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INDEXTHE SCC LIFESTYLE

LOVING GOD IN SOLITUDE, CELL, CELEBRATION, AND LOVING OUR WORLD

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PAGE #’S

WEEKLY READING SCHEDULE....................................................................................................... 3

LHAC’s LIFESTYLE ESSENTIALS...................................................................................................4

THE S.C.C. WEEKLY PROCESS ...............................................................................................5-125•Studying of & meditation on James, Haggai & Malachi•Complementary passage•Journaling•Sermon Notes•Cell Group Meeting

PRAYER JOURNAL..................................................................................................................... 126-128

BIBLIOGRAPHY for scripture references used in handbook · English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Pub-

lishers. · New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust

THE SCC LIFESTYLELOVING GOD IN SOLITUDE, CELL AND CELEBRATION, & LOVING OUR WORLD

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WEEKLY READING SCHEDULEFor those who are new to the SCC lifestyle process, we study and meditate on the passage prior to it being preached, and then continue to sit in the same passage until our cell group meeting. Typically, our cell group meetings follow a few days af-ter the Sunday service, which would conclude your “week” of SCC. The day after your cell group meeting you move to the next week and start reading the new passage.

START MEDITATING ON PAS-SAGE THE WEEK OF....

SCRIPTURE PASSAGE(plus corresponding passage)

CELEBRATION SERVICE

Week 1: May 7-12 James 1:1-4; Romans 5:1-11 May 13

Week 2: May 14-19 James 1:5-11; Proverbs 2:1-22 May 20

Week 3: May 21-26 James 1:12-18; Hebrews 12:1-13 May 27

Week 4: May 28-June 2 James 1:19-26; Psalm 1 June 3

Week 5: June 4-9 James 2:1-13; Luke 10:25-37 June 10

Week 6: June 11-16 James 2:14-26; Galatians 5:2-15 June 17

Week 7: June 18-23 James 3:1-12; Matthew 7:13-23 June 24

Week 8: June 25-30 James 3:13-18; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:8 July 1

Week 9: July 2-7 James 4:1-6; Romans 1:18-32 July 8

Week 10: July 9-14 James 4:7-12; 1 Peter 5:1-9 July 15

Week 11: July 16-21 James 4:13-17; Matthew 6:25-34 July 22

Week 12: July 23-28 James 5:1-12; 2 Timothy 3:1-15 July 29

Week 13: July 30-Aug. 4 James 5:13-20; Hebrews 3:12-19 Aug. 5

Week 14: Aug. 6-11 Haggai 1:1-15 Aug. 12



Week 17: Aug. 27-Sept. 1 Malachi 1:1-14 Sept. 2

Week 18: Sept. 3-8 Malachi 2:1-9 Sept. 9


Week 20: Sept. 17-22 Malachi 2:17-3:5 Sept. 23


Week 22: Oct. 1-6 Malachi 3:13-4:6 Oct. 7

LHAC’S LIFESTYLE ESSENTIALSThe SCC lifestyle encourages us to grow in loving God more fully and loving our world in Christ’s name.


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LOVING GOD IN SOLITUDE is to retreat to a quiet place, in an attitude of surrender and trust, for an unhurried time of communion with God through His Word, prayer and other spiritual disciplines. Biblical basis: Josh. 1:8, 1 Tim. 4:7, Ps. 91:1, Matt. 6:5-6.LOVING GOD IN CELL is to gather together, in an environment of love and trust, with a small group of believers who are growing in intimacy with God through the SCC lifestyle, in order to spur one another on to love God more fully through sharing, accountability and prayer. Biblical basis: Prov. 27:17, Heb. 10:24, 1 Thes. 5:11.LOVING GOD IN CELEBRATION is to gather together as a church family on a weekly basis to worship God and de-light in His presence; in song we express our love for Him and through the preaching of the Word we hear His voice. Biblical basis: Ps. 22:22, Heb. 10:25, Rom. 12:4-5.

THE PRACTICE OF “LOVING GOD IN SOLITUDE”There are 4 key components in the practice of “Loving God In Solitude” that we encourage each person to do on a daily basis:

PRAY. Settle into God’s presence by expressing to Him where you are right now. Ask Him to draw near to you as you draw near to Him.

The following is a suggestion. “Father, my desire is to draw near to You and commune with You during this time. Create in my heart and mind a quietness and rest. as I place on You my burdens and concerns, and confess my sins....Protect this time from interruptions and distractions. Allow this to be more than a disci-pline, but an encounter with You where I delight in Your presence as You delight in me. Give me ears to hear Your voice as I read Your Word. Teach me, rebuke me, correct or train me so that I will be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16). Holy Spirit fill me with Yourself, refresh my soul and nourish my spirit. My heart’s desire is to enjoy loving intimacy with You now and throughout my day. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.”

READ THE SCRIPTURE PASSAGE MEDITATIVELY. Sink into the sermon-based scripture for a number of days, until you have plumbed the depths of it. Once you have plumbed its depths, move on to another bible passage (i.e. the complementary passage, or one of your own choosing) and sink into that for the remainder of the week.

• Study the passage of scripture to gain an understanding of the context of the pas-sage and the key point(s) of truth taught in the passage.

• Listen for God’s personal word to you through His written Word; attend to and linger over a word/phrase/verse that catches your attention.

• Practice listening prayer by waiting in a receptive posture of openness toward God, asking Him to show you how this word/phrase/verse connects with your life right now.

• Record what God is saying to you.

RESPOND TO GOD IN PRAYER. Allow your God-lead ponderings be a catalyst to prayer, talking to Him about what He has revealed to you. Take time to intercede for your accountability group members.

CONTINUE TO MEDITATE ON THIS WORD/PHRASE THROUGHOUT THE DAY. Allow God to further form, shape and apply these words in your life as you go into your day.


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THE SCC WEEKLY

PROCESS


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WEEK 1SOLITUDE: STUDYING OF & MEDITATING ON JAMES 1:1-4

James 1:1-4 (ESV)

1 (A)James, a servant[a] of God and (B)of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To (C)the twelve tribes in (D)the Dispersion:

Greetings.

2 (E)Count it all joy, my brothers,[b] when you meet trials (F)of various kinds, 3 for you know that (G)the testing of your faith (H)produces steadfastness. 4 And let stead-fastness have its full effect, that you may be (I)perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

James 1:1-4 (NLT)

1 This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I am writing to the “twelve tribes”—Jewish believers scattered abroad.

Greetings!

2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

Footnotes:

a James 1:1 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Prefaceb James 1:2 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”)

may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters; also verses 16, 19

Cross references:A James 1:1 : See Acts 12:17B James 1:1 : Rom. 1:1; 2 Pet. 1:1; Jude 1C James 1:1 : Luke 22:30; Acts 26:7D James 1:1 : 1 Pet. 1:1; [Acts 2:9-11]; See John 7:35E James 1:2 : See Matt. 5:12F James 1:2 : 1 Pet. 1:6G James 1:3 : 1 Pet. 1:7H James 1:3 : Rom. 5:3; [ch. 5:11; Heb. 10:36; 2 Pet. 1:6]I James 1:4 : 1 Thess. 5:23; See Matt. 5:48


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WEEK 1SOLITUDE: JOURNALINGAs God speaks to you through His Word write down what is impacting you, what He is saying to you personally and/or your response back to Him.


Prayer focus: Ken & Claire, our international workers in the Mid-dle East

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WEEK 1SOLITUDE: OPTIONAL COMPLEMENTARY PASSAGE

Romans 5:1-11 (ESV)

5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a right-eous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.


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WEEK 1 SOLITUDE: JOURNAL


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WEEK 1CELEBRATION: SERMON NOTES

How will what I heard impact my life this week?


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WEEK 1 CELL GROUP MEETING: RESPONSIVE ACCOUNTABILITY

PERSONAL REFLECTION (5 MINUTES) Prayerfully consider your practice of Solitude over the previous week, as well as how God spoke to you as you lived the SCC lifestyle. Is God inviting you to......

•Focus on your practice of “Loving God in Solitude”? •Take a step of obedience? •Repent from a sin? •Trust and rest in a truth? •Or something else?

