that you keep on doing what we told you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living, spirited dance.

1. THESS 4-5

that you keep on doing what we told you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living, spirited dance.

11-12Stay calm; mind your own business; do your own job. You've heard all this from us before, but a reminder never hurts. We want you living in a way that will command the respect of outsiders

God, who is making you a gift of his Holy Spirit

GOD, I NEED YOUR HOLY SPIRIT TO HELP ME!
I HAVE TO STOP DOING EVERYTHING IN THE FLESH!

Since we're creatures of Day, let's act like it. Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation.

I SPEAK THIS OVER ME: I WALK INTO THE DAYLIGHT SOBER, DRESSED UP IN FAITH, LOVE , AND THE HOPE OF SALVATION!!

And be careful that when you get on each other's nerves you don't snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.

16-18Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.

23-24May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he'll do it!

2. THESS 1-3

Our God gives you everything you need, makes you everything you're to be.

I ALSO NEED TO SPEAK THIS OVER ME!


If your life honors the name of Jesus, he will honor you

May Jesus himself and God our Father, who reached out in love and surprised you with gifts of unending help and confidence, put a fresh heart in you, invigorate your work, enliven your speech.

MAY GOD PUT A FRESH HEART IN ME, INVIGORATE MY WORK, ENLIVEN MY SPEECH!

But the Master never lets us down. He'll stick by you and protect you from evil
I NEED TO HEAR THIS REASSURANCE!

May the Master take you by the hand and lead you along the path of God's love and Christ's endurance.
I AM NOT ALONE IN THIS!!!

I NEED TO TEACH THIS TO MY CHILDREN: "If you don't work, you don't eat."

ROM. 1-4

gift of his life and the urgent task of passing it on to others who receive it by entering into obedient trust in Jesus

But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being.

the God we bless, the God who blesses us

Every time you criticize someone, you condemn yourself


God is kind, but he's not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change.

But if you embrace the way God does things, there are wonderful payoffs, again without regard to where you are from or how you were brought up. Being a Jew won't give you an automatic stamp of approval. God pays no attention to what others say (or what you think) about you. He makes up his own mind.

we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we're in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.

But if you see that the job is too big for you, that it's something only God can do, and you trust him to do it—you could never do it for yourself no matter how hard and long you worked—well, that trusting-him-to-do-it is what gets you set right with God, by God. Sheer gift.

IT COMES DOWN TO FAITH AND TRUSTING GOD!
16This is why the fulfillment of God's promise depends entirely on trusting God and his way, and then simply embracing him and what he does. God's promise arrives as pure gift. That's the only way everyone can be sure to get in on it, those who keep the religious traditions and those who have never heard of them. For Abraham is father of us all. He is not our racial father—that's reading the story backward. He is our faith father.

Abraham was first named "father" and then became a father because he dared to trust God to do what only God could do: raise the dead to life, with a word make something out of nothing. When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn't do but on what God said he would do.

19-25Abraham didn't focus on his own impotence and say, "It's hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child." Nor did he survey Sarah's decades of infertility and give up. He didn't tiptoe around God's promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said. That's why it is said, "Abraham was declared fit before God by trusting God to set him right." But it's not just Abraham; it's also us! The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless. The sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God, set us right with God.

Those who trust in God

PSALM 125

Those who trust in God

1. TESS. 2

but you took it to heart as God's true word to you, which it is, God himself at work in you believers

may the Master pour on the love so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you,

Become what you believe

MT 5-10

8"You're blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

13"Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.
14-16"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

48"In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you."


30-33"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

7-11"Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn't a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we're in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn't think of such a thing. You're at least decent to your own children. So don't you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better?

12"Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God's Law and Prophets and this is what you get.

24-25"These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.
26-27"But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards."


this kind of simple trust

THIS IS WHAT IS REQUIRED, SIMPLE, CHILDLIKE TRUST

Become what you believe

Bring health to the sick.

But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you'll find both yourself and me.

God's strong name is our help

psalm 124

NEVER FORGET:

8 God's strong name is our help, the same God who made heaven and earth.


2. COR. 7-13

Let's make our entire lives fit and holy temples for the worship of God.

