Romans 7:21-25 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (8/31/2017)...

"Sometimes I am two people. Johnny is the nice one. Cash causes all the trouble. They fight."

Johnny Cash

Romans 7:21-25 (NLT) I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

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Ephesians 4:29 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (8/30/2017)...

"Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud."

Maya Angelou

Ephesians 4:29 (NLT) Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

Proverbs 12:25 (NLT) Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.

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Romans 12 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (8/29/2017)...

"Most people don't think, they just rearrange their prejudices."

Howard Hendricks

Romans 12:3, 9-10, 14-21 (NLT) Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.

(9-10) Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

(14-20) Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! 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.” 

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

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Proverbs 14:23 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (8/28/2017)...

"The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary."

Vince Lombardi 

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.

Proverbs 14:23 (NLT) Work brings profit, but mere talk leads to poverty!

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1 Corinthians 15:33 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (8/25/2017)...

"But you are the average of the five people you associate with most, so do not underestimate the effects of your pessimistic, unambitious, or disorganized friends. If someone isn't making you stronger, they're making you weaker."

Tim Ferriss

1 Corinthians 15:33 (NIV) Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

Proverbs 13:20 (NLT) Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.

Proverbs 18:24 (NLT) There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.

Proverbs 22:24-25 (NLT) Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people, or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul.

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Matthew 6:34 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (8/24/2017)...

"Five hundred years before Christ was born, the Greek philosopher Heraclitus told his students that 'everything changes except the law of change". He said: "You cannot step in the same river twice.' The river changes every second; and so does the man who stepped in it. Life is a ceaseless change. The only certainty is today. Why mar the beauty of living today by trying to solve the problems of a future that is shrouded in ceaseless change and uncertainty-a future that no one can possibly foretell?"

Dale Carnegie

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

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Joshua 24:15-18 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (8/23/2017)...

"Resolution One: I will live for God. 

Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will."

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)

Matthew 22:36-39 (NLT) "Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Joshua 24:15-18 (NLT)  "But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” 

The people replied, “We would never abandon the Lord and serve other gods. For the Lord our God is the one who rescued us and our ancestors from slavery in the land of Egypt. He performed mighty miracles before our very eyes. As we traveled through the wilderness among our enemies, he preserved us. It was the Lord who drove out the Amorites and the other nations living here in the land. So we, too, will serve the Lord, for he alone is our God.”

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Ephesians 5:15-17 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING 8/22/2017)...

"A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them."

John C. Maxwell

Ephesians 5:15-17 (NLT) So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.

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1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)...

FROM TODAY'S READING 8/21/2017)...

"Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be."

Abe Lincoln

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV) Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

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2 Corinthians 4:5-7 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING 8/18/2017)...

"If someone writes a great story, people praise the author, not the pen. People don't say, 'Oh what an incredible pen...where can I get a pen like this so I can write great stories?' Well, I am just a pen in the hands of the Lord. He is the author. All praise should go to him."

Keith Green

2 Corinthians 4:5-7 (NLT) You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. 

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

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Galatians 2:20 (NIV)...

FROM TODAY'S READING 8/17/2017)...

"Radical Christians are not people who wear Christian t-shirts. Radical Christians are those who bear fruit of the Holy Spirit...A little boy, Andrew, a Muslim shot him five times through the stomach and left him on a sidewalk simply because he said, 'I am so afraid, but I can not deny Jesus Christ! Please don't kill me! But I will not deny Him!' He died in a pool of blood, and you talk about being a radical Christian because you wear a t-shirt!"

Paul Washer

Galatians 2:20 (NIV) I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

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1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING 8/16/2017)...

"Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter."

Francis Chan

"Only one life, ’twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

And when I am dying, how happy I’ll be,

If the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee."

C. T. Studd

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT) Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

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Proverbs 4:25-26 (NLT)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (8/15/2017)...

"You only have control over three things in your life - the thoughts you think, the images you visualize, and the actions you take (your behavior). How you use these three things determines everything you experience. If you don't like what you are producing and experiencing, you have to change your responses."

Jack Canfield

Proverbs 4:25-26 (NLT) Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path.

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Galatians 6:3-5 (NIV)...

FROM TODAY'S READING 8/14/2017)...

"If the only vision we have of ourselves comes from the social mirror - from the current social paradigm and from the opinions, perceptions, and paradigms of the people around us - our view of ourselves is like the reflection in a crazy mirror room at the carnival."

Stephen Covey

Galatians 6:3-5 (NIV) If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load.

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Matthew 7:12 (NIV)...

FROM TODAY'S READING 8/11/2017)...

"Life is an echo. What you send out comes back. What you sow you reap. What you give you get. What you see in others exists in you. Regardless of who you are or what you do, if you are looking for the best way to reap the most reward in all areas of life, you should look for the good in every person and in every situation and adopt the golden rule as a way of life."

Zig Ziglar

Matthew 7:12 (NIV) So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

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Psalm 118:13-14 (NIV)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (8/9/2017)...

"A setback is simply a setup for a comeback."

Dr. Tony Evans

Psalm 118:13-14 (NIV) I was pushed back and about to fall, but the LORD helped me. The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.

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John 1:1-5, 14, 18 (NIV)...

FROM TODAY'S READING (8/9/2017)...

"Although there was a time when Jesus of Nazareth did not exist, there was never a time when the Word did not exist."

NIV Chronological Study Bible

John 1:1-5, 14, 18 (NIV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

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