This coming week God is inviting me to..... / My response to God’s invitation is to....________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How I did with last week’s accountability item...______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

GROUP ACCOUNTABILITY & PRAYER (30-45 MINUTES) Group Members’ Accountability Items (& Other Items) to Pray For:

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James 1:5-11 (ESV)

5 (A)If any of you lacks wisdom, (B)let him ask God, (C)who gives generously to all without reproach, and it

will be given him. 6 But (D)let him ask in faith, (E)with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like (F)a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive any-


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thing from the Lord; 8 (G)he is a double-minded man, (H)unstable in all his ways.

9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and (I)the rich in his humiliation, because (J)like a flower of the grass[a] he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and (K)withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

James 1:5-11 (NLT)

5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 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. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

9 Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them. 10 And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field. 11 The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements.

Footnotes:a James 1:10 Or a wild flower

Cross references:A James 1:5 : 1 Kgs. 3:9-12; Prov. 2:3-6B James 1:5 : See Matt. 7:7C James 1:5 : Prov. 28:5D James 1:6 : Mark 11:24E James 1:6 : Matt. 21:21F James 1:6 : [Isa. 57:20; Eph. 4:14]G James 1:8 : ch. 4:8H James 1:8 : [2 Pet. 2:14; 3:16]I James 1:10 : Jer. 9:23J James 1:10 : [Ps. 102:4, 11; 1 Cor. 7:31; 1 Pet. 1:24]K James 1:11 : Isa. 40:7


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Proverbs 2 (ESV)2 My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you,2 making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding;3 yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding,4 if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures,5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understand-ing;7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,8 guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path;10 for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;11 discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you,

12 delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech,13 who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness,14 who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil,15 men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways.16 So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words,17 who forsakes the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God;18 for her house sinks down to death, and her paths to the departed;19 none who go to her come back, nor do they regain the paths of life.20 So you will walk in the way of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous.21 For the upright will inhabit the land, and those with integrity will remain in it,22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.


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WEEK 2SOLITUDE: JOURNAL


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WEEK 2 CELL GROUP MEETING: RESPONSIVE ACCOUNTABILITY






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James 1:12-18 (ESV)

12 (A)Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive

(B)the crown of life, (C)which God has promised to those who love him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.


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14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire (D)when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and (E)sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 (F)Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from (G)the Father of lights, (H)with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.[a] 18 (I)Of his own will he (J)brought us forth by the word of truth, (K)that we should be a kind of (L)firstfruits of his creatures.

James 1:12-18 (NLT)

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. 13 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. 14 Temp-tation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. 15 These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

16 So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. 18 He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.

Footnotes:a James 1:17 Some manuscripts variation due to a shadow of turning

Cross references:A James 1:12 : ch. 5:11; Matt. 10:22; 1 Pet. 3:14; [Dan. 12:12]B James 1:12 : Rev. 2:10; 3:11; [1 Cor. 9:25; 2 Tim. 4:8; 1 Pet. 5:4]C James 1:12 : ch. 2:5D James 1:15 : Job 15:35; Ps. 7:14; Isa. 59:4E James 1:15 : Rom. 5:12; 6:23F James 1:17 : Ps. 85:12; John 3:27; 1 Cor. 4:7G James 1:17 : 1 John 1:5H James 1:17 : Mal. 3:6I James 1:18 : John 1:13J James 1:18 : [Gal. 4:19; 1 Pet. 1:3, 23]K James 1:18 : [Eph. 1:12]L James 1:18 : Jer. 2:3; Rev. 14:4; [Rom. 8:19-23]


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WEEK 3SOLITUDE: OPTIONAL COMPLE-

MENTARY PASSAGE

Hebrews 12:1-13 (ESV)



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12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or faint-hearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate chil-dren and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all dis-cipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.


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WEEK 3CELL GROUP MEETING: RESPONSIVE ACCOUNTABILITY






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James 1:19-26 (ESV) 19 (A)Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person (B)be quick to hear, (C)slow to speak, (D)slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the right-


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eousness of God. 21 Therefore (E)put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with (F)meek-ness the implanted word, (G)which is able to save your souls.

22 But be (H)doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, (I)the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, (J)he will be blessed in his doing.

26 If anyone thinks he is religious (K)and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's (L)reli-gion is worthless.James 1:19-26 (NLT)

19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 20 Human anger does not produce the right-eousness God desires. 21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.

22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling your-selves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.26 If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.

Cross references:

A James 1:19 : 1 John 2:21B James 1:19 : [Eccles. 5:1, 2]C James 1:19 : Prov. 10:19; 17:27D James 1:19 : See Prov. 14:29E James 1:21 : Col. 3:8F James 1:21 : ch. 3:13G James 1:21 : 1 Cor. 15:2; Eph. 1:13H James 1:22 : Rom. 2:13; [ch. 2:14-20; Matt. 7:21, 24-27; Luke 8:21; John 13:17]I James 1:25 : ch. 2:12; [Gal. 2:4; 5:1, 13; 1 Pet. 2:16; 2 Pet. 2:19]; See John 8:32J James 1:25 : Ps. 1:1, 2; Luke 11:28K James 1:26 : ch. 3:2, 3; Ps. 39:1; [ch. 3:6; Ps. 34:13; 141:3]L James 1:26 : Acts 26:5



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Psalm 1 (ESV)

1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.3 He is like a tree planted by streams of waterthat yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.In all that he does, he prospers.4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.



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WEEK 5SOLITUDE: STUDYING OF & MEDITATING ON JAMES 2:1-13James 2:1-13 (ESV)

2 My brothers,[a] (A)show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, (B)the Lord of glory. 2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes

into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby cloth-ing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” (C)while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” 4 have you


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not then made distinctions among yourselves and be-come (D)judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, (E)has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be (F)rich in faith and heirs of (G)the kingdom, (H)which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you (I)have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who (J)drag you (K)into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable (L)name by which you were called?

8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, (M)“You shall love your neighbor as your-self,” you are doing well. 9 But if you (N)show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point (O)has become guilty of all of it. 11 For he who said, (P)“Do not commit adultery,” also said, (Q)“Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under (R)the law of liberty. 13 For (S)judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

James 2:1-13 (NLT)

2 My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you fa-vor some people over others?

2 For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jew-elry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. 3 If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, 4 doesn’t this discrimination show that your judg-ments are guided by evil motives?

5 Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? 6 But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Aren’t they the ones who slander Je-sus Christ, whose noble name you bear?

8 Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 9 But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.

10 For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. 11 For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.” So if you murder someone but do not commit adul-tery, you have still broken the law.

12 So whatever you say or whatever you do, remem-ber that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. 13 There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.


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Footnotes:a James 2:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 5, 14

Cross references:A James 2:1 : ver. 9; Lev. 19:15; Deut. 1:17; 16:19; Prov. 24:23; Rom. 2:11; Eph. 6:9B James 2:1 : 1 Cor. 2:8; [Acts 7:2]C James 2:3 : [Prov. 18:23]D James 2:4 : John 7:24E James 2:5 : 1 Cor. 1:27, 28; [Job 34:19]F James 2:5 : 2 Cor. 8:9; Rev. 2:9; See Luke 12:21G James 2:5 : Matt. 5:3; Luke 6:20; 12:32H James 2:5 : See ch. 1:12I James 2:6 : [1 Cor. 11:22]J James 2:6 : Acts 16:19K James 2:6 : Acts 8:3; 17:6; 18:12; [ch. 5:6]L James 2:7 : [Isa. 63:19; 65:1; Amos 9:12; Acts 15:17]M James 2:8 : Cited from Lev. 19:18N James 2:9 : ver. 1O James 2:10 : Matt. 5:19; Gal. 3:10P James 2:11 : Cited from Ex. 20:14, 13Q James 2:11 : Cited from Ex. 20:14, 13R James 2:12 : See ch. 1:25S James 2:13 : Job 22:6-11; Ps. 18:25, 26; Prov. 21:13; Ezek. 25:11-14; Matt. 6:15; 18:32-35; Luke 6:38


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WEEK 5SOLITUDE: JOURNALING


Luke 10:25-37 (ESV)


Prayer Focus: Doug & Carol Woon, Japan

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25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”


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This coming week God is inviting me to..... / My response to God’s invitation is to...._________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


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14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith (A)but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 (B)If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 (C)and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good[a] is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith (D)apart from your works, and I will show you my faith (E)by my works. 19 (F)You believe that God is one; you do well. Even (G)the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 (H)Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the al-

tar? 22 You see that (I)faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed (J)by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, (K)“Abraham be-lieved God, and it was counted to him as righteous-ness”—and he was called a (L)friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also (M)Rahab the prostitute justified by works (N)when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.


