Commands p. 145
"Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." - Deuteronomy 6:5 NIV
"THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
1. You must have no other gods before me.
2. Do not make an idol for yourself—no form whatsoever—of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. Do not bow down to them or worship them, because I, the LORD your God, am a passionate God. I punish children for their parents’ sins even to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me. But I am loyal and gracious to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.
3. Do not use the LORD your God’s name as if it were of no significance; the LORD won’t forgive anyone who uses his name that way.
4. Remember the Sabbath day and treat it as holy. Six days you may work and do all your tasks, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. Do not do any work on it—not you, your sons or daughters, your male or female servants, your animals, or the immigrant who is living with you. Because the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything that is in them in six days, but rested on the seventh day. That is why the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother so that your life will be long on the fertile land that the LORD your God is giving you.
6. Do not kill.
7. Do not commit adultery.
8. Do not steal.
9. Do not testify falsely against your neighbor.
10. Do not desire and try to take your neighbor’s house. Do not desire and try to take your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox, donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor."
- Exodus 20:3-17 CEB
"Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.'" - Matthew 22:37-40 NIV
"Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.' So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.' Then
God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.' And it was so." - Genesis 1:26-30 NIV
Remember
p. 126
"When I remember what has happened, I tell God all my troubles. I remember how I used to walk to the house of God. The Mighty One guarded my steps. We shouted with joy and praised God as we went along with the joyful crowd."
- Psalm 42:4 NIRV
"This will be a day for you to always remember. I want you and all generations after you to commemorate this day with a festival to Me. Celebrate this feast as a perpetual ordinance, a permanent part of your life together."
– Exodus 12:14 VOICE (Festival of Unleavened Bread)
"Once again I’ll go over what GOD has done, lay out on the table the ancient wonders; I’ll ponder all the things you’ve accomplished, and give a long, loving look at your acts." - Psalm 77:11 MSG
"And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, 'Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!'" - Mark 6:2 NKJV
"Look! A virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, And they will call him, Emmanuel. (Emmanuel means 'God with us.')" - Matthew 1:23 CEB
"But first, be concerned about his kingdom and what has his approval. Then all these things will be provided for you." - Matthew 6:33 NOG
Seek God's Words p. 187
"Don’t imagine, dear friends, that God’s timetable is the same as ours; as the psalm says, for with the Lord, one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day." - 2 Peter 3:8 VOICE (Refers to Psalm 90:4 which says “For You a thousand years is like a day when it is over, a watch during the night; there is no difference to You.”)
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"There is no fear in love. On the contrary, love that has achieved its goal gets rid of fear, because fear has to do with punishment; the person who keeps fearing has not been brought to maturity in regard to love." - 1 John 4:18 CJB
"Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God."
- Romans 6:12 NLT
"God’s way is perfect. All the LORD’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection." - 2 Samuel 22:31 NLT
"You see, everything written in the days of old was recorded to give us instructions for living. We find encouragement through the Scriptures and a call to perseverance that will produce hopeful living." - Romans 15:4 VOICE
Rest and Unity p. 101
"Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." - Ephesians 4:15-16 NIV
"The workers at the Temple of God were supervised by Jeshua with his sons and relatives, and Kadmiel and his sons, all descendants of Hodaviah. They were helped in this task by the Levites of the family of Henadad." - Ezra 3:9 NLT
"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."
