Since 03-22-06
The Holy Bible Excerpts
Since 03-22-06
John 3:16
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
The Holy Bible Psalm 1
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
God will help you understand his Word
". . . I will put my laws in their minds so they
will understand them, and I will write them on their hearts so they will
obey them . . . "
Hebrews 8:10 NLT
How remarkable that the God of the universe would actually want to
communicate with us! We are creatures of a material, physical world to which
we relate through our five senses. God is a spiritual being. So how can he
communicate with us? Through the Bible.
Over several centuries, God inspired a select number of people to write down
what he felt we needed to know about him and how he expects us to live.
Scripture is from the New Living Translation (Tyndale House Publishers,
1996).
God comforts the
brokenhearted
"The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in
spirit. "
Psalm 34:18 NLT
Grief brings suffering, discomfort, confusion, restlessness, pain,
heartache, and usually plenty of tears. Some grief, like losing a loved one,
can be understood only by those who have walked that dark valley before.
Grief is like a deep pit. It tortures our soul and robs us of the joy of
living. But there is a great theme in the Bible—that although we walk
through the valley of the shadow, there can be comfort and hope, as long as
God is with us.
All scripture is from the New Living Translation (Tyndale House Publishers,
1996).
Wherever we go God is there
What is the evidence of being in God's presence?
"When Moses came down the mountain . . . He wasn't aware that his face
glowed because he had spoken to the LORD face to face."
Exodus 34:29 NLT
When we walk close to the Lord, somehow people sense that we have been with
him.
All scripture is from the New Living Translation (Tyndale House Publishers, 1996).
Why should I help the poor?
Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor. The Lord rescues them in times of trouble. The Lord protects them and keeps them alive. He gives them prosperity and rescues them from their enemies. The Lord nurses them when they are sick and eases their pain and discomfort.
God guides us with our big decisions
What are some principles of good decision making?
Fools think they need no advice, but the wise listen to others.
Good Advice
Advice is like snow; the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon,
and the deeper it sinks into the mind.
Seek the advice of trusted friends. Give it
time to settle it. Don't always go to the most talkative. The
greatest advice may require some prodding (Prov. 20:5). Bathe the
entire decision-making process in prayer.
Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and
other publications of Tyndale Publishing House
What do I do when Satan attacks?
Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy.
He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to
devour. Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith.
Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world
are going through the same kind of suffering you are.
1 Peter 5:8-9 NLT
So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee
from you. Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you.
James 4:7-8 NLT
Not the real thing
Wickedness, when you examine it, turns out to be the pursuit of some
good in the wrong way. You can be good for the mere sake of
goodness; you cannot be bad for the mere sake of badness. You can do
a kind action when you are not feeling kind and when it gives you no
pleasure, simply because kindness is right; but no one ever did a
cruel action simply because cruelty was wrong—only because cruelty
was pleasant or useful to him. In other words, badness cannot
succeed even in being bad in the same way in which goodness is good.
Goodness is, so to speak, itself; badness is only spoiled
goodness.…Evil is a parasite, not an original thing.
C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity
Does evil go unpunished?
We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the one who is and who
always was, for now you have assumed your great power and have begun
to reign. The nations were angry with you, but now the time of your
wrath has come. It is time to judge the dead and reward your
servants. You will reward your prophets and your holy people, all
who fear your name, from the least to the greatest. And you will
destroy all who have caused destruction on the earth.
Revelation 11:17-18 NLT
Astonishing gratefulness
Insurance agent Thomas O. Chisholm certainly had his share of
disappointments in life. His health had been fragile, forcing him to
resign as a Methodist minister after only one year of service. But
he enjoyed writing and submitted his poetry to various Christian
magazines. Sometimes he got rejection slips, sometimes acceptances,
but he seldom received any money. He earned his meager living
selling life insurance.
When he was seventy-five, he wrote, "My income has not been large at
any time due to impaired health in the earlier years which has
followed me on until now. Although I must not fail to record here
the unfailing faithfulness of a covenant-keeping God and that He has
given me many wonderful displays of His providing care, for which I
am filled with astonishing gratefulenss."
From The One Year Book of Hymns (Tyndale House) entry for October 15
Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and
other publications of Tyndale Publishing House
How should I pray?
For days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.
Nehemiah 1:4 NLT
Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored.
May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven.
Give us our food for today, and forgive us our sins, just as we have
forgiven those who have sinned against us.
And don't let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil
one.
Matthew 6:9-13 NLT
Aligning my will to God's
E. Stanley Jones described the effect of prayer on us like this:
Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to
the will of God. Aligned to God's redemptive will, anything,
everything can happen in character, conduct, and creativeness. The
whole person is heightened by that prayer contact. In that contact I
find health for my body, illumination for my mind, and moral and
spiritual reinforcement for my soul. "Prayer is a time exposure to
God," so I expose myself to God for an hour and a half or two hours
a day, asking less and less for things and more and more for
Himself. For having Him, I have everything. He gives me what I need
for character, conduct, and creativeness, so I'm rich with His
riches, strong in His strength, pure in His purity, and able in His
ability.
quoted by R. Kent Hughes in 1001 Great Stories and Quotes (Tyndale
House)
Our prayers
bring us into God's presence
Where do we find God's presence?
