After Epiphany | Monday – 13 Feb 2023: Psalm 119:9-16; Exodus 20:1-21; James 1:2-8 ~ Beware of divided loyalties.

After Epiphany | Monday – 13 Feb 2023

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening:

Almighty God,
look mercifully upon your people,
that by your great goodness
we may be governed and preserved evermore;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
now and for ever. Amen.

“A person with divided loyalty
is as unsettled as a wave of the sea
that is blown and tossed by the wind.”
(James 1:6b)

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From Psalms: Psalm 119: Beth (ESV) – Exodus Church

Beth

9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.

10 With my whole heart I seek you;
let me not wander from your commandments!

11 I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.

12 Blessed are you, O Lord;
teach me your statutes!

13 With my lips I declare
all the rules of your mouth.

14 In the way of your testimonies I delight
as much as in all riches.

15 I will meditate on your precepts
and fix my eyes on your ways.

16 I will delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your word.

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OT Reading: Exodus 20:1-21 (NLT)

Ten Commandments for the Covenant Community

20:1 Then God gave the people all these instructions:

“I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.

1. “You must not have any other god but me.

2. “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.

3. “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.

4. “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

5. “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

6. “You must not murder.

7. “You must not commit adultery.

8. “You must not steal.

9. “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.

10. “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”

When the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the ram’s horn, and when they saw the flashes of lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear.

And they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will die!”

“Don’t be afraid,” Moses answered them, “for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning!”

As the people stood in the distance, Moses approached the dark cloud where God was.

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Love God Love People – Danny Gokey

Light of the World

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NT Reading: James 1:2-8 (NLT)

Faith and Endurance

1:2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

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In Christ Alone – Keith & Kristyn Getty, Alison Krauss

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

+ Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hear what our Lord Jesus Christ says:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

William Temple

+ Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to you, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly yours, utterly dedicated to you; and then use us, we pray, as you will, and always to your glory and the welfare of your people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch

Be the Life I live
Be the Love I give

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

After Epiphany | Saturday – 11 Feb 2023: Psalm 119:1-8; Deuteronomy 30:1-9a; Matthew 15:1-9 ~ Love God wholeheartedly!

After Epiphany | Saturday – 11 Feb 2023

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening:

O Lord, our heavenly Father,
keep your household the Church
continually in your true religion,
that we who trust in the hope of your heavenly grace
may always be defended by your mighty power;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
now and for ever. Amen.

“The Lord your God will change your heart
and the hearts of all your descendants,
so that you will love him
with all your heart and soul
and so you may live!”
(Deuteronomy 30:6)

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From Psalms: Psalm 119: Aleph (KJV) – Exodus Church

119:1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.

2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.

3 They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.

4 Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.

5 O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!

6 Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.

7 I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.

8 I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.

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OT Reading: Deuteronomy 30:1-9a (NLT)

A Call to Return to the Lord

30:1 “In the future, when you experience all these blessings and curses I have listed for you, and when you are living among the nations to which the Lord your God has exiled you, take to heart all these instructions. If at that time you and your children return to the Lord your God, and if you obey with all your heart and all your soul all the commands I have given you today, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes. He will have mercy on you and gather you back from all the nations where he has scattered you. Even though you are banished to the ends of the earth, the Lord your God will gather you from there and bring you back again. The Lord your God will return you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will possess that land again. Then he will make you even more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors!

“The Lord your God will change your heart and the hearts of all your descendants, so that you will love him with all your heart and soul and so you may live! The Lord your God will inflict all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate and persecute you. Then you will again obey the Lord and keep all his commands that I am giving you today.

“The Lord your God will then make you successful in everything you do.

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Come, Let Us Return to the Lord – Galkin Evangelistic Team

All of us like sheep have gone astray
Seeking our own way
We’ve left the Shepherd’s care again
Through the wilderness we wander
In the hopelessness of sin
We must run into His arms from where we’ve been

Oh come let us return to the Lord
Let our hearts yearn for the Lord
Only His love will save us
For though our lives are broken He will mend
And restore our hope again
Let us return to the Lord
Let us return to the Lord

By His grace alone we have been saved
Rescued from the grave
And through His blood we have moved on
May the passion of our first love
Bring us to our knees
We can know the heart of God
If we believe

So, come let us return to the Lord
Let our hearts yearn for the Lord
Only His love will save us
For though our lives are broken He will mend
And restore our hope again
Let us return to the Lord
Let us return

To the One who breaks our heart so He can heal us
To the One who binds our wounds and knows our scars

Let us return to the Lord
Let our hearts yearn for the Lord
Only His love will save us
For though our lives are broken
He will mend
And restore our hope again
Let us return to the Lord
Let us return to the Lord

For though our lives are broken
He will mend
And restore our hope again
Let us return to the Lord
Let us return to the Lord
Let us return to the Lord

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NT Reading: Matthew 15:1-9 (NLT)

Jesus Teaches about Inner Purity

15:1 Some Pharisees and teachers of religious law now arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They asked him, “Why do your disciples disobey our age-old tradition? For they ignore our tradition of ceremonial hand washing before they eat.”

