Andy's Inspiration Box

Matthew 28:16-20 Good News Translation (GNT) 16 The eleven disciples went to the hill in Galilee where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him, even though some of them doubted. 18 Jesus drew near and said to them, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 20 and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age.”

Job 12:10 New International Version (NIV) 10  In his hand is the life A )" data-cr="#cen-NIV-13139A" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; vertical-align: top; top: 0px;">  of every creature      and the breath of all mankind.

Psalm 145:5 English Standard Version (ESV) 5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.

Hebrews 13:14 New Century Version (NCV) 14  Here on earth we do not have a city that lasts forever, but we are looking for the city that we will have in the future.

Ephesians 4:31-32 The Message (MSG) 31-32  Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.

"God’s word tells us,  “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”  Being the gatekeeper of our hearts means being careful what attitudes we nurse, what thoughts we allow to make paths in our minds, and what images and words we allow entertainment to deposit there. The essence of our lives springs from our hearts. When a heart is at peace, peace springs from within. When we allow anxiety, anger, or edginess to live there that is what springs forth. Our entire lives are affected by the wellspring of our hearts. Then God tells us exactly how  He  will guard our hearts and minds, and help us tend to the wellspring of our hearts!" - Gail Rodgers

"We are bearers of Christ's presence in our homes, in our church, at school, in our place of work, in the whole world." - Selwyn Hughes

Matthew 28:19-20 The Message (MSG) 18-20  Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”

"Good followers make good leaders. Bad followers destroy good leaders." - Rev Je-Kon Oh

"Years ago there was a movie about a mega tornado. The couple tried to outrun it, but finding they couldn’t, instead wrapped a leather strap around a pipe anchored deep in the ground and held onto it for dear life. As the tornado passed over them, they were able to peer into the calm, peaceful center. Both stared in awe at the inner beauty and tranquility as the straps held tight and saved them. To me, this scene describes the Christian life. We don’t have to try and run from the situation barreling down upon us. That rarely works, does it? Isaiah, in Chapter 32, talks of the kings God will send to reign over the turmoil in the lives of His people. Today, we have direct access to the King of Kings. Though the storms rage in our lives, we can anchor ourselves to God’s truth and love as found in Scripture. We can grab onto the strap called faith and secure it to Christ, our foundation. His steadfast love can help us weather anything that comes along, as long as we cling ...

"Utter dependence does not make us passive. It simply recognises that discipleship is a demanding assignment. We can’t do it on our own. We do what we can but always aware that it is the power of Jesus which enables us to be the people he means us to be." - David Reay

  Genesis 15:5 King James Version (KJV) 5  And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

2 Corinthians 8:10-12 New King James Version (NKJV) 10  And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago;  11  but now you also must complete the doing  of it;  that as  there was  a readiness to desire  it, so  there  also  may be  a completion out of what you have  .  12  For if there is first a willing mind,  it is accepted  according to what one has,  and  not according to what he does not have.

Jeremiah 29:11 New King James Version (NKJV) 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

"No human can fully comprehend how the price of sin was paid on the cross, but the fact that it was is the message of the whole New Testament. We may not be able to fully understand it but we most certainly can fully stand upon it." - Selwyn Hughes

- Andy Stanley 

2 Corinthians 5:21 The Message (MSG) 21 ...God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God.

Isaiah 9:5-6 English Standard Version (ESV) 5  For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult      and every garment rolled in blood      will be burned as fuel for the fire. 6  For to us a child is born,      to us   a son is given; and the government shall be   upon [ a ]   his shoulder,      and his name shall be called [ b ] Wonderful   Counselor,   Mighty God,      Everlasting   Father, Prince of   Peace.

"What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself". - Oswald Chambers

Isaiah 54:2-3 New International Version (NIV) 2  “Enlarge the place of your tent,      stretch your tent curtains wide,      do not hold back; lengthen your cords,      strengthen your stakes. 3  For you will spread out to the right and to the left;      your descendants  will dispossess nations      and settle in their desolate  cities.

“Make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; and Where there is sadness, joy. Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.” Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

James 3:13-18 New Living Translation (NLT) True Wisdom Comes from God 13  If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.   14  But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying.   15  For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.   16  For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. 17  But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. 18  And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. [ a ]

"We might have gone far away from what God intended us to be, but in essence we retain our humanity, our capacity to love and be loved, our capacity to make moral decisions. Our humanity cannot be reduced to scientific formulae. We are defined by our relationships, especially our relationship with our Maker. As St Augustine said, “You have made us, Lord, for yourself. And our hearts are restless till they rest in you.”" - David Reay

Romans 12:4-5 New International Version (NIV) 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

 “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.”   - Mark Twain

Mark 8:34 Good News Translation (GNT) 34 Then Jesus called the crowd and his disciples to him. “If any of you want to come with me,” he told them, “you must forget yourself, carry your cross, and follow me.

"God adds people to church bodies for a reason. He wants to use your life to make a positive difference among the people where he has placed you." - Henry Blackaby

Colossians 3:15 New International Version (NIV) 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

1 John 3:16-17 The Message (MSG) 16-17  This is how we’ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears. And you made it disappear.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 New King James Version (NKJV) 14  For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;  15  and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

"We can find peace in knowing that most of our struggles won’t last forever. Even those difficulties which seem to last a long, long time are but a comma in the story of eternity. God’s plan for us is always good, despite the fact life’s circumstances seem to be the opposite of what we hope for or desire. We can find more rest for our souls if we daily remind ourselves of this truth." - Caroline Bellemare

Psalm 94:19 English Standard Version (ESV) 19  When the cares of my heart are many,      your consolations cheer my soul.

John 14:27 New Living Translation (NLT) 27  “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid."     " Does life have you down? Are you regretful over yesterday or anxious about tomorrow? You will not find lasting peace in the world around you, in circumstances or in human relationships. Jesus said He was not of this world, and neither are we, His followers. The world is enemy territory, so if we look to the world for satisfaction, we will ultimately be disappointed. The external world is always in a state of confusion under the curse of death and decay. We need to let go of our grip on the world and grasp hold of the hand of our Savior, who came to overcome the world (John 16:33). The peace that comes from Jesus cures fear and fright. A relationship with Jesus is the only one that can give us present peace. True peace is vertical (reaching up to God) rather than horizontal...

"No life is ordinary when it is in the hands of our extraordinary God" - Henry Blackaby

"Spiritual revival occurs when the life of God returns to our souls." - Henry Blackaby