The One Year Bible TLB (173 page)
Read The One Year Bible TLB Online
Authors: Tyndale
A man is known by his actions.
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An evil man lives an evil life; a good man lives a godly life.
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It is better to live in the corner of an attic than with a crabby woman in a lovely home.
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An evil man loves to harm others; being a good neighbor is out of his line.
August 14Now, in mid-September, all the people assembled at the plaza in front of the Water Gate and requested Ezra, their religious leader, to read to them the law of God, which he had given to Moses.
So Ezra the priest brought out to them the scroll of Moses’ laws. He stood on a wooden stand made especially for the occasion so that everyone could see him as he read. He faced the square in front of the Water Gate and read from early morning until noon. Everyone stood up as he opened the scroll. And all who were old enough to understand paid close attention. To his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah. To his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddenah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
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Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people said, “Amen,” and lifted their hands toward heaven; then they bowed and worshiped the Lord with their faces toward the ground.
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As Ezra read from the scroll, Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites went among the people
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and explained the meaning of the passage that was being read.
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All the people began sobbing when they heard the commands of the law.
Then Ezra the priest, and I as governor, and the Levites who were assisting me said to them, “Don’t cry on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the Lord your God—
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it is a time to celebrate with a hearty meal and to send presents to those in need, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. You must not be dejected and sad!”
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And the Levites, too, quieted the people, telling them, “That’s right! Don’t weep! For this is a day of holy joy, not of sadness.”
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So the people went away to eat a festive meal and to send presents; it was a time of great and joyful celebration because they could hear and understand God’s words.
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The next day the clan leaders and the priests and Levites met with Ezra to go over the law in greater detail.
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As they studied it, they noted that Jehovah had told Moses that the people of Israel should live in tents during the Festival of Tabernacles to be held that month.
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He had said also that a proclamation should be made throughout the cities of the land, especially in Jerusalem, telling the people to go to the hills to get branches from olive, myrtle, palm, and fig trees and to make huts in which to live for the duration of the feast.
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So the people went out and cut branches and used them to build huts on the roofs of their houses, or in their courtyards, or in the court of the Temple, or on the plaza beside the Water Gate, or at the Ephraim Gate Plaza.
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They lived in these huts for the seven days of the feast, and everyone was filled with joy! (This procedure had not been carried out since the days of Joshua.)
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Ezra read from the scroll on each of the seven days of the feast, and on the eighth day there was a solemn closing service as required by the laws of Moses.
9:
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On October 10
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the people returned for another observance; this time they fasted and clothed themselves with sackcloth and sprinkled dirt in their hair. And the Israelis separated themselves from all foreigners.
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The laws of God were read aloud to them for two or three hours, and for several more hours they took turns confessing their own sins and those of their ancestors. And everyone worshiped the Lord their God.
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Some of the Levites were on the platform praising the Lord God with songs of joy. These men were Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani.
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Then the Levite leaders called out to the people, “Stand up and praise the Lord your God, for he lives from everlasting to everlasting. Praise his glorious name! It is far greater than we can think or say.”
The leaders in this part of the service were Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah.
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Then Ezra prayed, “You alone are God. You have made the skies and the heavens, the earth and the seas, and everything in them. You preserve it all; and all the angels of heaven worship you.
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“You are the Lord God who chose Abram and brought him from Ur of the Chaldeans and renamed him Abraham.
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When he was faithful to you, you made a contract with him to forever give him and his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites; and now you have done what you promised, for you are always true to your word.
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“You saw the troubles and sorrows of our ancestors in Egypt, and you heard their cries from beside the Red Sea.
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You displayed great miracles against Pharaoh and his people, for you knew how brutally the Egyptians were treating them; you have a glorious reputation because of those never-to-be-forgotten deeds.
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You divided the sea for your people so they could go through on dry land! And then you destroyed their enemies in the depths of the sea; they sank like stones beneath the mighty waters.
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You led our ancestors by a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night so that they could find their way.
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“You came down upon Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them good laws and true commandments,
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including the laws about the holy Sabbath; and you commanded them, through Moses your servant, to obey them all.
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“You gave them bread from heaven when they were hungry and water from the rock when they were thirsty. You commanded them to go in and conquer the land you had sworn to give them;
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but our ancestors were a proud and stubborn lot, and they refused to listen to your commandments.
