Blog

(A psalm of the descendants of Korah)

“How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies. I long, yes I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord. with my whole being, today body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God.

Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow builds her next and raises her young at a place near Your altar, O Lord of Heavens Armies, my King and my God! What joy for those who can live in Your house, always singing praises.”

“A single day in Your courts is better than a thousand days anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked. For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right. O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, what joy of those who trust in You.” (Psalm 84: 1-4, 10-12, NLT)

“What shall I say about the homes of the wicked filled with treasures gained by cheating? What about the disgusting practice of measuring out grain with dishonest measures? How can I tolerate your merchants who use dishonest weights and scales?” (Micah 6:10-11, NLT)

[Jesus said,]”Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be more severely punished.” (Mark 12:40, NLT)

“Jesus said to His disciples,’ If any of you want to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow Me.'” (Matthew 16:24, NLT)

[Jesus said,] “Your love for one another will provide to the world that you are My disciples.” (John 12:35, NLT)

“”God also bound Himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that He would never change His mind.” (Hebrews 6:17, NLT)

“We have a priceless inheritance – an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.” (1 Peter 1:4, NLT)

“You, O God, are my king from ages past, bringing salvation to the earth. You split the sea by Your strength and smashed the heads of the sea monsters. You crushed the heads of the Leviathan and let the desert animal eat him. You caused the springs and streams to gush forth and You dried up rivers that never run dry. Both day and night belong to You; You made the starlight and the sun. You set the boundaries of the earth, and you made both summer and winter.” (Psalm 74: 12-17, NLT)

A psalm of Asaph

“Then I realized 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 Your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but You? I desire You more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever.

Those who desert Him will perish, for You destroy those who abandon You. But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things You do.” (Psalm 73: 21-28, 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 gray, do not abandon me, O God. Let me proclaim Your power to this new generation, Your mighty miracles to all who come after me.

Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the highest heavens. You have done such wonderful things. Who can compare with you, O God? You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but You will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth. You will restore me to even greater honor and comfort me once again.” (Psalm 71: 17-21, NLT)

“No one can live forever; all will die. No one can escape the power of the grave.”(Psalm 89:48, NLT)

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know that will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with Him the believers who have died.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, NLT)

“And the answer will be,’Because His people abandoned the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and they worshiped other gods instead and bowed down to them. That is why the Lord has brought all these disasters on them.'” (1 Kings 9:9, NLT)

“Don’t love money; be satisfied with whatever you have. For God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.'” (Hebrews 13:5, NLT)

“May God be merciful and bless us. May His face smile with favor on us.

May Your ways be known through the earth, Your saving power among people everywhere. May the nations praise You, O God. Yes may all the nations praise You. Let the whole world sing for joy, because You govern the nations with justice and guide the people of the whole world.

May the nations praise You, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise You. Then the earth will yield its harvests, and God, Our God will richly bless us. Yes, God will bless us, and people all over the world will fear Him.” (NLT)