Thus says the Lord of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another; do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.

— Zechariah 7:10 NRSV

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. 

— James 1:12, NLT

If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.

— God, Jeremiah 29:13 NLT

The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, peace of mind, or even your happiness. It's far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born BY his purpose and FOR his purpose.

— Rick Warren

When Jesus said these things, a woman with the people there began to speak. She said to Jesus, "What a great blessing God gave your mother, because she gave birth to you and fed you." But Jesus said, "The people that hear the teaching of God and obey it — they are the people that are truly happy!"

— Jesus, Luke 11:27-28 (ERV)

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

— Jesus, John 4:23 TNIV

When birds are sold, five small birds cost only two pennies. But God does not forget any of them. Yes, God even knows how many hairs you have on your head. Don't be afraid. You are worth much more than many birds.

 ~ Jesus, Luke 12:6-7 ERV

But it will be bad for you Pharisees! You give God one-tenth of (everything you own) — even your mint, your rue, and every other little plant in your garden. But you forget to be fair to other people and to love God. These are the things you should do. And you should also continue to do those other things — (like giving one-tenth).

- Jesus, Luke 11:42 ERV

Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail.

- Isaiah 51:6 NIV

When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.

— Titus 3:4-7 NLT

All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means "God is with us").

- Isaiah 7:14 NLT 

No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

- Micah 6:8, NLT

Truthful lips endure forever,
    but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
    but those who plan peace have joy.
No ill befalls the righteous,
    but the wicked are filled with trouble.
Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,
    but those who act faithfully are his delight.

Proverbs 12:19-22 ESV

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

- Ephesians 3:20-21 NLT

Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him. — Jesus, John 14:21 NIV

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. 

— Proverbs 3:3-4 NIV

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 

— Ephesians 2:19-20 NIV

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 

- Ephesians 2:10 NIV

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
 
- Jesus, Matthew 6:33 NLT

For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time - to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.
 
- 2 Timothy 1:9 NLT

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person — though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die — but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. 

And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new Spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, so they will obey my decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God.

- Ezekiel 11:18-19 NLT

For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.

- Romans 8:22-23 NLT

I'm telling you to love your enemies and do good to them. Lend to people without expecting to get anything back. If you do these things, you will have a great reward. You will be children of the Most High (God). Yes, because God is good even to the people that are full of sin and not thankful.

- Jesus, Luke 6:35 ERV

The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

- Romans 8:3-4 NLT

"Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?"

- Isaiah 58:6-7, NRSV

While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it's not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.

- 2 Corinthians 5:4-5 MSG

The LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. 

— Psalm 121:8 NIV

It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life. 2 Corinthians 3:5-6 NLT

For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all. Ephesians 4:4-6 NLT

For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. 2 Corinthians 9:10 NLT

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8 NLT

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all. Isaiah 53:6 NLT

Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10 NLT

O let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
    but establish the righteous,
you who test the minds and hearts,
    O righteous God.

Psalm 7:9 NRSV

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:1-5 ESV

"But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
     They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
     They will walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31 NLT).
 

And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." Luke 1:30-33 ESV

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 ESV

‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us.’ Matthew 1:23

Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. Isaiah 26:4 ESV
 

For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord,
    my confidence since my youth.
From birth I have relied on you;
    you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.
    I will ever praise you.
I have become a sign to many;
    you are my strong refuge.
My mouth is filled with your praise,
    declaring your splendor all day long. Psalm 71:5-8 NIV

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Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 1 John 3:18 ESV

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The law of the Lord is perfect,
     reviving the soul;
the decrees of the Lord are sure,
     making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
     rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is
          clear,
     enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is pure,
     enduring forever;
the ordinances of the Lord are
          true
     and righteous altogether.

Psalm 19:7-9

Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. Romans 13:8 NLT

With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs. Zephaniah 3:17b NLT

We live in stressful times, and stress causes mental and physical illness. Stress causes high blood pressure that leads to heart disease and stroke. Heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death in the world. Learn six ways to reduce stress in this encouraging short video by Gregory A. Johnson, founder of LovingGodFellowship.org.

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 For as the rain and the snow come 

With the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, joblessness caused by the pandemic, and race riots in the streets, America is at a crossroads. Will God help us? Find a key to God’s help in this encouraging video by pastor Gregory A. Johnson, founder of LovingGodFellowship.org.

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But for you who welcome him [the Spirit of Christ], in whom he dwells — even though you still experience all the limitations of sin — you yourself experience life on God's terms. It stands to reason, doesn't it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he'll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ's! — Romans 8:10-11 MSG

For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. Romans 8:16-18 NLT

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 NIV

"Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." — Jesus, John 3:20-21

"You should make much fruit and show that you are my followers. This brings glory to my Father." — Jesus, John 15:8

"I loved you like the Father loved me. Now continue in my love. I have obeyed my Father's commands, and I continue in his love. In the same way, if you obey my commands, you will continue in my love." — Jesus, John 15:9-10 ERV

Every part of Scripture is God-breathed [Spirit-inspired] and useful one way or another -- showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us (MSG).

