Sound Mind Set

Today we will be reading excerpts from Solomon’s famous words in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NLT) For everything there is a season, A time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to embrace and a time to turn away....

Proverbs 27:1 Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring. How many days do we try to have everything mapped out? What we’re gonna do, what our kids are going to do, then what we’re gonna do after that? Nobody knows how much time we actually have available to us. As you reflect on your life, can you look back and notice time that you wish you had back? Time that you foo...

Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Yesterday we focused on embracing the feelings that freedom brings and living from that sense of security. In today’s passage, Paul directs us towards actions not feelings. He suggests 3 choices for us to make. Be joyful in hope. Another word for hope is expectant. Will you choose to show joy because your are expectant that...

Psalm 34:4-7 (NIV) I sought the Lord, and he answered me;    he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant;    their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;    he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,    and he delivers them. What does it mean to be radiant? The Psalmist says “tho...

Proverbs 3:1-12 NLT My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart. If you do this, you will live many years, and your life will be satisfying. Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation. Trust in the...

Proverbs 2:1-8 NLT My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures.  Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come...

Luke 18:15-17 NLT One day some parents brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But when the disciples saw this, they scolded the parents for bothering him. Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who...

For our final day this week, we are going to read a tough passage, but we’ll also turn it around and end on a bright spot. Paul shared these words with Timothy in his second letter, chapter 3, verses 1-5: You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, di...

1 Timothy 6:6-12 NLT Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destr...

1 Timothy 6:17-19 NLT Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up...

Proverbs 23:4-7 NLT Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit. In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle. Don’t eat with people who are stingy; don’t desire their delicacies. They are always thinking about how much it costs. “Eat and drink,” they say, but they don’t mean it. The Bible never says that wealth i...

David stated in Psalm 24:1: The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. (NLT) People tend to either believe God created the world or He didn’t. And then if someone believes He did, the next step of faith is believing whether or not He is actively involved in the lives of the people walking on His planet. King David was clear. The earth belongs to God....

These are the words of Jesus: Mark 12:30-31 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these. We are told by Jesus to love God with all of us - heart, soul, mind and strength. That is not possible if we are living a fragmented and sp...

Today, we will be looking at the words of Jesus and what He had to say about money. Regardless of our financial circumstances, we can find some peace and hope in this often volatile area of life. The wording of Matthew 6:19-24 in the New Life Bible is intriguing. Listen to the words of Jesus … “Do not gather together for yourself riches of this earth. They will be eaten by bugs and become rusted....

Luke 10:38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to he...

One of the most fascinating conversations recorded in Jesus’s life was with the “rich, young ruler,” evidently a young man that “had it all.” Matthew 19:16-22 NLT Someone came to Jesus with this question: “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” “Why ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. But to answer your question—if you want to receive eterna...

Luke 5:15 "Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." This passage is in the middle of describing many things that were happening in Jesus's ministry. Healing leprosy, a paralyzed man, teaching crowds, and ministering to tax collector over dinner....

Today, we close out our meditative walk in worship through the Psalms. Psalm 91 is popular for its incredible promises of God’s protection. Satan even quoted a verse from this passage in his temptation to try and get Jesus to jump off the top of the Temple to prove God would save Him. Whether we consider some of these phrases as literal or metaphor, the reality is that the greatest power we have i...

Today, we will experience Psalm 40, another transparent and poetic text from King David. Let’s experience God and His Word together in worship. Psalm 40 NLT I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song...

Continuing our week solely focused on worship, today we will experience Psalm 34. Be present. Be all in on this moment. No distractions. Listen with your ears and your heart. Let’s experience His Word and our worship together. Psalm 34‚ NLT I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell...

Today, again, we will spend time in worship. Simply focusing on God and His character. So, invite His Holy Spirit to pour over You with His presence. Listen intently as we experience His Word together. From Psalm 33 The Message Good people, cheer God! Right-living people sound best when praising. Use guitars to reinforce your Hallelujahs! Play his praise on a grand piano! Invent your own new song...

This week we will spend time in simple, quiet worship. Let’s simply focus on God and His goodness. Breathe deep and allow your spirit to connect to His Holy Spirit. Psalm 29 from The Message — A Psalm of David “Bravo, God, bravo! Gods and all angels shout, “Encore!” In awe before the glory, in awe before God’s visible power. Stand at attention! Dress your best to honor him! God thunders across the...

Romans 12:17-21 NLT "Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable.  Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are...

Matthew 5:21-25 MSG “You’re familiar with the command to the ancients, ‘Do not murder.’ I’m telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother ‘idiot!’ and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell ‘stupid!’ at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill. “This...

Ephesians 4:31-32 NLT "Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you." The phrase, “get rid of,” means to leave no trace of what was once there. The idea here is to not just cut the weed off at the ground so it is no...