Sound Mind Set

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...

Philippians 2:1-5 NLT Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as...

Proverbs 27:17 NLT As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. If you take a dull knife and a sharp one and begin to rub the blades against one another for the purpose of sharpening the dull one, the reality is that both are going to be sharpened in the process. Even in mentoring relationships where an older and wiser person is pouring into a younger one, both are blessed by the interact...

Romans 15:4-6 NLT Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled. May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving prais...

Ruth 1:16 NLT Wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. This is, of course, the well-known answer Ruth gave to her mother-in-law, Naomi, recorded in the Book of Ruth after Naomi tells Ruth to go back to her own family, after both had lost their husbands. Ruth’s declaration to Naomi that you are now my family and I am...

Proverbs 18:24 MSG Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family. In our culture today, people have never been busier and never so isolated. Couple that dynamic with social media and we quickly find that real friendship, true friends of the heart and soul, have become somewhat of a lost art. For those who follow Christ, the opportunity to develop a core circle to go deep...

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...

Psalm 127:3-4 NIV Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. When God allows us to be parents, He is blessing us with a responsibility and trusting us with the stewardship of life that He created. God made your children and is entrusting you with their lives. That says a lot about God, but also says a...

“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...

1 Peter 2:9-10 For you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” Chosen. Royal. Holy. God’s very own. These a...

Various verses from 1 John, chapter 3: This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. (v. 1) We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. (v. 16) Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we b...

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 95:6-8 NCV Come, let’s worship him and bow down. Let’s kneel before the Lord who made us, because he is our God and we are the people he takes care of, the sheep that he tends. Today listen to what he says. Once we begin to understand that life itself, our very breath, every heartbeat, is provided by and ordained by the Creator, our response is gratitude and adoration for His care and attent...

Acts 2:42-44 NLT All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. In these few verses, we can feel and sense the c...

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...

Psalm 139:7-12 NLT I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—but ev...

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’s verse is a continuation from yesterday: (Philippians 4:8 NLT) And now, dear brothers and sisters, … Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. We all see and sense the growing negativity and pessimism in the world. Scripture has so many amazing challenges and charges to ground...