Isaiah 16:5 [Luke 1:30-33]

"In love a throne will be established; in faithfulness a man will sit on it-- one from the house of David-- one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness."

Isaiah 16:5


"... the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus [Immanuel, which means God with us]. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.'"

Luke 1:30-33

Isaiah 14:27

"For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart Him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?"

Isaiah 14:27

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Phil. 4:4-8

"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord [is] at hand. Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things [are] noble, whatever things [are] just, whatever things [are] pure, whatever things [are] lovely, whatever things [are] of good report, if [there is] any virtue and if [there is] anything praiseworthy -- meditate on these things."

Philippians 4:4-8

(The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the church in Philippi some time after visitting the city, where he was beaten and imprisoned for preaching the good news of Jesus Christ.)

Isaiah 6:1 & 7:13-14; Acts 1:7-11

"In the year of that King Uzziah died [approx. 700 B.C.], I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of His robe filled the temple." ...

"Then Isaiah said, 'Hear now you house of David! [Israel] Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel [which means God with us].'..."

Isaiah 6:1 & 7:13-14


"He [Immanuel] said to them [approx. 31 A.D.]: 'It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father [Lord] has set by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'
After He said this, He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight.
They were looking intently up into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 'Men of Galilee,' they said, 'why do you stand here looking in the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.'"

Acts 1:7-11

Isaiah 5:20-23

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.
Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks, who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice to the innocent."

Isaiah 5: 20-23

Isaiah 3:10-11

"Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.
Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them! They will be paid back for what their hands have done."
Isaiah 3:10-11

Song of Songs [Song of Solomon] 8:7

"Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot wash it away.
If one were to give
all the wealth of his house for love,
it would be utterly scorned."

Song of Songs [Song of Solomon] 8:7

Isaiah 26:3

"You, LORD, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you." Isaiah 26:3

Ecclesiastes 8:11

"When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong." Ecclesiastes 8:11

Ecclesiastes 7:10

"Do not say, 'Why were the old days better than these?' For it is not wise to ask such questions." Ecclesiastes 7:10

Ecclesiastes 5:1-2

"Guard your steps when you go
to the house of God. Go near to
listen rather then to offer sacrifices
of fools, who do not know that
they do wrong.

Do not be quick with your
mouth,
do not be hasty in your heart
to utter anything before
God.
God is in heaven
and you are on earth,
so let your words be few."

Ecclesiastes 5:1-2

Ecclesiastes 4:6, 10 & 12

"Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind." 4:6

"If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!" 4:10

"Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three starnds is not quickly broken" 4:13

Ecclesiastes 2:13

From the Teacher King Solomon.

"I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkenss." Ecclesiastes 2:13

Proverbs 31:30

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Proverbs 31:30

Proverbs 30:7-9

"Two things I ask of you, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die:

Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.

Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the Lord?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God." Proverbs 30:7-9

Proverbs 28:12

"When the righteous triumph, there is great elation; but when the wicked rise to power, men go into hiding." Proverbs 28:12

Proverbs 26: 18-19

"Like a madman shooting firebrands or deadly arrows is a man who deceives his neighbor and says, 'I was only joking.'"
Proverbs 26: 18-19

Proverbs 25:4-5 & 19

"Remove the dross from the silver, and out comes material for the silversmith; remove the wicked from the king's presence, and his throne will be established through righteousness." 25:4-5

"Like a bad tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in times of trouble." 25:19

Proverbs 24:16

... "for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are are brought down by calamity." Proverbs 24:16

Proverbs 19:2 & 20:3 (and 12:23)

"It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way." 19:2

"It is to a man's honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel." 20:3


"A prudent man keeps knowledge to himself, but the heart of fools blurts out folly." 12:23

Wisdom and Hope - Proverbs 14:16 & 26; 24:14 - Hebrews 3:6 & 6:19a & 11:1 - Revelation 19

"A wise man fears the LORD and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless."
"He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, for his children will be a refuge." Proverbs 14:16 & 26

"Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off." Proverbs 24:14

"But [Jesus] Christ is faithful as a son over God's house, And we [His children] are His house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast." Hebrews 3:6

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." Hebrews 6:19a

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1


Revelation 19

1. "After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
2. for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants."
3. And again they shouted: "Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever."
4. The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: "Amen, Hallelujah!"
5. Then a voice came from the throne, saying: "Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!"
6. Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
7. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.
8. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear."
9. Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' " And he added, "These are the true words of God."
10. At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
11. I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.
12. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.
13. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.
14. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.
15. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.
16. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
17. And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God,
18. so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great."
19. Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army.
20. But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
21. The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh."

