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John 6:47-59 "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. " John 6:51. In the gospel of John, Jesus reminds His listeners that when their ancestors wandered hungry in the wilderness, God provided quail and bread. That food satisfied them for a time. But Jesus promises us that those who accept Him as the "bread of life", will "live forever. "

Ephesians 1:3 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. " We tend to think of blessings in terms of money, possessions or opportunities. But Paul uses the word to refer to the special relationship and position Christ offers: salvation, forgiveness and the hope of eternal life.

Mark 10:17-27 "With man this is impossible, but not with God, all things are possible with God. " Mark 10:27. Jesus told the rich man to sell his possessions, and give the money to the poor, and follow Him. But the rich man loved and relied on his wealth more than he trusted Jesus. Abandoning the security of his money to follow Jesus was a too great a risk for him. "with man this is impossible, ... but ...with God all things are possible. "

Psalm 103:13-18 "As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field. " Psalm 103:15. While praising God, David reminds how quickly the joyful moments of our lives pass away, "the wind blows over it and it is gone. " In contrast, David further assures us, "from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him. "

John 10:11-15 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. " John 10:11. David wrote in Psalm 23, "The Lord is my shepherd ". Matthew wrote, "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. " And in John 10, Jesus declared His love and concern for the humans. He said, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. "

Revelation 21:1-5 "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. " Revelation 21:4. John describes in Revelation 21 a beautiful victory scene, where God makes His home with His people, and wipes "every tear from their eyes " in a place with "no more death or mourning or crying or pain, " We can surely cling to this promise, in our troubled time.

Numbers 13:30. 14:9 "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it. " Numbers 13:30. Caleb and Joshua said, "... the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them. " Unbelief never lets us go beyond the difficulties. It engages us with human resources. Faith, on the other hand, though never minimizes the dangers and difficulties of any situation, looks away from them to God, and counts on His invisible presence and power.

2 Corinthians 8:1-9 "Freely you have received, freely give, " Matthew 10:8. Paul wrote, "But since you excel in everything... see that you also excel in this grace of giving. " God has shown that "it is more blessed to give than to receive". God generously gave us the most unselfish gift of all, His only Son.

James 2:14-26 "You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone ". James 2:24. Apostle James explains that every act of a beliver 's loving service is a result of genuine faith. James writes, "faith, by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. " In reality, faith and service are as closely interdependent as the body and the spirit. The power of Christ works in and through the believers.

Deuteronomy 5:28-33 "Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you,.... " Deuteronomy 5:33. Moses advised the Israelites to "...be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you, do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you,.... " Long after Moses, Jesus urged His disciples to trust Him and to love one another. God's love prevails when everything else fails.

2 Timothy 4:9-18 "I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. " Ephesians 1:16. Paul wrote to Timothy in "2 Timothy", "only Luke is with me ". "...no one came to my support,... " Yet Paul got encouragement in the prison, and wrote, "...the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, ...." Our God will surely rescue us from every discomfort, and lead us safely to Him.

Habakkuk 3:16-19 "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my saviour". Habakkuk 3:18. God showed Habakkuk a grim future. It would take more than mere optimism to endure the coming hardship. Yet despite that, Habakkuk said he would "rejoice in the Lord " and "be joyful ". He proclaimed his hope in God, who provides strength to walk in difficult places. Sometimes, we go through seasons of deep pain and hardship. But no matter what we've lost, or wanted, but never had , we can, like Habakkuk, rejoice in our relationship with a loving God. Even when it feels like we have nothing else, He will never fail or abandon us. Hebrews 13:5.

Revelation 1:9-18 "Then he placed his right hand on me and said, 'Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last' " Revelation 1:17. Apostle John was exiled in the island of Patmos for preaching the gospel. There, he heard "a loud voice like a trumpet ". This was followed by a vision of the Lord, and John "fell at his feet as though dead. " But in that frightening moment, he received comfort and courage. John wrote, "He placed his right hand on me and said, 'Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last'. " God takes us out of our comfort zone to show us new things, to stretch us, to help us grow. He also brings the courage and comfort to go through every situation.

John 14:15-21 "If you love me, keep my commands. " John 14:15. Jesus said, "if you love me, keep my commands ". He also said, "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and will be with you forever--the Spirit of truth ". It is by the work of the Spirit, who is with us and in us that we can learn to obey Jesus and keep His commands.

Colossians 3:12-17 "Whatever you do,... do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him ". Colossians 3:17. Paul says "be thankful ", and sing to God "with gratitude in your hearts ". Paul's instruction to be thankful in all circumstances is marvellous, when we consider that he wrote these from a prison cell.

John 14:16-17 "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. " John 14:27. Jesus promised this to the followers after the "last supper. " He reminded them that although they would face trouble in this world, the Father would send the Spirit of truth to live with them, and be in them. Although as God's children, we face hardships in the world, we're comforted that the Holy Spirit lives within us and flowing out of us.

Acts 9:1-22 "At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. " Acts 9:20. Once Paul was one of the most feared persecutors of the church, until his encounter with Christ. His drastic transformation added to the credibility of his Spirit empowered teaching. Our first personal encounter with Jesus may not be as dramatic as Paul's, but Christ's love is changing us over time.

1 Peter 2:1-10 "You are a chosen people , a royal priesthood, a holy nation... that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. " 1 Peter 2:9 This is not an image of a privileged few, but of "every tribe and language and people and nation. " Today, we're scattered across the globe, where many feel isolated and suffer for their allegiance to Jesus. But through the lens of God's Word we see a wider angle of our brothers and sisters in faith standing together to honour the One who redeemed us and made us His own.

Galatians 4:1-7 "...God sent his Son... that we might receive adoption to sonship. " Galatians 4:4-5. Paul says that everyone who puts their faith in Jesus, whether man or woman, becomes a "son" of God with equal and full rights of inheritance. We are not merely blessed by God, we're the children of God, and our Father loves us.

Exodus 3:10-17 "I am who I am. " Exodus 3:14. When God showed up with marching orders, Moses said "...who am I,...?" Then God told Moses who He was, "I am who I am. " It's impossible for us to explain that mysterious name our indescribable God is describing, and His eternal presence to Moses. A sense of our weaknesses is acceptable, but if we use that as an excuse to keep God from using us, we disrespect Him. What we are saying is that God isn't good enough. The question isn't "who am I"? The question is Who is the "I am " ?