Acts‬ ‭12‬:‭5-11‬

So Peter was kept in jail, but the church was constantly praying to God for him. One night, Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two of the soldiers. More soldiers were guarding the door of the jail. Herod was planning to bring Peter out before the people the next day. Suddenly an angel of the Lord was standing there, and the room was filled with light. The angel tapped Peter on the side and woke him up. The angel said, “Hurry, get up!” The chains fell off Peter’s hands. The angel said, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” Peter did as he was told. Then the angel said, “Put on your coat and follow me.” So the angel went out and Peter followed. He did not know if the angel was really doing this. He thought he might be seeing a vision. Peter and the angel went past the first guard and the second guard. Then they came to the iron gate that separated them from the city. The gate opened for them by itself. After they went through the gate and walked about a block, the angel suddenly left. Peter realized then what had happened. He thought, “Now I know that the Lord really sent his angel to me. He rescued me from Herod and from everything those Jews thought would happen to me.” (‭Acts‬ ‭12‬:‭5-11‬ ERV)

Acts‬ ‭10‬:‭43

Everyone who believes in Jesus will have their sins forgiven through his name. All the prophets agree that this is true.” (‭Acts‬ ‭10‬:‭43‬ ERV)

Ecclesiastes‬ ‭11‬:‭6-8

So begin planting early in the morning, and don’t stop working until evening. You don’t know what might make you rich. Maybe everything you do will be successful. It is good to be alive. It is nice to see the light from the sun. You should enjoy every day of your life, no matter how long you live. But remember that you will die, and you will be dead much longer than you were alive. And after you are dead, you cannot do anything. (‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭11‬:‭6-8‬ ERV)

Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭30-34‬

If God makes what grows in the field so beautiful, what do you think he will do for you? It’s just grass—one day it’s alive, and the next day someone throws it into a fire. But God cares enough to make it beautiful. Surely he will do much more for you. Your faith is so small! “Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ That’s what those people who don’t know God are always thinking about. Don’t worry, because your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things. What you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what he wants you to do. Then he will give you all these other things you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Tomorrow will have its own worries.
(‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭30-34‬ ERV)

Deuteronomy‬ ‭18‬:‭14-19‬

“You will force the other nations out of your land. They listen to people who use magic and try to tell the future. But the Lord your God will not let you do these things. The Lord your God will send to you a prophet. This prophet will come from among your own people, and he will be like me. You must listen to him. God will send you this prophet because that is what you asked him to do. When you were gathered together at Mount Horeb, you became frightened and said, ‘Don’t let us hear the voice of the Lord our God again! Don’t let us see that great fire or we will die!’ “The Lord said to me, ‘What they ask for is good. I will send them a prophet like you. This prophet will be one of their own people. I will tell him what he must say, and he will tell the people everything I command. This prophet will speak for me, and I will punish anyone who refuses to listen to my commands.’ (‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭18‬:‭14-19‬ ERV)

Ecclesiastes‬ ‭9‬:‭7-10

So go and eat your food now and enjoy it. Drink your wine and be happy. It is all right with God if you do these things. Wear nice clothes and make yourself look good. Enjoy life with the wife you love. Enjoy every day of your short life. God has given you this short life on earth—and it is all you have. So enjoy the work you have to do in this life. Every time you find work to do, do it the best you can. In the grave there is no work. There is no thinking, no knowledge, and there is no wisdom. And we are all going to the place of death. (‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭9‬:‭7-10‬ ERV)

Ecclesiastes‬ ‭8‬:‭11-12

Sometimes people are not immediately punished for the bad things they do. Their punishment is slow to come, and that makes other people want to do bad things too. A sinner might do a hundred evil things and still live a long time. But I know that it is still better to obey and respect God.
(‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭8‬:‭11-12‬ ERV)

Ecclesiastes‬ ‭7‬:‭13-14‬

Look at what God has made. You cannot change a thing, even if you think it is wrong. When life is good, enjoy it. But when life is hard, remember that God gives us good times and hard times. And no one knows what will happen in the future. (‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭7‬:‭13-14‬ ERV)

Ecclesiastes‬ ‭7‬:‭15-21‬

In my short life, I have seen everything. I have seen good people die young, and I have seen evil people live long lives. So why ruin your life? Don’t be too good or too bad, and don’t be too wise or too foolish. Why should you die before your time?

Try to be a little of this and a little of that. Even God’s followers will do some good things and some bad things. Surely there is no one on earth who always does good and never sins. But wisdom can make one person stronger than ten leaders in a city.