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James 2:14-26 (NLT)

14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?21 Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions

made his faith complete. 23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God. 24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.

25 Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. 26 Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.

Footnotes:a James 2:16 Or benefit

Cross references:A James 2:14 : [ch. 1:22]B James 2:15 : [Job 31:19, 20]; See Luke 3:11C James 2:16 : 1 John 3:17, 18D James 2:18 : [Rom. 3:28; 4:6; Heb. 11:33]E James 2:18 : Matt. 7:16, 17; Gal. 5:6F James 2:19 : Deut. 6:4; [Rom. 2:17-25]

G James 2:19 : Matt. 8:29; Mark 1:24; 5:7; Luke 4:33, 34; Acts 16:17; 19:15

H James 2:21 : Gen. 22:9, 12, 16-18I James 2:22 : Heb. 11:17J James 2:22 : See 1 Thess. 1:3K James 2:23 : Rom. 4:3; Gal. 3:6; Cited from Gen. 15:6L James 2:23 : 2 Chr. 20:7; Isa. 41:8M James 2:25 : Heb. 11:31N James 2:25 : Josh. 2:1-22; 6:23



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Galatians 5:2-15 (ESV)

2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we our-selves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. 11 But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. 12 I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!

13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as your-self.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.


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Prayerfully consider your practice of Solitude over the previous week, as well as how God spoke to you as you lived the SCC lifestyle. Is God inviting you to......


This coming week God is inviting me to..... / My response to God’s invitation is to....____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


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3 (A)Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For (B)we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, (C)he is a perfect man, (D)able also to bri-dle his whole body. 3 If we put (E)bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet (F)it boasts of great things.

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And (G)the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteous-ness. The tongue is set among our members, (H)stain-ing the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of

life,[a] and set on fire by hell.[b] 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human be-ing can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, (I)full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people (J)who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come bless-ing and cursing. My brothers,[c] these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

James 3:1-12 (NLT)

3 Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 Indeed, we all make many


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mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.

3 We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4 And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. 5 In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches.

But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6 And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting

your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

7 People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is rest-less and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! 11 Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? 12 Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.

Footnotes:a James 3:6 Or wheel of birthb James 3:6 Greek Gehennac James 3:10 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 12

Cross references:A James 3:1 : Matt. 23:8; [Rom. 2:20, 21; 1 Tim. 1:7]B James 3:2 : 1 Kgs. 8:46; Prov. 20:9; Eccles. 7:20; 1 John 1:8C James 3:2 : [Matt. 12:37]D James 3:2 : See ch. 1:26E James 3:3 : Ps. 32:9F James 3:5 : [Ps. 12:3, 4; 73:8, 9]G James 3:6 : Ps. 120:2-4; Prov. 16:27H James 3:6 : Matt. 15:18I James 3:8 : Ps. 140:3; Eccles. 10:11; Rom. 3:13J James 3:9 : See Gen. 1:26



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WEEK 7SOLITUDE: OPTIONAL

COMPLEMENTARY PASSAGE

Matthew 7:13-23 (ESV)

13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who en-ter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’



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Prayerfully consider your practice of Solitude over the previous week, as well as how God spoke to you during these times. Is God inviting you to...•Focus on your practice of “Loving God in Solitude”? •Take a step of obedience? •Repent from a sin? •Trust and rest in a truth? •Or something else?

This coming week God is inviting me to..... / My response to God’s invitation is to...._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


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James 3:13-18 (ESV)

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? (A)By his good conduct let him show his works (B)in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter (C)jeal-ousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not (D)the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiri-tual, (E)demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish am-bition exist, there will be disorder and every vile prac-tice. 17 But (F)the wisdom from above is first pure, then (G)peaceable, gentle, open to reason, (H)full of mercy and good fruits, (I)impartial and (J)sincere. 18 And (K)a harvest of righteousness (L)is sown in peace by those who make peace.

James 3:13-18 (NLT)

13 If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you are bit-terly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. 15 For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and de-monic. 16 For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.


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18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

Cross references:A James 3:13 : ch. 2:18B James 3:13 : ch. 1:21C James 3:14 : ver. 16; Acts 5:17; Rom. 2:8; 2 Cor. 12:20; Gal. 5:20; Phil. 1:17; 2:3; [Rom. 13:13]D James 3:15 : ch. 1:17E James 3:15 : [1 Kgs. 22:22; 2 Thess. 2:9, 10; 1 Tim. 4:1; Rev. 2:24]F James 3:17 : [1 Cor. 2:6, 7]G James 3:17 : Heb. 12:11H James 3:17 : [Luke 6:36]I James 3:17 : ch. 2:4 (Gk.)J James 3:17 : Rom. 12:9K James 3:18 : Prov. 11:18; Isa. 32:17; Hos. 10:12; Amos 6:12; Phil. 1:11L James 3:18 : Matt. 5:9; Gal. 6:7, 8


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WEEK 8SOLITUDE: OPTIONAL

COMPLEMENTARY PASSAGE

2 Timothy 3:14-4:8 (ESV)



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14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for re-proof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

4 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his ap-pearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of right-eousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.


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James 4:1-6 (ESV)

4 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions[a] are (A)at war within you?[b] 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask (B)wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 (C)You adul-terous people![c] Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? (D)Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit (E)that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But (F)he gives more grace. Therefore it says, (G)“God opposes the proud but (H)gives grace to the humble.”

James 4:1-6 (NLT)

4 What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? 2 You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. 3 And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.

4 You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make your-self an enemy of God. 5 Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faith-


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ful to him. 6 And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say,

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Footnotes:a James 4:1 Greek pleasures; also verse 3b James 4:1 Greek in your membersc James 4:4 Or You adulteresses!

Cross references:A James 4:1 : Rom. 7:23; 1 Pet. 2:11B James 4:3 : [1 John 5:14]C James 4:4 : Isa. 54:5; Jer. 2:2D James 4:4 : John 15:19; 1 John 2:15; [Matt. 6:24]E James 4:5 : 1 Cor. 6:19; 2 Cor. 6:16F James 4:6 : Isa. 54:7, 8; See Matt. 13:12G James 4:6 : 1 Pet. 5:5; Cited from Prov. 3:34 (Gk.)H James 4:6 : Isa. 54:7, 8; See Matt. 13:12


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Romans 1:18-32 (ESV)

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has


Prayer Focus:Vance & Wendy Sutherland, St. Vin-cent

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shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly per-ceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their think-ing, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were con-sumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give ap-proval to those who practice them.


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James 4:7-12 (ESV)

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. (A)Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 (B)Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. (C)Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and (D)purify your hearts, (E)you double-minded. 9 (F)Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 (G)Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

11 (H)Do not speak evil against one another, brothers.[a] The one who speaks against a brother or (I)judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is only (J)one lawgiver and (K)judge, he who is able to save and (L)to destroy. But (M)who are you to judge your neighbor?

James 4:7-12 (NLT)

7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

11 Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. 12 God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?

Footnotes:


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a James 4:11 Or brothers and sisters

Cross references:A James 4:7 : 1 Pet. 5:8, 9; [Eph. 4:27; 6:11]B James 4:8 : 2 Chr. 15:2; Lam. 3:57; Zech. 1:3; Mal. 3:7; [Luke 15:20]C James 4:8 : Isa. 1:16D James 4:8 : Jer. 4:14E James 4:8 : ch. 1:8F James 4:9 : [Matt. 5:4]G James 4:10 : ver. 6; Isa. 57:15; [Luke 1:52]; See Matt. 23:12H James 4:11 : 2 Cor. 12:20; 1 Pet. 2:1; [ch. 5:9]I James 4:11 : See Matt. 7:1J James 4:12 : Isa. 33:22K James 4:12 : ch. 5:9L James 4:12 : Matt. 10:28M James 4:12 : Rom. 14:4







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1 Peter 5:1-9 (ESV)



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5 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a par-taker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will re-ceive the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 cast-ing all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.


