Daily Bible Reading - Friday - April 16th

The Lord sure has kept Joshua busy these first few chapters, dividing out land and conquering land no wonder he grew old quick. 

Well for those of us that sometimes feel like giving up on a situation or something then Luke 18:1-8 is for us.  I read it in the New Living Translation and I was like, yes sir Lord, no giving up here lol.  Im gonna post how the new living translation puts it, it really blessed me and spoke big time to my heart.

Parable of the Persistent Widow

 ¹ One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. ² “There was a judge in a certain city," he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. ³ A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ ⁴ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, ⁵ but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’"

 ⁶ Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. ⁷ Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? ⁸ I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man^[a] returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?"

It really pays to be persistent like the widow, that’s for sure.  I sure learned a lesson on just that passage alone. Then God brings is being humble on the next passage, you all think He’s trying to tell us something? He’s sure speaking to me.

Today’s Reading

Joshua 13:1-14:15
Luke 18:1-17
Psalm 85:1-13
Proverbs 13:7-8

Daily Devotional

"Honor and majesty are [found] in His presence; strength and joy are [found] in His sanctuary"
(I Chronicles 16:27, AMP)

Do you need more strength and joy in your life? The Bible tells us that in God's presence there is fullness of joy—the most abundant and complete! And when you have His joy, you have His supernatural strength. There's nothing that can come against you when you are filled with the strength and joy of the Lord.

Notice this verse says that strength and joy are found in His sanctuary. One translation says they are found "where He is." And do you know "where He is?" His Spirit is alive in every believer, but in His Word He promises that He inhabits, or manifests, in the praises of His people. That means when you begin to praise and worship God, either corporately in a church setting or privately in your personal time, God is there. You are His sanctuary.

Anytime you feel depleted or overwhelmed by life, just begin to sing a song of praise to Him. Declare His goodness and faithfulness. Draw near to Him, and He will draw near to you. He'll fill you with His joy and strength to live in victory all the days of your life!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I bless You today. I thank You for Your goodness in my life. Thank You for filling me with Your strength and joy as I praise and worship You this day. In Jesus' Name. Amen.