Be Still and Know

1 Thessalonians 2.4-5 NLT 'For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts. Never once did we try to win you with flattery, a...

1 Thessalonians 2.1 NLT 'You yourselves know, dear brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not a failure.' The church in Thessalonica certainly knew that Paul’s visit to their city had not been a failure. But on the face of it, it had...

1 Thessalonians 1.9-10 NLT 'And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.' When I was prepa...

1 Thessalonians 1.8 NLT 'And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God.' Paul’s first visit to Thessalonica be...

'We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.' Paul has great affec...

Psalm 77.5-7 NLT 'I think of the good old days, long since ended, when my nights were filled with joyful songs. I search my soul and ponder the difference now. Has the Lord rejected me forever? Will he never again be kind to me?' These are pa...

Psalm 73.21-24 NLT 'Then I realised that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside. I was so foolish and ignorant— I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you. Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with...

Psalm 71.17-18 NLT 'O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood, and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do. Now that I am old and grey, do not abandon me, O God. Let me proclaim your power to this new generation,...

Psalm 69.16-17 NLT 'Answer my prayers, O Lord, for your unfailing love is wonderful. Take care of me, for your mercy is so plentiful. Don’t hide from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble!' Waiting is never easy. Whether y...

Matthew 7.24-25 NLT “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse...

Matthew 7.15-16 NLT 'Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act.' False prophets make an appearance in both the Old and N...

Matthew 7.13 NLT 'You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.' I am always fascinated to hear people tell me the story of their lives. Although...

Matthew 7.12 NLT 'Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.' This statement is often known as The Golden Rule. The Jews were familiar with something like thi...

Matthew 7.11 NLT 'If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.' Some years ago I was travelling on a bus in Israel and heard some amazing pan-...

Matthew 7.3 NLT “Why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?” This comical illustration is taken from the carpenter’s workshop and Jesus uses it to press home his teaching about being critical. It’s so easy t...