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James 4:13-17 (ESV)

13 Come now, you who say, (A)“Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year

there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For (B)you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, (C)“If the Lord


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wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. (D)All such boasting is evil. 17 (E)So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

James 4:13-17 (NLT)

13 Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We

will do business there and make a profit.” 14 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. 15 What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” 16 Other-wise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.

17 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

Cross references:A James 4:13 : Prov. 27:1; Luke 12:18-20B James 4:14 : Ps. 102:3; [Job 7:7]C James 4:15 : See Acts 18:21D James 4:16 : [1 Cor. 5:6]E James 4:17 : [Luke 12:47, 48; 2 Pet. 2:21]; See John 9:41


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Matthew 6:25-34 (ESV)



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25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.


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5 Come now, (A)you rich, weep and howl for the (B)mis-eries that are coming upon you. 2 (C)Your riches have rotted and (D)your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your

gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. (E)You have laid up treasure (F)in the last days. 4 Behold, (G)the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying


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out against you, and (H)the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of (I)the Lord of hosts. 5 (J)You have lived on the earth in luxury and (K)in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in (L)a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and (M)murdered (N)the right-eous person. He does not resist you.

7 Be patient, therefore, brothers,[a] until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives (O)the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. (P)Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord (Q)is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, broth-ers, (R)so that you may not be judged; behold, (S)the Judge is standing (T)at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take (U)the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we con-sider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of (V)the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen (W)the purpose of the Lord, how (X)the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

12 But above all, my brothers, (Y)do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

James 5:1-12 (NLT)

5 Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. 2 Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This corroded trea-sure you have hoarded will testify against you on the day of judgment. 4 For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

5 You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satis-fying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and killed innocent people, who do not resist you.7 Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They ea-gerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. 8 You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.

9 Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sis-ters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door!

10 For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.

12 But most of all, my brothers and sisters, never take an oath, by heaven or earth or anything else. Just say a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be con-demned.

Footnotes:a James 5:7 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 9, 10, 12, 19

Cross references:A James 5:1 : Luke 6:24; [Prov. 11:28; Amos 6:1; 1 Tim. 6:9]B James 5:1 : Rom. 3:16C James 5:2 : Job 13:28; Isa. 50:9; Matt. 6:19, 20D James 5:2 : Job 13:28; Isa. 50:9; Matt. 6:19, 20E James 5:3 : Matt. 6:19; Luke 12:21; Rom. 2:5F James 5:3 : [ver. 8, 9]G James 5:4 : Job 24:10; See Lev. 19:13

H James 5:4 : Deut. 24:15I James 5:4 : Rom. 9:29J James 5:5 : [Job 21:13; Luke 16:19; 2 Pet. 2:13]K James 5:5 : 1 Tim. 5:6L James 5:5 : Jer. 12:3M James 5:6 : ch. 4:2N James 5:6 : [Acts 3:14]O James 5:7 : See Deut. 11:14P James 5:8 : 1 Thess. 3:13Q James 5:8 : 1 Pet. 4:7; [Rom. 13:11, 12; Phil. 4:5; Heb.

10:25, 37]


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R James 5:9 : Matt. 7:1S James 5:9 : [1 Pet. 4:5; Rev. 22:12]T James 5:9 : Matt. 24:33; Mark 13:29; [1 Cor. 4:5]U James 5:10 : Matt. 5:12; 23:34; Acts 7:52; Heb. 11:32-38

V James 5:11 : Job 1:21, 22; 2:10W James 5:11 : Job 42:10, 12X James 5:11 : See Ex. 34:6Y James 5:12 : Matt. 5:34


WEEK 12SOLITUDE: OPTIONAL COMPLEMENTARY

PASSAGE

2 Timothy 3:1-15 (ESV)

3 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unap-peasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. 9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.




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10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my stead-fastness, 11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which per-secutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. 12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being de-ceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.


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13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him (A)sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the

church, and let them pray over him, (B)anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And (C)if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, (D)confess your sins to one


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another and pray for one another, (E)that you may be healed. (F)The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.[a] 17 Elijah was a man (G)with a nature like ours, and (H)he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for (I)three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 (J)Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

19 My brothers, (K)if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone (L)brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wan-dering (M)will save his soul from death and (N)will cover a multitude of sins.

James 5:13-20 (NLT)

13 Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. 14 Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.

16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! 18 Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.

19 My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, 20 you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.

Footnotes:

a James 5:16 Or The effective prayer of a righteous person has great power

Cross references:A James 5:13 : [Col. 3:16]B James 5:14 : Mark 6:13; [Mark 16:18]C James 5:15 : Isa. 33:24; Matt. 9:2; Mark 2:5; Luke 5:20D James 5:16 : Acts 19:18E James 5:16 : Heb. 12:13F James 5:16 : Gen. 18:23-32; 20:17; Num. 11:2; 1 Kgs. 13:6; 17:22; 2 Kgs. 4:33; 19:15-20; 20:2-5; Job 42:8; Prov. 15:29G James 5:17 : Acts 14:15H James 5:17 : 1 Kgs. 17:1; 18:1I James 5:17 : Luke 4:25J James 5:18 : 1 Kgs. 18:42, 45K James 5:19 : [Matt. 18:15; Gal. 6:1]L James 5:19 : Ps. 51:13; Dan. 12:3; Mal. 2:6; [Luke 1:16]M James 5:20 : See Rom. 11:14N James 5:20 : 1 Pet. 4:8; [Neh. 4:5; Ps. 32:1; 85:2; Prov. 10:12]


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Hebrews 3:12-19 (ESV)


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12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. 15 As it is said,

“Today, if you hear his voice,do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

16 For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.


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WEEK 14SOLITUDE: STUDYING OF & MEDITATING ON HAGGAI 1Haggai 1 (ESV)

1 (A)In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to

(B)Zerubbabel the son of (C)Shealtiel, governor of Ju-dah, and to (D)Joshua the son of (E)Jehozadak, the high priest: 2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.” 3 Then the word of the Lord came (F)by the


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hand of Haggai the prophet, 4 (G)“Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while (H)this house lies in ruins? 5 Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: (I)Consider your ways. 6 (J)You have sown much, and harvested little. (K)You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who (L)earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.

7 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: (M)Consider your ways. 8 Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that (N)I may take pleasure in it and that (O)I may be glorified, says the Lord. 9 (P)You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, (Q)I blew it away. Why? declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house (R)that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house. 10 Therefore (S)the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. 11 And (T)I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on (U)the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and (V)on all their labors.”

12 (W)Then (X)Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and (Y)Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all (Z)the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord. 13 Then Haggai, the messen-ger of the Lord, spoke to the people with the Lord's message, (AA)“I am with you, declares the Lord.” 14 And (AB)the Lord stirred up the spirit of (AC)Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of (AD)Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all (AE)the remnant of the people. And they came and (AF)worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God, 15 (AG)on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Dar-ius the king.

Haggai 1 (NLT)

1 On August 29 of the second year of King Darius’s reign, the Lord gave a message through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Ju-dah, and to Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest.

2 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: The people are saying, ‘The time has not yet come to re-build the house of the Lord.’”

3 Then the Lord sent this message through the prophet Haggai: 4 “Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins? 5 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s hap-pening to you! 6 You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!

7 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! 8 Now go up into the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild my house. Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored, says the Lord. 9 You hoped for rich harvests, but they were poor. And when you brought your harvest home, I blew it away. Why? Because my house lies in ruins, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, while all of you are busy building your own fine houses. 10 It’s because of you that the heavens withhold the dew and the earth produces no crops. 11 I have called for a drought on your fields and hills—a drought to wither the grain and grapes and olive trees and all your other crops, a drought to starve you and your livestock and to ruin everything you have worked so hard to get.”

