! God's plan for His people is specific and in detail so that we are without excuse concerning our conduct. He gives all the items we need to make our offerings and every aspect of our life is open to Him. Let us be grateful that we live in this era and be thankful for Jesus who has given Himself and for all mankind that we might be reconciled back to GOD. This is the greatest story of stewardship. When we read Mark's account of Jesus and how He walked among men we see Him to be touchable and handy to the needy. Please note the names and titles given by the unclean spirits and friends concerning Jesus. When we see the names being changed of some of His disciples and how they all received power and were given the responsibility to preach how do you see yourself? The sin issue is made very clear in verses 28-29 and is true today as to the result "never forgiveness". When you read Psalm 37 be careful to note the words that direct your conduct and consider them as commandments or promises with conditions. It is neat how some words are used often to get our attention such as diligent, slack, righteous, meek, evildoers and the abundance of peace. Read to know Him. pj

Feb 17th Hope you enjoy reading the Book of Leviticus. It causes me to be VERY grateful that I live in this modern era/church age and that I do not have to sacrifice an animal to make things right with GOD. When I read the phrase "if a soul shall sin through ignorance, or hear a swearing, or touch any unclean thing, or commit a trespass through ignorance" that soul shall bring an offering of young bullock, or goat, or lamb, or two turtledoves and offer it has a burnt offering I thank The Lord for His sacrifice for me. Each time I see the putting on of hands to identify with the animal about a specific sin and for it to be sacrificed it reminds me of my responsibility to be specific when I confess my sins. I am grateful for 1st John 1:9! Do you remember what He did for Abraham in Gen 22 when he was to offer his son as a sacrifice, but GOD provided Himself a sacrifice as a ram was caught in the thicket? Praise The Lord for His mercy, provision, grace and for His giving of Himself to ransom a sinner like me and you. Don't forget Mark 1:1. Isn't it wonderful to see men like Levi the son of Alphaeus respond to Jesus. How was it for you? Did you arise and follow Him? As you see names and titles for Jesus try to see His attributes, traits and mannerism and then seek to be like Him. When you read verse 3:5 what impact does this truth have on your concept of God? Compare Psalm 36:5-10 to Psalm 1 and determine how blessed we are to know Him. As sons of God we want for Him to be glad by our conduct. His righteousness is our great treasure. pj

Feb 16th We are making progress on reading through the Bible in 365 days. The Book of Leviticus will be very informative and illustrate to us the sacrifice for us is Jesus Christ. I've said often the key to joy rest in our understanding of the relationship we are confident of because of our salvation and the fellowship we share with our Saviour. The emphasis is stressed of the free and or voluntary will offering given by the offender/sinner/repentant child of God to He who has been offended to make things right. How can any one separate "love" from "obedience"? If we could really grasp, understand, believe and undertake the first verse of Leviticus and it would change our "conversation" dramatically. The LORD speaking to me! Let us read Leviticus to know Him. It is exciting to begin reading Mark and recall the differences from Matthew. "Henritta C. Mears in her book "What the Bible is all about" compares these books and said Matthew has twenty-eight chapters, abounds in parables, and portrays Christ as the Son of David with kingly dignity and authority, Matt28:18. Mark has sixteen chapters and gives four parables. Mark portrays Christ as the humble but perfect Servant of God. We find the angels ministering to Him. The Living Bible Edition, page 130" Today is a dramatic picture of the touch of The Master when Jesus took Peter's mother-in-law by the hand and healed her. According to verses 34-45 there were many others that were healed but He reminded the disciples that He came that He may preach. Psalm 35:28 causes us to check our motive of prayer so that it may be to magnify The LORD. Let us all be very careful who we look at and what we listen to for our enemy is out to destroy us. Read to know Him. Be right, do right and enjoy Him. pj

Feb 15 Be of good cheer and read Proverbs 9:11-12 and secure the promise. Hope you enjoy reading the Book of Mark and look for the interaction of Jesus and the disciples. You will also see in Exodus the clothing worn by the priests and note the details given for the mitre as outlined in verses 30&31. See you after Church.pj PS Why don't we pray Psalm 35 to be so in our life? Selah. We had a good class today and then at church a clear message from The Scriptures about storms. Read, learn, listn, receive, obey and observe to do right. Let us learn what God has in store for us as a nation and as individuals in the local church and bless His Holy Name because He has multiplied our days and increased our life by years. Let us pray to be wise and to not be scorners. Read to know Him. pj ?PS Who is going to heaven with you because you told them all you knew about GOD?

