Month: March 2022

Scripture on Ambition

“Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with you hands, just as we instructed you before. Then people who are not Christians will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others.” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, NLT)

“But if you are bitterly jealous and there is a selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom… For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and all evil of every kind.” (James 3:14-16, NLT)

Scripture on Abilities

“In His grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has give you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gifts is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. And if you have a gift for showering kindness to others, do it gladly.” (Romans 12:6-8, NLT)

“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ.” (Ephesians4:11-12, NLT)

Scripture on Discipline

“My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when He corrects you. For the Lord corrects those He loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom He delights.” (Proverbs 3:11-12, NLT)

“No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening – it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.” (Hebrews: 12:11, NLT)

Scriptures for Comfort

“‘Comfort, comfort My people,’ says Your God. Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in power. He will rule with a powerful arm. See, He brings His reward with Him as He comes. He will feed His flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in His arms, hold them close to His heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.” (Isaiah 40:1, 10-11, NLT)

“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God all shower us with His comfort through Christ.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-5, NLT)

Scripture to Overcome Boredom

“So let’s not get tire of doing good. At just the right time we will eat a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” (Galatians 6:9, NLT)

“Our great desire is that you will keep loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.” (Hebrews 6:11-12, NLT)

Kindness to One Another

“Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32, NLT)

“A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and be patient with difficult people.” (2 Timothy 2:24, NLT)

Peace in These Uncertain Times

There is no doubt that we are living in uncertain times. The Russian/Ukraine war, soaring gas prices, and bare shelves of many items at the grocery store as well as increase in the cost of many items.

There are many ways that we can be frugal. Try to combine your usual errands and shopping to one day of the week in order to save fuel. When driving, do not accelerate fast and drive slower to increase your gas mileage. When possible, select store brands decrease the cost of your grocery bill. Lower or increase your thermostat in your home depending on the season conservatively.

But most important of all is to give your anxiety and worries to God. We are not in control of our situation, God is sovereign and is in the ultimate control.

“God is our refuge and our strength, alway ready to help in times of trouble.” (Psalm 46:1, NLT)

“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.” (Philippians 4:6-7, NLT)

“So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time, He will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares for you.

Say alert! Watch 0ur for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm agains him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going though the same kind of suffering you are.” (2 Peter 5: vv. 8-10, NLT)

Excerpts from Exodus 19

“Exactly two months after the Israelites left Egypt, they arrived in the wilderness of Sinai. After breaking camp at Rephidim, they set up camp there at the base of Mount Sinai.

Then Moses climbed up the mountain to appear before God. The Lord called to him from the mountain and said, ‘Give these instructions to the family of Jacob; announce it to the descendants of Israel: You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now if you will obey Me and keep My covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs go Me. And you will be My kingdom of priests, My holy nation. This the message that you must give to the people of Israel.’ (Exodus 19: vv. 1-6, NLT)

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I will come to you in a thick cloud, Moses, so the people themselves can hear Me when I speak with you. Then they will always trust you.’

Moses told the Lord what the people had said. Then the Lord told Moses, ‘Go down and prepare the people for My arrival. Consecrate them today and tomorrow, and have them wash their clothing. Be sure they are ready on the third day, for on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai as the people watch. Mark off a boundary all around the mountains. Warn the people,’Be Careful! Do no go up on the mountain or even touch its boundaries. Anyone who touches the mountain will certainly be put to death.'” (Exodus 19: vv. 9-13, NLT)

“On the next morning of the third day, thunder roared and lightning flashed, and a dense cloud cam down on the mountain. There was a long, loud blast from a ram’s horn, and all the people trembled. Moses led them out from the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it The smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a brick kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently. As the blast of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God thundered his reply.” (Exodus 19: vv. 16-19, NLT0

“But the Lord said, ‘Go down and bring Aaron back up with you. In the meantime, do not let the priests or people break through to approach the Lord, or He will break out and destroy them.” (Exodus 19:24, NLT)


Devotion

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind He will find acceptable. This its truly the way to worship Him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing at the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for your, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”(Romans 12:1-2, NLT)