Or who is there among you who, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, who will give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!...
As many as I love, I reprove and chasten. Be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:19-20 WEB The church at Laodicea was not enthusiastic in...
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. Genesis 1:3-5 WEB Genesis gives the account...
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him. Without him, nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the...
Always rejoice. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 WEB (God’s Will in Jesus Christ) Praying continually does not mean we are always on our knees. It is a state of being. It is always being in contact with...
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV Human understanding is always prone to error. We have partial understanding and sometimes we misunderstand. What seems to be the...
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13 NIV (The Greatest Love) When I was a child, my mother demonstrated that love is an action. She taught that love, the feeling, was not the greatest love. As a good mother should, she impressed me with her...
but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31 NIV Scholars translate this verse from the prophet Isaiah with slight differences in their choice of words. Some translate...
Therefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, and in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then am I strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10 NIV (Delight in Difficulties) The apostle Paul encouraged the church to delight in difficulties. When we delight in...
Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Matthew 6:27 NIV The temptation of the wealthy is to rely on their wealth and not the Lord. The temptation of the poor is to doubt God and his ability to provide for needs. In either case, worry can consume a great deal of time, but...
The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, Nahum 1:7 NIV Nahum, the prophet, wrote these words of encouragement, but in what context were they given? Nahum was writing about the judgment of the wicked. God, being good, judges righteously. If we live in his...
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. Psalm 34:17 NIV Have you ever felt that God was not listening when you cried out to him? These words from Psalm 34 make clear that the Lord hears the cry of the righteous. When we live by the will of God,...
