Andy's Inspiration Box

Matthew 6:31-33 New International Version (NIV) 31  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’   32  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.   33  But seek first his kingdom   and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. "If we seek happiness as a goal, then we will be frustrated. We will never quite get all we need to make us happy all the time. And we will also become very selfish: my pursuit of happiness becomes more important than my concern for your welfare. Happiness is a wonderful quality and it is natural to seek it. But more as a desire than a goal." - David Reay  

Joel 2:12-13 New Living Translation (NLT) A Call to Repentance 12  That is why the  Lord  says,      “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts.      Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. 13  Don’t tear your clothing in your grief,      but tear your hearts instead.” Return to the  Lord  your God,      for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.      He is eager to relent and not punish.

"We can be encouraged and humbled by the fact that when we need mess up God's original purposes for our lived by our own stubbornness, He nevertheless pursues His purposes with us still. He completely remodels us. His skill and power make something of us beyond what we dare to imagine or even deserve. If by your actions or failure you have frustrated God's original purpose but have repented and come back to God, take heart. Through your frail humanity, He is able to achieve His original purpose and He will make something beautiful of you still. " - Selwyn Hughes

"When the thought of His proprietorship becomes uppermost, then we will simultaneously recognise the fact that being His, we are temples of the Holy Spirit. Conscious of God's ownership, and thoughtful of our Divine Guest - the Holy Spirit - its is only natural that we should glorify God in our bodies and in our spirits, which are His. To glorify Him thus, is simply to exhibit the power and character of God in that which is His." - Springs in the Valley (July 29)

Psalm 42:11 New Living Translation (NLT) 11  Why am I discouraged?      Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God!      I will praise him again—      my Savior and my God!

Philippians 2:1-30 English Standard Version (ESV) Christ's Example of Humility 2 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,[a] 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,[b] being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so...

Matthew 10:31 New Living Translation (NLT) 31  So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.

Matthew 13:31-33 New International Version (NIV) The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast 31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” 33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds[a] of flour until it worked all through the dough.” Matthew 13:44-45 New International Version (NIV) The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl 44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.

Proverbs 16:3 NIV Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.

"There is no soul growth without change, no change without surrender, no surrender without wound. Wounds are what break open the soul to plant the seeds of our growth."  - Ann Voskamp

"Do you wish to be great? Then begin by being. Do you desire to construct a vast and lofty fabric? Think first about the foundations of humility. The higher your structure is to be, the deeper must be its foundation." - Augustine

Psalm 54:4 New Living Translation (NLT) 4  But God is my helper.      The Lord keeps me alive!

"The darkest night has stars in it!" - Springs in the Valley (July 24)

Psalm 27:14   Wait patiently for  the   Lord . Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for  the   Lord .

"There is hardly ever a complete silence in our souls. God is whispering to us wellnigh incessantly. Whenever the sounds of the world die out in the soul, or sink low, then we hear these whisperings of God... He is always whispering to us, only... we do not always hear, because of the hurry, noise and distraction which life causes as it rushes on." - Frederick W. Faber

2 Corinthians 3:1-3 New Living Translation (NLT) 3  Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? Are we like others, who need to bring you letters of recommendation, or who ask you to write such letters on their behalf? Surely not!   2  The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. Your lives are a letter written in our [ a ]  hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you.   3  Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts. Footnotes: 3:2   Some manuscripts read  your.

Psalm 121 A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. 1  I look up to the mountains—      does my help come from there? 2  My help comes from the  Lord ,      who made heaven and earth! 3  He will not let you stumble;      the one who watches over you will not slumber. 4  Indeed, he who watches over Israel      never slumbers or sleeps. 5  The  Lord  himself watches over you!      The  Lord  stands beside you as your protective shade. 6  The sun will not harm you by day,      nor the moon at night. 7  The  Lord  keeps you from all harm      and watches over your life. 8  The  Lord  keeps watch over you as you come and go,      both now and forever.

"Every day we live is priceless gift from God loaded with possibilities to learn something new, to gain fresh insights." - Dale Evans Rogers

Beyond the utmost wants, His power can love and bless; To trusting souls He loves to grant More than they can express. - Springs in the Valley (July 21)

Psalm 37:5 New Living Translation (NLT) 5  Commit everything you do to the  Lord .      Trust him, and he will help you.

Hosea 6:6 English Standard Version (ESV) 6  For I desire steadfast love [ a ]  and not sacrifice,     the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

"...You lift me when I'm sinking Like the swell of mighty oceans ... All hope is found in Your mercy."  - Rend Collective, Finally Free

Ecclesiastes 7:14English Standard Version (ESV) 14  In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.

