Proverbs 20:4 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (2/28/2020)...

“If a man says he will fix it, he will! There is no need to remind him every six months about it!”

Unknown

Proverbs‬ ‭20:4‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Those too lazy to plow in the right season will have no food at the harvest.

‭‭

Proverbs‬ ‭6:9-11‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

Image: Creative Commons (Unsplash.com)

Galatians 6:9 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (2/27/2020)...

“It’s only when you stop trying that you truly fail.”

Unknown

Galatians‬ ‭6:9‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

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.

‭‭

Image: Creative Commons (Unsplash.com)

Luke 12:15 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (2/25/2020)...

“The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have.”

Vince Lombardi

Luke‬ ‭12:15‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) ...Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.

‭‭1 John‬ ‭3:17‬ ‭(NLT) If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?

Image: Creative Commons (pxhere.com)

‭‭

Proverbs 28:13 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (2/25/2020)...

“It’s a strange thing...a man digs his own grave and then blames the shovel.”

Proverbs‬ ‭28:13‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.

Proverbs‬ ‭12:15‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.

‭‭

Image: Public Domain/Grave-digger, by Viktor Vasnetsov, 1871.

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (2/24/2020)...

“Never throw in the towel, use it to wipe off the sweat, then keep going.”

‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭15:7‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) But as for you, be strong and courageous, for your work will be rewarded.

1 Corinthians‬ ‭16:13-14‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.

Image: Creative Commons (Unsplash.com)

Psalm 90:17 (NIV)

FROM TODAY’S READING (2/21/2020)...

“If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well.”

Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)

Psalms‬ ‭90:17‬ ‭(NIV‬‬) May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.

‭‭

Proverbs‬ ‭18:9‬ ‭(NIV‬‬) One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.

Ecclesiastes‬ ‭9:10 (NLT) Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.

‭‭

Image: Creative Commons (Flickr.com)

Psalm 30:4-5 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (2/19/2020)...

“Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.”

Unknown

Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭30:4-5‬ ‭(NLT‬‬)

Joshua‬ ‭1:9‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Image: Creative Commons (Unsplash.com)

Proverbs 17:13-14 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (2/18/2020)...

“Family is always more important than the fight. That which ties us together is always greater than what we fight over.”

Kris Langham

Proverbs‬ ‭17:13-14‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) If you repay good with evil, evil will never leave your house. Starting a quarrel is like opening a floodgate, so stop before a dispute breaks out.

‭‭

Image: Creative Commons (Unsplash.com)

2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (2/14/2020)...

“The more familiar acquaintance we have with God the more do we partake of him. He that passes by the fire may have some gleams of heat, but he that stands by it has his colour changed. It is not possible that a man should have any long conference with God and be no whit affected. If we are strangers to God it is no wonder that our faces become earthy.” 

William Bramwell (1759-1818)

2 Corinthians‬ ‭3:16-18‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

2 Corinthians‬ ‭4:6-7‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) 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.

Image: Creative Commons (pxhere.com)

Proverbs 16:1-4 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (2/12/2020)...

“There are different ways to fail to commit whatever we do to the Lord. Some people commit their work only superficially. They say the project is being done for the Lord, but in reality they are doing it for themselves. Others give God temporary control of their interests, only to take control back the moment things stop going the way they expect. Still others commit a task fully to the Lord but put forth no effort themselves, and then they wonder why they do not succeed. We must maintain a delicate balance: trusting God as if everything depended on him, while working as if everything depended on us. Think of a specific effort in which you are involved right now. Have you committed it to the Lord?”

Life Application Bible, 2007, Proverbs 16:3

Proverbs‬ ‭16:1-4‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer. People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives. Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed. The Lord has made everything for his own purposes, even the wicked for a day of disaster.

Image: Creative Commons (pxhere.com)

Proverbs 16:32 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (2/11/2020)...

“Godly strength is not pure muscle and power over others. It is the strength to wait with patience, the strength to hold back your own anger. Patience shows strength.”

Kris Langham

Proverbs‬ ‭16:32‬ ‭(NLT) Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city.

Image: Creative Commons (pxhere.com) 

1 Peter 4:4-5 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (2/10/2020)...

“There is no need to go through life handicapped by past experiences. What others say about you doesn’t matter. How they treated you is inconsequential. The only accurate, eternal, unassailable measure of your worth comes from almighty God, who will one day judge the living and the dead without exception.”

Charles Stanley

 1 Peter‬ ‭4:4-5‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you. But remember that they will have to face God, who stands ready to judge everyone, both the living and the dead.

Image: Creative Commons (Unsplash.com)

Isaiah 41:9-10, 13 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (2/7/2020)...

“Put your faith, hope, and trust in God. Do not look at your circumstances. Commit yourself to doing what He requires of you. Cling to the promises in His Word. Then when desperation pulls at your heart, you can cry out to Him, knowing that He hears your every word and will answer and provide the encouragement you need to hold out in the face of adversity.” 

Charles F. Stanley

Isaiah‬ ‭41:9-10, 13‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying, ‘You are my servant.’ For I have chosen you and will not throw you away. Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand...For I hold you by your right hand— I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.

‭‭

Image: Creative Commons (Unsplash.com)

Psalm 19:1-6 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (2/5/2020)...

“If we traveled at the speed of light—186,000 miles a second or roughly six trillion miles a year—it would take us ten billion years to reach the farthest point we can see with a telescope. But this would still be far from the outermost limits of space...

Then think about the distances of the heavenly bodies from the earth and from each other. Someone has pictured the distances as follows: if it cost a penny to ride 1000 miles, a trip to the moon would cost $2.38, a trip to the sun would cost $930, but a trip to the nearest star would cost $260 million.”

Wm MacDonald (Believer’s Bible Commentary)

Psalms‬ ‭19:1-6‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. 

God has made a home in the heavens for the sun. It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding. It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race. The sun rises at one end of the heavens and follows its course to the other end. Nothing can hide from its heat.

Image: Creative Commons (pxhere.com)

Psalm 19:12-14 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (2/4/2020)...

“As the Scriptures expose us to ourselves and convict us of sins we were previously unaware of, we are prompted to pray for forgiveness from secret faults—faults hidden to ourselves and even to others but not to God. Sin is sin, even if we are ignorant of it. So our confession should always cover hidden sins.

But the Psalm teaches us to pray not only for clearing from unknown sins, but for preservation from presumptuous sins, that is, from sins that are born of pride and self-confidence. Pride was the parent sin of the universe. It led to Lucifer's original rebellion against God. More than anything else, the psalmist feared the dominion of such presumptuous sins in his own life. If he can escape their domination, he writes, he shall be innocent of great transgression—specifically, the great transgression of departing from God and revolting against Him.”

Wm MacDonald (Believer’s Bible Commentary)

Psalms‬ ‭19:12-14 (NLT‬‬) How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Matthew‬ ‭6:9-13‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.

‭‭

Image: Creative Commons (Unsplash.com) 

1 Timothy 1:5 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (2/3/2020)...

“A good conscience is a soft pillow. A guilty conscience is a bed of thorns.”

Old Proverb

 ‭1 Timothy‬ ‭1:5‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.

 ‭1 Peter‬ ‭3:16b-17‬ ‭(NLT‬‬)...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!

Image: Creative Commons (Unsplash.com)