Scripture Snippets

  Psalm 63:1-8 1 O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. 2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.   3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. 4 Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. 5 My soul shall be satisfied as with [a]marrow and [b]fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.   6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. 7 Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. 8 My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me. The time we spend with God in His Word and prayer has an impact on our daily life. As we focus on the Lord and His power, glory, and favor, our perspective becomes increasingly aligned with His. He becomes greater, and our problems and worries become sm...

  Exodus 4:1-13 Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’ ” 2 So the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.” 3 And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), 5 “that they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” 6 Furthermore the Lord said to him, “Now put your hand in your bosom.” And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, like snow. 7 And He said, “Put your hand in your bosom again.” So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other flesh. 8...

  Read Matthew 1:1-15 As we begin our study of the book of Matthew, we stand at the end of a huge gap in history—a chasm of 400 years. Behind us is the Old Testament and stretching out in front of us like a scroll is the New Testament. It’s been 400 years since Malachi, the last prophet of the Old Testament, had spoken, and after that heaven went silent.  Then one day, a priest named Zechariah was standing at the altar in the temple’s Holy Place in Jerusalem and an angel appeared out of nowhere and announced the birth of John the Baptist, who was to be the forerunner of the Lord Jesus. History was turning. In those 400 years, Scripture is silent. We know from history that it’s a thrilling period—in many ways both terrific and tragic for God’s people. World politics turned and transformed in this 400-year gap. When the Old Testament closed, the Medo-Persian Empire dominated the earth. Egypt also stood tall. Now as the New Testament opens, both had faded from the scene. A new po...

  James 1:5-8 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Do you struggle with anxiety, frustration, and fear? Sometimes these feelings arise when we doubt God’s ability to fix a problem or protect us or a loved one. At other times we’re distressed because we question His willingness to handle a situation. Such uncertainties can develop from a lack of knowledge about God’s character, confusion regarding His promises, or a misunderstanding of His plans. That’s why it’s important to fill our mind with the truths of Scripture. Focusing on the Lord’s sufficiency instead of our circumstances gives us hope and strength. There are many situations that may cau...

  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 a...

  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)....

  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 ...