Feb 14 Happy Valentine day to all of you. Hope all of you received a card and sweets and that you sent "someone" a note telling them that they were special in your life. Betty and I celebrated our 52ND Valentine day together this morning by exchanging cards and I so glad that she shared her box of chocolates. The gifts of God are free and plentiful and like His mercy which is fresh and new every day. Exodus records the details of preparing of the items used to worship GOD. Hope you enjoyed seeing the many snapshots of God in the materials used such as the gold, silver and brass. I'm glad that He does not overlook any item and that all the details are recorded in order to describe for us Himself. He wants us to know Him and to be assured that He attends to the details of our lives as much as the tabernacle. I am fascinated about the blue vail and how it separates the holy place from the most holy. Once a year the High Priest would go around the end of the blue vail to enter into the presence of the Mercy Seat and make the offering. Yet yesterday we read how it was rent in twain at the death of Jesus. I hope we realize what a great favor God has done for us, the saved, that we might come boldly into the presence of GOD in the most holy place in the name of The Lord Jesus Christ. As you read Matthew 28:1-20 God shows himself to us as He said He would and scripture is fulfilled and even then some doubted. Please read often verses 18-20, the great commission, and seek to serve our Saviour in and through the local church. Take note of the promise in Psalm 34:15 and ponder His traits. According to the Proverbs learn to be a good judge of people so that you do not waste your time giving counsel to the wrong person. Hope to see you in SS and church tomorrow. pj

Feb 13th This is the day that The LORD has made and I am going to rejoice and be glad. Good reading in Exodus 35:10-36:38 showing stewardship as the way of life. It is amazing how God provides all we have and need and we get to give it back in his service if we choose. The example of a giver are clear and their attributes are easily seen. For example a person who practices stewardship is wise hearted, a man who has wisdom, a man with a stirred up heart, a man that has a willing spirit/heart, and men and women that bring a willing offering for the glory of their God. Some people are chosen by GOD to receive talents and then they use them to do or make things for the pleasure and glory of God. This was how the items for the tabernacle were prepared and apparently all of it was paid for up front and they entered into the place of worship debt free. O that we would be so generous that there was "more than enough" for the service of the work and we could imitate today in our church similar to the event as recorded in verse 36:5-7 It is uncanny that we read today in the OT about the "blue vail" and then see how it was rent in twain thousands of years later in the NT. Matthew 27:35-66 demonstrates the vileness of man and the goodness of the Saviour. The joy we read about in the OT is contrary to the mockery in the NT. Please note the names, titles an attributes of Jesus. Review the "bad" concept the Jews, Romans and thieves had of Jesus as God in the flesh and as King of The Jews. Please read verses 50-54 and see if you agree with the centurion. Psalm 34:1-10 demonstrate God's goodness and greatness and is very similar to 23rd Psalm. How do we judge the man to be a scorner or a wise man? If we are going to be a minister for GOD we need wisdom to know the difference and to act correctly by God' Grace for His Glory. pj

Feb 12th I hope you are believing GOD and willing (now) to put your life into His hands for care and direction. Please read to know Him and don't get overcome because of His blessings. Look for Him. In reading Ex34:1-35:9 we can see GOD's self portrait by and through His Names and attributes. The commandments, instructions and covenant are clear and distinct and not easily "misunderstood". Please do not take GOD lightly nor claim these truths/facts/examples are not for us today. If we believe that God does not change and that The LORD did what the Bible records that GOD did and He is the same Lord today, then let us be like those that gave the offerings and have a "willing heart" because they believed, let us believe. I suspect some moved with a respectful fear of The LORD especially after seeing Moses after his 40 days on mount Sinai. What is it going to take or what more must God do to get some of us to just obey known truth that has been clearly expressed to us? Is there not a verse that says in effect "if you know to do right and do it not, it is sin"? In Matthew 27:15-34 we read some very sad questions asked by unbelievers and see how The Jewish people declared their choice to choose a guilty man and not Jesus to be released. And the lost man saw that they did this because of envy. Verses 21-26 may be the saddest verses you may read and they demonstrate how man tries to cleanse himself and others start a generational curse by mocking Jesus who is God in the flesh. The answer to both of their sin problems was right before them and didn't see, nor listen, nor believe. Isn't it tragic that He(Jesus)came unto His own and they received Him not. How about you? Psalm 33:12-22 cries out for action. Read verse 18 and think about Him and then answer His question "who do you hope in?" Provers9:1-6 declare a simple lifestyle that may bring about a desired benefit if you do it. Did you see Him in all His blessings?

