Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down. - Proverbs 26:20

Thought: The way to stop strife is to remove what fuels it.

February 11

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 1 Corinthians 13:4-5

Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Romans 12:9

Habakkuk 3:19 - 19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.

February 12

does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13: 6-7

We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves. Romans 15:1

Jeremiah 42:6 - 6 Whether we like it or not, we will obey the Lord our God to whom we are sending you with our plea. For if we obey him, everything will turn out well for us.

Psalm 25:9 — He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.

February 13

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. John 13:34

Philippians 4:12-13 - 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 12 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it. Proverbs 27:12

Prayer: Make me wise in your Word, O Lord, and turn me from dangerous ways. Amen.

February 14

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35

No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. 1 John 4:12

Jeremiah 17:7 - 7 But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.

Isaiah 40:29-31 —

He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
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Go to Jesus with empty hands and an open heart, ready to receive abundant blessings. He knows the depth and breadth of your neediness. Has your life-path been difficult, draining you of strength? Go to Him for nurture. Let Him fill you up with His presence: Christ in you, and you in Him. His power flows most freely into weak ones aware of their need for Him. Faltering steps of dependence are not lack of faith; they are links into His presence.

February 15

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:10

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 1 Corinthians 13:7

Romans 5:3 - 3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.

February 16

For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, 1 John 3:11

And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. 1 Thessalonians 3:12

Psalm 16:8 - 8 I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

February 17

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Romans 8:35,37

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Isaiah 26:3

2 Chronicles 15:4 - 4 But whenever they were in trouble and turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him out, they found him.

Romans 8:26-27 — In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
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Lord, thank you that you live to intercede for me. Help me to understand your amazing availability. I praise you for translating my words into heavenly prayers that reach your throne. In the midst of a busy life, enable me to remember your nearness and help me to model that nearness to my loved ones.

February 18

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace. Psalm 29:11

Philippians 3:20-21 - 20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. 21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.

February 19

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. [ Seeing God Through Love ] No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. 1 John 4:11-12

He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. Psalm 40:2

Matthew 6:30 - 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

*****

1 Timothy 1:15 —

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the worst.
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Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and no sin is beyond his saving power. Jesus didn't come merely to show us how to live a better life or to challenge us to become better people. He came to offer us salvation that leads to eternal life. That is the good news of the gospel.

February 20

He who covers a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates friends. Proverbs 17:9

The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Psalm 37:23

Hebrews 6:18 - 18 So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.

1 Chronicles 28:30 — David also said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.
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David advised Solomon not to be frightened about the size of his task as king and builder of the Temple. Fear can immobilize us. The size of a job, its risks, or the pressure of the situation can cause us to freeze and do nothing. One remedy for fear is found here: don’t focus on the fear; instead, get to work. Getting started is often the most difficult and frightening part of a job.

Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Psalm 103:1

Thought: True praise runs deep and flows freely.

February 21

For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Romans 13:9-10

He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Isaiah 40:29

2 Samuel 22:30 - 30 In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall.

Hebrews 11:1 — Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

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Psalm 118:24 —

The Lord has done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad.
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There are days when the last thing we want to do is rejoice. Our mood is down, our situation is out of hand, and our sorrow or guilt is overwhelming. We can relate to the writers of the psalms who often felt this way. But no matter how low the psalmists felt, they were always honest with God. And as they talked to God, their prayers ended in praise. When you don't feel like rejoicing, tell God how you truly feel. You will find that God will give you a reason to rejoice. God has given you this day to live and to serve him — be glad!

February 22

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18

If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Ecclesiastes 4:10

Joshua 1:9 - 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.