Sound Mind Set

Matthew 5:43-48 MSG - Jesus' Words “You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the supple moves of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-cre...

We know from history that humans have gone through constant change. When one part of the world is at peace, another is in chaos. Economies rise and fall. Civilizations rise and fall. Life and death are constantly occurring. But the reality is that any season won’t last for long. Things change. Life cycles. King Solomon gave us one of the most prolific and poetic texts for this concept in Ecclesias...

Psalm 97:9 You who love the Lord, hate evil! He protects the lives of his godly people and rescues them from the power of the wicked.(NLT) So what does God hate and tell us to hate? … He says if you love Him then you will hate evil. So is evil a person? … No. Evil is the outcome of disobedience. Disobedience to God is sin, which creates evil. So, we are to hate disobedience to God and its results....

In John 17, Jesus’s prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, we find God’s answer to redeem the Garden of Eden. John 17 - Starting vs. 13 - THE MESSAGE “I’m saying these things in the world’s hearing  So my people can experience  My joy completed in them.  I gave them your word;  The godless world hated them because of it,  Because they didn’t join the world’s ways,  Just as I didn’t join the world’s w...

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 live in a world that has lost the true biblical concept of grace and forgiveness. We turn on the news to hear another horrible stat and see that evil somehow seemed to win again. Yet, many passages in the New Testament encourage us that, no matter how bad anyone else gets, how bad the culture gets, we must keep steady in our faith and follow God even if that means walking against the gra...

Deuteronomy 32:46-47: “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you—they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are to possess.” In our quote-unquote Christian culture, it is so easy for us to hear Bible verses and treat them like “idle...

Isaiah 55 verses 10 thru 12: “The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. You will live in joy and peace.” Lets think...

Psalm 1 from the Message Bible How well God must like you—  you don’t walk in the ruts of those blind-as-bats,  you don’t stand with the good-for-nothings,  you don’t take your seat among the know-it-alls. Instead you thrill to God’s Word, you chew on Scripture day and night. You’re a tree replanted in Eden, bearing fresh fruit every month,  Never dropping a leaf, always in blossom. You’re not at...

Today, we look at Proverbs 8, a prophetic chapter where the word “Wisdom” correlates to Christ. The “me” here is Jesus. Verses 32 thru 35: “And so, my children, listen to me, for all who follow my ways are joyful.  Listen to my instruction and be wise. Don’t ignore it.  Joyful are those who listen to me, watching for me daily at my gates, waiting for me outside my home! For whoever finds me finds...

Today, we will read the passage that contains what became known as The Lord’s Prayer—Matthew 6:6-13. The words of Jesus. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating thei...

Matthew 5:3-10 is called the Sermon on the Mount—one of Jesus’s most well-known teachings. Matthew 5:3-10 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they w...

Yesterday we were in Proverbs chapter 2. Today, we turn the page to chapter 3.  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 a...

Proverbs 2, King Solomon speaks to our personal bandwidth, mental, spiritual, and physical balance. 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...

In Exodus 18, Moses’s father-in-law Jethro watched him do his work one day in serving the people. He saw the stress on both his son-in-law and the people waiting for him. So he shared his wisdom with Moses. Listen Exodus 18 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What are you really accomplishing here? Why are you trying to do all this alone while everyone...

Luke 12:25-31 - The words of Jesus Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things? “Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are he...

Isaiah 26:3-4. 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. Wow … perfect peace. Who doesn’t want that? But the promise of perfect of peace only comes how? Placing full trust and fixing our thoughts on God. Another way to communicate this would be to always have a bigger focus on God than a...

Psalm 77 Listen to verses 1-3 and 10-13.  I cry out to God; yes, I shout. Oh, that God would listen to me! When I was in deep trouble, I searched for the Lord. All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven, but my soul was not comforted. I think of God, and I moan, overwhelmed with longing for his help. … And I said, “This is my fate; the Most High has turned his hand against me.” But t...

Psalm 139 is well known, often quoted, and emblazoned on Christian art in many forms. Listen intently to verses 16-18: You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. 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 w...

Isaiah 55:8-9 is a powerful passage. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath, exhale, and listen closely. “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” This is not meant to discourage us but rather to...

We talked about Psalm 23 and David calling God the Good Shepherd this week. Today, we look at where Jesus called His followers sheep. This is one of the most intriguing passages of Scripture because the heart of God is made very clear as to what He cares about and what gets His attention. Mathew 25 “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his...