discrimination

James really rakes everyone over the coals about showing favor to the rich.

I bet none of us have ever heard a sermon using these verses!

And we probably never will! LOL 

James 2 

1 My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?

2 For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. 3 If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, 4 doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?

5 Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? 6 But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear?

8 Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 9 But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.

just ask

This morning I read in Psalms (always), Luke, & James.

This is what stood out through all that reading.

Sometimes something stands out that is really earth shattering.

Here lately I haven't had much shattering of the earth.

It's just been solid stuff.

And my comments may seem a bit blunted these days, but that's probably because I am pretty blunted these days.

Sorry - my life is what it is now.

Particularly verse 5 really kicks wide open a door we all deal with - wanting to know what God wants us to be or do.

If you need wisdom -

if you want to know what God wants you to do -

ask Him,

& He will gladly tell you.

He will not resent your asking.

But...

when you ask,

be sure that you really expect Him to answer,

for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea

that is driven & tossed by the wind.

James 1:5-6 (NLT, 1st ed.)

forward

I will never leave you or forsake you.

Hebrews 13:5


Don't be afraid or discouraged,

for the Lord is the One who goes before you.

He will be with you.

He will neither fail you or forsake you.

Deuteronomy 31:8



God dropped into my heart & mind 50 years ago the words of Hebrews 13:5. 

Later I learned the writer of Hebrews drew what he wrote from Deuteronomy 31:8

Even though I don't understand the last 9 years of my life, I continue to move forward in the truth of these 2 verses.

scum

Just a reminder...

We ALL are called to "eat & drink with such 'scum' ".

Luke 5

27 Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. 28 So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.

29 Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them. 30 But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?”

31 Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. 32 I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”

keep on...

Matthew 7

7 “Keep on asking, 

and you will receive what you ask for. 

Keep on seeking, 

and you will find. 

Keep on knocking, 

and the door will be opened to you. 

8 For everyone who asks, 

receives. 

Everyone who seeks, 

finds. 

And to everyone who knocks, 

the door will be opened.



Luke 11

9 “And so I tell you, 

keep on asking, 

and you will receive what you ask for. 

Keep on seeking, 

and you will find. 

Keep on knocking, 

and the door will be opened to you. 

10 For everyone who asks, 

receives. 

Everyone who seeks, 

finds. 

And to everyone who knocks, 

the door will be opened.



This is Jesus speaking here in both passages.


Sometimes, when we face down things in our lives, sometimes all we can do is just "keep on"...


Sometimes all we can do is put one foot in front of the other.


These 2 words - "keep on..." - from these 2 passages are resonating in my soul today...

2 verses

Today, my sequential reading in the epistles had me reading in Hebrews 10.

These 2 verses have been a VERY strong presence in my life for over 10 years.

Over & over again, the Lord has used part of them to remind me, to challenge me, or to kick my butt about something.

The translation I have quoted here is from the first edition of the New Living Translation.

If you're interested in how other translators have treated it, look it up on BibleGateway.com.

Anyway, read these 2 verses - maybe God will use them with you somehow.

Don't throw away this confident trust in the Lord,

no matter what happens.

Remember the great reward it brings you!

Patient endurance is what you need now,

so you will continue to do God's will.

Then you will receive all that He has promised.

Hebrews 10:35-36 (NLT, 1st ed.)

2three

6 short verses that billions of people have & do cling to...

here they are from a paraphrased version of the Bible called The Message...



Psalm 23

1-3 God, my shepherd!
    I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
    you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
    you let me catch my breath
    and send me in the right direction.

4 Even when the way goes through
    Death Valley,
I’m not afraid
    when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd’s crook
    makes me feel secure.

5 You serve me a six-course dinner
    right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head;
    my cup brims with blessing.

6 Your beauty and love chase after me
    every day of my life.
I’m back home in the house of God
    for the rest of my life.

first hand

"For nothing is impossible with God."

Luke 1:37

This is the angel, Gabriel, talking here.

He has just told Mary that she, a virgin, will conceive the son of God by the Holy Spirit.