12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of God’s people began to obey the message from the Lord their God. When they heard the words of the prophet Haggai, whom the Lord their God had sent, the people feared the Lord. 13 Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave the people this message from the Lord: “I am with you, says the Lord!”

14 So the Lord sparked the enthusiasm of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the enthusi-asm of Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the enthusiasm of the whole remnant of God’s people. They began to work on the house of their God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, 15 on September 21 of the second year of King Darius’s reign.

Cross references:A Haggai 1:1 : ver. 15; ch. 2:10; Ezra 4:24; 5:1; Zech. 1:1, 7B Haggai 1:1 : See 1 Chr. 3:19C Haggai 1:1 : See 1 Chr. 3:17

D Haggai 1:1 : See Ezra 3:2E Haggai 1:1 : 1 Chr. 6:15F Haggai 1:3 : Ezra 5:1G Haggai 1:4 : [2 Sam. 7:2]; See Ps. 132:3-5


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H Haggai 1:4 : Neh. 2:3, 17; Isa. 64:11; Jer. 33:10, 12I Haggai 1:5 : [ch. 2:15, 18]J Haggai 1:6 : See Mic. 6:15K Haggai 1:6 : Hos. 4:10L Haggai 1:6 : [Zech. 8:10]M Haggai 1:7 : [See ver. 5 above]; [ch. 2:15, 18]N Haggai 1:8 : [Ps. 132:13, 14]O Haggai 1:8 : [ch. 2:9]P Haggai 1:9 : [See ver. 6 above]; See Mic. 6:15Q Haggai 1:9 : [ch. 2:17]R Haggai 1:9 : [See ver. 4 above]; Neh. 2:3, 17; Isa. 64:11; Jer.

33:10, 12S Haggai 1:10 : [Jer. 5:24, 25; Zech. 8:12]; See 1 Kgs. 8:35T Haggai 1:11 : 2 Kgs. 8:1; [Ps. 105:16]

U Haggai 1:11 : Hos. 2:9V Haggai 1:11 : ch. 2:17; Ps. 128:2W Haggai 1:12 : Ezra 5:2X Haggai 1:12 : ver. 1Y Haggai 1:12 : ver. 1Z Haggai 1:12 : ch. 2:2AA Haggai 1:13 : ch. 2:4; [Isa. 43:5]AB Haggai 1:14 : [2 Chr. 36:22; Ezra 1:1]AC Haggai 1:14 : [See ver. 12 above]; ver. 1AD Haggai 1:14 : ver. 1AE Haggai 1:14 : ch. 2:2AF Haggai 1:14 : [ch. 2:4; Ezra 5:8]AG Haggai 1:15 : [ver. 1]


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WEEK 15SOLITUDE: STUDYING OF & MEDITATING ON HAGGAI 2:1-9Haggai 2:1-9 (ESV)

2 (A)In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet: 2 “Speak now to (B)Zerubbabel the

son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to (C)Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, 3 (D)‘Who is left among you who saw this house (E)in its former glory? How do you see it now? (F)Is it not as nothing in your eyes?


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4 Yet now (G)be strong, O (H)Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. (I)Be strong, O (J)Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. (K)Be strong, all you people of the land, de-clares the Lord. (L)Work, for (M)I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts, 5 (N)according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. (O)My Spirit remains in your midst. (P)Fear not. 6 For thus says the Lord of hosts: (Q)Yet once more, in a little while, (R)I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. 7 And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and (S)I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. 8 (T)The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. 9 (U)The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And (V)in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.’”

Haggai 2:1-9 (NLT)

2 Then on October 17 of that same year, the Lord sent another message through the prophet Haggai. 2 “Say this to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of God’s people there in the land: 3 ‘Does anyone remember this house—this Tem-ple—in its former splendor? How, in comparison, does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing at all! 4 But now the Lord says: Be strong, Zerubbabel. Be strong, Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people still left in the land. And now get to work, for I am with you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 5 My Spirit remains among you, just as I promised when you came out of Egypt. So do not be afraid.’

6 “For this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the dry land. 7 I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will be brought to this Temple. I will fill this place with glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 9 The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”


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Cross references:A Haggai 2:1 : [Lev. 23:34, 36]B Haggai 2:2 : ch. 1:1C Haggai 2:2 : ch. 1:1D Haggai 2:3 : [Ezra 3:12]E Haggai 2:3 : [ver. 9]F Haggai 2:3 : [Zech. 4:10]G Haggai 2:4 : Zech. 8:9; [Zech. 4:6, 7]H Haggai 2:4 : [See ver. 2 above]; ch. 1:1I Haggai 2:4 : Zech. 8:9; [Zech. 4:6, 7]J Haggai 2:4 : [See ver. 2 above]; ch. 1:1K Haggai 2:4 : Zech. 8:9; [Zech. 4:6, 7]

L Haggai 2:4 : [ch. 1:14]M Haggai 2:4 : ch. 1:13N Haggai 2:5 : See Ex. 29:45O Haggai 2:5 : Neh. 9:20P Haggai 2:5 : Zech. 8:13, 15Q Haggai 2:6 : Cited Heb. 12:26R Haggai 2:6 : ver. 21S Haggai 2:7 : [Isa. 60:1]T Haggai 2:8 : [1 Chr. 29:14, 16]U Haggai 2:9 : [ch. 1:8]V Haggai 2:9 : [Zech. 6:13; Eph. 2:14]


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WEEK 16SOLITUDE: STUDYING OF & MEDITATING ON HAGGAI 2:10-23 Haggai 2:10-23 (ESV)

10 (A)On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, (B)in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came by Hag-

gai the prophet, 11 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: (C)Ask the priests about the law: 12 ‘If someone carries (D)holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become


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holy?’” The priests answered and said, (E)“No.” 13 Then Haggai said, (F)“If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body (G)touches any of these, does it become un-clean?” The priests answered and said, “It does become unclean.” 14 Then Haggai answered and said, (H)“So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, declares the Lord, and so with every work of their hands. And what they offer there is unclean. 15 Now then, (I)consider from this day onward.[a] Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the Lord, 16 how did you fare? (J)When[b] one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty. 17 (K)I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and with mildew and with hail, (L)yet you did not turn to me, declares the Lord. 18 (M)Consider from this day onward, (N)from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since (O)the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid, (P)consider: 19 (Q)Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on (R)I will bless you.”

20 The word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai (S)on the twenty-fourth day of the month, 21 “Speak to (T)Zerubba-bel, governor of Judah, saying, (U)I am about to shake the heavens and the earth, 22 and (V)to overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I am about to destroy the strength of the king-doms of the nations, and (W)overthrow the chariots and their riders. And the horses and their riders shall go down, (X)ev-ery one by the sword of his brother. 23 On that day, de-clares the Lord of hosts, I will take you, O (Y)Zerubbabel (Z)my servant, the son of (AA)Shealtiel, declares the Lord, and make you (AB)like a[c] signet ring, (AC)for I have chosen you, declares the Lord of hosts.”

Haggai 2:10-23 (NLT)

10 On December 18 of the second year of King Darius’s reign, the Lord sent this message to the prophet Haggai: 11 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says. Ask the priests this question about the law: 12 ‘If one of you is carry-ing some meat from a holy sacrifice in his robes and his robe happens to brush against some bread or stew, wine or olive oil, or any other kind of food, will it also become holy?’”

The priests replied, “No.”

13 Then Haggai asked, “If someone becomes ceremonially unclean by touching a dead person and then touches any of these foods, will the food be defiled?”

And the priests answered, “Yes.”

14 Then Haggai responded, “That is how it is with this peo-ple and this nation, says the Lord. Everything they do and everything they offer is defiled by their sin. 15 Look at what was happening to you before you began to lay the founda-tion of the Lord’s Temple. 16 When you hoped for a twenty-bushel crop, you harvested only ten. When you expected to draw fifty gallons from the winepress, you found only twenty. 17 I sent blight and mildew and hail to destroy ev-erything you worked so hard to produce. Even so, you re-fused to return to me, says the Lord.

