Quotes and Readings of the Day

Psalm 57

Praise and Assurance under Persecution
(Cp Ps 108.1—5)
To the leader: Do Not Destroy. Of David. A Miktam, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
until the destroying storms pass by.
I cry to God Most High,
to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
He will send from heaven and save me,
he will put to shame those who trample on me. Selah
God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.
I lie down among lions
that greedily devour human prey;
their teeth are spears and arrows,
their tongues sharp swords.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.
Let your glory be over all the earth.
They set a net for my steps;
my soul was bowed down.
They dug a pit in my path,
but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast.
I will sing and make melody.
Awake, my soul!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn.
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens;
your faithfulness extends to the clouds.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.
Let your glory be over all the earth.




Note: Today's Gospel reading is Luke 7:36-50. Find a Bible translation.

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

TAGS: Bible, Bible Reading, Christian, Psalm

Leviticus 25:15-25:19

In buying from your neighbor, you shall deduct only for the number of years since the jubilee; and in selling to you, he shall charge you only for the remaining crop years: the more such years, the higher the price you pay; the fewer such years, the lower the price; for what he is selling you is a number of harvests. Do not wrong one another, but fear your God; for I the Lord am your God.

You shall observe My laws and faithfully keep My rules, that you may live upon the land in security; the land shall yield its fruit and you shall eat your fill, and you shall live upon it in security.

From Parshat Behar. 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, Leviticus

The most important characteristic of angels is not that they have power to excercise control over our lives, or that they are beautiful, but that they work on our behalf.

-Billy Graham,
"Angels: God’s Secret Agents"

From "Angels All Around Us: 2005 Daily Calendar." Compiled by Karen Maguire/ Reprinted by arrangement with Andrews McMeel Publishing.

TAGS: Angel Quote, Angels, Excercise Control, Characteristic, Excercise, Billy Graham brAngels Gods Secret Agents

[A]ll manifestations (consist in) Mind, and Mind is the Illuminating- Voidness without any shadow or impediment.

-Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa

From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations," edited by Jeff Schmidt. Reprinted by arrangement with Tarcher/Putnam, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.

TAGS: Buddhism, Buddhist Quote, Mind, Manifestations, Impediment

I'm so blessed by my family and by my heritage. It is a Godly heritage. My parents taught us to love God and to put Him first and that without Him you were nothing.

-CeCe Winans

TAGS: Im, Blessed, Entertainment Quote, Heritage, Celebrities, Family, Family, Music, Spiritual, God, Celebrity Spirituality, Entertainment, Parents, Faith

The twelve days of Christmas come to an end on January 6, and the season of the Epiphany begins...Epiphany not only ends Christmas, it also fulfills it by celebrating the revelation of the Christ to the whole world...

-Phyllis A. Tickle, "What the Heart Already Knows"

TAGS: Bible, Christian Quote, Christianity

Place a bottle of sand inside your toilet tank. You'll be saving that much water every time your toilet flushes.

TAGS: Eco Tips

The greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion. The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being.

-The Dalai Lama

TAGS: Emotional Health Quote, Health Quote

In Shansi I found Chinese Christians who were accustomed to spend time in fasting and prayer. They recognized that this fasting, which so many dislike, which requires faith in God, since it makes one feel weak and poorly, is really a Divinely appointed means of grace. Perhaps the greatest hindrance to our work is our own imagined strength; and in fasting we learn what poor, weak creatures we are-dependent on a meal of meat for the little strength which we are so apt to lean upon.

-Hudson Taylor

TAGS: Evangelical, Evangelical Quote, Christianity

I’m in my anecdotage.

-Clare Booth Luce

TAGS: Health Quote

As a person acts, so he becomes in life. Those who do good become good; those who do harm become bad. Good deeds make one pure; bad deeds make one impure. So we are said to be what our desire is.

Bihadaranyaka Upanishad

Excerpted from The Upanishads, translated by Eknath Easwaran, copyright 1987. Reprinted with permission from Nilgiri Press, www.nilgiri.org. To order the book, please call 1-800-475-2369.

TAGS: Upanishads, Hindu Quote, Hinduism

Thought of the Day: In yearning for nothing, you will be free to enjoy what you do, free to see the patterns, free to hear the music in all things.

-Barbara Ann Kipfer

From Self Meditation, Reprinted with permission from Workman Publishing Inc.

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

There is no point at which you can say, 'Well, I'm successful now. I might as well take a nap.'

-Carrie Fisher

TAGS: Inspiration Quote, Carrie Fisher, Success, Persistence, Im

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

What is soul? Soul is conscious of good and evil, rejoicing over kindness, weeping over injury. Since consciousness is the inmost nature and essence of the soul, the more aware you are the more spiritual you are. Awareness is the effect of the spirit: anyone who has this in abundance is a man or woman of God.

-Rumi

Mathnawi [VI, 148-150]

From "Jewels of Remembrance," by Rumi, selected and translated by Camille and Kabir Helminski, © 1996. By arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc., Boston, www.shambhala.com.

TAGS: Rumi, Islam Quote, Islam, Spirituality

Are you hot and ready for a cool, sweet treat, but don't want to indulge in ice cream or a high-calorie dessert? Try a frozen juice bar or buy a frozen fruit pop on a stick. Frozen fruit treats have little or no fat, are very low in calories (70-150 generally), and are loaded with real fruit. One frozen treat usually counts as a serving of fruit (of which you ought to have at least two servings per day, along with three servings of vegetables). Frozen fruits are also healthy and delicious to have on hand in your home freezer. You can easily pack fruits into plastic sandwich bags to have on hand whenever you want to blend together a frozen-fruit smoothie. With some ice, yogurt, and a mixed combination of fruits (your choice!), you can have a non-fattening snack to appease your hunger and thirst. Freezing fruits is a good way to keep them from spoiling and a good way to enjoy them when they’re not in season. Frozen fruit pops are also easy to make from fruit juice or smoothies. Make them using special plastic molds you can buy at a department store or discount shop, or just use an ice cube tray.

-Norris Chumley

TAGS: Weight Loss

Don’t go through life, grow through life.

-Eric Butterworth

TAGS: Relationships, Relationships Quotes, Value, Living