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<title>Daily Bible Blog Feed</title><link>http://www.bibleversesbytopic.com/index.html</link><description>Inspiration</description><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:creator>bob_larranaga@yahoo.com</dc:creator><dc:rights>Copyright 2010 Bob Larranaga</dc:rights><dc:date>2009-07-09T10:20:48-04:00</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.realmacsoftware.com/" />
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<lastBuildDate>Wed, 2 Nov 2011 10:22:34 -0400</lastBuildDate><item><title></title><dc:creator>bob_larranaga@yahoo.com</dc:creator><dc:subject>Archive</dc:subject><dc:date>2011-10-31T05:36:12-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.bibleversesbytopic.com/daily_devotions/daily_devotions_files/a8358d1144d3fc0543b5e9fa1aed4058-419.html#unique-entry-id-419</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.bibleversesbytopic.com/daily_devotions/daily_devotions_files/a8358d1144d3fc0543b5e9fa1aed4058-419.html#unique-entry-id-419</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[(null)]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>10 Qualities of a Servant Leader</title><dc:creator>bob_larranaga@yahoo.com</dc:creator><category>Stewardship</category><dc:date>2010-11-29T11:20:29-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.bibleversesbytopic.com/daily_devotions/daily_devotions_files/ten_qualities_of_a_servant_leader.html#unique-entry-id-288</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.bibleversesbytopic.com/daily_devotions/daily_devotions_files/ten_qualities_of_a_servant_leader.html#unique-entry-id-288</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[&ldquo;Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my roof: but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed.&rdquo; 

...According to Matthew, the roman centurion&rsquo;s servant suffered from palsy, a medical condition marked by paralysis of one or more limbs and by uncontrollable shaking.   The servant afflicted with this condition was unable to care for himself much less for his master; instead, the centurion had to care for his servant.   They had reversed roles in a classic example of what management gurus called &ldquo;servant leadership&rdquo; - - stewardship, by another name.


...The same thing holds true in the spiritual world where disciples achieve great things by serving Jesus, Others and Yourself, in that order. 

...Greenleaf, the man who coined the term, a &ldquo;servant leader&rdquo; possess ten qualities: listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, growth and building community.


...He didn&rsquo;t exercise his absolute power by commanding Jesus to follow him; instead, he surrendered his power to a higher authority and humbly asked for the Lord&rsquo;s help.   The centurion showed that he had listened to his servant&rsquo;s pleas, had empathized with his suffering and had sought out a healer. ...  His act of stewardship and show of faith were signs of personal spiritual growth, They were also a foreshadowing of the way in which the Christian community would be spread from east to west by servant leaders known as disciples.


...The example of the centurion reminds us that it also applies to our relationships with our family, friends and, especially, those in need. 


...The lonely, sick and homebound will only experience the JOY of the season if the followers of Jesus reach out to them as servant leaders. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>We Can&#x27;t Say We Weren&#x27;t Warned</title><dc:creator>bob_larranaga@yahoo.com</dc:creator><category>Time</category><dc:date>2010-11-28T17:17:31-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.bibleversesbytopic.com/daily_devotions/daily_devotions_files/we_cannot_say_we_were_not_warned.html#unique-entry-id-287</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.bibleversesbytopic.com/daily_devotions/daily_devotions_files/we_cannot_say_we_were_not_warned.html#unique-entry-id-287</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[More than 125 Bible passages contain warnings; in fact, there are so many warnings they may lose some of their impact &ndash; like the government&rsquo;s product recall warnings that often go unheeded.   For example, in the recent past we have received 135 warnings about everything from eggs and peanut butter to ground beef and frozen vegetables.   Yet, a survey by Rutgers University showed 22 percent of Americans believe food recalls aren&rsquo;t serious enough to pay attention to and 12 percent of us have knowingly eaten recalled food.   The survey revealed the respondent&rsquo;s skepticism was often coupled with a belief that their own food was safe and that the warnings were meant for other people.


Just a guess, but I wonder if many people in Noah&rsquo;s time thought there was nothing wrong with their lifestyle and that the warnings were meant for other people.


Just a guess, but I wonder if the same biases could lead us into ignoring Jesus&rsquo; warning.   We are so immersed in our own culture that we might fail to see the warning signs all around us:


...	&bull;	We have more lawyers per capita than any other country (26,888 in the District of Columbia alone), yet only 28 percent of us can name more than one of the first five freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. 


	&bull;	We say we have to do a better job of teaching math and science, but when Massachusetts took the lead and tested the math competency of aspiring teachers only 27 percent got a passing grade. 


	&bull;	We complain about &ldquo;corrupt politicians&rdquo; but only 54 percent of us vote in national elections.


...Just a guess, but I think Jesus was warning us, too.      ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Future Comes Soon Enough</title><dc:creator>bob_larranaga@yahoo.com</dc:creator><category>Fear</category><dc:date>2010-11-24T07:00:43-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.bibleversesbytopic.com/daily_devotions/daily_devotions_files/the_future_comes_soon_enough.html#unique-entry-id-286</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.bibleversesbytopic.com/daily_devotions/daily_devotions_files/the_future_comes_soon_enough.html#unique-entry-id-286</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[ie=UTF8&tag=spiritualkind-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0446565946">The Coming Economic Armageddon</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?  t=spiritualkind-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0446565946" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !