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

"In that day you will not ask me for anything. I tell you the truth. My Father will give you anything you ask for in my name. You have never asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive. And you will be truly happy. I have told you these things, using words that hide the meaning. But the time will come when I will not use words like that to tell you things. I will speak to you in plain words about the Father. In that day you will ask the Father for things in my name. I am saying that I will not need to ask the Father for you. No! The Father himself loves you. He loves you because you have loved me. And he loves you because you have believed that I came from God." — Jesus, John 16:23-27

For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. — 1 Peter 3:18

"We cannot thank Jesus enough for all he has done for us and all that he is doing for us. He came into our word and made the way to bring us to God. Thank you, Jesus!" — Pastor Gregory A. Johnson, founder of LovingGodFellowship.org

Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit. Ephesians 2:20-22

As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children-- with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. Psalm 103:15-18

"The love of the Lord is forever with the faithful and the righteousness of the Lord is with their descendants. Beloved, be faithful to the Lord and his word. Be faithful." — Pastor Gregory A. Johnson, founder of LovingGodFellowship.org

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O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help. Psalm 86:5

"Never fail to ask the Lord for help. You can do so throughout each day. As we ask the Lord for help, he wraps us in blankets of love and forgiveness, pouring his goodness upon us as we live dependent on him." — Pastor Gregory A. Johnson, founder of LovingGodFellowship.org

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Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. Jeremiah 32:17

"The next time you are tempted to give up on prayer, be reminded that the one you are praying to is the creator of everything. God is able. Nothing is impossible for him." — Pastor Gregory A. Johnson, founder of LovingGodFellowship.org

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Life can be very challenging at times. Stress, panic, and fear threaten to destroy minds and bodies as people struggle to make it from day to day. Watch as Pastor Gregory A. Johnson describes the one reason why you made it through the night and how you will make it through any crises that come your way.

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So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.
Galatians 5:1

"Jesus set us free from the Old Testament law, giving us a new commandment of love — loving God and loving one another. Love God with everything you have and love others as Jesus loves you. It is how you stay free." — Pastor Gregory A. Johnson, founder of LovingGodFellowship.org

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Watch as Pastor Gregory A. Johnson declares that there is hope in a famine of truth and where you will find it.

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God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. 1 Thessalonians 4:7

"It is not optional. We are called to it. In these times of disregard for Scripture, we can do it. God never calls us to do what cannot be accomplished. As we follow Jesus, relying on the Holy Spirit he deposits within us, we live holy lives." — Pastor Gregory A. Johnson, founder of LovingGodFellowship.org

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Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live." Luke 10:25-28

"Jesus sums up that the life of a Christ-follower is all about love, loving God with your whole being and loving others as yourself. This is the fruit of a genuine Christ-follower. According to Jesus, they will inherit eternal life." — Pastor Gregory A. Johnson, founder of LovingGodFellowship.org

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Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. 
Isaiah 43:16, 18-19

"Pray for your needs, knowing that the Lord will make a way for you. Don’t dwell on past failures and mistakes. Pray, expecting a bright future. It may not be in your timing nor the way you imagine, but the Lord is making a way. Follow him." — Pastor Gregory A. Johnson, founder of LovingGodFellowship.org

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[ Fulfilling the Law Through Love ] Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. Romans 13:8

"It is all about Love. God loves us so much, he came into our world — Jesus lived as our example, died for our sins, was resurrected, and gives us eternal life. We live to follow Christ, fulfilling God's word as we love others." — Pastor Gregory A. Johnson, founder of LovingGodFellowship.org.

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And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28

"God brings peace out of chaos, joy out of sorrow, strength out of weakness, endurance out of weariness — he never fails his children who love him. While we are busy with life, he is resting in what he has prepared for us. God is good to us." — Pastor Gregory A. Johnson, founder of LovingGodFellowship.org

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If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:8-9

"We all are sinners, but Jesus has given us his spirit, the Holy Spirit, to help us with our sin problem. So, we have supernatural help available to us and the power of confession. As we confess our sins to Jesus, he not only forgives, but he also cleanses us from all unrighteousness. Thank you, Jesus!" — Pastor Gregory A. Johnson, founder of LovingGodFellowship.org

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Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 107:1

"When we meditate on the goodness of God and his love for us that is never ending and never waning, the result is giving him thanks. God is not only good, but God is good to us, loving us in spite of what we have done or have become. Thank you, Lord!" — Pastor Gregory A. Johnson, Founder of LovingGodFellowship.org
 

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 

"God's love for you was completed at the cross of Christ. Nothing can take his love from you. There is nothing you can do to make God love you any more or any less. It is finished. Live in his Love, allowing it to flow through you." — Pastor Gregory A. Johnson, founder of LovingGodFellowship.org

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

"It's all about love, loving God and people. Without love, we are meaningless. If you want to make a difference today, ask God for the supreme gift of love. Love others as yourself. Love God with everything you have. What the world needs now is love." — Pastor Gregory A. Johnson, founder of LovingGodFellowship.org.

