Sound Mind Set

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...

Today, we will focus on three verses on parenting from The Message Bible. A refusal to correct is a refusal to love; love your children by disciplining them. (Proverbs 13:24 MSG) God-loyal people, living honest lives, make it much easier for their children. (Proverbs 20:7 MSG) Discipline your children; you’ll be glad you did—they’ll turn out delightful to live with. (Proverbs 29:17 MSG) Because Go...

Psalm 145:3-7 NLT Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness. Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power. I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor and your wonderful miracles. Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue; I will proclaim your greatness. Everyone will share the story of your wonderful...

“He will bless those who fear the Lord, both great and lowly. May the Lord richly bless both you and your children. May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth.“ (Psalm 115:13-15, NLT) In today’s passage the word fear is best thought of as great respect and awe. No matter how great or lowly we might be, or we might feel in the moment, God is worthy of our praise and admiration. We lo...

Today, we close out Psalm 139 and our focus of how we were each created and designed to be a part of God’s creation and community: (Psalm 139:17-18, 23-24 NLT) How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me! … Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxio...

Psalm 139:13-16 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every mome...

Acts 4:32-35 NLT All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostl...

Psalm 139:1-5 NLT O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Living within the care...

Genesis 1:26-27, 30-31 NLT Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. … And that is what h...

Today, we close out our week, focusing on hope. Romans15:13  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Hope is something that often eludes us. Day-to-day, we can get so lost in the stress and anxiety of our culture that our sense of hope feels diminished. That’s why this passage cuts through. It star...

Psalm 77:11-15 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;     yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works     and meditate on all your mighty deeds.” Your ways, God, are holy.     What god is as great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles;     you display your power among the peoples. With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,     the descendants of J...

Psalm 107:1-9 Oh, thank God—he’s so good!     His love never runs out.  All of you set free by God, tell the world!     Tell how he freed you from oppression,  Then rounded you up from all over the place,     from the four winds, from the seven seas. Some of you wandered for years in the desert,     looking but not finding a good place to live,  Half-starved and parched with thirst,     staggering...

Today our scripture reading is from  Colossians 3:15-17   Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.   Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whe...

2 Corinthians 12:5-10 ….I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses.   Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my...

Today, we close out our week, focusing on hope. Romans15:13  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Hope is something that often eludes us. Day-to-day, we can get so lost in the stress and anxiety of our culture that our sense of hope feels diminished. That’s why this passage cuts through. It star...

Psalm 77:11-15 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;     yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works     and meditate on all your mighty deeds.” Your ways, God, are holy.     What god is as great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles;     you display your power among the peoples. With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,     the descendants of J...

Psalm 107:1-9 Oh, thank God—he’s so good!     His love never runs out.  All of you set free by God, tell the world!     Tell how he freed you from oppression,  Then rounded you up from all over the place,     from the four winds, from the seven seas. Some of you wandered for years in the desert,     looking but not finding a good place to live,  Half-starved and parched with thirst,     staggering...

Today our scripture reading is from  Colossians 3:15-17   Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.   Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whe...

2 Corinthians 12:5-10 ….I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses.   Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my...

Jesus’ words of promise in John 14:27-28: “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again.” Jesus offers you a gift not of this world that can only be found in Him. His heavenly peace for your mind and heart can overcome any tempo...

Isaiah 26:3-4 encourages: You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock. You know that on any given day, where you place your trust, where your thoughts tend to go, determines your level of peace. Isaiah offers that the only “perfect peace” can be found in surrendering your thoughts to the et...

David writes in Psalm 29:11: The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace. In God’s kingdom, strength and peace work in unison. That is why you sense a quiet, calming reassurance when His peace enters your racing mind and struggling heart. What place of weakness today needs His strength? What struggle needs His peace? Listen to the passage again from the Message Bible The L...

Listen to David’s closing words in Psalm 4, verse 8: In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe. David had many days and nights where his enemies were stalking, seeking to harm him. Living under threat, confessing that he would fully depend on God to protect him while he slept in peace was a strong statement of faith. Is there a situation in your life right now th...

Jesus said in John 16:32-33: “Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” In Christ, you are never alone. There will always be troubles, trials, and sorrows here on earth, but in and through everything you experience, Jesus is the...

Our final passage for this week comes from Jesus, where He again promises peace as only He can give. Listen to John 14:24-28 … Remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me.  I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will...