For Reading and Meditation:      Romans 14:5-13It seems almost unbelievable that the thing which stopped the psalmist's feet from slipping and sliding was not the awareness of his relationship with God but the awareness of his relationship with his brothers and sisters. It might not have been the highest spiritual principle he could have held on to, but it saved him from disaster. It is this matter - our relationship with one another - that Paul is speaking about in today's passage. You will be familiar, I am sure, with the passages in 1 Corinthians 8,10 where Paul enlarges on this subject and where, in a remarkable statement, he says: "I mean for the sake of his conscience, not yours, do not eat it. For why should another man's scruples apply to me, and my liberty of action be determined by his conscience?' (1 Corinthians 10:29, Amplified Bible). He is saying, in other words, that you might see no need to refrain from eating meat offered to idols for your own sake, because your conscience is not offended, but what about your weaker brother for whom Christ also died? You see, "none of us lives to himself alone", so when next the devil tries to convince you that you are an isolated case and that what he is suggesting concerns you and you alone, quote this verse to him. We do not act in isolation; if you fall, you do not fall alone, the whole Church falls also. If nothing else can stop you from doing wrong, remember the people to whom you belong, remember you are part of a heavenly family, and that when you fall, others fall with you.Father, drive deeply into my spirit this truth that I cannot act in isolation, for I am bound up with my redeemed brothers and sisters. Help me experience an ever-growing consciousness of this important fact. In Jesus' Name. Amen.<div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>1 Corinthians 9:15-22</li><li>Acts 20:35</li><li>Romans 15:1</li><li>1 Thessalonians 5:14</li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>What was Paul's approach to the weaker brethren?</li><li>What was Paul's word to the Thessalonians?</li></ul></div></div>

Let a little light into your soul every day with this wonderful devotional from English pastor Selwyn Hughes.

Every Day Light with Selwyn Hughes

"For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone." (v. 7) 

The Bible is full of paradoxes, that is, truths that seem contrary to what we would normally suppose or truths that seem to contradict one another. G. K. Chesterton maintained that paradox is truth standing on its head to attract attention. Here are a few of the paradoxes trying to attract our attention.We save our lives by losing them; we lose our lives by loving them (Mark 8:35).We are strong when we are weak (2 Corinthians 12:10), and powerless in our own strength (John 15:5).We find perfect freedom in being Christ's slave, and bondage when we are free from His yoke (Romans 6:17-20).We find more joy in sharing what we have than we do in getting more. Or, in the words of our Lord, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35).We increase what we have through scattering it, and experience poverty through hoarding it (Proverbs 11:24).We have a new nature that cannot sin (1 John 3:9), yet everything we do is stained by sin (1 John 1:8).We conquer by yielding (Genesis 32:24-28) and experience defeat by fighting (1 Peter 5:5 c).We are abased when we exalt ourselves, but He exalts us when we abase ourselves (Lu. 14:11).We are enlarged by pressure (Psalms 4:1 JND) and shrunk by prosperity (Jeremiah 48:11).We can possess all things, yet have nothing; we can be poor, yet make many rich (2 Corinthians 6:10).When we are wise (in man's view) then we are fools (in God's sight), but when we are fools for Christ's sake, then we are truly wise (1 Corinthians 1:20-21).The life of faith brings freedom from care and anxiety; the life of sight brings fear of loss through moths, rust and thieves (Matthew 6:19).The poet sees the Christian life as paradox from start to finish:How strange is the course that a person must steer,How perplexed is the path he must tread;The hope of his happiness rises from fear,And his life he receives from the dead.His fairest pretensions must wholly be waived,And his best resolutions be crossed;Nor can he expect to be perfectly savedTill he finds himself utterly lost.When all this is done, and his heart is assuredOf the total remission of sins;When his pardon is signed and his peace is procured,From that moment his conflict begins. (Selected).

With reverence, humor and skill, William MacDonald wove a daily devotional tapestry that challenges the reader to think deeply and Biblically, and apply God's Word to their lives.

Truths to Live By - One Day at a Time

"…as dying, and, behold, we live." (2 Corinthians 6:9)

You have blessed it, O Lord, and it shall be blessed forever. § The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it. Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” § When you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just. § Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me. Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. § The Lord God is a sun and shield.

Daily Light on the Daily Path or Daily Light is a Christian daily devotional scripture reading published by Bagster & Sons about 1875. It has been reprinted continually since then. It consists of brief groupings of scripture passages which speak to prominent Biblical themes—two themes (morning and evening) for each day of the year. It appends no commentary, but simply allows scripture to speak for itself.

Evening Daily Light

 O Lord God . . . with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed forever. 

35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: <woj>‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’</woj> ”

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: <woj>‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’</woj> ”

Acts 20:35

 35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

From Wikipedia: 

The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1978 by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). The NIV was published to meet the need for a modern translation done by Bible scholars using the earliest, highest quality manuscripts available. Of equal importance was that the Bible be expressed in broadly understood modern English.

The NIV is published by Zondervan in the United States and Hodder & Stoughton in the UK. The NIV was updated in 1984 and 2011 and has become one of the most popular and best-selling modern translations.

OT: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia; additional sources;
NT: UBS Greek New Testament; Novum Testamentum Graece; additional sources;

New International Version

 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: <woj>‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’</woj> ”

Bible Verse of the Day

January 28, 2025

Acts 20:35 NIV

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