I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. — Jesus, Matthew 16:18

"Jesus is the first to mention the church. He says it is his, that he will build it, and that nothing is able to destroy it. His teachings and actions reveal his church to us. It is made up of Christ-followers who will not be conquered by evil and hate. Not now. Not ever." — Pastor Gregory A. Johnson, founder of LovingGodFellowship.org

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Ephesians 3:20

"As we follow Christ, he makes us more like him. That's our desire—to become more like Jesus. He does this work by his spirit that he deposits within us. It is finished when we leave this earth, becoming more than we can ever imagine or have prayed. The glory is his alone." — Pastor Gregory A. Johnson, founder of LovingGodFellowship.org

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in God's word I hope. Psalm 130:5

"Because I believe God’s word, I wait. Because I long for Jesus to come, I wait. Instead of wishing for, I fully expect God to keep his promises. It keeps me going when I no longer want to go, during the times I think I can wait no longer. I wait." — Pastor Gregory A. Johnson, Founder of LovingGodFellowship.org

My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have rescued. Psalm 71:23

"Thinking of all the Lord has rescued me from, despite my strong-headed stubbornness and spouts of selfish ambition especially when young, ushers joy into my praise. Joy replaces regrets, realizing God has been in control all along, molding and shaping this clay into a vessel for his presence. Rejoice, Beloved, rejoice. God has rescued you!" — Pastor Gregory A. Johnson, founder of LovingGodFellowship.org.

I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word. Psalm 130:5

"You can trust that God will do what he declares in his word. Put your hope in his word and stand on the promises he has given you there. God's word and your faith in it will get you through all that comes your way. You can count on it!" — Pastor Gregory A. Johnson, found of LovingGodFellowship.org.

In [God's] hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of every human being. Job 12:10 NRSV

"Every living thing is the result of God's work. He has created life all around us, giving us the task of stewardship, taking proper care of all life—plant, aquatic, animal, human. May we tend to his creation as he has commanded and be quick to confess and repent when we fall short." — Pastor Gregory A. Johnson, founder of LovingGodFellowship.org

The Bible, God’s word to us, is full of promises. With those promises come conditions. For example, the promise is that our prayers will be answered. The condition attached to that promise is... Learn more in this two-minute encouraging video by Pastor Gregory A. Johnson.

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"Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you." — Apostle Paul

"More in our day than ever, we must protect our mind. Control your thoughts by thinking about all that is good. As we think about good, we will do good. As we do good, God and his peace consume us and any thoughts that threaten peace are defeated—our mind is protected." — Pastor Gregory A. Johnson, founder of LovingGodFellowship.org

I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the Lord sustains me.

"There is one reason why you made it through the night—the Lord sustains you. Your hope rests on it getting better for you, but the good news is that the Lord is here with you now, loving you, caring for you, healing you, and saving you." — Pastor Gregory A. Johnson, founder of LovingGodFellowship.org.

Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me."

"Jesus is relevant to your day today. He gives direction, never steering you wrong. He speaks the truth while others deceive, saying what they think you want to hear. He gives life, both abundant and eternal. Follow Jesus today; he will lead you to the Father." — Pastor Gregory A. Johnson, founder of LovingGodFellowship.org.

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

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But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.

Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.

As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him (ESV).

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! ESV

I will praise you forever, O God, for what you have done. I will trust in your good name in the presence of your faithful people (NLT).

Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow - not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love (NLT).

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (ESV).

For the mountains may depart, 
and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,
says the Lord, who has compassion on you (NRSV).

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth (ESV).

Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning (NLT).

Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand (NLT).

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
God's] mercies never come to an end;
hey are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness (NRSV).

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old (ESV)...

But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God's love (NLT).

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (ESV). 

All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God (NLT).

Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock (ESV).

This is what the LORD says-the LORD who made the earth, who formed and established it, whose name is the LORD: Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come (NLT).

Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body (NLT).

See, God has come to save me. I will trust in him and not be afraid. The LORD GOD is my strength and my song; he has given me victory (NLT).

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him (ESV).

Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit (NLT).

God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God. [God] is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord (NRSV)."

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (ESV).

Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is his name: Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known (ESV).

That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him (NLT)."

Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love (NLT).

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! ESV

Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land (NLT).

But ask the animals, and they will teach you; 
the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you;
and the fish of the sea will declare to you.
Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?
In [God's] hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of every human being (NRSV).

Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! (ESV)

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all (ESV).

But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments (ESV).

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (ESV).

How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you. We have never even heard of another God like you! (NLT)

And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the Lord (NRSV).