Open for me the gates where the righteous enter; and I will go in
and thank the Lord. Those gates lead to the presence of the Lord,
and the godly enter there. I thank you for answering my prayer and
saving me!
Psalm 118:19-21 NLT
The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on
him sincerely.
Psalm 145:18 NLT
Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come fearlessly
into God's presence, assured of his glad welcome.
Ephesians 3:12 NLT
Prayer brings us to His presence
[Psalm 118] pictures a victorious yet battle-weary king at the helm
of a throng of grateful people entering the gates of the temple to
thank God for saving them. During those times, the temple
represented God's presence—the place where followers would go to
pray to the Lord. Today, we enter into God's presence in a car, at
work, or in the aisles of a grocery store—wherever we take time to
pray to him. We can be sure God hears our prayers and answers each
one wherever and whenever they are uttered. And by doing so, he
gives us even more reasons to pray.
Just like the victorious king in this psalm, we should enter God's
presence by thanking him for answering prayers. What answers to
prayer are you thankful for today?
Adapted from The One Year Book of Bible Prayers (Tyndale House)
entry for November 28
God
has wonderful plans for your life
How does God lead?
"My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them
eternal life, and they will never perish."
John 10:27-28 NLT
Hearing His voice
As our Good Shepherd, Jesus promises that we can hear and know His voice. This
does not, however, have to be some mysterious, mystical process. In fact, you
may be surprised to learn that God speaks to you quite often. I would venture to
say He has spoken to you lately and may be speaking to you right now in some
way.
God speaks to us through His Word. God will never lead us contrary to His
written Word. It is our litmus test, our bedrock, our absolute.
God speaks to us through circumstances. Those circumstances can include failure.
Jonah certainly heard God through his mistake. God may even speak to us through
tragedy or hardship. C. S. Lewis wrote that, "God whispers to us in our
pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains. It is His
megaphone to arouse a deaf world."
God speaks to us through His peace. When we live in God's will, we enjoy His
peace. Do you need God to make a crucial call in your life? Then listen for His
peace.
And once we have heard God's voice, what should we do? We must follow. Jesus
calls, we respond. He whispers, we move. We follow—and then we keep on
listening.
Adapted from Breakfast with Jesus by Greg Laurie (Tyndale House) pp 243-45
Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other
publications of Tyndale Publishing House
Is the Bible really God's Word?
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach
us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.
2 Timothy 3:16 NLT
The Word Transforms
Dr. E. V. Rieu was a classical scholar and translator for many years. He
rendered Homer into very modern English for the Penguin Classics. Rieu was 60
years old and a lifelong agnostic when the same firm invited him to translate
the Gospels. His son remarked: "It will be interesting to see what Father makes
of the four Gospels. It will be even more interesting to see what the four
Gospels make of Father."
The answer was soon forthcoming. A year later, Rieu, convinced and converted,
joined the Church of England.
In an interview with J. B. Phillips, Rieu confessed that he had undertaken the
task of translation because of an "intense desire to satisfy himself as to the
authenticity and spiritual content of the Gospels." He was determined to
approach the documents as if they were newly discovered Greek manuscripts. "Did
you not get the feeling," asked Canon Phillips, "that the whole material was
extraordinarily alive?" The classical scholar agreed. "I got the deepest
feeling," he replied. "My work changed me. I came to the conclusion that these
words bear the seal of the Son of Man and God."
From J. B. Phillips, The Ring of Truth. quoted by R. Kent Hughes in 1001Great
Stories and Quotes (Tyndale House) pp 28-29
Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other
publications of Tyndale Publishing House
Is God's mercy in your life evident to others?
All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. He is the source of every mercy and the God who comforts us. He comforts
us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NLT
Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe
yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and
patience.
Colossians 3:12 NLT
Clothed in mercy
It happened during the darkest days of Europe's history. Hitler was sweeping
across the land promoting his contempt for Jews and his plan to exterminate them
from the planet. Many countries were easily conned by his propaganda.
But Denmark had a king that wasn't so easily taken in. He received Hitler's
edict concerning the armbands that Jews would be required to wear.… So he went
out on the balcony of his palace and began reading the edict line by line.…Then
when finished, he tucked the note away and reached into his pocket, pulling out
a small yellow armband. The king slipped it onto his coat sleeve. Over the weeks
to come, thousands of Danes found ways to acquire these yellow armbands and wore
them whenever they went out in public, just as the Jews were forced to do. As a
result, Hitler's men found themselves in a constant struggle to separate the
Jews from the non-Jews in Denmark.… Compassion is a trait within us that is very
near the heart of God.
Story retold by Frank M. Martin in Embracing Eternity (Tyndale House), p 85
Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other
publications of Tyndale Publishing House