Proverbs 25:28 'A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls.' It’s always tragic to see someone who is drunk. They stagger along the road with no clear sense of direction, their speech is slurred and you sense that the...
Proverbs 25:25 'Good news from far away is like cold water to the thirsty.' This wonderful proverb doesn’t make much sense in our modern world when communications across the globe are instant. You could have a chat right now with someone in A...
Proverbs 25.20 NLT 'Singing cheerful songs to a person with a heavy heart is like taking someone’s coat in cold weather or pouring vinegar in a wound.' Ouch! This is a painful proverb because the fact is that we all have the capacity to be in...
Proverbs 25.19 NLT 'Putting confidence in an unreliable person in times of trouble is like chewing with a broken tooth or walking on a lame foot.' What a wise saying this is! The importance of being able to trust reliable people cannot be exa...
Proverbs 25:18 NLT 'Telling lies about others is as harmful as hitting them with an axe, wounding them with a sword, or shooting them with a sharp arrow.' Lying is a terrible business and the writer of Proverbs captures its awful destructiveness....
Proverbs 25.16 NLT 'Do you like honey? Don’t eat too much, or it will make you sick!' We can always trust the writer of Proverbs to give us sound advice! His purpose is to help us live life to the full, and to avoid the many traps that lie in...
2 Corinthians 13.14 NLT 'May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.' As Paul concludes this tough letter in which he has responded to fierce criticism of his ministry, he en...
2 Corinthians 12.9-10 NLT The Lord said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses,...
2 Corinthians 10.3-4 NLT 'We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.' Paul was under attack from people ...
2 Corinthians 9.10-11 NLT 'For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. Yes, you will be enriche...
2 Corinthians 9.7 NLT You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” Some years ago, I was involved with the setting up of a new hospi...
2 Corinthians 9.6 NLT 'Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.' The law of the harvest is easy to understand. In short you reap what you sow. If...
2 Corinthians 8.20-21 NLT 'We are traveling together to guard against any criticism for the way we are handling this generous gift. We are careful to be honourable before the Lord, but we also want everyone else to see that we are honourable....
2 Corinthians 8.11-12 NLT 'Give in proportion to what you have. Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have.' People often ask what amount of money they should give to t...
2 Corinthians 8.10-11 NLT 'Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it. Now you should finish what you started. L...
