Scripture Snippets

  Acts 27:1-25 1 And when it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to one named Julius, a centurion of the Augustan Regiment. 2 So, entering a ship of Adramyttium, we put to sea, meaning to sail along the coasts of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us. 3 And the next day we landed at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him liberty to go to his friends and receive care. 4 When we had put to sea from there, we sailed under the shelter of Cyprus, because the winds were contrary. 5 And when we had sailed over the sea which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia. 6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing to Italy, and he put us on board. 7 When we had sailed slowly many days, and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, the wind not permitting us to proceed, we sailed under the shelter of Crete off Salmone. 8 Passing it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Ha

  1 Peter 1:22-25 22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, 23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, 24 because “All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, 25  But the word of the Lord endures forever.” Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. If you were researching a topic for school or work, you’d look for a trustworthy article and then consider the writer’s credentials, wouldn’t you? Let’s try the same approach with Scripture. We can trust the Bible because … The Holy Spirit is all-knowing :  In John 16:8-13, Jesus declares that God’s Spirit will come into the world, not only to teach us about sin, righteousness, and judgment but also to “guide [us] into all the truth.” It is God’s omni

  2 Timothy 3:10-17 10 But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, 11 persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. 12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.   You and I know there are many peopl

  Matthew 7:13-14 13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. The broad path is easy to find. In fact, unless you make a conscious choice to avoid it, that’s where you’ll find yourself walking. Most people like this wide road because it’s comfortable, fairly easy, and culturally acceptable. What those who travel the broad road fail to realize is that it doesn’t lead to life. All the “promises” it gives of satisfaction and fulfillment end in disappointment because it’s a path without God. The narrow way, however, follows the direction and desires of the Father. In Matthew 7:14, when Jesus Christ talked about our options, He said, “The way is narrow that leads to life.” And what’s the narrow way? It’s “the way and the truth and the life”—in other words, Jesus Himself (John 14:6). Those who

  Isaiah 26:1-6 Let’s suppose I’ve got a problem that has my stomach in knots with persistent worry. Friends and family try to be understanding, but after a time they grow weary of me taking my anguish out on them. I’m so focused on this issue that it feels as if I’m carrying a heavy load on my shoulders. The Lord offers a liberating alternative: “Cast your burden upon [Me] and [I] will sustain you” (Psalm 55:22). Though He doesn’t erase the ills that invade this life, He instead shields us from the weight of worry by taking our situation into His own hands. However, the call to a peaceful life is impossible without confidence in the Lord. That trust is built through a relationship with Him—praying through trials and triumphs, seeking His guidance, and testing His Word to see that it is true and practical for life. When we’ve experienced God’s faithfulness and believe He will continue to act on behalf of His followers (Isaiah 64:4), that’s when peace is possible. In fact, it is not onl

  Philippians 4:4-9 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. Have you ever thought that a vacation would relieve your anxiety or that you could work out your worries at the gym? I know I have. But the truth is, no one can achieve total freedom from heartache, burdens, or

  Matthew 6:16-24 16 “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is

  James 5:13-18 13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. The New King James Version of James 5:16 says “the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” Effective —that is exactly what we want our prayers to be, especially in crisis. Let’s look more closely at tw

  Psalm 62:1-8 When we’re in the midst of a difficult life event, our instinct is often to react quickly and change things. But God frequently asks us to wait. Take a look at today’s passage. The word wait has a different sense here—it means “pause for further instructions.” It’s not passivity; rather, we must choose to stop our actions and listen for God’s directive. Sometimes the Lord is silent for a season, but He has a purpose. He knows the perfect time for us to act, and until that moment, He wants us to wait. More strength and character are required to be still in the midst of a storm than to frantically seek our own solution. I can tell you that I sometimes wait impatiently, too. There have been times I’ve become nervous and questioned God or complained. But that’s not how Jesus wants us to react. The apostle Paul tells us plainly to “be anxious for nothing” and to pray to the Lord, who offers peace. So we are to pause with patience, trusting in God’s wisdom, love, power, and ti

  Genesis 39:21-23, Genesis 40:1-8 If anyone had reason to be discouraged, Joseph did. He not only endured his mother’s death and his brothers’ hatred but also faced slavery and imprisonment because of false allegations. Yet he was not an angry person. Joseph kept his faith-filled outlook because he consistently relied upon God. When two royal servants were jailed, he acted with compassion and gave them aid. And notice how Joseph didn’t shrink back from speaking boldly about God to these men and to Pharaoh. When the Egyptian leader sought an answer, Joseph told him it would come from the Lord (Gen. 41:16). Joseph’s story reminds us that in hard places, we too can experience our Father’s presence and thrive. You might be “held captive”—by unemployment, ill health, or a difficult relationship—but you can be hopeful because it is God who works in us. And His Holy Spirit will produce godly fruit in us when we depend upon Him (Gal. 5:22-23). Joseph encountered much hardship in his life, but

  Ezekiel 36:22-32 22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. 23 And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord,” says the Lord God, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. 24 For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. 25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. 28 Then you shall dwell

Hebrews 3:7-19 7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you will hear His voice, 8 Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness, 9 Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, And saw My works forty years. 10 Therefore I was angry with that generation, And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways.’ 11 So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ” 12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” 16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? 17 Now with whom

  1 John 4:7-21 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love a

  Luke 5:1-11 So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. 4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man,