Yet I will show love to Judah; and I will save them—not by bow, sword or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but I, the LORD their God, will save them. Hosea 1:7 (NIV) The story of Hosea is one of the craziest stories in the Bible. It begins with God telling his prophet Hosea to marry a promiscuous woman
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For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this? Esther 4:14 (NIV) Esther was an amazing woman. She began her life as a political
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By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. Hebrews 11:31(NIV) Sometimes we call Hebrews Chapter 11 the Hebrews Hall of Faith because it lists a number of Israel’s heroes who were known for their great acts of faith. One surprise in that list is a prostitute who was commended for
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1 Peter 4:10 (NIV) Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. Little Ethan came running up to me at church recently. He was so excited that he could hardly get the words out of his mouth. At first I struggled to understand what he was
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Luke 2:11-12(NIV) Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Children and Christmas just seem to go together. Even the marketing strategists are aware of this. And what Christmas
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Matthew 5:44 (NIV) But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, We have to admit that there are those we love to love. There are those people that we just love to be around and then there are those that we just tolerate and put up with because we share an office with them
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Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! II Corinthians 5:17 Recently I was getting my hair cut and discovered that my stylist had recently begun a relationship with Jesus. Her enthusiasm for her new found faith provided a welcome conversation. As she relayed the story of how she
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Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Recently I was having a difficult
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Matthew 18:21-22 (NIV) Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. It starts when they’re so young. The other day I walked in on another skirmish. “What happened?” “She hit me!”
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John 17:3 (NIV) Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. One of the things I’ve noticed about the way some Christians define their faith is by the things they do or don’t do. In previous times Christians would often say with pride, “I don’t drink, don’t smoke,
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