18 “Think about this eighteenth day of December, the day when the foundation of the Lord’s Temple was laid. Think carefully. 19 I am giving you a promise now while the seed is still in the barn. You have not yet harvested your grain, and your grapevines, fig trees, pomegranates, and olive trees have not yet produced their crops. But from this day onward I will bless you.”

20 On that same day, December 18, the Lord sent this sec-ond message to Haggai: 21 “Tell Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, that I am about to shake the heavens and the earth. 22 I will overthrow royal thrones and destroy the power of foreign kingdoms. I will overturn their chariots and riders. The horses will fall, and their riders will kill each other.

23 “But when this happens, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, I will honor you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant. I will make you like a signet ring on my finger, says the Lord, for I have chosen you. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”


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Footnotes:a Haggai 2:15 Or backward; also verse 18b Haggai 2:16 Probable reading (compare Septuagint); Hebrew

Lord, since they were. Whenc Haggai 2:23 Hebrew the

Cross references:A Haggai 2:10 : ver. 18, 20B Haggai 2:10 : ch. 1:1C Haggai 2:11 : See Lev. 10:10, 11D Haggai 2:12 : Jer. 11:15E Haggai 2:12 : [ver. 14]F Haggai 2:13 : Lev. 22:4, 6G Haggai 2:13 : [Num. 19:22]H Haggai 2:14 : [Isa. 64:6]I Haggai 2:15 : [ch. 1:5]J Haggai 2:16 : [ch. 1:6]K Haggai 2:17 : Amos 4:9; [ch. 1:9; Deut. 28:22]

L Haggai 2:17 : Jer. 5:3; Amos 4:6M Haggai 2:18 : [See ver. 15 above]; [ch. 1:5]N Haggai 2:18 : ver. 10O Haggai 2:18 : Ezra 3:10; Zech. 8:9P Haggai 2:18 : [See ver. 15 above]; [ch. 1:5]Q Haggai 2:19 : [Zech. 8:12]R Haggai 2:19 : Joel 2:14S Haggai 2:20 : [See ver. 18 above]; ver. 10T Haggai 2:21 : ch. 1:1; [Zech. 4:6]U Haggai 2:21 : ver. 6V Haggai 2:22 : Dan. 2:44; Zech. 12:9; [Matt. 24:7]W Haggai 2:22 : [Mic. 5:10]X Haggai 2:22 : [Zech. 14:13]Y Haggai 2:23 : [See ver. 21 above]; ch. 1:1; [Zech. 4:6]Z Haggai 2:23 : [Isa. 43:10]AA Haggai 2:23 : ch. 1:1AB Haggai 2:23 : Jer. 22:24AC Haggai 2:23 : [Isa. 43:10]






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WEEK 17SOLITUDE: STUDYING OF & MEDITATING ON MALACHI 1Malachi 1 (ESV)

1 The oracle of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.[a]

2 (A)“I have loved you,” says the Lord. (B)But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau (C)Jacob's brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet (D)I have loved Jacob 3 but Esau I have hated. (E)I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert.”


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4 If Edom says, “We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins,” the Lord of hosts says, “They may build, but I will tear down, and they will be called ‘the wicked country,’ and ‘the people with whom the Lord is angry forever.’” 5 (F)Your own eyes shall see this, and you shall say, “Great is the Lord beyond the border of Is-rael!”

6 (G)“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am (H)a father, where is my honor? And if I am (I)a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. (J)But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’ 7 (K)By offering polluted food upon my altar. (L)But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that (M)the Lord's table may be despised. 8 (N)When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts. 9 And now (O)entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, (P)will he show favor to any of you? says the Lord of hosts. 10 (Q)Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, (R)and I will not accept an offering from your hand. 11 For from the ris-ing of the sun to its setting my name (S)will be[b] great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name (T)will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts. 12 But you profane it when you say that (U)the Lord's table is polluted, and its fruit, that is, its food may be despised. 13 But you say, (V)‘What a weariness this is,’ and you snort at it, says the Lord of hosts. (W)You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the Lord. 14 Cursed be the cheat who has (X)a male in his flock, and (Y)vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For (Z)I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name (AA)will be feared among the nations.

Malachi 1 (NLT)

1 This is the message that the Lord gave to Israel through the prophet Malachi.

2 “I have always loved you,” says the Lord.

But you retort, “Really? How have you loved us?”

And the Lord replies, “This is how I showed my love for you: I loved your ancestor Jacob, 3 but I rejected his brother, Esau, and devastated his hill country. I turned Esau’s inheritance into a desert for jackals.”

4 Esau’s descendants in Edom may say, “We have been shattered, but we will rebuild the ruins.”

But the Lord of Heaven’s Armies replies, “They may try to rebuild, but I will demolish them again. Their country will be known as ‘The Land of Wickedness,’ and their people will be called ‘The People with Whom the Lord Is Forever Angry.’ 5 When you see the de-struction for yourselves, you will say, ‘Truly, the Lord’s greatness reaches far beyond Israel’s borders!’”

6 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says to the priests: “A son honors his father, and a servant respects his master. If I am your father and master, where are the honor and respect I deserve? You have shown con-tempt for my name!

“But you ask, ‘How have we ever shown contempt for your name?’

7 “You have shown contempt by offering defiled sacri-fices on my altar.

“Then you ask, ‘How have we defiled the sacrifices?’

“You defile them by saying the altar of the Lord de-serves no respect. 8 When you give blind animals as sacrifices, isn’t that wrong? And isn’t it wrong to offer animals that are crippled and diseased? Try giving gifts like that to your governor, and see how pleased he is!” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

9 “Go ahead, beg God to be merciful to you! But when you bring that kind of offering, why should he show you any favor at all?” asks the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

10 “How I wish one of you would shut the Temple doors so that these worthless sacrifices could not be offered! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “and I will not accept your offerings. 11 But my name is honored by people of other nations from morning till night. All around the world they offer sweet incense and pure offerings in honor of my name. For my name is great among the nations,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.


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12 “But you dishonor my name with your actions. By bringing contemptible food, you are saying it’s all right to defile the Lord’s table. 13 You say, ‘It’s too hard to serve the Lord,’ and you turn up your noses at my commands,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “Think of it! Animals that are stolen and crippled and

sick are being presented as offerings! Should I accept from you such offerings as these?” asks the Lord.14 “Cursed is the cheat who promises to give a fine ram from his flock but then sacrifices a defective one to the Lord. For I am a great king,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “and my name is feared among the nations!

Footnotes:a Malachi 1:1 Malachi means my messengerb Malachi 1:11 Or is (three times in verse 11; also verse 14)

Cross references:A Malachi 1:2 : Deut. 7:8; Jer. 31:3B Malachi 1:2 : [ch. 2:14, 17; 3:7, 8, 13]C Malachi 1:2 : [Amos 1:11; Obad. 10]D Malachi 1:2 : Cited Rom. 9:13E Malachi 1:3 : Isa. 34:13; Jer. 49:10, 18; Ezek. 35:3, 4; Joel 3:19F Malachi 1:5 : Ps. 91:8G Malachi 1:6 : See Ex. 20:12H Malachi 1:6 : Ex. 4:22; Hos. 11:1I Malachi 1:6 : [Luke 6:46]J Malachi 1:6 : [See ver. 2 above]; [ch. 2:14, 17; 3:7, 8, 13]K Malachi 1:7 : [ver. 8; ch. 2:12; 3:3]L Malachi 1:7 : [See ver. 2 above]; [ch. 2:14, 17; 3:7, 8, 13]M Malachi 1:7 : [ver. 12]N Malachi 1:8 : [ver. 13]; See Lev. 22:22O Malachi 1:9 : See Zech. 7:2P Malachi 1:9 : See Deut. 10:17Q Malachi 1:10 : [Isa. 1:13]R Malachi 1:10 : [Isa. 1:11; Jer. 6:20; Amos 5:21]S Malachi 1:11 : [Isa. 2:2; 56:7; 60:3; 66:19]T Malachi 1:11 : [Isa. 2:2; 56:7; 60:3; 66:19]U Malachi 1:12 : [ver. 7]V Malachi 1:13 : Isa. 43:23; [ch. 3:14; Mic. 6:3]W Malachi 1:13 : [ver. 8; Lev. 22:20]X Malachi 1:14 : See Ex. 12:5Y Malachi 1:14 : [Lev. 22:21]Z Malachi 1:14 : See Zech. 14:9AA Malachi 1:14 : Ps. 47:2; 76:12


