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Of a foreigner thou mayest exact: but which is thine with thy brother thy hand shall release: Save when there shall be no poor among you; for the LORD shall greatly bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee an inheritance to possess it: Only if thou shalt carefully hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day. Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, the year of release, is at hand; and thy eye shall be evil against thy poor brother, and thou shalt give him naught; and he shall cry to the LORD against thee, and it shall be sin to thee. For the poor shall never cease from the land: then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee. And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him depart empty:  Read less

Galatians 3:22-23 The scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. Imprisoned by the law, not liberated. Faith in Christ liberates us from sin. Why then do we walk as though we are imprisoned? Why do we even want to walk as though we are in bondage to our sin nature? Oh, Lord, deliver us from ourselves!  Read less

----VERE 1---- God's provision is able, complete, and enough to satisfy all my needs (John 4:14) Jesus says in John 14:6 "I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me". God provides = I am complete in salvation, complete in grace (2 corin 12:9), complete in blessing to finish the work/gospel (Eph 1:3), Complete in faith (12:2), complete in love (Jeremiah 31:3). Jesus is my hope my salvation and exceedingly great reward -----VERSE 3----- In the midst of adversity God doesn't abandon us because we came up short. (Eph 2:8-9) it is by grace that we have the ability to have faith to be saved and all of it has been given as a gift to us. He Restores My Soul = Isaiah 40:31, -----VERSE 4----- yes, though I walk through the valley (my hard times, my lows) of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for you are with me = Psalm 62, 2 Corin 4:8-12 (Greater is he that is in me then my enemy that fights aginst me); your rod and staff they comfort me = your decipline and leadership in my life keeps me safe  Read less

Before we believed in Jesus, before we even knew who he was, Jesus prayed for us. Jesus prayed in the garden, prior to his arrest and crucifixion. First, he prayed for himself, that God would complete the work of salvation he began in sending Jesus to live and die. He prayed for his disciples, that God would keep them faithful, that they might have God’s joy within them, and that God would protect them from the evil one. And then he prayed for us. For you and me and for all who would come to believe in him after his death, that we would be unified and that God’s love would be in us. When we read Jesus’ words in this passage, remember that he prayed them for all of us. We can insert our own names and picture ourselves as the subject of his prayer. We can see in his prayers the events of our lives. Jesus also prayed for those we love who have yet to come to know him as Savior and Lord. He loves them even more than we do—so much that he prayed for them before he died on the cross on their behalf. Jesus prayed for you. Nearly two thousand years ago, in a garden in Israel, you were on his mind. Don’t you feel loved?  Read less

Recollect that there are two kinds of perfection which the Christian needs--the perfection of justification in the person of Jesus, and the perfection of sanctification wrought in him by the Holy Spirit. Charles Spurgeon  Read less

LIFE FOLLOWS DEATH! The cross is the center of christian faith. Christ left the glory of haven and voluntarily entered the darkness of this world. He embraced all the tragedy, suffering, humiliation, even death to make a way for us to follow to freedom. Our hope is not in this world. Sin is manifested in the world. Following Christ to the cross is the way to freedom from this world, sin, and its affects. Is 53 - 4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. Is 53 - 11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light [of life] and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.  Read less

Is the law contrary to the promises of God? Are they mutually exclusive? The Law imprisons us. The promise is the key to freedom. So then we must not look to our own works as the means to salvation or holiness. We must live by faith in the accomplished work of Christ. We must function in the truth of our standing in Christ. Yet not as a licence to sin, but as a freedom to live a life that is honoring to God.  Read less