Feb 11th Hope you had a good night in the storms. This was not a storm of our own making and our best choice was to be smart, take precautions and PRAY and look for the handiwork of GOD. Our concept of God should give us courage when it is dark and stormy. As we read in Exodus there are many storms of man's making due to disobedience. Our tests/trials/storms do not always come at a convenient time, but doing right all the time is best. In Ex32 there is a test of leadership and man fell short. It will never be right to mix things of the world into our faith system because it will contaminate truth or as verse 32 said "that they are set on mischief." GOD said they had corrupted themselves in verse 7 and referred to them as "stiffnecked people in verse 9. I hope we see the attributes and traits of GOD more clearly today and ask Him to deal with us gently for we are like the children of Israael. Today our respect and fear factors ought to be incresed by this display of God's Holy work. Let us take note of what makes GOD mad (sin)and be hopeful and grateful for an intercessor who pleads our case. Awareness/admission/confession w/repentance towards God about our sin/sins is mandatory. His forgiveness and restoration are gifts of mercy and we can be grateful for His Grace to enable us to do right. If we have a revival it is of God alone as it was demonstrated and promised to the children in Ex 33:14. What a beautiful picture God paints of His Grace and provision for Moses in verses 33:17-23 and we believe it so and is applicable for you and me today. Matthew 26 records the denial by Peter. In Matt 27 the trial Of Jesus begins and the impact of sin and a false concept of truth are demonstrated by both the leadership of the Jews and the Romans. Thanks be to God for Psalm 33:1-11 to cause us to adore our God and rejoice in His counsel for we believe He standeth forever. To know Him and to serve Him is to love Him. pj

Feb 10th Does the attribute of GOD of jealousy cause you any concern? When you read Ex30:11-31:18 do you see the detailed instructions that Moses and the children of Israel were given concerning their lifestyle and worship? It is important for us to pay attention to what God declares Holy and respect His boundaries for our conduct. I'm grateful that we live in this era of NT Grace and not of OT Law, but the truths given in the OT are to be examples for us today for even we do not live by bread alone "but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God". Matthew recorded this truth when he said in verse 26:54 "But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?" Do you recall the promise given in the 71st verse of Genesis concerning the coming Saviour? It is ironic that we read on this day in the OT about the High Priest and some of his responsiabilities and in the NT how the holder of the same office accused Jesus of blaspheny and said He was guilty of death. What traits of GOD did you gain today because you read to know Him? The 32 Psalm shows the mercy of God, yet GOD requires that all men confess their sin/sins in order to be forgiven. Hopefully you will agree that for every promise given there is a condition. What does the word "Selah" mean to you? If there is any doubt about the Eternality of GOD one shoud read the Proverbs today and then "hearken" unto Him. **PS Thanks for reading and your comments. pj

Feb 9th Thank The Lord for some rain and light winds in our area. I hope you note the date/yr and some information on each daily reading because a year from now you will be able to say "Thank you Lord for doing me a great favor last year." My desire is that you will plan on and commit to read His word daily from now to eternity. The our faith will become sight for we shall see The Word face to face. It is not easy for me to see how Moses could maintain a good/positive attitude as he served GOD. Moses had/got to oversee the preparation for all the priest and the sacrifices. He got bloody and had to let others get all the nicest robes and for Aaron to enter behind the blue vail, yet I don't want to forget that Mose talked with GOD and was the first to hear the news. The doctrine of "others first" is hard, until we see Jesus and what He did for us in His death. It is very interesting to see that the touch by the priest on the sacrifices demonstrated both a relationship and fellowship aspect of the priest for the sins of their own and for the people with the offering. Let us be grateful for our High Priest who is ever making intercession for us now. The blood, the blood, the blood must be applied!! Knowing all this and having seen Jesus live and show Himself as God in the flesh, Judas sold out for 30 pieces of silver. All the disciples had said "Lord,is it I" when Jesus said one would betray Him. What sense of awe comes to your mind when you put yourself into to this dramatic story? We all should let our imagination loose and say "O,I wish I had been there." What attributes of GOD did you discovered in today's reading? Psalm 31 demonstrates some of the provisions of GOD for the faithful. Proverbs 8 is full of "gems" for your joy jar and is handy when you just want to stop and think about HIM. "Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD." Where did you see this verse today?

