Just1Word

I hope you all enjoy your time off school! Here are some things to think about:

Colossians 4:2
Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 12:28-29
Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping. For our God is a devouring fire.

Psalm 95:1-7
Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him. For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods. He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains. The sea belongs to him, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land, too. Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care.

Ecclesiastes 2:1-4
So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God.

Matthew 15:37a
They all ate as much as they wanted

With the end of the semester rapidly approaching, final papers and exams are coming due.  Its easy to get stressed, so lets see what the Bible has to say about…

Anxiety.

Proverbs 12:15
Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.

Matthew 6:30-34
And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Philippians 4:6
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.

1 Peter 5:7
Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.

Lets start this off easy.

Love.

Micah 6:8
O people, the 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.

Matthew 22:34-40
‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.

Luke 6:27-31
But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. Do to others as you would like them to do to you.

The following passage is commonly used in wedding ceremonies, but it is a powerful few verses when applied to daily life:
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it, but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

What do these passages mean to you?

What questions do they bring to your mind?

How can we apply these passages so that people view Christianity as a loving faith?