I keep the Lord always before me; 
because [the Lord] is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices;
my body also rests secure.

For you do not give me up to Sheol,
or let your faithful one see the Pit.

You show me the path of life.
In your presence there is fullness of joy;
​in your right hand are pleasures forevermore (NRSV).

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake (ESV).

The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims [God's] handiwork. 

Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge.

There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard;

yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world (NRSV).

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you (NLT).

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners (NLT).

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (ESV).

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him (ESV).

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil (ESV).

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us (ESV).

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (ESV).

And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is (NLT). 

Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke (NRSV)?

For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life (NLT).

Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow (NLT).

I try to give to the poor people for love what the rich could get for money. No. I wouldn't touch a leper for thousand pounds; yet I willingly cure him for the love of God. — Mother Teresa

Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord (NRSV).”

Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert (ESV).

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (ESV).

Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples (ESV)!

Beloved, please know today that Jesus loves you. His love for you is demonstrated at the cross. His love for you is complete; it is finished. There is nothing you have done, or can do, that will make him love you any more or any less. Bask in his love today, receiving his forgiveness for all of your confessed sin (1 John 1:9). Love and forgive others, including your enemies, as Christ loves and has forgiven you. — Gregory A. Johnson

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise (ESV)!

And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit (NRSV).

Do you wish to honor the Body of the Savior? Do not despise it when it is naked. Do not honor it in church with silk vestments while outside it is naked and numb with cold. He who said, “This is my body,” and made it so by his word, is the same that said, “You saw me hungry and you gave me no food. As you did it not to the least of these, you did it not to me.” Honor him then by sharing your property with the poor. For what God needs is not golden chalices but golden souls. — John Chrysostom

For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God (ESV).

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (ESV).

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight (ESV).

If in my life I fail completely to heed others, solely out of a desire to be "devout" and to perform my "religious duties," then my relationship with God will also grow arid. It becomes merely "proper," but loveless. — Pope Benedict XVI

I have three words for you today—you are loved. Jesus loves you so much that He died for you on an old, rugged cross. He desires to be your strength today and always. — Gregory A. Johnson

The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net (ESV).

Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears (ESV).

Without God, life has no purpose, and without purpose, life has no meaning. Without meaning, life has no significance or hope. ... The greatest tragedy is not death, but life without purpose. — Rick Warren

Have you thought about His (God) handling of the gospel? God needs to get a message out to the human race, without which they will perish...forever. What's the plan? First, He starts with the most unlikely group ever: a couple of prostitutes, a few fishermen with no better than a second-grade education, a tax collector. Then, he passes the ball to us. Unbelievable. — John Eldredge

The deepest desire of our hearts is for union for God. God created us for union with himself. This is the original purpose of our lives. — Brennan Manning

No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth (NRSV).

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through [God] who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (NRSV).

God is in the business of restoration, and he's been doing it for a long, long time. We're merely his partners, his apprentices. We're working with a pro! Today open your heart and let God's touch bring restoration to those areas of your life that need repair. Then go and touch others with his restoring love. — Amy Nappa

For we know him who said, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay." And again, "The Lord will judge his people." It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (ESV).

For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last [my Redeemer] will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me! (ESV)

The New Testament looks beyond retribution to a vision of justice that is finally satisfied only by the defeat of evil and the healing of its victims, by the restoration of peace and the renewal of hope — a justice that manifests God's redemptive work of making all things new. — Christopher D. Marshall

You are not an accident. Your birth was no mistake or mishap, and your life is no fluke of nature. Your parents may not have planned you, but God did. ... Long before you were conceived by your parents, you were conceived in the mind of God. He thought of you first. It is not fate, nor chance, nor luck, nor coincidence that you are breathing this very moment. You are alive because God wanted to create you! — Rick Warren

I'm not suggesting that we have the power to heal physical conditions with our human fingers. But I do believe there's a healing of the spirit that takes place when we touch others. There's a comfort that can't be found anywhere else but in a touch or a hug. Somehow, God's love and power is shared with others through the simplicity of our physical touch. — Amy Nappa

God's redemptive revelation in Scripture is necessary to saving faith and peace with God. Faith in a risen Savior is necessary if the vague stirrings toward immortality are to bring us to restful and satisfying communion with God. — A. W. Tozer

O Lord, I have heard of your renown, and I stand in awe, O Lord, of your work. In our own time revive it; in our own time make it known; in wrath may you remember mercy (NRSV).

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God (ESV).

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (ESV).

Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together (NRSV).

The blessed and inviting truth is that God is the most winsome of all beings and in our worship of Him we should find unspeakable pleasure. — A. W. Tozer

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (ESV).

Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together (NKJV).

The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; for [the Lord] has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers (NKJV).  

Let us leave a little room for reflection in our lives, room too for silence. Let us look within ourselves and see whether there is some delightful hidden place inside where we can be free of noise and argument. Let us hear the Word of God in stillness and perhaps we will then come to understand it. — Augustine

[God] shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more (NKJV).

