Andy's Inspiration Box

1 Corinthians 13:7 New Century Version (NCV) Love patiently accepts all things. It always trusts, always hopes, and always endures.

John 15:13 New Living Translation (NLT) 13   There is no greater love than to lay down one’s  life  for one’s friends.

John 14:15-17 New King James Version (NKJV) 15   “If you love Me, keep   My commandments.   16   And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—   17   the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

"Father, may all your dreams come true. I don't want to get in the way or hinder you from fulfilling any of the plans you had for me when you dreamed me into being."  - Robin Jones Gunn Romans 8:28-39 New King James Version (NKJV) 28  And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to  His  purpose.  29  For whom He foreknew, He also predestined  to be  conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.  30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. God’s Everlasting Love 31   What then shall we say to these things? If God  is  for us, who  can be  against us?  32  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?...

Matthew 25:31-46 New King James Version (NKJV) The Son of Man Will Judge the Nations    31  “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy [ a ]  angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  32  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides  his  sheep from the goats.  33  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  34  Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  35  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;  36  I  was  naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 37  “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we ...

Romans 12: 9-21 New International Version (NIV) 9  Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  10  Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.  11  Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  12  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  13  Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.   14  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  15  Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.  16  Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. [ c ] Do not be conceited.   17  Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.  18  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  19  Do not take revenge, m...

Romans 8:22-27 New International Version (NIV)   22  We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  23  Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.  24  For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?  25  But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.   26  In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.  27  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

"Going through a waiting period doesn't mean there is nothing happening, because when you are waiting on the Lord, He is always moving in your life."  - Stormie Omartian Isaiah 64:1-9 New International Version (NIV)   1   [ a ] Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,    that the mountains would tremble before you! 2  As when fire sets twigs ablaze    and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies    and cause the nations to quake before you! 3  For when you did awesome things that we did not expect,    you came down, and the mountains trembled before you. 4  Since ancient times no one has heard,    no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you,    who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. 5  You come to the help of those who gladly do right,    who remember your ways. But whe...

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 New International Version (NIV)   16  Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  17  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  18  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Colossians 1:9-14, 21-23 New International Version (NIV) 9  For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, [ a ]   10  so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,  11  being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,  12  and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you [ b ]  to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.  13  For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,  14  in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.   21  Once you were alienated from God and wer...

Proverbs 9:1-12 New Living Translation (NLT)   1  Wisdom has built her house;       she has carved its seven columns.   2  She has prepared a great banquet,       mixed the wines, and set the table.   3  She has sent her servants to invite everyone to come.       She calls out from the heights overlooking the city.   4  “Come in with me,” she urges the simple.       To those who lack good judgment, she says,   5  “Come, eat my food,       and drink the wine I have mixed.   6  Leave your simple ways behind, and begin to live;       learn to use good judgment.”   7  Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return.       Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt.   8  So don’t bothe...

Romans 8:22-27 New International Version (NIV)   22  We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  23  Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.  24  For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?  25  But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.   26  In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.  27  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

'Lighthouse' by Caitlin Harnett http://www.myspace.com/caitlinharnettmusic/music/songs/lighthouse-77189316 Lighthous Psalm 43:3 New Living Translation (NLT)   3  Send out your light and your truth;       let them guide me.    Let them lead me to your holy mountain,       to the place where you live. Psalm 119:105 New Living Translation (NLT)   105  Your word is a lamp to guide my feet       and a light for my path. *Photograph copyright Rosie Harriott 2011

Ecclesiastes 11 The Uncertainties of Life   1  Send your grain across the seas,       and in time, profits will flow back to you. [ a ]   2  But divide your investments among many places, [ b ]       for you do not know what risks might lie ahead.   3  When clouds are heavy, the rains come down.       Whether a tree falls north or south, it stays where it falls.   4  Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant.       If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.   5  Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, [ c ]  so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.   6  Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe b...

Galatians 3:23-29 New International Version (NIV) 23  Before the coming of this faith, [ a ]  we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed.  24  So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith.  25  Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.  26  So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith,  27  for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  28  There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  29  If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

1 Corinthians 7:22-23 New Living Translation (NLT) 22  And remember, if you were a slave when the Lord called you, you are now free in the Lord. And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ.  23  God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world. [ a ]

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.” - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

2 Samuel 23:1-5 New Living Translation (NLT) David’s Last Words   1  These are the last words of David:   “David, the son of Jesse, speaks—       David, the man who was raised up so high,    David, the man anointed by the God of Jacob,       David, the sweet psalmist of Israel. [ a ]   2  “The Spirit of the L ord  speaks through me;       his words are upon my tongue.   3  The God of Israel spoke.       The Rock of Israel said to me:    ‘The one who rules righteously,       who rules in the fear of God,   4  is like the light of morning at sunrise,       like a morning without clouds,    like the gleaming of the sun       on new grass after rain.’   5  “...

Psalm 73 New Century Version (NCV) 1  God is truly good to Israel,        to those who have pure hearts.   2  But I had almost stopped believing;        I had almost lost my faith   3  because I was jealous of proud people.        I saw wicked people doing well.   4  They are not suffering;        they are healthy and strong.   5  They don't have troubles like the rest of us;        they don't have problems like other people.   6  They wear pride like a necklace        and put on violence as their clothing.   7  They are looking for profits        and do not control their selfish desires.   8  They make fun of others and speak evil;        proudly they speak of hurting o...

"If you live long enough, you're bound to encounter some rough storms. No one is immune to tragedy in this life. The house is the same, the storm is the same, but what makes the difference is the foundation. "  - Lisa Beamer Matthew 7:24-27 English Standard Version (ESV)   24  "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like  a wise man who built his house on the rock.   25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.   26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like  a foolish man who built his house on the sand.   27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it." *Photograph by Rosie Harriott 2011

Romans 6:13-22 New Living Translation (NLT) 13  Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.  14  Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.   15  Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not!  16  Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.  17  Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you.  18  Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become sla...