Scripture Snippets

  Read Psalm 145 When difficulties arise, what becomes your main focus—the problem, its impact on you, or its effect on others? When trouble occurred in David’s life, he meditated on the Lord’s sufficiency and His good, pleasing, and perfect will. That focus is evident not only in today’s psalm but in others as well: throughout his life, David poured out his troubles to the Lord and also continually turned his attention back to the Father. The result was strength and hope for his soul.  Because David had a trusting relationship with God, he dealt with trials by anticipating divine help. For example, his impending fight with Goliath brought to mind God’s past and present delivering power (1 Samuel 17:37). In facing King Saul’s murderous threats and advances, David relied on the Lord’s protection as his refuge and fortress (Psalm 18:2). And when grieving over the loss of loved ones, he let God’s presence and comfort fill his heart and mind (1 Samuel 30:3-6).  As was the cas...

  Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 9 Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. 11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? 12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Even with all the differences in churches, most have one feature in common: chairs or pews all facing one direction. Yes, we should all be positioned to pay attention to the sermon, but we also need to turn around and see the faces of our fellow worshippers. God gathers us so we can walk together on our journey of faith (1 Thessalonians 5:11-18). We need each other in order to grow—to help and be helped (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). Take time to notice and appreciate the people God has put in your life. Especially consider those who are different from you—individuals y...

2 Corinthians 5:1-10 1 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. 9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each o...

  John 5:22-24 22 For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 23 that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. 24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. Anyone who’s been in a courtroom knows the atmosphere of authority and fear that surrounds the judge as he or she takes a seat. One day, everyone will face the ultimate Judge—the Lord Jesus Christ. When we approach Him, we’ll be standing before the One who is perfectly righteous and just. He is impartial and will make decisions with all wisdom and complete knowledge. His standard for justice is truth, not opinion. Jesus, who’s been given this job by His heavenly Father, is perfect for the position: He can sympathize with our weaknesses and understands our temptations because He, too, ...

  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. We live in a culture inundated with anxiety and fear, where people make a habit of worrying because it provides a false sense of control. But Christians don’t have to give in to these feelings, as we have a Savior w...

  Matthew 6:25-34 25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father ...

  Read Matthew 1:16-2:11 If there was one thing Herod the Great would not tolerate, it was competition. When these wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, Herod took notice. For many years, the wise men had been studying the stars and had seen something remarkable in them about a coming king which pointed them to Jerusalem. We don’t know why they associated a star with a king, nor how they identified it with Israel. The only related prophecy we know of is Numbers 24:17 when Balaam said about the nation Israel, “A Star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel.” The star and the scepter go together—these wise men came out of the mysterious east in their search. The prophecies of Daniel, given in that section of the world, also revealed almost the exacttime when Christ was to be born. So when the wise men saw this unusual star, they knew what it meant.  The wise men’s arrival in Jerusalem disturbed King Herod and the whole city. The question has always been, ...