Then the God who lifts up the downcast lifted our heads and our hearts
( I LOVE THIS IMAGE)

You let the distress bring you to God, not drive you from him. The result was all gain, no loss.
THIS IS ME HOPEFULLY!

We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.

11-13And that's about it, friends. Be cheerful. Keep things in good repair. Keep your spirits up. Think in harmony. Be agreeable. Do all that, and the God of love and peace will be with you for sure.

MT. 4

People brought anybody with an ailment, whether mental, emotional, or physical. Jesus healed them, one and all

Sing to God a brand-new song,

PSALM 149

Sing to God a brand-new song,

And why? Because God delights in his people, festoons plain folk with salvation garlands!

COL. 15-16

I'm assuming, now, that your belief was the real thing and not a passing fancy, that you're in this for good and holding fast

Haven't I worked hard trying to do more than any of the others? Even then, my work didn't amount to all that much. It was God giving me the work to do, God giving me the energy to do it.

Ignorance of God is a luxury you can't afford in times like these.

Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort

13-14Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions, give it all you've got, be resolute, and love without stopping.

22If anyone won't love the Master, throw him out. Make room for the Master!

So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

1.COR. 13-14

So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut, Doesn't have a swelled head, Doesn't force itself on others, Isn't always "me first," Doesn't fly off the handle, Doesn't keep score of the sins of others, Doesn't revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end.

FATHER, PLEASE SEND ME THE HOLY SPIRIRT TO LIVE LIKE THIS!

13But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

4-5The one who prays using a private "prayer language" certainly gets a lot out of it, but proclaiming God's truth to the church in its common language brings the whole church into growth and strength.

SPEAKING IN TONGUES-FATHER, PLEASE FILL ME UP WITH YOUR HOLY SPIRIT!

18-19I'm grateful to God for the gift of praying in tongues that he gives us for praising him, which leads to wonderful intimacies we enjoy with him.

FATHER, PLEASE GRANT ME YOUR GIFT OF SPEAKING IN TONGUES!

Forget about self-confidence; it's useless. Cultivate God-confidence.

PSALM 122

When they said, "Let's go to the house of God," my heart leaped for joy

To give thanks to the name of God— this is what it means to be Israel.

GIVING THANKS JOYFULLY!

1. COR. 9-12

26-27I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping,

THIS IS NOT MY ATTITUDE, MY PRIORTIES ARE NOT THOSE!

We must never try to get Christ to serve us instead of us serving him;

Forget about self-confidence; it's useless. Cultivate God-confidence.

13No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it.

23-24Looking at it one way, you could say, "Anything goes. Because of God's immense generosity and grace, we don't have to dissect and scrutinize every action to see if it will pass muster." But the point is not to just get by. We want to live well, but our foremost efforts should be to help others live well.

As a matter of fact, do everything that way, heartily and freely to God's glory.

27-28Anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Master irreverently is like part of the crowd that jeered and spit on him at his death. Is that the kind of "remembrance" you want to be part of? Examine your motives, test your heart, come to this meal in holy awe.
29-32If you give no thought (or worse, don't care) about the broken body of the Master when you eat and drink, you're running the risk of serious consequences. That's why so many of you even now are listless and sick, and others have gone to an early grave. If we get this straight now, we won't have to be straightened out later on. Better to be confronted by the Master now than to face a fiery confrontation later.
33-34So, my friends, when you come together to the Lord's Table, be reverent and courteous with one another.

Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits.

WHAT A PROMISE

We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which he has the final say in everything.

JOB 37: So bow to him in deep reverence, one and all! If you're wise, you'll most certainly worship him."

KEEP IT SIMPLE

1. COR. 7-8

Marriage is a decision to serve the other, whether in bed or out. Abstaining from sex is permissible for a period of time if you both agree to it, and if it's for the purposes of prayer and fasting—but only for such times. Then come back together again.

If you are a woman with a husband who is not a believer but he wants to live with you, hold on to him. The unbelieving husband shares to an extent in the holiness of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is likewise touched by the holiness of her husband. Otherwise, your children would be left out; as it is, they also are included in the spiritual purposes of God.

keep it simple:
Even in ordinary things—your daily routines of shopping, and so on. Deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you. This world as you see it is on its way out

He cradles the whole world in his hand!