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Missions Prayer Focus: Brampton’sPunjabi Sikh People Group (Photo from Joshua Project)

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WEEK 18SOLITUDE: STUDYING OF & MEDITATING ON MALACHI 2:1-9Malachi 2:1-9 (ESV)

2 “And now, (A)O priests, (B)this command is for you. 2 (C)If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I

will send (D)the curse upon you and I will curse (E)your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, be-cause you do not lay it to heart. 3 Behold, (F)I will re-buke your offspring,[a] and (G)spread dung on your faces, the (H)dung of your offerings, and you shall be


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taken away with it.[b] 4 So shall you know that I have sent (I)this command to you, that (J)my covenant with Levi may stand, says the Lord of hosts. 5 My covenant with him was one of life and (K)peace, and I gave them to him. (L)It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. 6 (M)True instruction[c] was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he (N)turned many from iniquity. 7 For (O)the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people[d] should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. 8 But you have turned aside from the way. (P)You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted (Q)the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts, 9 and so (R)I make you de-spised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you do not keep my ways but (S)show partiality in your instruction.”

Malachi 2:1-9 (NLT)

2 “Listen, you priests—this command is for you! 2 Lis-ten to me and make up your minds to honor my name,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “or I will bring a terrible curse against you. I will curse even the blessings you receive. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you have not taken my warning to heart. 3 I will punish your descendants and splatter your faces with the manure from your festival sacri-fices, and I will throw you on the manure pile. 4 Then at last you will know it was I who sent you this warning so that my covenant with the Levites can continue,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

5 “The purpose of my covenant with the Levites was to bring life and peace, and that is what I gave them. This required reverence from them, and they greatly revered me and stood in awe of my name. 6 They passed on to the people the truth of the instructions they received from me. They did not lie or cheat; they walked with me, living good and righteous lives, and they turned many from lives of sin.

7 “The words of a priest’s lips should preserve knowl-edge of God, and people should go to him for instruc-tion, for the priest is the messenger of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 8 But you priests have left God’s paths. Your instructions have caused many to stumble into sin. You have corrupted the covenant I made with the Levites,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 9 “So I have made you despised and humiliated in the eyes of all the people. For you have not obeyed me but have shown favoritism in the way you carry out my in-structions.”

Footnotes:a Malachi 2:3 Hebrew seedb Malachi 2:3 Or to itc Malachi 2:6 Or law; also verses 7, 8, 9d Malachi 2:7 Hebrew they

Cross references:A Malachi 2:1 : ch. 1:6B Malachi 2:1 : ver. 4C Malachi 2:2 : Lev. 26:14; See Deut. 28:15D Malachi 2:2 : [ch. 3:9]E Malachi 2:2 : [Ps. 69:22]F Malachi 2:3 : [Joel 1:17; Hag. 2:17]G Malachi 2:3 : Nah. 3:6

H Malachi 2:3 : [Ex. 29:14]I Malachi 2:4 : ver. 1J Malachi 2:4 : ver. 8; Num. 25:12, 13; Neh. 13:29; [Num. 3:45]K Malachi 2:5 : See Isa. 54:10L Malachi 2:5 : [Lev. 16:2]M Malachi 2:6 : [Deut. 33:10]N Malachi 2:6 : [Dan. 12:3; James 5:20]O Malachi 2:7 : Deut. 17:9; See Lev. 10:11P Malachi 2:8 : [1 Sam. 2:17; Jer. 18:15; Ezek. 22:26]Q Malachi 2:8 : See ver. 4R Malachi 2:9 : [1 Sam. 2:30]S Malachi 2:9 : Deut. 1:17; 16:19




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10 Have we not all (A)one Father? Has not (B)one God created us? Why then are we (C)faithless to one an-other, profaning the covenant of our fathers? 11 Judah

has been (D)faithless, and abomination has been com-mitted in Israel and in Jerusalem. For (E)Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the Lord, which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god. 12 May the Lord cut off from the tents of Jacob any descen-


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dant[a] of the man who does this, who (F)brings an of-fering to the Lord of hosts!

13 And this second thing you do. (G)You cover the Lord's altar with tears, with weeping and groaning be-cause he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. 14 (H)But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the Lord (I)was witness between you and the wife of your youth, (J)to whom (K)you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. 15 (L)Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union?[b] And what was the one God[c] seeking?[d] (M)Godly offspring. So guard yourselves[e] in your spirit, and let none of you be (N)faithless to the wife of your youth. 16 “For (O)the man who does not love his wife but divorces her,[f] says the Lord, the God of Israel, covers[g] his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So guard your-selves in your spirit, and (P)do not be faithless.”

Malachi 2:10-16 (NLT)

10 Are we not all children of the same Father? Are we not all created by the same God? Then why do we be-tray each other, violating the covenant of our ances-tors?

11 Judah has been unfaithful, and a detestable thing has been done in Israel and in Jerusalem. The men of Judah have defiled the Lord’s beloved sanctuary by marrying women who worship idols. 12 May the Lord cut off from the nation of Israel every last man who has done this and yet brings an offering to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

13 Here is another thing you do. You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, weeping and groaning because he pays no attention to your offerings and doesn’t accept them with pleasure. 14 You cry out, “Why doesn’t the Lord accept my worship?” I’ll tell you why! Because the Lord witnessed the vows you and your wife made when you were young. But you have been unfaithful to her, though she remained your faithful partner, the wife of your marriage vows.

15 Didn’t the Lord make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his. And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth. 16 “For I hate di-vorce!” says the Lord, the God of Israel. “To divorce your wife is to overwhelm her with cruelty,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “So guard your heart; do not be unfaithful to your wife.”

Footnotes:a Malachi 2:12 Hebrew any who wakes and answersb Malachi 2:15 Hebrew in itc Malachi 2:15 Hebrew the oned Malachi 2:15 Or And not one has done this who has a portion

of the Spirit. And what was that one seeking?e Malachi 2:15 Or So take care; also verse 16f Malachi 2:16 Hebrew who hates and divorcesg Malachi 2:16 Probable meaning (compare Septuagint and

Deuteronomy 24:1–4); or “The Lord, the God of Israel, says that he hates divorce, and him who covers

Cross references:A Malachi 2:10 : 1 Cor. 8:6; Eph. 4:6B Malachi 2:10 : Acts 17:26

C Malachi 2:10 : [Isa. 21:2; 24:16; 33:1]D Malachi 2:11 : [See ver. 10 above]; [Isa. 21:2; 24:16; 33:1]E Malachi 2:11 : See Ezra 9:2F Malachi 2:12 : [ch. 1:7]G Malachi 2:13 : [Zech. 7:3]H Malachi 2:14 : [ch. 1:2]I Malachi 2:14 : ch. 3:5J Malachi 2:14 : [ver. 11; Isa. 54:6]K Malachi 2:14 : [See ver. 10 above]; [Isa. 21:2; 24:16; 33:1]L Malachi 2:15 : Matt. 19:4, 5; See Gen. 2:24M Malachi 2:15 : [Ezra 9:2]N Malachi 2:15 : [See ver. 10 above]; [Isa. 21:2; 24:16; 33:1]O Malachi 2:16 : Matt. 5:32; Mark 10:9, 11; Luke 16:18; 1 Cor.

7:10P Malachi 2:16 : [See ver. 10 above]; [Isa. 21:2; 24:16; 33:1]


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WEEK 20SOLITUDE: STUDYING OF & MEDITATING ON MALACHI 2:17-3:5

Malachi 2:17-3:5 (ESV)

17 (A)You have wearied the Lord with your words. (B)But you say, “How have we wearied him?” (C)By saying,

“Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them.” Or by asking, (D)“Where is the God of justice?”