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands (ESV).

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart (ESV).”

A blind, anemic, weak-kneed flea on crutches would have a greater chance of defeating a herd of a thousand wild stampeding elephants, than the enemy has of defeating God. — Ray Comfort

Jesus is our mouth, through which we speak to the Father; He is our eye, through which we see the Father; He is our right hand through which we offer ourselves to the Father. Unless He intercedes, there is no intercourse with God. — St. Ambrose

You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord (ESV).

[God] shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more (NRSV).

Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the Lord; exult before him! Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation (ESV).

Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is great: [God] was revealed in flesh, vindicated in spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory (NRSV).

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." (NLT)

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (ESV).

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen (ESV).

The word of God is a tree of life that offers us blessed fruit from each of its branches. It is like that rock which was struck open in the wilderness, from which all were offered spiritual drink. — Ephrem the Syrian

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (ESV)

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge (ESV).

And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children" (NRSV).

Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night (ESV).

I will praise you forever, O God, for what you have done. I will trust in your good name in the presence of your faithful people (NLT).

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all (ESV).

Knowledge of God can be fully given to man only in a Person, never in a doctrine. Faith is not the holding of correct doctrine, but personal fellowship with the living God. — William Temple

But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments (ESV).

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land (ESV).

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (ESV).

Not only do we not know God except through Jesus Christ; We do not even know ourselves except through Jesus Christ. — Blaise Pascal

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them (ESV).

God will be the covenant God of his people world without end. There is no other God, we wish for no other, we would have no other even if other there were. Throughout life, and to our dying couch, he will lead us to the living fountains of waters. — Charles H. Spurgeon

[ The Whole Armor of God ] Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil (ESV).

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him (ESV).

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! (ESV).

It is not that we keep His commandments first, and that then He loves; but that He loves us, and then we keep His commandments. This is that grace, which is revealed to the humble, but hidden from the proud. — St. Augustine of Hippo

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (ESV).

The only saving faith is that which casts itself on God for life or death. — Martin Luther

God has reserved to Himself the right to determine the end of life, because He alone knows the goal to which it is His will to lead it. It is for Him alone to justify a life or to cast it away. — Dietrich Bonhoeffer

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him (ESV).

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him (ESV).

Nails were not enough to hold God-and-man nailed and fastened on the Cross, had not love held Him there. — Catherine of Siena

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved (ESV).

We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed. — Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection

In the twilight of life, God will not judge us on our earthly possessions and human successes, but on how well we have loved. — John of the Cross

For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time — to show us his grace through Christ Jesus (NLT).

I believe that appreciation is a holy thing, that when we look for what's best in the person we happen to be with at the moment, we're doing what God does; so in appreciating our neighbor, we're participating in something truly sacred. — Fred Rogers

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them (NLT).

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise (NLT).

When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life (NLT).

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land (NIV).

"Although Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and be thankful for everything that God has so graciously provided, enjoying it has no relation to the abundance of what we have, or what we lack." ​Continue Reading >>

-- Gregory A. Johnson

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (NIV).

"There is nothing that we can see on earth which does not either show the wretchedness of man or the mercy of God. One either sees the powerlessness of man without God, or the strength of man with God." — Blaise Pascal

Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, "My purpose shall stand, and I will fulfill my intention" (NRSV) 

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn. - John Muir

All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever (NIV).

I [Darius King of Persia] issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions (NIV).

For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. (NRSV)

A true love of God must begin with a delight in his holiness, and not with a delight in any other attribute; for no other attribute is truly lovely without this.

-- Jonathan Edwards

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.

-- 1 John 1:5-6 NIV

Then a cloud came and covered them. A voice came from the cloud and said, "This (Jesus) is my Son and I love him. Obey him!"

-- Mark 9:7 ERV

"No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord’, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more."

-- Jeremiah 31:34 NRSV

"[God] raises up the poor from the dust; [God] lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them [God] has set the world."

-- 1 Samuel 2:8 NRSV

I believe that the greatest way to break the cycle of poverty is through providing a means for children to receive adequate education. In the next several weeks, children will be heading back to school, with many of them coming from families that are poor. These children go to school without adequate supplies to aid in their learning. We want to help all that we can by providing school supplies to these children. If you are able to help in this endeavor, will you join other Christ-followers and click here, giving a donation to this cause today?

My prayer is for God to bless you in your continued generosity. His word declares, “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25, NIV).

Know that you are loved, 

​Rev. Gregory A. Johnson
Founder and President
LoivingGodFellowship.org

"I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in."

-- George Washington Carver

"See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

-- 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 NRSV

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ...

-- Romans 5:1 NIV

The moment Jesus came up out of the baptismal waters, the skies opened up and he saw God’s Spirit -- it looked like a dove -- descending and landing on him. And along with the Spirit, a voice: “This is my Son, chosen and marked by my love, delight of my life.”

