Plans For Hope And Future
Jeremiah 29:11-15
11. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not evil, to give you an expected end.
12. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
13. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
14. And I will be found of you, saith the Lord: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.
15. Because ye have said, The Lord hath raised us up prophets in Babylon;
Be Kind And Compassionate To One Another
Ephesians 4:29-32
29. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
30. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
31. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with malice:
32. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Psalms 51-1-10
1. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2. Wash me thoughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
5. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me know wisdom.
7. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
God's Is Faithful To Forgive Us For Our Sins
1 John 1:5-10
5. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declared unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sins.
8. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
The Lord is My Shepherd
Psalm 23:1-6
1. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2. He maketh me lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Resurrection Of The Dead
1 Corinthians 15:12-22
12. Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you there is no resurrection of the dead?
13. But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
14. And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
15. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so that the dead rise not.
16. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
17. And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
18. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
19. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
20. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept.
Defending Your Faith
1 Peter 3:8-
8. Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethern, be pitiful, be courteous:
9. Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrarwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing
10. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
11. Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensure it.
12. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
13. And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
14. But and if ye suffer for righteousness sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
15. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that askest you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
16. Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
Saved By Gods Grace
Ephesians 2:3-10
3. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6. And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus;
7. That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Jesus Christ.
8. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9. Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Rest For Your Soul
Matthew 11:28-30
28. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
When Thomas Believes In The True Son Of God
John 20:26-31
26. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
27. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless but believing.
28. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
29. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
30. And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
31. But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing might have life through his name.
Keeping Yourself In God's Love
Jude 1:20-21
20. But ye, beloved people, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
21. Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Trust In The Lord Shall Be Safe
Proverbs 29:25
25. The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.
When Trying Of The Faith Worketh Patience
James 1:2-6
2. My brethern, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4. But let patience have her perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
5. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not: and it shall be given him.
6. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a waver of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Hello from Houston
Grace member 2009 to 13
“When your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.” This suggests that your endurance can’t grow without your faith being tested. Much like a runner training to run a marathon. No athlete would just show up on the day of the race without having trained his body to withstand the grueling physicality of a 26 mile marathon. The same goes for our faith being tested. The more we are tested, the more endurance we can withstand. The farther we can go in our faith. If you can’t find joy in that truth, as James says, then what is your faith really in?
Tuesday, July 21 2020-It is not a matter of "if" trouble comes, it is always a matter of "when". So, knowing me & my desire for comfort & pessimistic tendencies, how do I live in the tension of knowing I will be tested by troubles & not knowing when or how? I believe "joy" is the answer or at least a key. Jesus looked forward to the "joy" set before Him, past the trouble of the cross, despising its shame & He received all that is promised to us in these verses - perfection, completion & fullness. Lord, I thank You for Your example, Your Spirit & Your Word.