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3 (E)“Behold, I send (F)my messenger, and (G)he will pre-pare the way before me. And the Lord (H)whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and (I)the mes-senger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2 But (J)who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For (K)he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. 3 He will sit (L)as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring (M)offer-ings in righteousness to the Lord.[a] 4 (N)Then the offer-ing of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.

5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be (O)a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those (P)who oppress the hired worker in his wages, (Q)the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.

Malachi 2:17-3:5 (NLT)

17 You have wearied the Lord with your words.

“How have we wearied him?” you ask.

You have wearied him by saying that all who do evil are good in the Lord’s sight, and he is pleased with them. You have wearied him by asking, “Where is the God of justice?”

3 “Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will pre-pare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seek-ing will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

2 “But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he ap-pears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that bleaches clothes. 3 He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer accept-able sacrifices to the Lord. 4 Then once more the Lord will accept the offerings brought to him by the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as he did in the past.5 “At that time I will put you on trial. I am eager to wit-ness against all sorcerers and adulterers and liars. I will speak against those who cheat employees of their wages, who oppress widows and orphans, or who de-prive the foreigners living among you of justice, for these people do not fear me,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

Footnotes:a Malachi 3:3 Or and they will belong to the Lord, bringers of

an offering in righteousness

Cross references:A Malachi 2:17 : Isa. 43:24B Malachi 2:17 : [See ver. 14 above]; [ch. 1:2]C Malachi 2:17 : [ch. 3:15; Isa. 5:20]D Malachi 2:17 : [ch. 3:1; 2 Pet. 3:4]E Malachi 3:1 : Cited Matt. 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:27; [ch. 4:5;

Luke 1:76]F Malachi 3:1 : See ch. 2:7

G Malachi 3:1 : See Isa. 40:3H Malachi 3:1 : [ch. 2:17]I Malachi 3:1 : [ch. 4:5]J Malachi 3:2 : Joel 2:11K Malachi 3:2 : Isa. 4:4L Malachi 3:3 : Isa. 1:25; Zech. 13:9M Malachi 3:3 : [ch. 1:7]N Malachi 3:4 : Ezek. 20:40O Malachi 3:5 : ch. 2:14; Jer. 29:23P Malachi 3:5 : See Lev. 19:13Q Malachi 3:5 : See Deut. 24:17





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6 “For (A)I the Lord do not change; (B)therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. 7 (C)From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my

statutes and have not kept them. (D)Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. (E)But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ 8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. (F)But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ (G)In your tithes and contributions.


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9 (H)You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 (I)Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby (J)put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open (K)the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11 I will rebuke (L)the devourer[a] for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. 12 Then (M)all nations will call you blessed, for you will be (N)a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.

Malachi 3:6-12 (NLT)

6 “I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed. 7 Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my decrees and failed to obey them. Now re-turn to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

“But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone away?’

8 “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me!

“But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’

“You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. 9 You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Tem-ple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! 11 Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 12 “Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

Footnotes:a Malachi 3:11 Probably a name for some crop-destroying pest

or pests

Cross references:A Malachi 3:6 : Ps. 102:27; See Num. 23:19B Malachi 3:6 : Lam. 3:22C Malachi 3:7 : Acts 7:51D Malachi 3:7 : See Zech. 1:3E Malachi 3:7 : [ch. 1:2]

F Malachi 3:8 : [See ver. 7 above]; [ch. 1:2]G Malachi 3:8 : [Neh. 13:10]H Malachi 3:9 : [ch. 2:2]I Malachi 3:10 : [Prov. 3:9, 10]J Malachi 3:10 : See 2 Cor. 9:6-8K Malachi 3:10 : See Gen. 7:11L Malachi 3:11 : [Joel 1:4]M Malachi 3:12 : Zeph. 3:19N Malachi 3:12 : [Isa. 62:4]



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WEEK 22SOLITUDE: STUDYING OF & MEDITATING ON MALACHI 3:13-4:6Malachi 3:13-4:6 (ESV)

13 (A)“Your words have been hard against me, says the Lord. (B)But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ 14 You have said, (C)‘It is vain to serve God.

(D)What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts? 15 And now we call (E)the arrogant blessed. (F)Evildoers not only prosper but (G)they put God to the test and they escape.’”


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16 Then those who feared the Lord (H)spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and (I)a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. 17 “They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, (J)in the day when I make up (K)my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. 18 Then once more you shall (L)see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.

4 [a] “For behold, (M)the day is coming, (N)burning like an oven, when (O)all the arrogant and (P)all evildoers (Q)will be stubble. The day that is coming (R)shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But for you (S)who fear my name, (T)the sun (U)of righteousness shall rise (V)with healing in its wings. You shall go out (W)leaping like calves from the stall. 3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, (X)on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts.

4 (Y)“Remember (Z)the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules[b] that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.

5 (AA)“Behold, I will send you (AB)Elijah the prophet (AC)be-fore the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will (AD)turn the hearts of fathers to their chil-dren and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and (AE)strike the land with a decree of utter de-struction.”[c]

Malachi 3:13-4:6 (NLT)

13 “You have said terrible things about me,” says the Lord.

“But you say, ‘What do you mean? What have we said against you?’

14 “You have said, ‘What’s the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying his commands or by trying to show the Lord of Heaven’s Armies that we are sorry for our sins? 15 From now on we will call the arrogant blessed. For those who do evil get rich, and those who dare God to pun-ish them suffer no harm.’”

16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name.

17 “They will be my people,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child. 18 Then you will again see the dif-ference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”

4 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says, “The day of judgment is coming, burning like a furnace. On that day the arrogant and the wicked will be burned up like straw. They will be consumed—roots, branches, and all.

2 “But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteous-ness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. 3 On the day when I act, you will tread upon the wicked as if they were dust under your feet,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

4 “Remember to obey the Law of Moses, my servant—all the decrees and regulations that I gave him on Mount Sinai for all Israel.

5 “Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives. 6 His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

Footnotes:a Malachi 4:1 Ch 4:1–6 is ch 3:19–24 in Hebrewb Malachi 4:4 Or and just decreesc Malachi 4:6 The Hebrew term rendered decree of utter de-

struction refers to things devoted (or set apart) to the Lord (or by the Lord) for destruction

Cross references:A Malachi 3:13 : [ch. 2:17]B Malachi 3:13 : [ch. 1:2]C Malachi 3:14 : [Zeph. 1:12]D Malachi 3:14 : [Job 21:15]E Malachi 3:15 : [ch. 4:1]F Malachi 3:15 : [ch. 4:1]G Malachi 3:15 : [Ps. 95:9]

H Malachi 3:16 : [Deut. 6:6, 7]I Malachi 3:16 : See Ex. 32:32J Malachi 3:17 : [ch. 4:3; Acts 17:31]K Malachi 3:17 : Ex. 19:5; 1 Pet. 2:9L Malachi 3:18 : [ch. 4:1]M Malachi 4:1 : [ver. 5; ch. 3:2]N Malachi 4:1 : [2 Thess. 1:7, 8]O Malachi 4:1 : ch. 3:15P Malachi 4:1 : ch. 3:15Q Malachi 4:1 : Isa. 47:14; [Matt. 3:12; Luke 3:17]R Malachi 4:1 : Isa. 47:14; [Matt. 3:12; Luke 3:17]S Malachi 4:2 : ch. 3:16T Malachi 4:2 : Ps. 84:11; Luke 1:78; John 1:4; 8:12; 9:5; 12:46U Malachi 4:2 : [Jer. 23:6]V Malachi 4:2 : Isa. 53:5W Malachi 4:2 : [Jer. 50:11]





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X Malachi 4:3 : See ch. 3:17Y Malachi 4:4 : [Deut. 4:9, 10]Z Malachi 4:4 : See Ex. 20:3-17; Deut. 4:10A Malachi 4:5 : [ch. 3:1]

B Malachi 4:5 : [Matt. 11:14; Mark 9:11; Luke 1:17]C Malachi 4:5 : Joel 2:31D Malachi 4:6 : [Luke 1:17]E Malachi 4:6 : Isa. 11:4; [Zech. 5:3]


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PRAYER JOURNALfor my family, friends, church, community…


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