-- Matthew 3:16-17 msg

"But ask the animals, and they will teach you; the birds of the air, and they will tell you; ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In [God's] hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of every human being."

-- Job 12:7-10 NIV

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.

-- John 4:23-24 NIV

For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too.

-- Romans 14:17-18 NLT

Then Jesus said to the followers, "Tell all the people to sit in groups on the green grass." So all the people sat in groups. There were about 50 or 100 people in each group. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish. He looked up to the sky and thanked God for the bread. Then Jesus divided the bread and gave it to his followers. Jesus told his followers to give the bread to the people. Then Jesus divided the two fish and gave the fish to the people. All the people ate and were full.

-- Mark 6:39-42 ERV

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.

-- Romans 8:16 tniv

"Let us leave a little room for reflection in our lives, room too for silence. Let us look within ourselves and see whether there is some delightful hidden place inside where we can be free of noise and argument. Let us hear the Word of God in stillness and perhaps we will then come to understand it."

-- Augustine of Hippo

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

-- James 4:7-8 NIV

My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

-- Proverbs 3:11-12 NIV

The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

-- Romans 8:3-4 nlt

For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.

-- 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 NIV

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.

-- Galatians 4:4

And we have received God's Spirit (not the world's spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit's words to explain spiritual truths.

-- 1 Corinthians 2:12-13 nlt

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.

-- 1 Peter 3:18 tniv

by Gregory A. Johnson

Not just during the Easter season, but each day, we are confronted with the cross of Christ and the empty tomb. What do they mean? Why are they so significant?

In the 1800's Ralph E. Hudson wrote the chorus to the sacred hymn, At the Cross: "At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, and the burden of my heart rolled away. It was there by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day!"

• At the cross, we realize how much God loves us (Romans 5:8).
• At the cross, we are justified and saved from God’s wrath (Romans 5:9).
• At the cross, we are reconciled to God (Romans 5:10).
• At the cross, we experience forgiveness of sins (Luke 23:34).

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But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

-- Romans 3:21-22 NIV

God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace.

-- 1 Peter 1:2 nlt

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you -- even Jesus.

-- Acts 3:19-20 NIV

Don't you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

-- 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 nlt

And we, who with unveiled faces all [contemplate and] reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

-- 2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

-- John 3:16-17 NIV

No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

-- Micah 6:8, NLT

"That you need God more than anything, you know at all times in your heart. But don’t you know also that God needs you — in the fullness of [God's] eternity, you?"

-- Martin Buber

All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith."

-- Galatians 3:10-11 NIV

Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are -- face to face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.

-- 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 msg

"Surely [God's] salvation is at hand for those who fear [God], that [God's] glory may dwell in our land. Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other. Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky."

-- Psalm 85:9-11 NRSV

And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new Spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, so they will obey my decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God.

-- Ezekiel 11:18-19 nlt

"Dependence on God may be what is lacking in a society where consumerism and accumulation have become the root diseases of a world in which everything is not enough and nothing satisfies."

-- Joan Chittister, from The Rule of Benedict: A Spirituality for the 21st Century (Spiritual Legacy Series)

I’ll give you a new heart, put a new Spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed. I’ll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands.

-- God, Ezekiel 36:26-27 msg

"For me it is essential to have the inward peace and serenity of prayer in order to listen to the silence of God, which speaks to us, in our personal lives and in the history of our times, about the power of love."

-- Adolfo Pérez Esquivel

If I can't believe that the spacecraft I fly assembled itself, how can I believe that the universe assembled itself? I'm convinced only an intelligent God could have built a universe like this.

-- Jack Lousma

Daniel replied, "No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries."

-- Daniel 2:27-28, NIV

by Gregory A. Johnson

Every year, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and continues until Easter. Spanning approximately six weeks, it is a wonderful season on the Christian calendar, being observed by Christ’s followers, Protestants and Catholics alike, who desire to fast something in recognition of our Lord's sacrifice for us.

It is good to give the cost of what is given-up during Lent to the work of the ministry, and the time associated with what you give up to works of faith and justice (Isaiah 58:6-11 ESV).

What are you giving up for Lent? The Spirit within you will help you decide as you pray and ask the Lord.

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I am thankful that we are one day closer to the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. Media has utilized the date-setting false prophets of our day to desensitize society to the reality of the return of Christ, but that does not negate its truth. I feel the Holy Spirit compelling me, more and more, to remind people that Christ is returning as he promised, and we are to always be ready.

So many in our day, both inside and outside the walls of the church building, base what is right from wrong on what feels good, what is socially acceptable, what media and Hollywood suggests, instead of on Scripture. They are not hearing much different coming from behind the pulpits, and they are not reading the Bible on their own. Many go to church and only hear about receiving God's blessings. This bless-me-and-all-that-I-do message mimics many of the books written today by popular television preachers. Continue Reading >>

-- Jesus Christ Will Return, by Gregory A. Johnson

And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

-- Romans 5:5 NLT

Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.