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“They refused to obey and didn’t pay any attention to the miracles you did for them; instead, they rebelled and appointed a leader to take them back into slavery in Egypt! But you are a God of forgiveness, always ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry, and full of love and mercy; you didn’t abandon them,
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even though they made a calf idol and proclaimed, ‘This is our God! He brought us out of Egypt!’ They sinned in so many ways,
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but in your great mercy you didn’t abandon them to die in the wilderness! The pillar of cloud led them forward day by day, and the pillar of fire showed them the way through the night.
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You sent your good Spirit to instruct them, and you did not stop giving them bread from heaven or water for their thirst.
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For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing in all that time. Their clothes didn’t wear out, and their feet didn’t swell!”
I am an apostle, God’s messenger, responsible to no mere man. I am one who has actually seen Jesus our Lord with my own eyes. And your changed lives are the result of my hard work for him.
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If in the opinion of others, I am not an apostle, I certainly am to you, for you have been won to Christ through me.
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This is my answer to those who question my rights.
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Or don’t I have any rights at all? Can’t I claim the same privilege the other apostles have of being a guest in your homes?
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If I had a wife, and if she were a believer,
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couldn’t I bring her along on these trips just as the other disciples do, and as the Lord’s brothers do, and as Peter does?
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And must Barnabas and I alone keep working for our living while you supply these others?
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What soldier in the army has to pay his own expenses? And have you ever heard of a farmer who harvests his crop and doesn’t have the right to eat some of it? What shepherd takes care of a flock of sheep and goats and isn’t allowed to drink some of the milk?
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And I’m not merely quoting the opinions of men as to what is right. I’m telling you what God’s law says.
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For in the law God gave to Moses he said that you must not put a muzzle on an ox to keep it from eating when it is treading out the wheat. Do you suppose God was thinking only about oxen when he said this?
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Wasn’t he also thinking about us? Of course he was. He said this to show us that Christian workers should be paid by those they help. Those who do the plowing and threshing should expect some share of the harvest.
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We have planted good spiritual seed in your souls. Is it too much to ask, in return, for mere food and clothing?
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You give them to others who preach to you, and you should. But shouldn’t we have an even greater right to them? Yet we have
never
used this right but supply our own needs without your help. We have never demanded payment of any kind for fear that, if we did, you might be less interested in our message to you from Christ.
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Don’t you realize that God told those working in his temple to take for their own needs some of the food brought there as gifts to him? And those who work at the altar of God get a share of the food that is brought by those offering it to the Lord.
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In the same way the Lord has given orders that those who preach the Gospel should be supported by those who accept it.
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Yet I have never asked you for one penny. And I am not writing this to hint that I would like to start now. In fact, I would rather die of hunger than lose the satisfaction I get from preaching to you without charge.
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For just preaching the Gospel isn’t any special credit to me—I couldn’t keep from preaching it if I wanted to. I would be utterly miserable. Woe unto me if I don’t.
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If I were volunteering my services of my own free will, then the Lord would give me a special reward; but that is not the situation, for God has picked me out and given me this sacred trust, and I have no choice.
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Under this circumstance, what is my pay? It is the special joy I get from preaching the Good News without expense to anyone, never demanding my rights.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, whose people he has chosen as his own.
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The Lord gazes down upon mankind from heaven where he lives. He has made their hearts and closely watches everything they do.
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The best-equipped army cannot save a king—for great strength is not enough to save anyone. A war horse is a poor risk for winning victories—it is strong, but it cannot save.
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But the eyes of the Lord are watching over those who fear him, who rely upon his steady love. He will keep them from death even in times of famine!
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We depend upon the Lord alone to save us. Only he can help us; he protects us like a shield.
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No wonder we are happy in the Lord! For we are trusting him. We trust his holy name.
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Yes, Lord, let your constant love surround us, for our hopes are in you alone.
The wise man learns by listening; the simpleton can learn only by seeing scorners punished.
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God, the Righteous One, knows what is going on in the homes of the wicked and will bring the wicked to judgment.
August 15“Then you helped them conquer great kingdoms and many nations, and you placed your people in every corner of the land; they completely took over the land of King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan.