Sun 8th Hope to see you in the Sunday School 365 Class today. We had a good class with several 1st time visitors. The youngest was just 6 days old and she is and was the "hit" of the class. I hope you were inclined to read Exodus today and try to determine just what is God's job and what is ours. Suggest you look again at Matt25:31-46 and identify all of the names and titles of Jesus. It is amazing that what we read today happened about 2000 years ago and some of it is still being done today. The Bible is current. Is there something significant in Psalm 31:14? I hope you are encouraged by reading that Proverbs 8:13 gives a good answer to the question from yesterday about fear. Home work for the class this week is to look up and define both prudent and diligent. Now the thought/question for the day is: From all your reading these last 7 days what did you learn about GOD? Let this idea linger, then consider what did He learn about you? Remember we read to know Him.

Sat 7th As you read in Exodus 26:1- God's description of the Tabernacle what merits of Jesus did you discover? I'm fascinated by the details and it seems like The LORD is looking at the item and then describing its size, shape, color, arrangement and use. What is important about the blus vail? What impact on your life and your concept of eternity is it that GOD knows everything? In Matt 25:1-30 Are you surprised that being a virgin is not enough to get into heaven? When you did your asset inventory and saw he gifts of God, what are you doing with your talent that He gave to you? Also these verses reveal strong principles of stewardship that we ought to practice. What we hate should be the same thing GOD hates and Psalm 31:6 gives us an example to follow. When you read Proverbs 8:1-10 what merits of Christ do you see? I hope you are impressed that God wants us to know Him. Sunday is coming and I hope to see you in class and church. pj

Feb 6th Hope you are enjoying the history lesson. Remember the reason we read is to Know Him. I pray we are grateful for the "indwelling" of The Holy Spirit and that we appreciate His guidance in all matters when we listen. When you read about The Angel that GOD The LORD sent to His people what attribute of God do you think about? When we read about all of the "I will" that God said and all the "thou shall" that his people were to be and do what concept of God do you sense? I hope we listen to the detail instructions that God gave concerning the tabernacle. I just realized that Moses had a "book of covenant" before he had the tablets of stone. When you imagine the set up, take down and transport of the tabernacle what aspect of God do you dwell on? As we read the NT and about Jesus and the "last days" what do you appreciate about your salvation experience? When we consider the days of Noe it is very easy to see the revelance of the NT and realize how similar things are today. Let us be concerned about those who do not profess/posess Jesus as Lord and tell them the Goepel. Do you know and can you tell the Gospel? If not, please let me know so thatI may serve you the truth. Psalm 30 gives us several vivid pictures of the might, power and glory of our God and we ought to pray verse 10 daily/hourly. Proverbs 7:24- enjoins us to know Him and to believe His words. How can anyone separate love from obedience? What does He expect of you? A question to consider for discussionis is "what is the difference beween an avocation and your vocation"? Hope to see you Sunday AM. pj

Feb 5th Reading the Book of Exodus "must" have an impact on your concept of GOD. If we read His thoughts/words and they do not shape our conversation and lifestyle something is very wrong. I know that we ARE NOT under the Mosaic Law, but when I read Exodus 22 I get very attentive to what GOD is very strong about, yet sense His tenderness when He describes himself as gracious. He is the same GOD, He is Immutable, and He is the same today as He was before the foundation of time. Let us be Amazed when we see Him. Isn't it wonderful for The God-Man, Jesus, to explain clearly what was happening to His disciples and to forecast the future in two verses. And He even tells what men will be hearing in the future. Is there any thing too hard for our God? Check out your concept and keep it Biblical. We are told today what to believe and what not to believe now do you believe that? AS we read the 29th Psalm we should be impressed with the sheer majesty and might of our God. Let us consider verses 9-11 as gift/promises. As men let us be very careful when we look out the windows of our soul and covet the things of others and of the world lest we get enticed and sin. LSD, if you do not understand LSD ask me this Sunday AM. We need to be vigilent for ourselves and our little brothers and sisters for we have an Enemy. Do you have a promise verse to defeat the enemy? pj

