Malachi 2:13-14

And this second thing you do. You cover the Lord's altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.

So if you cheat on your wife than The Lord will no longer favor your offerings. I mean I'm just saying its in the Bible. 

Luke 10:41-42

But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Serving is good but don't get so caught up in your service that you miss out on a relationship with Christ. That relationship is the only thing that will last. It is the only thing that truly matters. 

Luke 5:15-16

But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray

There is a consistent theme of Christ withdrawing to a desolate place to pray. Not being overcome by the world and the assignment but remembering who gave the assignment and who is the most important thing.  This is something we should all learn to follow. Don't get so big that you forget to get on your knees and honor the one who truly deserves it. 

Psalms 130:7

O Israel, hope in the LORD!

For with the LORD there is steadfast love,

and with him is plentiful redemption.

 We all know that we should forgive others their flaws because we too are flawed but in our flawed state we do not give perfect love which is accompanied by perfect forgiveness. Only The Lord who is perfect loves us so perfectly as to forgive us so readily.  All our hope resides in Him. 

James 1: 22-24

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 

John 10:10

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. 

Jesus wants us to have an abundant life. But in order to have this life we must understand what he means when he says life abundantly. It may not be what you think. 

2 Peter 1:5-7

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

1 Peter 3:17

For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.

You will suffer, that's not up for debate but will your suffering be meaningful? Or will it be justified based on your evil actions?

James 3:8-9

but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 

This is an area where I really struggle. I am in regular prayer in this area because of the struggle. As James says it isn't right for blessings and cursings to come out of the same mouth. We have to do better. 

Hebrew 6:13

For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.”

That's how you know you are the man!  When you got to swear by you because there exist no one greater. This verse gets me every time. 

Proverbs 9:9

Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;

teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.

This makes sense. The wise desire reproff when they are wrong so they can learn and be ever wiser. But the fool is content in his ignorance. 

2 Chr 20:17

You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you. 

When we have battles in life if we can only remember to give them to God we too will not be afraid and not be dismayed but will stand with the knowledge that God is with us. 

Matthew 4:22

Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

When Jesus calls to James and John they leave their comfort behind and immediately follow Jesus. Later they become part of Jesus's inner circle. They see and experience things the other disciples do not. Live your life in such away that if Jesus calls you are ready to go today. 

1 Cor 9:22-23

I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel,

Paul respects the cultures and rituals of those around him, rather than going in and condemning with his superior knowledge. Though we can not always do this, we can and should be more willing to adjust for that unchurched person because we know the truth and how important it is that they know it too. If we remember our goal of making disciples than little things like body art and short skirts fade away in comparison. 

Jeremiah 6:14

They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, Peace, peace,’

when there is no peace.

If The Lord has given you revelation about someone else's life and it's bad news but you choose to say 'everything will be alright' because you don't want to lose their friendship than this one is for you.  Sometimes we know people are wrong and are headed down the wrong path but we choose to keep our mouths shut. This is wrong. It's done out of fear. We have to trust God and our friend and know that our honesty and obedience to God is always the correct action even if it's hard to give bad news. 

Isaiah 54:5

For your Maker is your husband,

the Lord of hosts is his name;

and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.

Ladies this one is for you. Be glad and full of good cheer for though you were barren (metaphorically) your day is coming. Enlarge your tent and get ready. Keeping praying. Keeping listening.  Keep doing the work of The Lord for he is your husband and your redeemer and he won't ever let you down!

Isaiah 42:24

Who gave up Jacob to the looter,

and Israel to the plunderers?

Was it not the Lord, against whom we have sinned, in whose ways they would not walk, and whose law they would not obey?

I love this passage because it sets you up to think that we are going to get that guy who gave us up to plunders and looters and then the twist is that guy is The Lord. If we sin and do not obey The Lord himself will allow our suffering. Don't be surprised if you ask why in the mist of your suffering only to hear back "Because I said so!"

Ecc 2:24-26

There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?  For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. 

I'm just going to let this one preach itself. 

Ezra 9: 13-14

And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this, shall we break your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? 

Ezra is crying out to The Lord in shame as once agian his people who have just been released from captivity are messing up agian by marrying foreigners who do not worship The Lord and will lead them astray. We too must be careful when we have been released from a thing. We can not be so eager to have a child or so tired of being lonely that we connect ourselves to someone who does not share our love and fear of The Lord. Let's not be released from bondage just to go willingly right back into captivity. 

Ezra 9: 13-14

And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this, shall we break your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? 

Ezra is crying out to The Lord in shame as once agian his people who have just been released from captivity are messing up agian by marrying foreigners who do not worship The Lord and will lead them astray. We too must be careful when we have been released from a thing. We can not be so eager to have a child or so tired of being lonely that we connect ourselves to someone who does not share our love and fear of The Lord. Let's not be released from bondage just to go willingly right back into captivity.