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You caused a population explosion among the Israelis and brought them into the land you had promised to their ancestors.
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You subdued whole nations before them—even the kings and the people of the Canaanites were powerless!
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Your people captured fortified cities and fertile land; they took over houses full of good things, with cisterns and vineyards and olive yards and many, many fruit trees; so they ate and were full and enjoyed themselves in all your blessings.
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“But despite all this, they were disobedient and rebelled against you. They threw away your law, killed the prophets who told them to return to you, and they did many other terrible things.
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So you gave them to their enemies. But in their time of trouble they cried to you, and you heard them from heaven, and in great mercy you sent them saviors who delivered them from their enemies.
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But when all was going well, your people turned to sin again, and once more you let their enemies conquer them. Yet whenever your people returned to you and cried to you for help, once more you listened from heaven, and in your wonderful mercy delivered them!
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You punished them in order to turn them toward your laws; but even though they should have obeyed them,
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they were proud and wouldn’t listen, and continued to sin.
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You were patient with them for many years. You sent your prophets to warn them about their sins, but still they wouldn’t listen. So once again you allowed the heathen nations to conquer them.
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But in your great mercy you did not destroy them completely or abandon them forever. What a gracious and merciful God you are!
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“And now, O great and awesome God, you who keep your promises of love and kindness—do not let all the hardships we have gone through become as nothing to you. Great trouble has come upon us and upon our kings and princes and priests and prophets and ancestors from the days when the kings of Assyria first triumphed over us until now.
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Every time you punished us you were being perfectly fair; we have sinned so greatly that you gave us only what we deserved.
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Our kings, princes, priests, and ancestors didn’t obey your laws or listen to your warnings.
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They did not worship you despite the wonderful things you did for them and the great goodness you showered upon them. You gave them a large, fat land, but they refused to turn from their wickedness.
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“So now we are slaves here in the land of plenty that you gave to our ancestors! Slaves among all this abundance!
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The lush yield of this land passes into the hands of the kings whom you have allowed to conquer us because of our sins. They have power over our bodies and our cattle, and we serve them at their pleasure and are in great misery.
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Because of all this, we again promise to serve the Lord! And we and our princes and Levites and priests put our names to this covenant.”
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I, Nehemiah the governor, signed the covenant. The others who signed it were: Zedekiah, Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah. (All those listed above were priests.)
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These were the Levites who signed: Jeshua (son of Azaniah), Binnui (son of Henadad), Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah, Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, Hodiah, Bani, Beninu.
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The political leaders who signed: Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai, Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, Ahiah, Hanan, Anan, Malluch, Harim, Baanah.
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These men signed on behalf of the entire nation—for the common people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the choir members, the Temple servants, and all the rest who, with their wives and sons and daughters who were old enough to understand, had separated themselves from the heathen people of the land in order to serve God.
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For we all heartily agreed to this oath and vowed to accept the curse of God unless we obeyed God’s laws as issued by his servant Moses.
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We also agreed not to let our daughters marry non-Jewish men and not to let our sons marry non-Jewish girls.
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We further agreed that if the heathen people in the land should bring any grain or other produce to be sold on the Sabbath or on any other holy day, we would refuse to buy it. And we agreed not to do any work every seventh year and to forgive and cancel the debts of our brother Jews.
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We also agreed to charge ourselves annually with a Temple tax so that there would be enough money to care for the Temple of our God;
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for we needed supplies of the special Bread of the Presence, as well as grain offerings and burnt offerings for the Sabbaths, the new moon feasts, and the annual feasts. We also needed to purchase the other items necessary for the work of the Temple and for the atonement of Israel.
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Then we tossed a coin
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to determine when—at regular times each year—the families of the priests, Levites, and leaders should supply the wood for the burnt offerings at the Temple as required in the law.
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We also agreed always to bring the first part of every crop to the Temple—whether it be a ground crop or from our fruit and olive trees.
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We agreed to give to God our oldest sons and the firstborn of all our cattle, herds, and flocks, just as the law requires; we presented them to the priests who minister in the Temple of our God.
