Quotes and Readings of the Day

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Psalm 56

Trust in God under Persecution
To the leader: according to The Dove on Far-off Terebinths. Of David. A Miktam, when the Philistines seized him in Gath.
Be gracious to me, O God, for people trample on me;
all day long foes oppress me;
my enemies trample on me all day long,
for many fight against me.
O Most High, when I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I am not afraid;
what can flesh do to me?

All day long they seek to injure my cause;
all their thoughts are against me for evil.
They stir up strife, they lurk,
they watch my steps.
As they hoped to have my life,
so repay them for their crime;
in wrath cast down the peoples, O God!

You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your record?
Then my enemies will retreat
in the day when I call.
This I know, that God is for me.
In God, whose word I praise,
in the LORD, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I am not afraid.
What can a mere mortal do to me?

My vows to you I must perform, O God;
I will render thank offerings to you.
For you have delivered my soul from death,
and my feet from falling,
so that I may walk before God
in the light of life.

Note: Today's Gospel reading is Mark 6:14-29

From the New Revised Standard Version. Reprinted with permission from HarperBibles.

TAGS: Bible, Bible Reading, Christian, Psalm

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Numbers 8:1-8:14

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to Aaron and say to him, "When you mount the lamps, let the seven lamps give light at the front of the lampstand." Aaron did so; he mounted the lamps at the front of the lampstand, as the Lord had commanded Moses. Now this is how the lampstand was made: it was hammered work of gold, hammered from base to petal. According to the pattern that the Lord had shown Moses, so was the lampstand made.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Take the Levites from among the Israelites and cleanse them. This is what you shall do to them to cleanse them: sprinkle on them water of purification, and let them go over their whole body with a razor, and wash their clothes; thus they shall be cleansed. Let them take a bull of the herd, and with it a meal offering of choice flour with oil mixed in, and you take a second bull of the herd for a sin offering. You shall bring the Levites forward before the Tent of Meeting. Assemble the whole Israelite community, and bring the Levites forward before the Lord. Let the Israelites lay their hands upon the Levites, and let Aaron designate the Levites before the Lord as an elevation offering from the Israelites, that they may perform the service of the Lord.

The Levites shall now lay their hands upon the heads of the bulls; one shall be offered to the Lord as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, to make expiation for the Levites.

You shall place the Levites in attendance upon Aaron and his sons, and designate them as an elevation offering to the Lord. Thus you shall set the Levites apart from the Israelites, and the Levites shall be Mine.

From Parshat Beh'alotekha. From THE TANAKH: The New JPS Translation According to the Traditional Hebrew Text. Copyright 1985 by the Jewish Publication Society. Used by permission.

TAGS: Torah, Torah Reading, Judaism, Numbers

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Especially by Angels is God's Will done, as is clear in our Lord's Prayer: "...Thy Will be done in earth as it is in heaven."

-Flower A. Newhouse,
"Rediscovering the Angels"

From "Angels Around Us." Compiled by Karen Maguire. Reprinted by arrangement with Andrews McMeel Publishing.

TAGS: Angel Quote, Angels, Flower A NewhousebrRediscovering the Angels

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When other beings, especially those who hold a grudge against you, abuse and harm you out of envy, you should not abandon them, but hold them as objects of your greatest compassion and take care of them.

-His Holiness the Dalai Lama

From "The Pocket Dalai Lama," edited by Mary Craig, 2002. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Boston, www.shambhala.com.

TAGS: Buddhism, Buddhist Quote, Beings, Envy

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I don't think it's possible for anyone to truly appreciate human beings' lives until they've found Jesus Christ.

-George Foreman

TAGS: Sports Quote, Jesus Christ, Entertainment Quote, Celebrities, Boxing, Spiritual, Celebrity Spirituality, Entertainment, Dont, Human Beings Lives

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One of the key things for people as far as joy is concerned is not living a selfish, self-centered lifestyle where we live our lives expecting everybody else to do something for us.

-Joyce Meyer

TAGS: Bible, Christian Quote, Christianity

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Make sure that your water heater is insulated to prevent excess CO2 or heat from escaping.

TAGS: Eco Tips

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Paralyze resistance with persistence.

-Woody Hayes

TAGS: Sports Quote, Motivational Quote, Inspirational Quote, Inspiration Quote, Persistence, Football, Coach, Motivation

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In heaven, God will not ask is why we sinned; He will ask us why we didn’t repent.

-Pope Shenouda III

TAGS: Evangelical, Evangelical Quote, Christianity

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Assert your right to make a few mistakes. If people can't accept your imperfections, that's their fault.

-Dr. David M. Burns

TAGS: Emotional Health Quote, Health Quote

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At the beginning, mankind and the obligation of selfless service were created together. "Through selfless service, you will always be fruitful and find the fulfillment of your desires": this is the promise of the Creator.

Bhagavad Gita 3:10

Excerpted from The Bhagavad Gita, translated by Eknath Easwaran, copyright 1985. Reprinted with permission from Nilgiri Press, www.nilgiri.org. To order the book, please call 1-800-475-2369.

TAGS: Hindu Quote, Bhagavad Gita, Hinduism

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The supreme act of forgiveness is when you can forgive yourself for all the wounds you've created in your own life. Forgiveness is an act of self-love. When you forgive yourself, self-acceptance begins and self-love grows.

-don Miguel Ruiz

TAGS: Glow, Holistic Living Quote, Spirituality, Holistic Living

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[Some people] have a wonderful capacity to appreciate again and again, freshly and naively, the basic goods of life, with awe, pleasure, wonder, and even ecstasy.

-A.H. Maslow

TAGS: Inspiration Quote, Appreciation, Awe, Ecstasy, Capacity, Pleasure

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To atone is to be at one with God, to sink self into the not-self, to achieve a mystic unity with the source of being, wiping out all error and finding peace in self-submergence.

-Isaac Goldberg, "The Wonder of Words"

Reprinted with permission from 'A Treasury of Jewish Quotations,' edited by Joseph L. Baron, Jason Aronson Inc.

TAGS: Judaism, Jewish Quote

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They possess free will and confinement alike. Like raindrops they become pearls inside the oyster shell. Mere raindrops outside the shell, inside they become precious pearls.

-Rumi

Rumi, "The Life and Thought of Rumi"

From "The Bounty of Allah," translated by Aneela Khalid Arshed. Copyright 1999. All rights reserved. Used with permission of The Crossroad Publishing Company, New York.

TAGS: Rumi, Islam Quote, Islam, Spirituality

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Love is a messenger from God saying that every human affection and every ecstasy of love are sparks from the great flame of love that is God.

-Fulton J. Sheen

TAGS: Relationships, Relationship Quotes, Passion, Value