If you have been in any of my Bible studies or Purpose/Leadership workshops, you know how I preach reading scriptures in at least three different translations and write your name in the scripture to personalize them. When listening to a sermon or studying, I have found writing one-line notes in your Bible, also to be great reminders.

I have listed a few “nuggets” I have written in my Bible that might be encouraging to you. Read the associated verse to get the full effect.

• Don’t put a due date on God’s appointed time.  (Genesis 18:11-14)

• Profanity is the effort of a feeble mind trying to express itself forcibly. Billy Graham (Exodus 20:7)

• Words kill or give life.  (Proverbs 18:21, James 3:6-10)

• Active faith can praise a promise though not yet performed (2 Chronicles 20:18-19)

• Without God, everything is pointless (Ecclesiastes 2:17-23)

• Peace is not found in the absence of conflict but in the presence of forgiveness. (Isaiah 9:6-7)

• Our perspective might change, but God remains the same. We have to be willing to trust God despite the heavy sadness covering our hearts. (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

As you can see, scriptures are from the Old Testament. The Old Testament closes with the prophet Malachi warning the Jews to come back to God. They had broken their relationship with Him through their worship of other gods, disobedience to God, and their constant living for themselves. Now, this chosen nation was left looking for their King, their Savior. The Lord was silent for 400 years until Matthew writes to the Jews to prove that Jesus is the Messiah.

Next week, we will look a few morsels from the New Testament.  Until then, read the above scriptures and see how the Lord speaks to you.

Lord, thank you for Your Word. As we read your Scriptures, Father, grant us great insight, so we can get to know You and Your character.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.