-- Joel 2:13 NIV

Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. But we don't need to write to you about the importance of loving each other, for God himself has taught you to love one another.

-- 1 Thessalonians 4:8-9 nlt

We must offer ourselves to God like a clean, smooth canvas and not worry ourselves about what God may choose to paint on it, but at each moment, feel only the stroke of His brush.

-- Jean Pierre de Caussade

"I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live."

-- God, Deuteronomy 30:19 NRSV

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

-- Genesis 1:26, NIV

But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

-- 2 Timothy 3:14-17, NLT

To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy -- to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

-- Jude 1:24-25 NIV

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities -- his eternal power and divine nature -- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

-- Romans 1:20 NIV

And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

-- Ephesians 4:30 nlt

"[God] shall judge between many peoples, and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more;"

-- Micah 4:3 NRSV

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

-- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 tniv

Every time you trust God's wisdom and do whatever he says, even when you don't understand it, you deepen your friendship with God.

-- Rick Warren

But from there you will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him.

-- Deuteronomy 4:29, NLT

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

-- 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 NIV

"O Lord, you will hear the desire of the meek; you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed, so that those from earth may strike terror no more."

-- Psalm 10:17-18 NRSV

There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person and it can never be filled by any created thing. It can only be filled by God, made known through Jesus Christ.

-- Blaise Pascal

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

-- Ephesians 3:20-21 tniv

You were planned for God's pleasure. ... God did not NEED to create you, but he CHOSE to create you for ... his benefit, his glory, his purpose, and his delight.

-- Rick Warren

God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

-- 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 nlt

"I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!"

-- Psalm 27:13-14 NRSV

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

-- Romans 8:26-27 tniv

"The work of God is the calling of a people, whether in the Old Covenant or the New… That men and women are called together to a new wholeness is itself the work of God, which gives meaning to history.”

-- John Howard Yoder

Walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.

--Deuteronomy 5:33 NIV

The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

-- Hebrews 1:3

[Jesus said,] "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

-- Luke 11:13 tniv

The Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begins with what the prophet Isaiah said would happen. Isaiah wrote: "Listen! I (God) will send my helper ahead of you. He will prepare the way for you." "There is a person shouting in the desert: 'Prepare the way for the Lord. Make his paths straight.'"

-- Mark 1:1-3 (ERV)

He [the Word, Jesus] was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

-- John 1:2-3

He (Jesus) gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.

-- 1 Timothy 2:6, NLT

The next time you find yourself alone in a dark alley facing the undeniables of life, don't cover them with a blanket, or ignore them with a nervous grin. Don't turn up the TV and pretend they aren't there. Instead, stand still, whisper his name, and listen. He is nearer than you think.

-- Max Lucado

"Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith for ever; who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free;"

-- Psalm 146:5-7 NIV

"For [God] delivers the needy when they call, the poor and those who have no helper. [God] has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. From oppression and violence [God] redeems their life; and precious is their blood in [God's] sight."

-- Psalm 72:12-14

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

-- Ephesians 5:1-2 NIV

Faith is unutterable trust in God, trust which never dreams that He will not stand by us.

-- Oswald Chambers

And don't forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.

-- Hebrews 13:16, NLT

God's touch in our lives is kind ... Romans 2:4 says that it's God's KINDNESS -- not his power or justice -- that leads us to repentance. ... And because of this kindness, we want to be closer to him.

-- Amy Nappa

And Jesus Christ was revealed as God’s Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross -- not by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit, who is truth, confirms it with his testimony.

-- 1 John 5:6 nlt

My dear friends, don't believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world. Here's how you test for the genuine Spirit of God. Everyone who confesses openly his faith in Jesus Christ -- the Son of God, who came as an actual flesh-and-blood person -- comes from God and belongs to God. And everyone who refuses to confess faith in Jesus has nothing in common with God. This is the spirit of antichrist that you heard was coming. Well, here it is, sooner than we thought!

-- 1 John 4:1-3 msg

Those who willingly receive God’s grace are forever transformed. They cease to do whatever they want to do and begin to do what Jesus Christ has for them to do. They no longer live for self; they deny self and follow Christ.

There is no better example of this transformation than the one recorded in Acts 9:1-9 of God’s word. A dramatic, definable, and undeniable change takes place in Saul, who would later be named the Apostle Paul.

Saul was living for self, believing in his interpretation of Old Testament Scripture and the prophets. Jesus did not fit Saul’s understanding of what the Scripture said of the Messiah. Saul and his religious buddies believed that the teachings and claims of Jesus were radical and threatened changes to the Law and the Temple. Saul was at the trial of Stephen where the frustrations of the religionists with the early Christ-followers came to a violent climax and ended in the stoning death of Stephen (Acts 6:8-7:60).

