Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (5/20/2020)...

“F.E.A.R. has two meanings: ‘Forget Everything And Run’ or ‘Face Everything And Rise.’ The choice is yours.” 

Zig Ziglar (1926-2012)

Isaiah‬ ‭41:10‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) 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.

2 Timothy‬ ‭1:7‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

Psalms‬ ‭56:3‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.

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Galatians 1:10 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (5/19/2020)...

“I was never one who sought to make the small man tall by cutting off the legs of a giant. I wanted to drag no man down to my size. Only to preserve a way of life which might make it possible for me, one day, to elevate myself until I at least partly matched his size.”
Paul Harvey

Galatians‬ ‭1:10‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.

Philippians‬ ‭2:3‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

Galatians‬ ‭6:4-5‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.
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Lamentations 3:22-24 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (5/18/2020)...

“When we are in distress we should, for the encouragement of our faith and hope, observe what makes for us as well as what makes against us. Things are bad but they might have been worse, and therefore there is hope that they may be better...That God's compassions fail not; they do not really fail, no, not even when in anger he seems to have shut up his tender mercies. These rivers of mercy run fully and constantly, but never run dry. No; they are new every morning; every morning we have fresh instances of God's compassion towards us; he visits us with them every morning; every morning does he bring his judgment to light. When our comforts fail, yet God's compassions do not.”

Matthew Henry (1662-1714)

Lamentations‬ ‭3:22-24‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”

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1 Peter‬ ‭1:6-7‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

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Philippians 4:8-9 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (5/15/2020)...

There are a few simple rules that, if followed, will produce happiness...

1) Keep your mind stored with constructive thoughts.

2) Look for the beautiful and pleasant things in life.

3) Adjust yourself to whatever happens in life so as to make the best of it.

4) Have no regrets — live in the present instead of the past.

5) Give every person a square deal, whether he be prince or pauper.

6) Do your job, no matter how humble it may be, with the best efforts you can give.

7) Do something for someone every day.

8) Have faith in yourself, your fellows and God.

Author Unknown

Philippians‬ ‭4:8-9‬ ‭(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. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

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2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (5/14/2020)...

When sorrows come into your life

And threaten to destroy

The very things you treasure most,

Your happiness and joy;

And when that crushing power

Threatens everything worth while,

And clouds of darkness gather

And you find it hard to smile;

Then lift your head and let the world

Hear every word you say.

With faith undaunted say to them:

“This too, shall pass away.”

When you are over-burdened

With life’s toil and earthly care;

When life becomes so dreary

It seems more than you can bear;

When weariness o’ercomes you

And you yearn for peaceful rest,

And trials of the day leave you

Discouraged and depressed;

There is no song within your heart;

You feel you cannot pray;

Then turn your thoughts to gladness for

“This too, shall pass away.”

When fortune smiles upon you,

And your cup of joy is full;

When everything you want is yours,

And life seems wonderful;

When days and weeks go flitting by

With happiness replete;

And you desire nothing more

To make your life complete;

Beware lest all these treasures

Of this earth lead you astray,

And hear again these truthful words:

“This too, shall pass away.”

And so remember well these words,

Whate’er your lot may be,

For life is ever changing–

With such rapidity.

Our gladness turns to sadness

When the sunshine disappears,

And sorrows change to happiness

When God has calmed our fears.

Compared with all eternity,

This life is but one day.

We cling to life, and yet we know

“This too, shall pass away.”

H.L. Frisby

PS: Phrase taken from ancient Persian fable.

2 Corinthians‬ ‭4:16-18‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

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1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (5/13/2020)...

“Many people say they have the right to do whatever they want with their own bodies. Although they think that this is freedom, they are really enslaved to their own desires. When we become Christians, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us. Therefore, we no longer own our bodies. That God bought us ‘with a high price’ refers to slaves purchased at an auction. Christ's death freed us from sin but also obligates us to his service. If you live in a building owned by someone else, you try not to violate the building's rules. Because your body belongs to God, you must not violate his standards for living.”

Life Application Bible (LAB) note

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.

1 Corinthians‬ ‭7:23‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

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2 Corinthians 1:8-11 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (5/12/2020)...

"Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference." 

Max Lucado

"Rather than set aside daily time for prayer, I pray constantly and spontaneously about everything I encounter on a daily basis. When someone shares something with me, I'll often simply say, 'let's pray about this right now.'" 

Thomas Kinkade

2 Corinthians‬ ‭1:8-11‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) We (Apostle Paul and companions) think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety.

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