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They stored the produce in the Temple of our God—the best of our grain crops, and other contributions, the first of our fruit, and the first of the new wine and olive oil. And we promised to bring to the Levites a tenth of everything our land produced, for the Levites were responsible to collect the tithes in all our rural towns.
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A priest—a descendant of Aaron—would be with the Levites as they received these tithes, and a tenth of all that was collected as tithes was delivered to the Temple and placed in the storage areas.
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The people and the Levites were required by law to bring these offerings of grain, new wine, and olive oil to the Temple and place them in the sacred containers for use by the ministering priests, the gatekeepers, and the choir singers.
So we agreed together not to neglect the Temple of our God.
And this has a real advantage: I am not bound to obey anyone just because he pays my salary; yet I have freely and happily become a servant of any and all so that I can win them to Christ.
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When I am with the Jews I seem as one of them so that they will listen to the Gospel and I can win them to Christ. When I am with Gentiles who follow Jewish customs and ceremonies I don’t argue, even though I don’t agree, because I want to help them.
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When with the heathen I agree with them as much as I can, except of course that I must always do what is right as a Christian. And so, by agreeing, I can win their confidence
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and help them too.
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When I am with those whose consciences bother them easily, I don’t act as though I know it all and don’t say they are foolish; the result is that they are willing to let me help them. Yes, whatever a person is like, I try to find common ground with him so that he will let me tell him about Christ and let Christ save him.
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I do this to get the Gospel to them and also for the blessing I myself receive when I see them come to Christ.
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In a race everyone runs, but only one person gets first prize. So run your race to win.
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To win the contest you must deny yourselves many things that would keep you from doing your best. An athlete goes to all this trouble just to win a blue ribbon or a silver cup,
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but we do it for a heavenly reward that never disappears.
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So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I fight to win. I’m not just shadow-boxing or playing around.
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Like an athlete I punish my body, treating it roughly, training it to do what it should, not what it wants to. Otherwise I fear that after enlisting others for the race, I myself might be declared unfit and ordered to stand aside.
10:
1
For we must never forget, dear brothers, what happened to our people in the wilderness long ago. God guided them by sending a cloud that moved along ahead of them; and he brought them all safely through the waters of the Red Sea.
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This might be called their “baptism”—baptized both in sea and cloud!—as followers of Moses—their commitment to him as their leader.
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And by a miracle God sent them food to eat and water to drink
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there in the desert; they drank the water that Christ gave them. He was there with them as a mighty Rock of spiritual refreshment.
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Yet after all this most of them did not obey God, and he destroyed them in the wilderness.
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From this lesson we are warned that we must not desire evil things as they did,
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nor worship idols as they did. (The Scriptures tell us, “The people sat down to eat and drink and then got up to dance” in worship of the golden calf.)
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Another lesson for us is what happened when some of them sinned with other men’s wives, and 23,000 fell dead in one day.
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And don’t try the Lord’s patience—they did and died from snake bites.
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And don’t murmur against God and his dealings with you as some of them did, for that is why God sent his Angel to destroy them.
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All these things happened to them as examples—as object lessons to us—to warn us against doing the same things; they were written down so that we could read about them and learn from them in these last days as the world nears its end.
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So be careful. If you are thinking, “Oh, I would never behave like that”—let this be a warning to you. For you too may fall into sin.
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But remember this—the wrong desires that come into your life aren’t anything new and different. Many others have faced exactly the same problems before you. And no temptation is irresistible. You can trust God to keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it, for he has promised this and will do what he says. He will show you how to escape temptation’s power so that you can bear up patiently against it.
I will praise the Lord no matter what happens. I will constantly speak of his glories and grace.
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I will boast of all his kindness to me. Let all who are discouraged take heart.
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Let us praise the Lord together and exalt his name.
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For I cried to him and he answered me! He freed me from all my fears.
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Others too were radiant at what he did for them. Theirs was no downcast look of rejection!
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This poor man cried to the Lord—and the Lord heard him and saved him out of his troubles.
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For the Angel of the Lord guards and rescues all who reverence him.
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Oh, put God to the test and see how kind he is! See for yourself the way his mercies shower down on all who trust in him.
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If you belong to the Lord, reverence him; for everyone who does this has everything he needs.
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Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those of us who reverence the Lord will never lack any good thing.
He who shuts his ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in his own time of need.