JOB 35

He cradles the whole world in his hand!

i love this image!

it pays to try to please god! HALLELUJAH!

1.COR 4-6

God's Way is not a matter of mere talk; it's an empowered life.

So let's live out our part in the Feast, not as raised bread swollen with the yeast of evil, but as flat bread—simple, genuine, unpretentious.

Since the Master honors you with a body, honor him with your body!

Or didn't you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don't you see that you can't live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.

to call upon christ

job 34

31For has anyone said to God, I have borne my chastisement; I will not offend any more;
32Teach me what I do not see [in regard to how I have sinned]; if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more?

I NEED TO SAY THIS TO GOD!

GALATIANS 1-6

instead of relying solely or heavily on myself, i need to call more on christ!

9God is faithful (reliable, trustworthy, and therefore ever true to His promise, and He can be depended on); by Him you were called into companionship and participation with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

18For the story and message of the cross is sheer absurdity and folly to those who are perishing and on their way to perdition, but to us who are being saved it is the [manifestation of] the power of God.

A GREAT DEFINITION OF BELIEVING: those who believed (who clung to and trusted in and relied on Him).

A GREAT DEFINITION OF LOVING GOD: love Him [[f]who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed].(C)


12Now we have not received the spirit [that belongs to] the world, but the [Holy] Spirit Who is from God, [given to us] that we might realize and comprehend and appreciate the gifts [of divine favor and blessing so freely and lavishly] bestowed on us by God.

3For you are still [unspiritual, having the nature] of the flesh [under the control of ordinary impulses]. For as long as [there are] envying and jealousy and wrangling and factions among you, are you not unspiritual and of the flesh, behaving yourselves after a human standard and like mere (unchanged) men?

this is me also

there aren't many fathers willing to take the time and effort to help you grow up.

God's Way is not a matter of mere talk; it's an empowered life.

HALLELUJAH!

Since the Master honors you with a body, honor him with your body!

Or didn't you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don't you see that you can't live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.

living espectantly or self-improvement does not work , only trusting in god and his grace!

MK 15

He was one who lived expectantly, on the lookout for the kingdom of God.

i need to live expectantly

17-18"These are some of the signs that will accompany believers: They will throw out demons in my name, they will speak in new tongues, they will take snakes in their hands, they will drink poison and not be hurt, they will lay hands on the sick and make them well."

JOB 28

Then he addressed the human race: 'Here it is! Fear-of-the-Lord—that's Wisdom, and Insight means shunning evil.'"

GALATIANS 1-2

God's plan is that we all experience that rescue. Glory to God forever! Oh, yes!

this great Message I delivered to you is not mere human optimism.

We know very well that we are not set right with God by rule-keeping but only through personal faith in Jesus Christ.

Convinced that no human being can please God by self-improvement, we believed in Jesus as the Messiah so that we might be set right before God by trusting in the Messiah, not by trying to be good.
this is for me!

19-21What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn't work. So I quit being a "law man" so that I could be God's man. Christ's life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not "mine," but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.

If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.

BE FREADY AND KEEP WATCH

MK 13-14

You don't want him showing up unannounced, with you asleep on the job. I say it to you, and I'm saying it to all: Stay at your post. Keep watch.

If? There are no 'ifs' among believers. Anything can happen

MK 9-12
If? There are no 'ifs' among believers. Anything can happen


I LOVE THIS AND IT GIVES ME HOPE!

Unless you accept God's kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you'll never get in

I need to have childlike belief!

Then who has any chance at all?" they asked.
27Jesus was blunt: "No chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it."

it all boils down to trusting god!

"Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you. This mountain, for instance: Just say, 'Go jump in the lake'—no shuffling or shilly-shallying—and it's as good as done. That's why I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you'll get God's everything. And when you assume the posture of prayer, remember that it's not all asking. If you have anything against someone, forgive—only then will your heavenly Father be inclined to also wipe your slate clean of sins."

"Which is most important of all the commandments?"
29-31Jesus said, "The first in importance is, 'Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.' And here is the second: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' There is no other commandment that ranks with these."