Today's Soul Food — October 6 

 

Golden Words

      


But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too."

Mark 11:25 (NLT)

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Leonardo da Vinci was one of the outstanding intellects of all history, for he was great as a draftsman, an engineer, and a thinker. Just before he commenced work on his “Last Supper” he had a violent quarrel with a fellow painter. So enraged and bitter was Leonardo that he determined to paint the face of his enemy, the other artist, into the face of Judas, and thus take his revenge and vent his spleen by handling the man down in infamy and scorn to succeeding generations. The face of Judas was therefore one of the first that he finished, and everyone could easily recognize it as the face of the painter with whom he had quarreled.

    But when he came to paint the face of Christ, he could make no progress. Something seemed to be baffling him, holding him back, frustrating his best efforts. At length he came to the conclusion that the thing which was checking and frustrating him was the fact that he had painted his enemy into the face of Judas. He therefore painted out the face of Judas and commenced anew on the face of Jesus, and this time with the success which the ages have acclaimed.

    You cannot at one and the same time be painting the features of Christ into your own life, and painting another face with the colors of enmity and hatred.

—C.E. Macartneyd

 


Daily Meditations by  Pat Nordman ©

 


October 6

"...When a diamond is found it is rough and dark like a common pebble. It takes a long time to polish it, and it is very hard work. It is held by means of a piece of metal close to the surface of a large wheel, which is kept going round. Fine diamond dust is put on this wheel, nothing else being hard enough to po-lish the diamond. And this work is kept on for months and some-times several years before it is finished. If the diamond is intended for a king, then the greater time and trouble are spent upon it." Old Testament Anecdotes.

Jesus is polishing His jewels with fine diamond dust of trials to make them beautiful.

Pat Nordman ©

 

 


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Excerpts from today's Spurgeon's Devotions

With links to the entire devotion

Spurgeon's Morning for October 6

Spurgeon's Evening for October 6
 

"Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst."

- John 4:14

  

"He had married an Ethiopian woman."

- Numbers 12:1

He who is a believer in Jesus finds enough in his Lord to satisfy him now, and to content him for evermore.

Each believer must, when filled with a sense of Jesus’ love, be also overwhelmed with astonishment that such love should be lavished on an object so utterly unworthy of it.

 

 

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October 6  Mt 13:1 - 14:36

365 days of Bible Readings Linked to Bible Gaitway TM 

 

Current Bible Question



  Methuselah was the man who lived longer than anyone else recorded in the Bible. Who came in second?       
 

Previous question and Answer:

Why did Paul shave his head?

It marked the end of a vow he had taken, Acts 18:18

 
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Today's  Devotion
 

 

But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief.

Job 16:5 (NIV)

 

Cowardness

by Cathy Vinson 

 

He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But to the cowardly...  

(Rev 21:7-8a)

Somehow "cowardly" seems out-of-place in the forbidden list that follows. Cowardice seems to be a close cousin of meekness and humility. What then is truly behind being cowardly?

Giants arise in our lives that loom very big and threatening. We cower, hide, and want to run away in fear. This all seems like such a natural response, but a cowering spirit is not from God, "for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind" (2 Tim 1:7). Fear is then a spirit, ruled by the enemy. On the other hand, the environment of God's Spirit sending forth love is accompanied by power and self-discipline. Healthy love will not flow out to another out of a timid spirit that cowers before them.

Where we are timid, we should acknowledge that before God. "God preserves the faithful...Be strong, and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord" (Ps 31:23). Faithfulness and courage would draw God's preservation while cowering and hiding would merely be are own selfmade means of preservation.

Stand tall, for when we take courage, we are trusting God alone to preserve us. Let us put down those defenses of cowardness because our hope is in God. We can then exercise our God-given right to be strong and take heart! (Ps 31:24).


Cathy Vinson©

Send a note to Cathy Vinson , the writer of this devotion.
 

Cowardice seems to be a close cousin of meekness and humility. What then is truly behind being cowardly? 

 


Other Whispers from the Wilderness Devotions are found HERE

 

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~ Uncontrolled Anger ~ 

Uncontrolled anger often leads to irrational behavior.

Friday was a normal day at First National Bank in Homestead, Florida, until Wayne Rogers came along. Rogers, a customer, drove into one of the drive-through lanes to make a withdrawal. He and the teller had a lengthy discussion about a check not clearing. As the discussion went on, Rogers became more and more irritated. He finally gave up and asked if he could close out his account. The teller told him he could but he would have to see the manager inside. Rogers said he would like that; but the problem was, the inside was closed.

At that point, Rogers backed up his truck, headed for the front door, crashed through the glass, parked his truck, and walked in to see the manager. When the police arrived, they found Rogers sitting at the manager's desk.

"This is the story of a guy who had had it with the system," said police corporal Doug Reece. "We can sympathize, but we don't drive through banks. He got fed up, but he never got his money."

- Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 September 1986, 1A

Patience is better than strength.
Controlling your temper is better than capturing a city.

Proverbs 16:32 (NCV)

Today's Religion News
From Goshen Web News Service

 

 

 


All the Rest October 6


Today in History for October 6