Strengthened Himself In The Lord

So David and his men came to the city, 

and there it was, burned with fire; 

and their wives, their sons, and their daughters 

had been taken captive. 

Then David and the people who were with him 

lifted up their voices and wept, 

until they had no more power to weep.

Now David was greatly distressed, 

for the people spoke of stoning him, 

because the soul of all the people was grieved, 

every man for his sons and his daughters.

BUT David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.

I Samuel 30:3-4, 6 NKJV

A Fresh Start

“Take a good look, friends, 

at who you were when you got called into this life. 

I don’t see many of “the brightest and the best” among you, 

not many influential, not many from high-society families. 

Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women

that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, 

chose these “nobodies” to expose 

the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”? 

That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by 

with blowing your own horn before God. 

Everything that we have

—right thinking and right living, 

a clean slate and a fresh start—

comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. 

That’s why we have the saying, 

“If you’re going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God.”

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 MSG

Righteousness, Peace, Joy

“... for the kingdom of God 

is not eating and drinking, 

but righteousness 

and peace 

and joy 

in the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 14:17 NKJV

Your Words, A Well Of Life

The mouth of the righteous is 

A WELL OF LIFE

The tongue of the righteous is

CHOICE SILVER

The lips of the righteous

FEED MANY

The mouth of the righteous

BRINGS FORTH WISDOM

The lips of the righteous

KNOW WHAT IS ACCEPTABLE

(Proverbs 10:11a, 20a-21a, 31a-32a NKJV)

Be conscious of your righteous standing in Christ:

You can stand in the Presence of God 

without any sense of guilt, shame or condemnation, 

as if sin never existed. 

And see how your words 

carry weight,

bring clarity,

create, 

and comfort. 

Changed From The Inside Out

“So here’s what I want you to do, 

God helping you: 

Take your everyday, ordinary life

 —your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, 

and walking-around life—

and place it before God as an offering. 

Embracing what God does for you 

is the best thing you can do for him. 

Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture 

that you fit into it without even thinking. 

Instead, fix your attention on God. 

You’ll be changed from the inside out. 

Readily recognize what he wants from you, 

and quickly respond to it. 

Unlike the culture around you, 

always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, 

God brings the best out of you, 

develops well-formed maturity in you.”

Romans 12:1-2 MSG

“What’s Next, Papa?”

“This resurrection life you received from God 

is not a timid, grave-tending life. 

It’s adventurously expectant, 

greeting God with a childlike 

“What’s next, Papa?”

Romans 8:15 MSG

The New Country Of Grace

...That is what happened in BAPTISM. 

When we went under the water, 

we LEFT THE OLD COUNTRY of sin behind; 

when we came up out of the water, 

we ENTERED THE NEW COUNTRY OF GRACE 

—a new life in a new land! 

Rom 6:1 MSG

Sit Still

“Then she said, “Sit still, my daughter, 

until you know how the matter will turn out; 

for the man will not rest 

until he has concluded the matter this day.”

Ruth 3:18 NKJV

Commit it to Him, and then trust Him.

Wide Open Spaces

“By entering through faith 

into what God has always wanted to do for us

—set us right with him, make us fit for him—

we have it all together with God 

because of our Master Jesus. 

And that’s not all: 

We throw open our doors to God 

and discover at the same moment 

that he has already thrown open his door to us. 

We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand

—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, 

standing tall and shouting our praise.”

Romans 5:1-2 MSG

Confused About Life?

“Are you confused about life, 

don’t know what’s going on? 

Come with me, oh come, have dinner with me! 

I’ve prepared a wonderful spread

—fresh-baked bread, roast lamb, 

carefully selected wines. 

Leave your impoverished confusion and live! 

Walk up the street to a life with meaning.”

Proverbs 9:1-6 MSG

The Power Of God At Work

“For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. 

It is the power of God at work, 

saving everyone who believes

—the Jew first and also the Gentile. 

This Good News tells us how God 

makes us right in his sight. T

his is accomplished from start to finish by faith. 

As the Scriptures say, 

“It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

Romans 1:16-17 NLT

I have experienced time and time again 

how this good news about Christ preached/read/heard 

saves, heals and delivers.

My eyes are taken off me and what I must perform, 

and set on Him and what He has done.

I go from worry to trust. 

A sense of worthlessness to knowing that I'm deeply loved. 

Depression to joy.  

Illness to health. 

Brokenness to wholeness.  

Hopelessness to positive expectation of good. 

Wow! The power of God at work!

Breathing Room

“You’ve always given me breathing room, 

a place to get away from it all, 

A lifetime pass to your safe-house, 

an open invitation as your guest. 

You’ve always taken me seriously, God, 

made me welcome among those who know and love you.”

Psalm 61:3-5 MSG