v1} 1506 - Heilikrines (i-lik-ree-nace')=pure or sincere used 2x in Philippians and 2 Peter 3:1 v3} 1703 - Empaiktes (emp-aheek-tace')=mocker or scoffers used 2x in Jude and 2 Peter 3:3. This term is different in meaning from skeptic which means one who questions or doubts the truthfulness of information. A similar term is used in OT Heb., lus which means "to make mouths deride" and "refers to a http://www.biblestudytools.com/my-bible/#frivolous and impudent person who scoffs at the most sacred precepts and duties of religion, piety, and morals." --NUBD p.1140 1939 - Epithumia (ep-ee-thoo-mee'-ah)=desire, craving, longing, desire for what is forbidden [this is the meaning held in v.3], lust. Used 38x in the NT: lust 31, concupiscence 3, desire 3, lust after 1 v7} 684 - Apoleia (ap-o'-li-a)=1) destroying, utter destruction of vessels; 2) a perishing, ruin, destruction of money; 3) the destruction which consists of eternal misery in hell [this is the meaning most relevant to the term as used in v.7]. Used 19x in the NT. "Observe, God’s following judgments are more terrible than those which went before; the old world was destroyed by water, but this is reserved unto fire, which shall burn up the wicked at the last day; and, though this seems to be delayed, yet, as this wicked world is upheld by the word of God, so it is only reserved for the vengeance of him to whom vengeance belongs, who will at the day of judgment deal with an ungodly world according to their deserts, for the day of judgment is the day of the perdition of ungodly men. Those who now scoff at a future judgment shall find it a day of vengeance and utter destruction."--MHC 2 Peter 3:7 v. 8 refers to Psalms 90:4 "For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past , and as a watch in the night." --TOSK 2 Peter 3:8 [The idea being that God does not judge time as men do. He has an eternal perspective.] That being said, there appears to be at least two things happening at the same time in this passage, 1) Peter is urging the reader to think in terms of God's economy when it comes to "when" this event can occur; and 2) at the same time in terms of preparedness, cultivate a sense of urgency. Plan as if it will happen in the distant future but live as if it will occur in the next instant. v9} 1019 - Braduno (brad-oo'-no) Verb= 1) to delay, be slow; 2) to render slowly, retard; 3) to be long, to tarry, loiter [this is the meaning in v.9] Used 2x in NT: 1 Timothy and 2 Peter 3:9 tarry 1, be slack 1 v11} 391 - Anastrophe (an-as-trof-ay') Noun Feminine=manner of life, conduct, behaviour, deportment. Used 13 in the NT: conversation 13. v14} 784 - Aspilos (as'-pee-los)= 1) spotless; metaph. free from censure, irreproachable; free from vice, unsullied [meaning in v.14) Used 4x in NT: without spot 3, unspotted 1 get ready to appear before the judgment-seat of Christ: and see to it,’’1. "That you be found of him in peace, in a state of peace and reconciliation with God through Christ, in whom alone God is reconciling the world to himself. All that are out of Christ are in a state of enmity, and reject and oppose the Lord and his anointed, and shall therefore be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and the glory of his power. Those whose sins are pardoned and their peace made with God are the only safe and happy people; therefore follow after peace, and that with all.’’ (1.) Peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (2.) Peace in our own consciences, through the Spirit of grace witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God. (3.) Peace with men, by having a calm and peaceable disposition wrought in us, resembling that of our blessed Lord.2. That you be found of Christ without spot, and blameless. Follow after holiness as well as peace: and even spotless and perfect; we must not only take heed of all spots which are not the spots of God’s children (this only prevents our being found of men without spot), we must be pressing towards spotless purity, absolute perfection. Christians must be perfecting holiness, that they may be not only blameless before men, but also in the sight of God; and all this deserves and needs the greatest diligence; he who does this work negligently can never do it successfully. --MHC 2 Peter 3:14 v16} 4761 - Strebloo (streb-lo'-o) Verb= 1) to twist, turn awry; 2) to torture, put to the rack; metaph. to pervert, of one who wrests or tortures language in a false sense [this is the sense meant in v. 14]. Used 1x 2 Peter 3:14: wrest 1.  Read less

Jer 23:23-32 - twofold plagiarism God answers the objection which might be stated, "What, then, must we do, when lies are spoken as truths, and prophets oppose prophets?" Do the same as when wheat is mixed with chaff: do not reject the wheat because of the chaff mixed with it, but discriminate between the false and the true revelations. The test is adherence to, or forgetfulness of, Me and My law that hath a dream--that pretends to have a divine communication by dream, let him tell it "faithfully," that it may be compared with "my word" ( 2 Corinthians 4:2 ). The result will be the former (both the prophets and their fictions) will soon be seen to be chaff; the latter (the true prophets and the word of God in their mouth) wheat ( Psalms 1:4 , Hosea 13:3 ). Fire consumes the "chaff" - Chaff (pron.: /'t?æf/ or /'t???f/[1]) is the dry, scaly protective casings of the seeds of cereal grain, or similar fine, dry, scaly plant material such as scaly parts of flowers, or finely chopped straw. Chaff is inedible for humans, but livestock can eat it and in agriculture it is used as livestock fodder, or is a waste material ploughed into the soil or burnt. - God declares His "Word" will consume the false prophet. I understand that to mean: Know God's Word for myself - and the chaff will be consumed by God's Word - and the Seed or WHEAT is the food that is edible for human and the waste material will fall to the ground - GOD's Word will NEVER return void. For a seed to grow into a health plant it needs plenty of water and light - LIGHT & WATER - lack of either If man cannot say "Jehovah saith," - it is likely "he is saying it"  Read less

What else had a beginning?