Scripture Snippets

  John 15:9-17 9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. 17 These things I command you, that you love one another. Jesus promised us His joy, but at ti

  Acts 2:38-39 38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the [a]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” We all fail. Many of us don’t always live as Scripture teaches—and we miss out on the joy and peace that Jesus promised. The reason? We don’t recognize the need to live in the Spirit, so we try to live each day in our own strength. On Pentecost, God’s Spirit came to indwell believers. He is a gift, blessing us in many ways. Let’s consider some of the work He does. The Holy Spirit ... • Convicts us of sin so that we can repent (John 16:8). • Regenerates us. As believers, we’re new beings, alive in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). • Seals us forever as a child of the Almighty (Ephesians 1:13).  • Teaches, guides, and empowers us for the rest of our life (John 14:26).  • Gifts and

  Luke 24:44-49 44 Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” 45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. 46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” Do you remember the book The Little Engine That Could? A small engine keeps repeating the words “I think I can. I think I can.” By using sheer willpower, she pulls an entire train over the mountain. That’s a nice children’s story, but the truth of the Chri

  Colossians 1:9-14 9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. The prayer in today’s reading is a powerful model for any believer. The passage teaches how to pray on behalf of others—and those who do will find themselves changed in the process. In verses 9-10 of this letter, Paul and Timothy say they’ve been

1 John 1:5-10 5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to 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 practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 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. 1 John 2:1-6 2 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. 3 Now by this we know that we know Him, i

  Proverbs 28:13 13 He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. As one of the many warnings in Scripture, Proverbs 28:13 urges God’s people to practice repentance since “whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper” (ESV). But many of us hesitate to comply, since it’s not easy to look at our sin, renounce it, and muster the courage to turn away. The good news is that the proverb finishes by promising, “But he who confesses and forsakes [his wrongdoings] will obtain mercy.” This is the part of repentance we tend to forget: that God doesn’t expect us to do the work without Him, and His presence and compassion are constantly available (Isaiah 41:10). In other words, before we even begin to repent—when we first feel even the smallest inkling of guilt—we can ask the Lord for grace to start. Or, anytime we feel afraid to confront sin, we can request the courage to look inside. And if we’re not ready to turn and walk towards Jesus,

  Matthew 5:13-16 13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Did you know God “wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4)? He wants each of us to live in such a way that we influence others for their spiritual good.  Jesus used two words—salt and light—to illustrate our mission. Salt, which flavors and preserves, permeates the food on which it is sprinkled, causing a significant difference in flavor. Christians are to function the same way, by spreading the appeal of Christ as we interact with people. Ho

  Romans 3:10-12 10 As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. 12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” Some people believe good deeds are like a “get out of hell free” card. But an individual isn’t condemned by God because of things he or she does. Condemnation has to do with the person’s sinful state—in other words, having a nature bent away from the Lord.  We all have a rebellious nature. Observe any two-year-old child who tugs on the lamp cord right after his mom says, “Don’t touch!” His impulse to do what he wants is greater than the desire to please his mother. Not one single person is good enough or wise enough to remain sinless and pleasing before the Lord (Romans 3:23).  As we saw yesterday, God decreed that sin deserves the death penalty. And His Word makes it clear that only a perfect sacrifice is acceptable for making at

Philippians 2:5-8 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Our culture is inclined to enjoy temporary pleasures while disregarding what God says is the price of transgression (Romans 6:23). Even believers—especially those who have known Jesus a long time—can tend to forget what their sin cost Him. But it’s important to remember that for our sake, Jesus suffered ... •  Physical pain. In the hours leading to His crucifixion, the Lord was mocked, beaten, and humiliated. After being forced to carry the cross, He was nailed to it and hoisted up to die an excruciating death.  • Man’s sin. Jesus lived a perfect life on earth. But at the cross of Calvary, the F

  Exodus 3:1-22 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” 4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” 6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God. 7 And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and h

  Exodus 2:11-25 11 Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. 12 So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men were fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, “Why are you striking your companion?” 14 Then he said, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” So Moses feared and said, “Surely this thing is known!” 15 When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well. 16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. And they came and drew water, and they filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17 Then the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses

  1 John 4:7-10 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. Many people simply can’t believe that the Lord loves them. Others think He does, but only when they perform to some imaginary standard of excellence. Why is it so hard for some of us to accept His unconditional love?  One reason is that we have a hard time loving other people without restrictions. The way we show care and acceptance can be shaded by self-interest. Or it might ebb and flow, depending upon the other person’s behavior. The fact that human love can be conditional causes us to wrongly assume that the Lord’s can as well.  A sense of unworthi

  Read Matthew 9:18-22 A confession isn’t always an admission of guilt—it can also be a proclamation of what we know to be true. Confessions of faith are sometimes formal, like the Apostles’ Creed, but they can also be as simple as an unscripted sentence. Consider the woman suffering from a hemorrhage—on approaching Jesus, she said, “If I only touch His cloak, I will get well” (Matthew 9:21). And the man whose son was possessed by an evil spirit proclaimed, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). The woman with the bleeding disorder comes across as confident, and sometimes that’s the benefit a confession of faith provides: assurance of who God is. But it’s also possible her words were spoken more like a prayer or desperate hope to be fulfilled—not unlike the seemingly contradictory statement of the boy’s father. But even as prayers, both of their declarations reveal faith that could serve as an anchor during hardship. And the same is true for us. When we’re feeling lost or hopel

  James 1:19-25 19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. The difference between hearing and doing seems fairly obvious, and yet many people fail to recognize the distinction—or the fact that the two should be more closely related. Take the parent-child relationship, for example. Moms and