Andy's Inspiration Box

Jeremiah 29:7 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

Psalm 16:11 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 11 You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Matthew 10:40-42 The Message (MSG) 40-42 “We are intimately linked in this harvest work. Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me, the One who sent you. Anyone who accepts what I do accepts my Father, who sent me. Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God’s messenger. Accepting someone’s help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I’ve called you into, but don’t be overwhelmed by it. It’s best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won’t lose out on a thing.”

Isaiah 11:1 English Standard Version (ESV) 11 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,     and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

A life that believes in the worth of all lives — is the only kind of life that’s really worth living. - Ann Voskamp

"Baby Jesus grew up to claim the authority to rule each and every individual. Baby Jesus didn’t stay a baby to be admired and cuddled. He grew up to invite our allegiance and our devotion. He grew up to bring about the possibility of reconciliation with God. Baby Jesus was born to die." - David Reay

Matthew 1:23 English Standard Version (ESV) 23  “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,      and they shall call his name   Immanuel” (which means, God   with us). Matthew 28:20 English Standard Version (ESV) 20 ...And behold,   I am with you always, to   the end of the age.  

" Jesus gave up everything dear to him so we could gain everything in return. Being born as a baby may seem romantic and sweet to us. Yet for the divine Son of God it was an act of indescribable condescension. If we do see Christmas as a season of gift giving, then let’s never forget that Jesus gave us himself and it cost him everything." - David Reay

"Great men have come and gone, yet He lives on! Death could not destroy Him! The grave could not hold Him!" - Springs in the Valley (December 20)

Psalm 147:10-11 English Standard Version (ESV) 10  His delight is not in   the strength of the horse,      nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, 11  but the   Lord   takes pleasure in those who fear him,      in those who   hope in his steadfast love.

The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. | Galatians 5:6

James 1:3-13 MSG 3 You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. 4 So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. 5 If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get his help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it. 6 Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves. 7 Don't think you're going to get anything from the Master that way, 8 adrift at sea, keeping all your options open. 9 When down-and-outers get a break, cheer! 10 And when the arrogant rich are brought down to size, cheer! Prosperity is as short-lived as a wildflower, so don't ever count on it. 11 You know that as soon as the sun rises, pouring down its scorching heat, the flower withers. Its petals wilt and, before you know it, that bea...

John 10:10 King James Version (KJV) 10 ...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

"Our discipleship will not be one unbroken series of delights, nor will it be unending gloom and despair. We will have times of standing on solid ground; times when the ground seems to shift; time when we discover firm footing again having learnt through our more insecure times what it means to trust God." - David Reay

"Let your heart reach back with thankfulness and acceptance. Look at the manger scene with the fresh wonder of all He is to you. Every need, every change that you face can be encompassed by all He is. He is much more than just a baby!" - Gail Rodgers

"The greatest adversary to the love of God is not his enemies but his gifts. And the most deadly appetites are not for the poison of evil but for the simple pleasures of earth. When these replace an appetite for God himself, the idolatry is hardly noticeable and almost incurable." - John Piper

Revelation 3:20 New American Standard Bible (NASB) 20  Behold, I stand   at the door and   knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door,   I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

"We only get one shot at every season of life. Whether or not we learned anything becomes evident in the seasons that follow." - Andy Stanley

Hebrews 10:23-25 English Standard Version (ESV) 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

1 Peter 3:15 New International Version (NIV) 15 ...Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

Joshua 22:5 English Standard Version (ESV) 5  Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the   Lord   commanded you,   to love the   Lord   your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Proverbs 17:22 English Standard Version (ESV) 22  A joyful heart is good medicine,      but a crushed spirit   dries up the bones.

"When you begin your day, begin it with Him and when your head hits the pillow at night, thank Him for His daily presence. In between, pause to speak His name and seek His presence in all activities and He will give you true rest." - John Grant

"Suffering quietly begs us to surrender so we’ll win a greater wisdom, a deeper strength, a closer intimacy."-Ann Voskamp #TheBrokenWay

"We have been invited to enjoy a blessed life, full of joy, love, and contentment. It means we have to step out to do the things God has called us to do. He invites us to participate in what He is doing around us, to connect with and serve people. Sometimes caution is wise. We must act with our eyes wide open." - Debbie West

1 John 3:17-18 English Standard Version (ESV) 17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

Galatians 5:13-14 English Standard Version (ESV) 13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

John 20:19-21 New Living Translation (NLT) 19  That Sunday evening [ a ]   the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them!   “Peace be with you,”   he said.   20  As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord!   21  Again he said,   “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”

"C.S. Lewis once said that he believed in Christianity as he believed the sun has risen. Not just because he could see it, but by it he could see everything else. For some of us, Christianity best interprets what is good and not-so-good in ourselves and in our world. It offers blunt description of our predicament and helpful remedy for it. Our faith neither pushes us down in the dirt nor resorts to false optimism about how great we are." - David Reay