Jer 26:2-3 “Thus says the LORD: Stand in the court of the LORD’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah that come to worship in the house of the LORD all the words that I command you to speak to them; do not hold back a word. It may be they will listen,…
Prov 24:33-34 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man. This is some very challenging advice. Life is a marathon, isn’t it? These 80-90 or so years that we have on earth may be…
1 Thess 3:12-13 and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. What a wonderful ting…
Jer 18:3-4 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Don’t ever think God cannot use you….
Col 4:5-6 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. Those who are giving outside the gospel and grace of God, those who do not yet understand… we must be…
Jer 14:13-14 Then I said: “Ah, Lord GOD, behold, the prophets say to them, ‘You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.’” And the LORD said to me: “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor…
Col 2:18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, The world is very interested in Angels. You don’t have to go very far into a gift shop nowadays to see this. So many ornaments, notepads, cuddly…
Jer 10:1-2 Hear the word that the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel. Thus says the LORD: “Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them, Learn not the ways of the nations. Unfortunately, we learn too much from…
Col 1:13-14 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. There are two kingdoms – the one of darkness and the one of light. Before we knew Christ we were with the rest of humanity…
Phil 4:4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all…
Ps 116:1-2 I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. The Lord hears our pleas. He hears our cries when we go through hard times. He loved us first. He’s…
Phil 2:12-13 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Work out your own…
Jer 1:4-5 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” God called Jeremiah for a very specific purpose. His ministry was one of warring and one also…
Zeph 3:17 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Who is doing the rejoicing here? Who is doing the singing? It’s God. Have you ever thought…
Nah 1:7 The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. This is one of my favourite verses in scripture. It’s always stuck with me, since my early days as a Christian. It was one of my memory verses when I started learning scripture. In…
Is 65:17-18 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness. The former things shall…
Eph 4:32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Imagine a church where this was lived out totally. Imagine a world where this was lived out totally. Really this is all connected with taking off the old self. The old self thinks about number 1. The new…
Is 61:1-2 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor;a he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of…
Isa 57:20-21 But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt. There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.” When someone has had a long and hard day it’s not unusual for them to roll their eyes at the busyness and…
Eph 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. You were Dead. You were unrighteous. You were objects of wrath. That is the condition of man without Jesus. Dead….
Isa 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. This whole chapter is just amazing. It sums up the ministry of Jesus so powerfully and accurately for years “scholars” thought that what we…
Gal 6:1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Why caught? Notice Paul doesn’t say confesses transgression, but caught in it. Well it’s quite simple – tis is the worst way for transgression…
Gal 5:7-9 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. A few who disobey can ruin everything. A few who wander can take everything off track. If Paul hadn’t have tackled the church in Galatia their…
Gal 5:4-6 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. It’s the…
Gal 4:9-10 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? You observe days and months and seasons and years! In proverbs we read,…
Prov 22:8 Do not move the ancient landmark that your fathers have set. What does this mean? It seems like a very strange thing – yet it’s repeated twice. First, it’s not about having to keep around things that your father is rather attached to… It’s not about keeping things that have passed their usefulness,…
Isa 40:30-31 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Where does your strength come from? It is…
Psalm 107:28-30 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven. In times of trouble and distress,…
Gal 1:6-8 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from…
2 Cor 13:5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realise this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?-unless indeed you fail to meet the test! There were clearly some people in the church at Corinth that were just refusing to listen to Paul. He…
Isa 29:13 And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honour me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men, What an inditement. They draw near to God and honour Him with their lips – but their…
2 Cor 12:10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Paul was called weak. He was criticised for it. It seems hard to believe that, but it happened. Paul turns that weakness around – to say that…
Isaiah 8:-9 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him,…
Isaiah 20:1-3 In the year that the commander in chief, who was sent by Sargon the king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and fought against it and captured it- at that time the LORD spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, “Go, and loose the sackcloth from your waist and take off your sandals…
2 Cor 10:3-5 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive…
2 cor 9:6-8 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. When Paul talks about money and giving, he’s certainly not shy…
Ps 105:43 So he brought his people out with joy, his chosen ones with singing. There are a few Psalms like this one, that recount the history of Israel coming from Egypt and the goodness of God to them. It’s a bit like a history lesson in song. It made me think, we don’t really…
Is 8:11-13 For the LORD spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the LORD of hosts, him…
Is 6:8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” That call has not gone away. God is looking for someone to go. There is a great need. The world is in a desperate state. The…
2 Cor 6:8-10 through honour and dishonour, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything….
