Matthew 13:3-9 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (7/31/2015)...

If you want to grow a garden but do not prepare the soil and plant the seed, all you have in the end is dirt and weeds.

- Ed Stetzer

Matthew 13:3-9 (NLT) He (Jesus) told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one: “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

Romans 12:19-21 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (7/30/2015)...

To triumph fully, evil needs two victories, not one. The first victory happens when an evil deed is perpetrated; the second victory, when evil is returned. After the first victory, evil would die if the second victory did not infuse it with new life.

- Miroslav Volf

Romans 12:19-21 (NLT) “Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the LORD. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.”

Proverbs 20:22 (NLT) Don’t say, “I will get even for this wrong.” Wait for the LORD to handle the matter.

1 Peter 3:13-17 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (7/28/2015)...

"There is a difference between knowing the good news and being the good news. We are the evidence! How we live our lives is the evidence. Everything counts--all the time."

- Dieter Zander

1 Peter 3:13-17 (NLT) "Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!”

Proverbs 22:3 (NLT)..,

FROM TODAY'S READING (7/27/2015)...

However, if by “forgive and forget” one means, “I will act as if the sin had never occurred and live as if I don’t remember it,” then we can run into trouble. For example, a rape victim can choose to forgive the rapist, but that does not mean she should act as if that sin had never happened. To spend time alone with the rapist, especially if he is unrepentant, is not what Scripture teaches. Forgiveness involves not holding a sin against a person any longer, but forgiveness is different from trust. It is wise to take precautions, and sometimes the dynamics of a relationship will have to change. 
- Charles Stanley (The Gift of Forgiveness)

Proverbs 22:3 (NLT) A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.

Matthew 10:16 (NLT) Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.

James 1:12 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (7/24/2015)...

Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.

- Nelson Mandela

James 1:12 (NLT) "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.”

Hebrews 10:35-36 (NLT) "So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.”

Proverbs 18:24 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (7/23/2015)...

You can't stay in your corner of the forest waiting for people to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.

- Winnie the Pooh

Proverbs 18:24 (NKJV) “A man who has friends must himself be friendly..."

Matthew 5:23-24 (NLT) So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.

Psalm 9:10 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (7/22/2015)...

When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.

- Corrie ten Boom

Psalms 9:10 (NLT) "Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O LORD, do not abandon those who search for you.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT) "Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

Galatians 2:20 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (7/21/2015)...

God's vision for you and me is maturity.  Spiritual maturity is measured by how readily we respond to the person of God rather than the promises of God. It involves coming to the place where who is asking is more important than what we are being asked to do.

- Andy Stanley (North Point Community Church, Georgia)

Galatians 2:20 (NLT) “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Job 11:13-19 (NLT)..,

FROM TODAY'S READING (7/17/2015)...

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life - it goes on.

- Robert Frost

 Job 11:13-19 (NLT) "If only you would prepare your heart and lift up your hands to him in prayer! Get rid of your sins, and leave all iniquity behind you. Then your face will brighten with innocence. You will be strong and free of fear. You will forget your misery; it will be like water flowing away. Your life will be brighter than the noonday. Even darkness will be as bright as morning. Having hope will give you courage. You will be protected and will rest in safety. You will lie down unafraid, and many will look to you for help."

Philippians 4:4-7 (NLT)..,

FROM TODAY'S READING (7/15/2015)...

Life is everything. Life is God. Everything changes and moves and that movement is God. And while there is life there is joy in consciousness of the divine. To love life is to love God.

- Leo Tolstoy

Philippians 4:4-7 (NLT) Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. 

Philippians 4:8 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (7/14/2015)...

Whatever may be our condition in life, it is better to lay hold of its

advantages than to count its evils.

- E. H. Chapin

Philippians 4:8 (NLT) And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 

Matthew 6:34 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (7/13/2015)...

Inch by inch. Life is a cinch. Yard by yard. Life is hard.

- John Updike

Matthew 6:34 (NLT) So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. 

Galatians 3:26-28 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (7/10/2015)...

Henry David Thoreau once went to jail rather than pay his poll tax to a state that supported slavery. 

His good friend Ralph Waldo Emerson hurried to visit him in jail and, peering through the bars, exclaimed: “Why, Henry, what are you doing in there?”

Thoreau replied, “No, Ralph, the question is, what are you doing out there?”

Galatians 3:26-28 (NLT) For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 

Romans 12:17-21 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (7/8/2015)...

"Doing an injury puts you below your enemy; revenging an injury makes you but even; only forgiving sets you above."

- Anonymous

Romans 12:17-21 (NLT) Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. 

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the LORD. 

Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. 

James 4:17 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (7/7/2015)...

"Calling it natural does not mean it is essential or beneficial or unchangeable behavior. It is also natural to defecate in our pants and never brush our teeth. Yet we teach ourselves to do the unnatural until the unnatural itself becomes second nature. Indeed, all self-discipline might be defined as teaching ourselves to do the unnatural."

- M. Scott Peck (The Road Less Traveled, 1998)

James 4:17 (NLT) Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. 

Romans 12:21 (NLT) Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. 

Colossians 2:6-10 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (7/6/2015)...

Life is deep and simple, and what our society gives us is shallow and complicated.

- Fred Rogers

Colossians 2:6-10 (NLT) And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. 

Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. 

Proverbs 14:34 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (7/3/2015)...

"If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under."

- President Ronald Reagan

Proverbs 14:34 (NLT) Godliness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people. 

1 Peter 2:13-17 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (7/2/2015)...

"Our country is not the only thing to which we owe our allegiance.  It is also owed to justice and to humanity.  Patriotism consists not in waving the flag, but in striving that our country shall be righteous as well as strong."

- James Bryce

1 Peter 2:13-17 (NLT) For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right. 

It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king. 

Colossians 3:23-24 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (7/1/2015)...

"The essence of America — that which really unites us — is not ethnicity, or nationality or religion — it is an idea — and what an idea it is: that you can come from humble circumstances and do great things."

- Condolezzaa Rice

Colossians 3:23-24 (NLT) Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.