- John 17:20-23 NIV
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” - Matthew 11:28-30 MSG
Observationsp. 31
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]"
- Matthew 11:28 AMPC
"So I give you a new command: Love each other deeply and fully. Remember the ways that I have loved you, and demonstrate your love for others in those same ways." - John 13:34 VOICE
"GOD saw that human evil was out of control. People thought evil, imagined evil—evil, evil, evil from morning to night. GOD was sorry that he had made the human race in the first place; it broke his heart." - Genesis 6:5-6 MSG
"The LORD your God will make you leaders, not followers. Pay attention to his commands that I’m giving you today. Be careful to obey them. Then you will always be on top. You will never be on the bottom." - Deuteronomy 28:13 NIRV
"So imitate God. Follow Him like adored children, and live in love as the Anointed One loved you—so much that He gave Himself as a fragrant sacrifice, pleasing God." - Ephesians 5:1-2 VOICE
"The hard pathway, where some of the seed fell, represents the hard hearts of some of those who hear God’s message; Satan comes at once to try to make them forget it." - Mark 4:15 TLB
"Do not forget to rejoice, for hope is always just around the corner. Hold up through the hard times that are coming, and devote yourselves to prayer."
– Romans 12:12 VOICE
Imitate Me
p. 174
"Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that." - Ephesians 5:1-2 MSG
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"You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord, so live your life as children of light. Light produces fruit that consists of every sort of goodness, justice, and truth. Therefore, test everything to see what’s pleasing to the Lord, and don’t participate in the unfruitful actions of darkness. Instead, you should reveal the truth about them." - Ephesians 5:8-11 CEB
"So be careful to live your life wisely, not foolishly." - Ephesians 5:15 CEB
"Instead, be filled with the Spirit in the following ways: speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; sing and make music to the Lord in your hearts, always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; and submit to each other out of respect for Christ."
- Ephesians 5:18b-21 CEB
Give Your Cares to God
p. 150
"Come to me all of you who are tired. You are like people who have worked for a long time. You are like people who have carried heavy things. Come to me. If you do that, you will find a place to rest." - Matthew 11:28 EASY
"You should love Him, your True God, with all your heart and soul, with every ounce of your strength." - Deuteronomy 6:5 VOICE
"Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It’s way over our heads. We’ll never figure it out. Is there anyone around who can explain God? Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do? Anyone who has done him such a huge favor that God has to ask his advice? Everything comes from him; Everything happens through him; Everything ends up in him. Always glory! Always praise! Yes. Yes. Yes." - Romans 11:33-36 MSG
"Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. 'Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?'" - Matthew 16:24-26 MSG
"I have told you these things so that you will be whole and at peace. In this world, you will be plagued with times of trouble, but you need not fear; I have triumphed over this corrupt world order." - John 16:33 VOICE
Man's Direction
p. 99
"LORD, you are the God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Israel. Please help us, your people, to continue to obey you. Help us to serve you faithfully."
- 1 Chronicles 29:18 EASY
"Tell your sins to each other. And pray for each other so you may be healed. The prayer from the heart of a man right with God has much power." - James 5:!6 NLV
"Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies." - Exodus 32:25 NIV
"God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.' Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the
ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.' And it was so." - Genesis 1:28-30 NIV
Choose Well
p. 113
"This is a good life—my heart is glad, my soul is full of joy, and my body is at rest. Who could want for more?" - Psalm 16:9 VOICE
"You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." - Psalm 16:11 NIV
"This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob." - Deuteronomy 30:19-20 NIV
"Level the mountains! Fill up the valleys! Straighten the curves! Smooth out the ruts!" - Luke 3:5 TLB
"Jesus was blunt: 'No chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it.'" - Mark 10:27 MSG
New Day
p. 111
"I give you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, so you also must love each other." - John 13:34 CEB
"God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would do good works. God had planned in advance those good works for us. He had planned for us to live our lives doing them." - Ephesians 2:10 ICB
"Take up the new nature that God has prepared for you. That nature is like God's own nature. Then you will live in a truly good way that pleases God."
- Ephesians 4:24 EASY
"You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory."
- 1 Thessalonians 2:10-12 NIV
"You are to open their eyes. You are to turn them from darkness to light. You are to turn them from the power of Satan to the power of God. In this way, they may have their sins forgiven. They may have what is given to them, along with all those who are set apart for God by having faith in Me." - Acts 26:18 NLV
"In the kingdom of God, eating and drinking are not important. The important things are living right with God, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit." - Romans 14:17 NCV