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<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER">“<font size="3"><b>TWO
ARE BETTER THAN ONE” MINISTRIES</b></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER"><font size="3"><b>Jim
& Marie Watt</b></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER"><font size="3"><b>Tel:
253-517-9195 - Email: <a href="mailto:jmbetter@gmail.com" target="_blank">jmbetter@gmail.com</a></b></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER"><font size="3"><b>Web:
<a href="http://www.2rbetter.org/">www.2rbetter.org</a></b></font></p><p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER">September 8, 2011</p><p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER">
<br></p>
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<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="CENTER"><b>FEB
28 - LUKE 1 - JESUS: PREPARATION THROUGH JOHN</b></p>
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</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="LEFT"><b>1.
1:3-4 (1:1-4) JESUS: PREPARATION BY LUKE. “It seemed good to me
also, having traced the course of all <i>things</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
accurately from above, to write to you in order, excellent
Theophilus; </span><font style="font-size: 8pt;" size="1"><span style="font-style: normal;">4</span></font><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="font-style: normal;">
that you might know the certainty concerning </span></font><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><i>the</i></font><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="font-style: normal;">
words in which you were instructed” (NNT). </span></font></b><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="">Foundations
are important; thank You Father for ensuring that we are well
grounded. </span></span></font><b><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">Hallowed
be your :name.</span></i></font></b></p>
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<font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><b>2. 1:17 (1:5-25) JESUS:
PREPARATION BY JOHN. “And HE shall go before his face in <i>the</i>
spirit and power of Elijah, to turn <i>the</i> fathers' hearts to <i>the</i>
children, and <i>the</i> disobedient <i>to walk</i> in <i>the</i>
wisdom of <i>the</i> just; to make ready for <i>the</i> Lord a people
prepared <i>for him</i>.” </b><span style="">Thank
You Father, for the Elijah spirit of John. Thank You for the Elijah
band being raised up to herald the second coming of Your Son. </span><b><i>Your
:kingdom come.</i></b></font></p>
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<font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><b>3. 1:37-38 (1:26-38) JESUS:
PREPARATION BY GABRIEL. “Because no word from :God shall be void
of power. <font style="font-size: 8pt;" size="1">38</font> And Mariam
said, Lo, the bondmaid of <i>the</i> Lord; be it unto me according to
your :word. And the angel departed from her.” </b><span style="">O
we bless You Father, for this wonderful response of Mary. May it
always be our response too! </span><b><i>Your :will be done, As in
heaven, so on earth.</i></b></font></p>
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<font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><b>4. 1:42b-43 (1:39-56)
JESUS: PREPARATION BY MARY. “Blessed you among women, and blessed
the fruit of your :womb. <font style="font-size: 8pt;" size="1">43</font>
And whence <i>is</i> this to me, that the mother of my :Lord should
come unto me?” </b><span style="">Blessed are
You Father, for the gift of perception Your Spirit granted unto
Elisabeth. </span><u><span style="">She</span></u><span style="">
recognized the day of her visitation: may we also be alive to such
insights! </span><b><i>Our :daily :bread Give us this day!</i></b></font></p>
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<font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><b>5. 1:63-64 (1:57-66) JOHN:
PREPARATION BY ELISABETH AND ZACHARIAS. “And he asked for a
writing tablet, <i>and</i> wrote, saying, His name is John. And all
marveled. <font style="font-size: 8pt;" size="1">64</font> And his
:mouth was opened immediately, and his :tongue, and he spoke,
blessing :God.” </b><span style="">You were
confirming Your Word Father, with signs following; and it did not
fail to impress Your people. </span><b><i>And forgive us our :debts,
As we also have forgiven our :debtors.</i></b></font></p>
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<font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><b>6. 1:76-77 (1:67-79) JOHN:
PREPARATION BY PROPHECY. “Yes and you, child, shall be called
prophet of the Most High: For you shall go before <i>the</i> Lord to
make ready his ways; <font style="font-size: 8pt;" size="1">77</font> To
:give knowledge of salvation to his :people In remission of their
sins.” </b><span style="">How Zacharias
profited from Your nine-month rebuke, Father. Now faith and prophecy
flow forth! </span><b><i>And bring us not into temptation.</i></b></font></p>
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<font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><b>7. 1:80 JOHN: PREPARATION
BY SOLITUDE. “And the child grew, and became strong in spirit, and
was in the deserts till <i>the</i> day of his showing unto :Israel.”
</b><span style="">How wise Your dealings with us
as individuals, Father! How wise with John, him of the Elijah spirit!
</span><b><i>But deliver us from the evil </i>one!</b></font></p>
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<font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><b><u>NOTE</u>: 1:35 (1:26-38)
JESUS: PREPARATION BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. “And the angel answered <i>and</i>
said to her [Mary], <i>The</i> Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and
<i>the</i> power of <i>the</i> Most High shall overshadow you;
therefore also what is born shall be called holy, Son of God.” </b><span style="">May
Your Son Father, be born anew in many more of us before He returns
again.</span><b> </b></font>
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<font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2">Motherhood is a painful
privilege. Young Mary of Nazareth had the unique privilege of being
mother to the very Son of God. Yet the pains and pleasures of her
motherhood can be understood by mothers everywhere. Mary was the only
human present of Jesus' birth who also witnessed his death. She saw
him arrive as her baby son, and she watched him die as her Savior.</font></p>
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<font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2">Until Gabriel's unexpected
visit, Mary's life was quite satisfactory. She had recently become
engaged to a carpenter, Joseph, and was anticipating married life.
But her life was about to change forever.</font></p>
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<font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2">Angels don't usually make
appointments before visiting. Feeling as if she were being
congratulated for winning the grand prize in a contest she had never
entered, Mary found the angel's greeting puzzling and his presence
frightening. What she heard next was the news almost every woman in
Israel hoped to hear - that her child would be the Messiah, God's
promised Savior. Mary did not doubt the message but rather asked how
pregnancy would be possible. Gabriel told her the baby would be God's
Son. Her answer was the one God wants in vain to hear from so many
other people: “I am the Lord's servant ... May everything you have
said come true” (Luke 1:38). Later her song of joy shows us how
well she knew God, for her thoughts were filled with his words from
the Old Testament.</font></p>
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<font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2">Within a few weeks of his birth,
Jesus was taken to the Temple to be dedicated to God. There Joseph
and Mary were met by two devout people. Simeon and Anna, who
recognized the child as the Messiah and praised God. Simeon directed
some words to Mary that must have come to her mind many times in the
years that followed: “A sword will pierce your very soul” (Luke
2:35). A big part of her painful privilege of motherhood would be to
see her son rejected and crucified by the people he came to save.</font></p>
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<font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2">We can imagine that even if she
had known all she would suffer as Jesus' mother, Mary would still
have given the same response. Are you, like Mary, available to be
used by God? (Taken from “Life Application Study Bible”, “New
Living Translation”, 1996, p. 1941). </font>
</p>
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<font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2">Our Psalm for the day - <b>58:3
(58:1-11) GOD WHO JUDGES THE EARTH. “The wicked are estranged
from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies” (ESV).
</b>Here we see Father, an understanding of the tares and the wheat.
We thank You that as the Potter You have formed us to love the Tree
of Life. You have made us to be conformed to the image of Jesus!
J.A.Watt</font></p>
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