"When God promises us a great blessing, and we ask how we may know that we shall have it, the answer is always the same: By your own sacrifice to Me . God cannot fulfill His richest promises to any of us until we have offered up to Him, in utter completeness of surrender, ourselves. Then He can do glorious things for and with our lives ." - Springs in the Valley (July 18)

Proverbs 3:5-6   Trust  in   the   Lord  with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will  in  all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

Hebrews 4:14-16 The Message (MSG)   14-16  Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.    

Colossians 2:6-7 New Living Translation (NLT) Freedom from Rules and New Life in Christ 6  And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him.   7  Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

“In the silence of the heart God speaks. If you face God in prayer and silence, God will speak to you. Then you will know that you are nothing. It is only when you realize your nothingness, your emptiness, that God can fill you with Himself. Souls of prayer are souls of great silence.” ―  Mother Teresa ,  In the Heart of the World: Thoughts, Stories and Prayers

I heard a bird at beak of day Sing from the autumn trees A song so musical and calm, So full of certainties, No man, I think, could listen long Except upon his knees Yet this was but a simple bird Alone among dead trees. - Springs in the Valley (July 16)

"A heart recovers as it embraces the inherent risks of living. God met Moses on a mountaintop.  Who ever said climbing mountains was safe?  Where are those who are willing to be dangerous disciples of the unsafe God who is the safest of all?" - Ann Voskamp  http://www.aholyexperience.com

Psalm 8:1-4 New International Version (NIV) 1  Lord , our Lord,      how majestic is your name   in all the earth!   You have set your glory      in the heavens. 2  Through the praise of children and infants      you have established a stronghold   against your enemies,      to silence the foe   and the avenger. 3  When I consider your heavens,      the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars,      which you have set in place, 4  what is mankind that you are mindful of them,      human beings that you care for them? "We are the products of love, not of chance, not of brute force. We so often ignore or dismiss this love, but it doesn’t extinguish that love. The mighty power that made and now sustains our universe is not so mighty that it does not condescend to love its relatively puny inhabit...

Psalm 56:8-13 New Living Translation (NLT) 8  You keep track of all my sorrows.      You have collected all my tears in your bottle.      You have recorded each one in your book. 9  My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help.      This I know: God is on my side! 10  I praise God for what he has promised;      yes, I praise the  Lord  for what he has promised. 11  I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?      What can mere mortals do to me? 12  I will fulfill my vows to you, O God,      and will offer a sacrifice of thanks for your help. 13  For you have rescued me from death;      you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in your presence, O God,      in your life-giving light.

"In our faith we follow in someone's steps. In our faith we leave footprints to guide others. It's the principle of discipleship"  - Max Lucado

Hebrews 6:17-20 NIV Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

Romans 5:3-4 New Living Translation (NLT) 3  We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.   4  And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.

"We hear of the conversion of water into wine at the marriage in Cana as of a miracle. But this conversion is, through the goodness of God, made every day before our eyes. Behold the rain which descends from heaven above upon our vineyards; there it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine; a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy."- Benjamin Franklin

1 Samuel 2:2 NIV There is no one holy like the Lord ; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.

Philippians 1:6 New English Translation (NET Bible) 6  For I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

"There hath not one tear dropped from thy tender eye against thy lusts, the love of this world, or for more communion with Jesus Christ, but as it is now in the bottle of God; so then it shall bring forth such plenty of reward, that it shall return upon thee with abundance of increase." - John Bunyan

"Your most meaningful work in the Kingdom of God may not be the big things that you do — but the one little person you love." - Ann Voskamp http://www.aholyexperience.com

Jeremiah 1:9-10 NIV Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”

Psalm 136:23-26 New Century Version (NCV) 23  He remembered us when we were in trouble.      His love continues forever. 24  He freed us from our enemies.      His love continues forever. 25  He gives food to every living creature.      His love continues forever. 26  Give thanks to the God of heaven.      His love continues forever.

John 15:9-16 New King James Version (NKJV) Love and Joy Perfected 9  “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10  If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11  “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and  that  your joy may be full.   12  This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13  Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.   14  You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.   15  No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.   16  You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and  that  your fruit should remain, that ...

Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIV “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord , whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Matthew 24:45-47 New King James Version (NKJV) 45  “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? 46  Blessed  is  that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.   47  Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.

"Gratitude for the seemingly insignificant - a seed - this plants a giant miracle...  Do not distain the small. The whole of the life - even the hard - is made up of the minute parts, and if I miss the infinitesimals, I miss the whole"  - Ann Voskamp. 

Deuteronomy 7:7-9 ESV It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.

Matthew 16:18 NKJV And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

Psalm 110:4-5 New Living Translation (NLT) 4  The  Lord  has taken an oath and will not break his vow:      “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” 5  The Lord stands at your right hand to protect you...