Jesus replied, “And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God? For instance, God says, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’ But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you. ’In this way, you say they don’t need to honor their parents. And so you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,

‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship is a farce,
for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’

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Heart Wide Open ~ Mack Brock

music meets heaven

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

Hear what our Lord Jesus Christ says:

William Temple

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Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch

Be the Life I live
Be the Love I give

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

After Epiphany | Friday – 10 Feb 2023: Psalm 119:1-8; Leviticus 26:34-46; 1 John 2:7-17 ~ Love God and live forever!

After Epiphany | Friday – 10 Feb 2023

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening:

This world is fading away,
along with everything that people crave.
But anyone who does what pleases God
will live forever.
(1 John 2:17)

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From Psalms: Psalm 119 (Aleph) – Wayne Wasion

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OT Reading: Leviticus 26:34-46 (NLT)

26:34 Then at last the land will enjoy its neglected Sabbath years as it lies desolate while you are in exile in the land of your enemies. Then the land will finally rest and enjoy the Sabbaths it missed. As long as the land lies in ruins, it will enjoy the rest you never allowed it to take every seventh year while you lived in it.

“And for those of you who survive, I will demoralize you in the land of your enemies. You will live in such fear that the sound of a leaf driven by the wind will send you fleeing. You will run as though fleeing from a sword, and you will fall even when no one pursues you. Though no one is chasing you, you will stumble over each other as though fleeing from a sword. You will have no power to stand up against your enemies. You will die among the foreign nations and be devoured in the land of your enemies. Those of you who survive will waste away in your enemies’ lands because of their sins and the sins of their ancestors.

“But at last my people will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors for betraying me and being hostile toward me. When I have turned their hostility back on them and brought them to the land of their enemies, then at last their stubborn hearts will be humbled, and they will pay for their sins. Then I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. For the land must be abandoned to enjoy its years of Sabbath rest as it lies deserted. At last the people will pay for their sins, for they have continually rejected my regulations and despised my decrees.

“But despite all this, I will not utterly reject or despise them while they are in exile in the land of their enemies. I will not cancel my covenant with them by wiping them out, for I am the Lord their God. For their sakes I will remember my ancient covenant with their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of all the nations, that I might be their God. I am the Lord.”

These are the decrees, regulations, and instructions that the Lord gave through Moses on Mount Sinai as evidence of the relationship between himself and the Israelites.

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God Is For Us ~ CityAlight

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NT Reading: 1 John 2:7-17 (NLT)

A New Commandment

2:7 Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before. Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining.

If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is still living in darkness. Anyone who loves a fellow believer is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble. But anyone who hates a fellow believer is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness.

+ I am writing to you who are God’s children
because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus.

+ I am writing to you who are mature in the faith
because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.

+ I am writing to you who are young in the faith
because you have won your battle with the evil one.

+ I have written to you who are God’s children
because you know the Father.

+ I have written to you who are mature in the faith
because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.

+ I have written to you who are young in the faith
because you are strong.
God’s word lives in your hearts,
and you have won your battle with the evil one.

Do Not Love This World

Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

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Live Forever ~ Matthew West

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

+ O God, without whose beauty and goodness our souls are unfed, without whose truth our reason withers: Consecrate our lives to your will, giving us such purity of heart, such depth of faith, and such steadfastness of purpose, that in time we may come to think your own thoughts after you; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

William Temple

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Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch

Be the Life I live
Be the Love I give

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

After Epiphany | Thursday – 09 Feb 2023: Psalm 119:1-8; Genesis 26:1-5; James 1:12-16 ~ God blesses those with patient endurance.

After Epiphany | Thursday – 09 Feb 2023

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening:

God blesses those
who patiently endure testing
and temptation.
(James 1:12)

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From Psalms: Psalm 119:1-8 – The Word of God I Snehal Amolik

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OT Reading: Genesis 26:1-5 (NLT)

26:1 A severe famine now struck the land, as had happened before in Abraham’s time. So Isaac moved to Gerar, where Abimelech, king of the Philistines, lived.

