Tuesday, March 19, 2024

help comes from...

 Psalm 121

I look up to the mountains—
    does my help come from there?
My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth!

He will not let you stumble;
    the one who watches over you will not slumber.
Indeed, he who watches over Israel
    never slumbers or sleeps.

The Lord himself watches over you!
    The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
The sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon at night.

The Lord keeps you from all harm
    and watches over your life.
The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
    both now and forever.

Monday, March 18, 2024

the Kingdom

Luke 13 

18 Then Jesus asked, 

“What is the kingdom of God like? 

What shall I compare it to? 

19 It is like a mustard seed, 

which a man took and planted in his garden. 

It grew and became a tree, 

and the birds perched in its branches.”


20 Again he asked, 

“What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? 

21 It is like yeast used by a woman making bread.

Even though she used a large amount of flour,

the yeast permeated every part of the dough."

Sunday, March 17, 2024

worrying

Luke 12 

22 Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said, 

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life:

whether you have enough food to eat 

or enough clothes to wear. 

23 For life is more than food, 

and your body more than clothing. 

24 Look at the ravens. 

They don’t plant 

or harvest 

or store food in barns, 

for God feeds them. 

And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! 

25 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 

26 And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, 

what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?

27 “Look at the lilies and how they grow. 

They don’t work or make their clothing, 

yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 

28 And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers 

that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, 

he will certainly care for you. 

Why do you have so little faith?

29 “And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. 

Don’t worry about such things. 

30 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, 

but your Father already knows your needs. 

31 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, 

and he will give you everything you need.

32 “So don’t be afraid, little flock. 

For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.

33 “Sell your possessions and give to those in need. 

This will store up treasure for you in heaven! 

And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. 

Your treasure will be safe; 

no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. 

34 Wherever your treasure is, 

there the desires of your heart will also be.

Saturday, March 16, 2024

keep on

Luke 11 

Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. 

As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, 

“Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

Jesus said, “This is how you should pray:

“Father, may your name be kept holy.
    May your Kingdom come soon.
Give us each day the food we need,
and forgive us our sins,
    as we forgive those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation.”

Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.

“And so I tell you, 

keep on asking, 

and you will receive what you ask for. 

Keep on seeking, 

and you will find. 

Keep on knocking, 

and the door will be opened to you. 

10 For everyone who asks, 

receives. 

Everyone who seeks, 

finds. 

And to everyone who knocks, 

the door will be opened.

11 “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? 12 Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! 

13 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, 

how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

Friday, March 15, 2024

LGLO

Luke10 

25 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: 

“Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”

27 The man answered, 

“‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, 

all your soul, 

all your strength, 

and all your mind.’ 

And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

28 “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”


If we boil down what the man said, it can be stated with just 4 words...

"Love God, love others."

LGLO

Now, that will tattoo! ;-)

Thursday, March 14, 2024

supreme

 

Colossians 1

15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
    He existed before anything was created 

and is supreme over all creation,
16 for through him God created everything
    in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
    and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, 

kingdoms, 

rulers, 

and authorities in the unseen world.
    Everything was created through him 

and for him.
17 He existed before anything else,
    and he holds all creation together.
18 Christ is also the head of the church,
    which is his body.
He is the beginning,
    supreme over all who rise from the dead.
    So he is first in everything.
19 For God in all his fullness
    was pleased to live in Christ,
20 and through him God reconciled
    everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
    by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

21 This includes you who were once far away from God. 

You were his enemies, 

separated from him by your evil thoughts 

and actions. 

22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself 

through the death of Christ in his physical body. 

As a result, 

he has brought you into his own presence, 

and you are holy and blameless 

as you stand before him without a single fault.

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

don't worry

Who needs to read this today, besides me?


Philippians 4

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.

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.