Proverbs 12:9 & 13:7 & 12

"Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant than pretend to be somebody and have no food." 12:9


"One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth." 13:7

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." 13:12

Proverbs 10:30

"The righteous will never be uprooted, but the wicked will not remain in the land." Proverbs 10:30


{Matthew 24: 12-13 "Because of the increase in wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm [for your faith] to the end will be saved." - Jesus}

Proverbs 8: 32-36

"Now then, my sons, listen to me [Jesus]; blessed are those who keep my ways.
Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not ignore it.
Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.
For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord.
But whoever fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death."

Proverbs 4: 18-19

"The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble."

"It's Not About the Bike" ............. Psalm 147: 10-11

"His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man; the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love."

Psalm 146: 3-6

"Do not put your trust in princes [or presidents], in mortal men, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them-- the Lord, who remains faithful forever."

Psalm 136: 1-9; 139:1-4

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.
To him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.
Who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever.
Who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.
Who made the great lights -- His love endures forever.
The sun to govern the day, His love endures forever.
The moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever." 139:1-9

"O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord." 139:1-4

Psalm 119:174-176, 121:5-8

"I long for your salvation, O Lord, and your law is my delight. Let me live that I may praise you, and your laws sustain me. I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands." 119:174-176

"The Lord watches over you - the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." 121:5-8

Resurrection Weekend! Luke: 24:36,44-47

"While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among [the disciples] and said to them, 'Peace be with you.'

He said to them, 'This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations ...'"

Psalm 118: 1, 8-9, 22-24 & 28-29

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." v1 - "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust princes." vv8-9 - "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." vv22-24 - "You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." vv28-29

In this brief life in this temporary world with all the fleeting material and power, it is a definite comfort to know that God's love will endure forever -- this is the definition of true hope!

Bread of Life - John 6:25-69

After Jesus spoke of Himself as the bread of life -- "... unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, you have no life in you." [v53], many of the crowd and disciples (not the Twelve) left, because they did not understand. When Jesus asked the Twelve if they wished to leave, Peter responded, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God [YHWH]."
Times are difficult. After re-encountering this passage recently through a message at my church, the Holy Spirit showed me new insight. I don't always understand my circumstances, and by no means do I understand God's sovereignty, but as with Peter where else will I go? Jesus is indeed the One to follow toward eternal life in Heaven with my Creator! Praise God!

Psalm 91:1-2, 94 & 95 - Refuge, Blessing & Praise

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadows of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.'" 91:1-2

"If you make the Most High your dwelling - even the Lord, who is my refuge - then no harm will befall you, no distaster will come near your tent." 91:9-10

"Blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord, the man you teach from your law; you grant him relief from days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked." 94:12-13

"Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song." 95:1-2

Psalm 84:11-12

"For the Lord God is a sun and a shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you."

Psalm 73:26

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Happy Valentine's Day! -- I Cor. 13:4-13

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 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.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

Psalm 63:5-8 & 16-20

"My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me." 63:5-8

"Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!" 66:16-20

Psalm 62:1-2 & 5-6

When Scripture repeats a word or phrase, especially within the same passage, it means the author is stressing a point. In Psalm 62, David is pointing out the importance of relying on God and His strength, not our own.

Psalm 62:1-2 & 5-6

"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken." vv:1-2

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken." vv:5-6

Hope

Psalm 52:9
"I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints."

Romans 15:4
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Titus 3:3-7
"At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."

Hebrews 11:1-2
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for."


Wonder, Without Wondering

Psalm 49

"Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world, both low and high, rich and poor alike: my mouth will speak words of wisdom; the utterance from my heart will give understanding.
I will turn my ear to a proverb; with the harp I will expound my riddle: why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me -- those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches?
No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him -- the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough -- that he should live on forever and not see decay.
For all can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others.
Their tombs will remain their houses forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had named lands after themselves.
But man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish.
This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings.
Like sheep they are destined for the grave, and death will feed on them. The upright will rule over them in the morning; their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions.
But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.
Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases; for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him.
Though while he lived he counted himself blessed-- and men praise you when you prosper -- he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light [of life].
A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish."

Psalm 40: 1-3

Psalm 40: 1-3

"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mire and clay, he set me on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn to praise our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord."

Psalm 27:1

Psalm 27:1

"The LORD is my light and my salvation -- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life -- of whom shall I be afraid?"