Feb 4th What a great day The Lord has given to us to enjoy. We ought to be glad if we are able to hold the Bible (Ist John 1:1-)in our hands, to see, read, understand, medidate upon, laugh and cry, share and pray, tell others, and dream about the 2nd Coming of Jesus in the clouds. Did you see any clouds this morning? This could be The Day! As we read today perhaps it may be good to consider the Proverbs challenge first. For men ought to be careful about women other than thier mother, wife or daughter. My son keep my words, live and keep my law as the apple of thine eye. Yet, if and when we get distracted, let us pray promptly and let the voice of our supplications come before The Holy One as we seek through confession His forgiveness and cleansing so that we might have fellowship with our Lord. Jesus was very strong in dealing wih unbelievers and hyporcrites and sets for us the example of looking for and telling truth. Let us remember the great favor God did for us in salvation and redemption and be grateful for that day He took us under His wings. We are Blessed! The Exodus account of the giving of The Law is both exciiting and fearful. When we consider that The LORD spoke in a voice to Moses we realize that an aspect of His Greatness is demonstrated. GOD gave commandments! Is that not enough? What are we to do today with these commandments? Can we really say that He is The LORD my God? How do you consider information/knowledge/wisdom apart from obedience and love? Have a good day and hope to see you all Sunday AM. pj Consider inviting some who are not active in another class or church.

Feb 3rd Is GOD/LORD/God/Lord/JEHOVAH the same today as He was as recorded in the KJV that was written about 400 years ago? Because of your reading today who is the most important in the battle, those who pray or those who fight? Do you have an altar in your life called Jehovah-nissi?The father-in-law of Moses cared and dared to ask about his business and we need people like this in our life.It is easy to make a decision, but it hard work to gather the facts and then to make a Godly decision. How critical is the instruction that The LORD gave the house of Jacob in 19:4-6?As we read in Matthew 22:33- how do we see ourselves today? Are we really astonished at the doctrine of Jesus?How do we react to the question "What think ye of Christ"?Let us live out verses 23:1-12.Psalm 27:8-14 describes the circumstances of many people today yet gives sound advice for solace. As we read the proverbs for today we ought to reflect on the condition of our Nation and take heed to our lifestyle. Let us pray and say "Teach me thy way, O LORD".

Feb 2nd Why doe GOD put His people in a place like Marah? How do you see stewardship principles in the reading today? How does GOD reveal Himself in "a tree"? How comforting is it for to you to know that "JEHOVAH Rophe" heals? Why is Elim a significant oasis? What did you discover in Exodus 16 that reminded you about Genesis 22? Did you see one of the things that GOD hates in your OT reading? How did you react to the parable that Jesus used to teach about soul winning today? It is a good study to compare the title "friend" in the KJV and see the different meanings of the word in the Greek. As you read Psalm 27 what did you desire of God? How is the best way to bind God's commandments to yourself? I've heard it said that there are more than 3000 promises given in the KJV. How many do you know and claim?

Feb 1st Thank The Lord for good reading today. The first Sunday AM SS Class was held today and we had 28 in attendance. The class was responsive and we read various scriptures so that each person read twice. I was very encouraged by the class's discussion on the reading. They exchanged prayer cards and agreed to pray for each other this coming week. We are grateful for the record of Exodus and how it records the miracles of GOD. We all ought to be impressed at His power and gentleness. Moses sang a great song of deliverance and emphasis was placed on the Glory of God. I enjoyed reading the parable recorded in Matthew that Jesus used and was amazed at His humility coupled with His authority. We all ought to be careful of our circumstances and diligently seek to see God in our midst. When I read Psalm 26 and try to use the same words in my prayers it thrills my soul to think of what God has done for me because of my salvation. The Proverbs for today clearly lays out what GOD hates. I encouraged the class to agree with The Lord and hate these same things. I pray that you and I will be diligent about our Father's business and choose to walk with Him daily.