...ie=UTF8&tag=spiritualkind-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=047091033X">The Day After the Dollar Crashes</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?  t=spiritualkind-20&l=as2&o=1&a=047091033X" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !

...t=spiritualkind-20&l=as2&o=1&a=078523117X" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !

...ie=UTF8&tag=spiritualkind-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0062010972">Trickle Up Poverty</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?  t=spiritualkind-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0062010972" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !

...ie=UTF8&tag=spiritualkind-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0849919622">Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?  t=spiritualkind-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0849919622" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !

...ie=UTF8&tag=spiritualkind-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1414311362">Epicenter 2.0: Why the Current Rumblings in the Middle East Will Change Your Future</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?  t=spiritualkind-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1414311362" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Thirteenth Apostle</title><dc:creator>bob_larranaga@yahoo.com</dc:creator><category>Discipleship</category><dc:date>2010-10-28T08:39:32-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.bibleversesbytopic.com/daily_devotions/daily_devotions_files/the_thirteenth_apostle.html#unique-entry-id-285</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.bibleversesbytopic.com/daily_devotions/daily_devotions_files/the_thirteenth_apostle.html#unique-entry-id-285</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[There is one apostle whose name is not mentioned in today&rsquo;s Gospel and that is Matthias, the man who took the place of Judas Iscariot.   His name appears only once in the canonical gospels and that is when he was chosen after the Lord&rsquo;s ascension. 

...The delay in appointing Matthias is a reminder to all of us that it is never too late to answer the call to follow Jesus.   Whether it is a matter of days, month or years, we still have a choice to make and, in fact, we may have to make it more than once. 

...Matthias is the patron saint of recovering alcoholics, many of whom have failed repeatedly in every aspect of their personal lives before finally answering the call to sobriety. ...  The 12-step program, which is read aloud at the start of every meeting, is essentially a spiritual journey that has much to offer all of us who seek to answer Jesus&rsquo; call to discipleship:


...We admitted we were powerless over (name your personal demon) - that our lives had become unmanageable.


...Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.


...Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.


...Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.


...Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others and to practice these principles in all our affairs.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Witnessing to Our Families</title><dc:creator>bob_larranaga@yahoo.com</dc:creator><category>Family</category><dc:date>2010-10-20T05:42:30-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.bibleversesbytopic.com/daily_devotions/daily_devotions_files/witnessing_to_our_families.html#unique-entry-id-283</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.bibleversesbytopic.com/daily_devotions/daily_devotions_files/witnessing_to_our_families.html#unique-entry-id-283</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The scene serves to remind us that we, too, have a mission in life, though one much closer to home.


The way we minister to our families can have a lasting impact on hundreds of lives for generations to come.   The importance of our mission was brought home to me when my wife and I attended a family wedding in Pennsylvania.


As we sat around the reception hall after the service, we swapped photos of our loved ones and stories about our families, stories from the past.   Eventually, we got around &ndash; as we always do at these reunions &ndash; to talking about our parents, grandparents and great grandparents.   Taking it all in, I couldn't help wondering what our great grandparents would have said about the whole affair.   Could they ever have imagined, could they ever have thought, that over 100 years later their names and deeds would still be recalled with wonder and admiration?


...For years and years to come, will our names and deeds somehow shape the memories, thoughts and lives of our heirs? 

...The Bible tells us, if we live good lives, our Christian example will be a blessing for generations to come. 

...If each of us has three children and each of them has three children and so on for one generation after another  within five generations, we'll have 243 heirs. 

...Two thousand one hundred and eighty seven people: that's comparable in size to a large congregation, but composed entirely of our direct descendants. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A Spiritual Home Security System</title><dc:creator>bob_larranaga@yahoo.com</dc:creator><category>Home</category><dc:date>2010-10-20T21:31:51-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.bibleversesbytopic.com/daily_devotions/daily_devotions_files/spiritual_home_security_system.html#unique-entry-id-281</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.bibleversesbytopic.com/daily_devotions/daily_devotions_files/spiritual_home_security_system.html#unique-entry-id-281</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[&ldquo;Know this, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched, and not have left his house to be broken through.&rdquo; 

...The homeowners simply let down their guard and become inviting targets, their loss of cash, jewelry and other valuables compounded by the theft of their peace of mind. 


...So-called &ldquo;safe neighborhoods&rdquo; can lull us into a false sense of security and leave us as vulnerable as if we had left a door wide open for Satan. 


No matter where we live &ndash; in small towns, big cities or suburbs &ndash; Jesus is master of the home, and He expects us to be prudent, watchful stewards of His house.


...We have to participate in the PTA, learn what&rsquo;s in the school&rsquo;s textbooks and attend our children&rsquo;s extracurricular activities.


...Children must feel safe in bringing their problems home for advice and prayer.   No other generation has had to deal with the kind of sexual promiscuity, violence, drugs and alcohol that today&rsquo;s kids face. ...  We need to listen for verbal clues, notice mood swings, changes in clothing styles, and changes in their circle of friends (especially new friends who don&rsquo;t stop by the house). 

...Every home should have a curfew hour and when kids go out at night they need to know we&rsquo;ll be up and waiting for them to return home safely. 

...If safeguarding our earthly possessions takes special precautions, so, too must the protection of our greatest treasure of all: our immortal souls and those of our children. 


...The Devil will try to lull us into a false sense of security, blind us to obvious spiritual threats and get us to slacken off. ]]></content:encoded></item></channel>
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