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"Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of [God’s] people [God] will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for [God], so that [God] might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in [God's] salvation."

-- Isaiah 25:8-9 NRSV

Does God indeed need to rest? Of course not! But did God choose to rest? Yes. Why? Because God subjected creation to a rhythm of rest and work that He revealed by observing the rhythm Himself, as a precedent for everyone else. In this way, He showed us a key to order in our private worlds.

-- Gordon McDonald

Jesus said to the Sadducees, "On earth, people marry each other. Some people will be worthy to be raised from death and live again after this life. In that life they will not marry. In that life people are like angels and cannot die. They are children of God, because they have been raised from death. Moses clearly showed that people are raised from death. When Moses wrote about the burning bush, he said that the Lord is 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' {If God said he is their God, then} these men are not really dead. He is God only of living people. All people that belong to God are alive." Some of the teachers of the law said, "Teacher, your answer was very good." No person was brave enough to ask him another question.

-- Luke 20:34-40 ERV

No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.

-- 1 John 4:12, NLT

Some people think that faith is believing that God will do what you want him to do—if you pray and believe, God will act in the way you want him to act on behalf of your situation or circumstance. They have been taught that if you mix some fasting with praying and believing, you can really get God’s attention, and he will do more of what you want him to do. With this type of thinking, glory is given to the individual who can supposedly move God into action. A true move of God will be in such a way that only God receives the glory.

Faith is believing that God will keep his word, doing what is right because he is in control and loves his children. It is in prayer where we receive more of his grace and mercy in our time of need as we release all of our worries and anxieties to him. Our human nature tries to hold on to them, but his nature is to bear them all if we just release them to him.

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Don't grieve God. Don't break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don't take such a gift for granted.

-- Ephesians 4:30 msg

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age...

— Titus 2:11-12 NIV

When the followers heard this, they were very surprised. They asked, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at his followers and said, "This is something that people cannot do themselves. But God can do all things."

— Matthew 19:25-26 ERV

"Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals I will not look upon. Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters; and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." -

-- Amos 5:22-24 NRSV

We fear the search for who we are. Perhaps because we're afraid that having located our true souls, we might not like ourselves that much. So, we shrink to step across the threshold to our inner selves and invite God in.... But no matter how we love the busy world of our relationships, the fast-action theater of our noisy and hurried lives at last empties out. Then we find ourselves in lonely cells of bulky silence that compels us to turn from the outer things and face our inner selves -- and our mighty God. (A Hunger for the Holy: Nuturing Intimacy with Christ )

-- Calvin Miller

In the Kingdom, all people will live out the life God planned for them whe He first created the human race. In the Kingdom, family life, economic life, and political life will be lived out in accord with the plan of God.

-- Tony Campolo

God has made a way for us to have eternal life through Jesus Christ. We can walk with Him every day, and one day He will take us to be with Him forever. God taking Enoch typifies the great gathering in the sky with the LORD that is to come for Christ-followers. Read more...

Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.

-- 2 Corinthians 2:14

As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children-- with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

-- Psalm 103:15-18 NIV

God's wounds cure, sin's kisses kill.

-- William Gurnall

"In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. Then Peter remembered and said to [Jesus], ‘Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.’ Jesus answered them, ‘Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you."

-- Mark 11:20-23 NRSV

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

-- James 1:17 NIV

Peter said, "Look, we left everything we had and followed you!" Jesus said, "I tell you the truth. Every person that has left his home, wife, brothers, parents, or children for God's kingdom will get much more than he left. That person will get many times more in this life. And after that person dies, he will live with God forever."

-- Luke 18:28-30 ERV

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

-- Hebrews 11:6 NIV

Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.

-- Amos 5:14 NIV

This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other."

-- Zechariah 7:9-10 NIV

Beloved, you can trust the LORD to help you. In the midst of trials and afflictions, be quick to cry out to the LORD for help. His help will come as you wait on Him. As you wait for the help that He is bringing, reflect on all the things that He has brought you through in the past. He did it before; He will do it again. As others see you place your trust in the LORD, they also will learn to place their trust in the LORD. Read more...

Some of the Pharisees asked Jesus, "When will the kingdom of God come?" Jesus answered, "God's kingdom is coming, but not in a way that you will be able to see with your eyes. People will not say, 'Look, God's kingdom is here!' Or, 'There it is!' No, God's kingdom is inside you."

-- Luke 17:20-21 ERV

Then I saw a Lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered, but it was now standing between the throne and the four living beings and among the twenty-four elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the sevenfold Spirit of God that is sent out into every part of the earth.

-- Revelation 5:6 NLT

Have you been called to go out on a limb for God? You can bet it won't be easy. Limb-climbing has never been easy. Ask Joseph. Or, better yet, ask Jesus. He knows better than anyone the cost of hanging on a tree. -- Max Lucado