The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt, but do as I tell you. Live here as a foreigner in this land, and I will be with you and bless you. I hereby confirm that I will give all these lands to you and your descendants, just as I solemnly promised Abraham, your father. I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars of the sky, and I will give them all these lands. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed. I will do this because Abraham listened to me and obeyed all my requirements, commands, decrees, and instructions.”

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While I Wait | Gary LeVox – ft. Brittany LeVox

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NT Reading: James 1:12-16 (NLT)

1:12 God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters.

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Patiently Enduring – ActiveChristianity

Brunstad Christian Church

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

+ O God, almighty and merciful, you heal the broken-hearted, and turn the sadness of the sorrowful to joy, Let your fatherly goodness be upon all whom you have made. Remember in pity all those who are this day destitute, homeless, elderly, infirm, or forgotten. Bless the multitude of your poor. Lift up those who are cast down. Mightily befriend innocent sufferers, and sanctify to them the endurance of their wrongs. Cheer with hope all who are discouraged and downcast, and by your heavenly grace preserve from falling those whose poverty tempts them to sin. Though they be troubled on every side, suffer them not to be distressed; though they are perplexed, save them from despair. Grant this, O Lord, for the love of him who for our sakes became poor, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

William Temple

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Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch

Be the Life I live
Be the Love I give

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

After Epiphany | Wednesday – 08 Feb 2023: Psalm 119:105-112; Proverbs 6:6-23; John 8:12-30 ~ Jesus lights the pathway to life.

After Epiphany | Wednesday – 08 Feb 2023

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening:

Jesus… said, “I am the light of the world.
If you follow me,
you won’t have to walk in darkness,
because you will have
the light that leads to life.”
(John 8:12)

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From Psalms: Psalm 119 Nun – The Exodus Church

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OT Reading: Proverbs 6:6-23 (NLT)

6:6 Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones.
Learn from their ways and become wise!
+ Though they have no prince
or governor or ruler to make them work,
+ they labor hard all summer,
gathering food for the winter.
+ But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep?
When will you wake up?
+ A little extra sleep, a little more slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest—
+ then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit;
scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

6:12 What are worthless and wicked people like?
They are constant liars,
+ signaling their deceit with a wink of the eye,
a nudge of the foot, or the wiggle of fingers.
+ Their perverted hearts plot evil,
and they constantly stir up trouble.
+ But they will be destroyed suddenly,
broken in an instant beyond all hope of healing.

6:16 There are six things the Lord hates—
no, seven things he detests:
+ haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that kill the innocent,
+ a heart that plots evil,
feet that race to do wrong,
+ a false witness who pours out lies,
a person who sows discord in a family.

6:20 My son, obey your father’s commands,
and don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.
+ Keep their words always in your heart.
Tie them around your neck.
+ When you walk, their counsel will lead you.
When you sleep, they will protect you.
When you wake up, they will advise you.
+ For their command is a lamp
and their instruction a light;
their corrective discipline
is the way to life.

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Walking in the Light of God – TheIslandSing

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NT Reading: John 8:12-30 (NLT)

Jesus, the Light of the World

8:12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

The Pharisees replied, “You are making those claims about yourself! Such testimony is not valid.”

Jesus told them, “These claims are valid even though I make them about myself. For I know where I came from and where I am going, but you don’t know this about me. You judge me by human standards, but I do not judge anyone. And if I did, my judgment would be correct in every respect because I am not alone. The Father who sent me is with me. Your own law says that if two people agree about something, their witness is accepted as fact. I am one witness, and my Father who sent me is the other.”

“Where is your father?” they asked.

Jesus answered, “Since you don’t know who I am, you don’t know who my Father is. If you knew me, you would also know my Father.” Jesus made these statements while he was teaching in the section of the Temple known as the Treasury. But he was not arrested, because his time had not yet come.

The Unbelieving People Warned

8:21 Later Jesus said to them again, “I am going away. You will search for me but will die in your sin. You cannot come where I am going.”

The people asked, “Is he planning to commit suicide? What does he mean, ‘You cannot come where I am going’?”

Jesus continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You belong to this world; I do not. That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am who I claim to be, you will die in your sins.”

“Who are you?” they demanded.

Jesus replied, “The one I have always claimed to be. I have much to say about you and much to condemn, but I won’t. For I say only what I have heard from the one who sent me, and he is completely truthful.” But they still didn’t understand that he was talking about his Father.

So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man on the cross, then you will understand that I am he. I do nothing on my own but say only what the Father taught me. And the one who sent me is with me—he has not deserted me. For I always do what pleases him.” Then many who heard him say these things believed in him.

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Jesus light of the world – rhema4000