Psalm 95: 6-7 ” Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care.”

We are the sheep under the watchful eye of the Good Shepherd.  Ever protected and cared for, we need not wander away from His ever present safety and security.  Thank you Lord for being such  a good Father.

Daniel 9:18 ” We do not make requests of You because we are righteous, but because of Your great mercy.”

We are unfaithful…but He is ever faithful to us.  We are mean-spirited and unfair to others…but He is always compassionate and gracious towards us.  We are judgmental and unmerciful…but He is ever full of grace and loving kindness.

Proverbs 22:6 ” Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”

As Job mused in Chapter 12:12, “Is not wisdom found among the aged?”  Sometimes it will take until a child has matured to adulthood that they finally grasp all the Godly instruction they’ve received at home.  From early on, we try to impress on our children the importance of living a life for Jesus…but many times it seems like it falls on deaf ears.  But don’t give up, for this is a scripture with a promise for all parents.  Keep pouring good into your children…and good will come out.

I Samuel 1:10 ” In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord.”

Hannah wasn’t just upset…she wasn’t just sad.  Hannah  was totally heartbroken  and in  anguish for  what she saw as insurmountable odds.  From  deep within her being she poured out her soul…pleading for God’s mercy.  And the Lord heard her and moved.  You may be feeling as hopeless as Hannah today, but remember,  God is listening to your prayer and He will move.

I Corinthians 13:12 ” Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”

Who can understand God?  Who can comprehend His ways or grasp His greatness?  What we perceive now falls so pathetically far from what we’ll then realize…when we’re face to face.

Isaiah 61:11 ” For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden cause seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.”

Just as the warming soil causes things to germinate and bud, so the Lord causes His power to be shown before all the earth…His honor and glory on grand display for all to see.  For as the mystery of life is unveiled each Spring…God’s goodness and majesty is made evident  the world over.

Matthew 16:26 ” What good will it be for man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? “

In this  passage Jesus is being very blunt…we can’t work our way into heaven.  No amount of riches we’ve amassed will do…no worldly commodity, can be exchanged for the gift of salvation.

Psalm 63:1 ” O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

David wrote this Psalm while in the desert…and sometimes we travel through our own desert.  Those periods of dryness, when everything seems empty, parched and withered…those times when God seems so far away.   But be encouraged…God’s showers are coming!  Showers of blessings flowing down and filling your soul with living water.  Your emptiness will be filled, and because of those abundant blessings,  new life will spring forth from within.

Joshua 24:31 ” Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who out lived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel.”

Moses had mentored Joshua as his successor…but Joshua had failed to do the same…and as a result, the next generation after Joshua’s death succumbed to idolatry.  God’s people are always just one generation away from turning their backs on everything their parents and grandparents believed in.  Todays  Church needs to be focusing on young people…drawing them in, encouraging, and disciplining them, for they will be the ones carrying the Word of God on in the future.

Luke 12: 15 ” Then He said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’ “

Jesus was warning us to be careful of  forsaking God in the pursuit of collecting wealth.  We don’t exist for the sake of hoarding riches…and we will never save ourselves by the amount of property we’ve amassed.  Our trust can never be in gold and riches. (Psalm 62:10)