Mary has just wanted to know how this is gonna happen.

Gabriel has self described as an angel who stands in the very presence of God.

I would think that is pretty daunting, considering God is infinitely holy & infinitely the quintessence of love.

Anyway, I figure that if Gabriel stands in the very presence of God, he ought to know what he's talking about if he says nothing is impossible with God.

I would assume he is speaking from experience / first hand knowledge, not hearsay?

Just a thought...

check it out

Here's all the translations & paraphrases on BibleGateway.com of Mark 16:15.

Judge for yourself what the common thread is in every one of them.

KJ21

And He said unto them, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.

ASV

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation.

AMP

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

AMPC

And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach and publish openly the good news (the Gospel) to every creature [of the whole human race].

BRG

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

CSB

Then he said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

CEB

He said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the good news to every creature.

CJB

Then he said to them, “As you go throughout the world, proclaim the Good News to all creation.

CEV

Then he told them: Go and preach the good news to everyone in the world.

DARBY

And he said to them, Go into all the world, and preach the glad tidings to all the creation.

DLNT

And He said to them, “Having gone into all the world, proclaim the good-news to all creation.

DRA

And he said to them: Go ye into the whole world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

ERV

He said to them, “Go everywhere in the world. Tell the Good News to everyone.

EHV

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

ESV

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

ESVUK

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

EXB

Jesus said to them, “Go everywhere in the world, and ·tell [preach; proclaim] the ·Good News [Gospel] to ·everyone [all creation].

GNV

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.

GW

Then Jesus said to them, “So wherever you go in the world, tell everyone the Good News.

GNT

He said to them, “Go throughout the whole world and preach the gospel to all people.

HCSB

Then He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.

ICB

Jesus said to the followers, “Go everywhere in the world. Tell the Good News to everyone.

ISV

Then he told them, “As you go into the entire world, proclaim the gospel to everyone.

PHILLIPS

Then he said to them, “You must go out to the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. He who believes it and is baptised will be saved, but he who disbelieves it will be condemned. These signs will follow those who do believe: they will drive out evil spirits in my name; they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up snakes, and if they drink anything poisonous it will do them no harm; they will lay their hands upon the sick and they will recover.”

JUB

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

KJV

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

AKJV

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

LEB

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

TLB

And then he told them, “You are to go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere.

MSG

Still later, as the Eleven were eating supper, he appeared and took them to task most severely for their stubborn unbelief, refusing to believe those who had seen him raised up. Then he said, “Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God’s good news to one and all. Whoever believes and is baptized is saved; whoever refuses to believe is damned.

MEV

He said to them, “Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

MOUNCE

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to every · creature.

NOG

Then Yeshua said to them, “So wherever you go in the world, tell everyone the Good News.

NABRE

He said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.

NASB

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

NCV

Jesus said to his followers, “Go everywhere in the world, and tell the Good News to everyone.

NET

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

NIRV

He said to them, “Go into all the world. Preach the good news to everyone.

NIV

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

NIVUK

He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

NKJV

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

NLV

He said to them, “You are to go to all the world and preach the Good News to every person.

NLT

And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.

NMB

And he said to them, Go into all the world, and preach the glad tidings to all creatures.

NRSV

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.

NRSVA

And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.

NRSVACE

And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.

NRSVCE

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.

NTE

‘Go into all the world,’ he said to them, ‘and announce the message to all creation.

OJB

And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said to them, Go into kol haOlam (all the World), and proclaim the Besuras HaGeulah to all HaBriah (the Creation).

TPT

And he said to them, “As you go into all the world, preach openly the wonderful news of the gospel to the entire human race!

RGT

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.

RSV

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.

RSVCE

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.

TLV

He told them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News to every creature.

VOICE

Jesus: Go out into the world and share the good news with all of creation.

WEB

He said to them, “Go into all the world, and preach the Good News to the whole creation.

WE

Then Jesus said to them, `Go into every part of the world. Tell the good news to everyone.

WYC

And he said to them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to each creature.

YLT

and he said to them, `Having gone to all the world, proclaim the good news to all the creation;