8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “Do not commit adultery," ”Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. 11 And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
15 Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
12 When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”
1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.
5 Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure.
7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
7 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. 9 Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
“One of the biggest struggles in the church today is spiritual drowsiness, even laziness. God’s Word tells us that when we are more concerned about worldly pleasures—reputation, career, wealth—than about what concerns Christ, when our love for Christ grows cold, when we succumb to self-indulgence, when we pay lip-service to God but presume upon His grace, we are spiritually asleep. Beloved, you belong to the day. It’s time to awake from your spiritual sleep. Christ is coming!” Michael Youssef
“The mission of the Church is the message of the Gospel.” Donna Evans
“Let no agitation distress you; don't be unsettled by fear of evil. Whatever happens on the earth, the believer is sheltered beneath the broad wings of Jehovah and shall be secure. Take your stand upon His promise; rest in His faithfulness, and boldly face the darkest future, for there is nothing in it harmful for you. Your sole concern should be to display to the world the blessedness of taking heed to the voice of wisdom.” C. H. Spurgeon revised by Alistair Begg
“--Blazingly, Jesus illustrated this with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4). No self-respecting Jew of that time would speak to a Samaritan. But Jesus, caring more for the person than the tradition, knew she had an unquenched thirst. He sought her out, found common ground -- and the rest is history. It’s a model I’m seeing lived out all around me - people finding common ground, taking risks, running toward instead of away from threat. Being brave to love and heal and bless -- no matter the cost to self. Daring to hold back, or to step in to forge a way for peace, stem a destructive tide, or build a river in a desert. I’m seeing that being salt and light means engaging our world precisely where we are placed. Wherever we find ourselves, there, living simply, profoundly, giving our best at all times for Jesus’ sake. Upfront or behind the scenes, whether like me you are a helper, or whether you are a leader; a doctor, an executive, a parent, a principal, a granny or a golfer, it matters not -- only that we are givers and love at all times.” Paula Kirby
“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” John Wesley
“There can be no triumph unless there is a trial. There can be no testimony unless there is a test. There can be no conquest unless there is a conflict. Many people want to be used mightily by God, yet they refuse to pay the cost. Are you willing to go through dark times so that God’s Kingdom may grow?” Michael Youssef
“The prayers we weave into the matching of the socks, the working of our hands, the toiling of the hours, they survive fire. It’s the things unseen that survive fire. Love. Relationship. Worship. Prayer. Communion. All Things Unseen — and centered in Christ. It doesn’t matter so much what we leave unaccomplished — but that our priority was things unseen. Again, today, that’s always the call: Slay the idol of the seen. Slay the idol of focusing on only what can be seen, lauded, noticed. Today, a thousand times again today, I will preach His truth to this soul prone to wander, that wants nothing more than the gracious smile of our Father: ‘Unseen. Things Unseen. Invest in Things Unseen. The Unexpected Priority is always Things Unseen.’” Ann Voskamp
“Disciples live with not only renouncing their own rights, but even renouncing their own righteousness. They get no credit themselves for what they do and sacrifice. The only righteousness they can have is in hungering and thirsting for it. They will have neither their own righteousness nor God’s righteousness on earth. At all times they look forward to God’s future righteousness, but they cannot bring it about by themselves. Those who follow Jesus will be hungry and thirsty along the way. They are filled with longing for forgiveness of all sins and for complete renewal; they long for the renewal of the earth and for God’s perfect justice.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“God is always looking for boys and girls and men and women who are available to Him. Look at Judges 6:34: ‘Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Gideon.’ The literal meaning of this verse is this: The Spirit of the Lord was worn around him like a suit. It covered him all over. The Spirit of the Lord came all over him. God was not looking for the most courageous person. He was not looking for the most powerful warrior. He was not looking for the best strategist or the best thinker. He was looking for a man who, conscious of his own weakness, was nevertheless willing. He was looking for a man who would be dependent on God's power, not his own. He was looking for a person who was willing to grow in his faith in God, who was willing to take God at His word, though he might ask for confirmation three times. God was looking for someone through whom He could demonstrate His unparalleled faithfulness.” Michael Youssef
“The Gospel will always be threatened but never silenced.” Donna Evans
“Now is the time to take your appointed position. In every season of your life, I will give you an appointed place to invest your time and talent. There will be seasons when I will call you to rest. Other times I will call you to serve a loved one or pour your heart into someone who is hurting. Whenever you begin to wonder what to do or where to go, come to Me, and I will show you where you will be most effective. One thing is certain, My love: if you live in the moment for Me and My glory, not a single day will be wasted. All you do will leave an everlasting impact on those who had the privilege of knowing you during your lifetime.” Sheri Rose Shepherd
“You have a message, and you are constantly delivering it. You may not even know what it is. It may be a message of redemption or of guilt, of confidence or of insecurity, of faith or of doubt. But one way or another, your life is an embodied message of whatever you believe to be true. That’s frightening, isn’t it? We can handle the thought of delivering a message when God tells us to, the thought that we are always implicitly living a message means we may have preached against the gospel many, many times. Every time we sowed seeds of discord, every time we got comfortable with sin, every time we said something that minimized God’s goodness or exaggerated our own, we gave a false message. We might think we’ve never presumed to speak for God, but as creatures made in His image, we have. We may have spoken truth, or we may have spoken lies, but we have spoken. Wearing the name of ‘Christian,’ we have made some kind of impression – either positive or negative, or a combination of both – on this world.” Chris Tiegreen