DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR THURSDAY JUNE 30:
WORD OF WISDOM
"Come work for the Lord. The work is hard, the hours are long and the
pay is low. But the retirement benefits are out of this world."
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DAILY DEVOTION
The Rules for Being Human
1. You will receive a body.
You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for the entire period.
2. You will learn lessons.
You are enrolled in an informal school called Life. Each day in this school,
you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or
think them irrelevant and stupid.
3. There are no mistakes, only lessons.
Growth is a process of trial and error.
Experimentation.
The "failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiment
that ultimately "works".
4. A lesson is repeated until learned.
A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned
it. You can then go on to the next lesson.
5. Learning lessons does not end.
There is no part of life that does not contain its lessons. If you are
alive, there are lessons to be learned.
6. "There" is no better than "here."
When your "there" has become a "here" you will simply obtain another "there"
that will again look better than "here."
7. Others are merely mirrors of you.
You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects
something you either love or hate about yourself.
8. What you make of life is up to you.
You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up
to you. The choice is yours.
9. Your answers lie inside you.
The answers to Life's questions lie inside you. All you need to do is look,
listen, and trust.
10. You will forget all this.
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DAILY BIBLE READING
Psalm 131-135Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
A song of David for going up to the Temple.
131 Lord, I don't feel proud.
I don't see myself as better than others.
I am not thinking about doing great things
or reaching impossible goals.
2
No, right now I am calm and quiet,
like a child after nursing,
content in its mother's arms.[a]
3
Israel, trust in the Lord.
Trust in him now and forever!
A song for going up to the Temple.
132 Lord, remember how David suffered.
2
He made a promise to you, Lord,
an oath to the Mighty God of Jacob.
3
He said, "I will not go into my house
or lie down on my bed.
4
I will not sleep
or let my eyes rest,
5
until I find a home for the Lord,
a tent for the Mighty God of Jacob!"
6
We heard about this in Ephrathah.[b]
We found the Box of the Agreement at Kiriath Jearim.[c]
7
Now, let's go to the Lord's house.
Let's worship at his throne.[d]
8
Lord, get up[e] and go to your resting place;
go with the Box that shows your power.
9
May your priests be clothed in victory
and your loyal followers be filled with joy.
10
For the sake of your servant David,
don't reject your chosen king.[f]
11
The Lord made a promise to David, an oath of loyalty to him:
"I will always put one of your descendants on your throne.
12
If your descendants obey my agreement and the laws I teach them,
then the king will always be someone from your family."
13
The Lord has chosen Zion to be the place for his Temple,
the place he wanted for his home.
14
He said, "This will always be my place of rest.
This is where I want to sit on my throne.
15
I will bless this city with plenty of food.
Even the poor will have enough to eat.
16
I will clothe the priests with salvation,
and my followers will be filled with joy.
17
This is where I will make David's family strong.
I will never let the lamp of my chosen king stop burning.
18
I will cover his enemies with shame,
and on his head will be a shining crown."
A song of David for going up to the Temple.
133 Oh, how wonderful, how pleasing it is
when God's people all come together as one[g]!
2
It is like the sweet-smelling oil that is poured over the high priest's[h]
head,
that runs down his beard flowing over his robes.
3
It is like a gentle rain[i] from Mount Hermon falling on Mount Zion.
It is there that the Lord has promised his blessing of eternal life.
A song for going up to the Temple.
134 Praise the Lord, all his servants
who serve in the Temple at night.
2
Lift your hands toward the Temple,
and praise the Lord.
3
May the Lord, who made heaven and earth,
bless you from Zion.
135 Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord!
Praise him, you servants of the Lord,
2
you who serve in the Lord's Temple,
in the courtyard of the Temple of our God.
3
Praise the Lord, because he is good.
Praise his name, because it brings such joy!
4
The Lord chose Jacob to be his own.
Yes, he chose Israel to be his own people.
5
I know the Lord is great!
Our Lord is greater than all the gods!
6
The Lord does whatever he wants,
in heaven and on earth, in the seas and the deep oceans.
7
He brings the clouds from the other side of the earth.
He sends the lightning and the rain,
and he opens the doors to release the winds.
8
He destroyed the firstborn males of the people in Egypt and their animals.
9
He did great wonders and miracles in Egypt.
He used them against Pharaoh and his officials.
10
He defeated many nations
and killed powerful kings.
11
He defeated Sihon, king of the Amorites,
Og, king of Bashan,
and all the kingdoms in Canaan.
12
Then he gave their land to Israel, his people.
13
Lord, your name will be famous forever!
Lord, people will remember you forever and ever.
14
The Lord defends his people;
he is kind to his servants.
15
The gods of other nations are only gold and silver idols
that people have made.
16
They have mouths, but cannot speak.
They have eyes, but cannot see.
17
They have ears, but cannot hear.
They have mouths, but no breath.
18
Those who make idols and trust in them
will become just like the idols they have made.
19
Family of Israel, praise the Lord!
Aaron's family, praise the Lord!
20
Levi's family, praise the Lord!
All you who worship the Lord, praise the Lord!
21
The Lord should be praised from Zion,
from Jerusalem, his home.
Praise the Lord!
Footnotes:
a.Psalm 131:2 like a child . arms Or "like a baby on its mother's back, like
a baby on my back, so is my soul." The metaphor may refer to the custom of a
working mother tying her baby on her back after nursing.
b.Psalm 132:6 Ephrathah Bethlehem, the town where David was born.
c.Psalm 132:6 Kiriath Jearim Literally, "fields of the forest." The Hebrew
word meaning "forest" is like the name of this city.
d.Psalm 132:7 at his throne Literally, "at his footstool." This can mean the
Box of the Agreement, the Holy Tent, or the Temple. God is like a king
sitting on his throne and resting his feet on the place where people worship
him.
e.Psalm 132:8 Lord, get up The people said this when they lifted the Box of
the Agreement and took it into battle with them. This showed that God was
with them. See Num. 10:35-36.
f.Psalm 132:10 chosen king Literally, "anointed one."
g.Psalm 133:1 when . as one Or "when brothers live together in peace."
h.Psalm 133:2 high priest's Literally, "Aaron's."
i.Psalm 133:3 gentle rain Or "mist" or "snow." The Hebrew can mean either
"the oil is like the mist ." or "Aaron's beard is like the snow .."
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
Copyright C 2006 by Bible League International