Don’t listen to everything people say. You might hear your own servant saying bad things about you. (‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭7‬:‭15-21‬ ERV)

‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭27-29‬

But earthly food spoils and ruins. So don’t work to get that kind of food. But work to get the food that stays good and gives you eternal life. The Son of Man will give you that food. He is the only one qualified by God the Father to give it to you.” The people asked Jesus, “What does God want us to do?” Jesus answered, “The work God wants you to do is this: to believe in the one he sent.”
(‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭27-29‬ ERV)

Acts‬ ‭4‬:‭10, 12

We want all of you and all the people of Israel to know that this man was made well by the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth. You nailed Jesus to a cross, but God raised him from death. This man was crippled, but he is now well. He is able to stand here before you because of the power of Jesus!

Jesus is the only one who can save people. His name is the only power in the world that has been given to save anyone. We must be saved through him!” (‭Acts‬ ‭4‬:‭10, 12‬ ERV)

Acts‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬

“This crippled man was healed because we trusted in Jesus. It was Jesus’ power that made him well. You can see this man, and you know him. He was made completely well because of faith in Jesus. You all saw it happen! (‭Acts‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ERV)

Ecclesiastes‬ ‭6‬:‭8-11‬

In the same way a wise person is no better than a fool is. It is better to be a poor person who knows how to accept life as it is. It is better to be happy with what you have than to always want more and more. Always wanting more and more is useless. It is like trying to catch the wind. You are only what you were created to be—a human, and it is useless to argue about it. People cannot argue with God about this because he is more powerful than they are, and a long argument will not change that fact. (‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭6‬:‭8-11‬ ERV)

Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭38-39‬

Peter said to them, “Change your hearts and lives and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ. Then God will forgive your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is for you. It is also for your children and for the people who are far away. It is for everyone the Lord our God calls to himself.” (‭Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭38-39‬ ERV)

Ecclesiastes‬ ‭5‬:‭2

Be careful when you make promises to God. Be careful about what you say to him. Don’t let your feelings cause you to speak too soon. God is in heaven, and you are on the earth. So you need to say only a few things to him. This saying is true: (‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭5‬:‭2‬ ERV)

Acts‬ ‭1‬:‭8

But the Holy Spirit will come on you and give you power. You will be my witnesses. You will tell people everywhere about me—in Jerusalem, in the rest of Judea, in Samaria, and in every part of the world.” (‭Acts‬ ‭1‬:‭8‬ ERV)

Ecclesiastes‬ ‭4‬:‭4-12‬

Then I thought, “Why do people work so hard?” I saw people try to succeed and be better than other people. They do this because they are jealous. They don’t want other people to have more than they have. This is senseless. It is like trying to catch the wind.

Some people say, “It is foolish to fold your hands and do nothing. If you don’t work, you will starve to death.” Maybe that is true. But I say it is better to be satisfied with the few things you have than to always be struggling to get more. Again I saw something else that didn’t make sense: I saw a man who has no family, not a son or even a brother. But he continues to work very hard. He is never satisfied with what he has. And he works so hard that he never stops and asks himself, “Why am I working so hard? Why don’t I let myself enjoy my life?” This is also a very bad and senseless thing.

Two people are better than one. When two people work together, they get more work done. If one person falls, the other person can reach out to help. But those who are alone when they fall have no one to help them. If two people sleep together, they will be warm. But a person sleeping alone will not be warm. An enemy might be able to defeat one person, but two people can stand back-to-back to defend each other. And three people are even stronger. They are like a rope that has three parts wrapped together—it is very hard to break. (‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭4‬:‭4-12‬ ERV)

This topic has been on my mind a lot here lately since I am a CPA just getting over tax season where I am constantly pushed to work more, more, more. Many CPAs in our office are like the foolish man who has no family because they work so much. Just a reminder not to work so much that you wind up alone! At the end of the day it's really God taking care of you anyways.

John‬ ‭20‬:‭25-29‬

They told him, “We saw the Lord.” Thomas said, “That’s hard to believe. I will have to see the nail holes in his hands, put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side. Only then will I believe it.” A week later the followers were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but Jesus came and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here. Look at my hands. Put your hand here in my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “You believe because you see me. Great blessings belong to the people who believe without seeing me!” (‭John‬ ‭20‬:‭25-29‬ ERV)

Deuteronomy‬ ‭8‬:‭17-18

Don’t ever say to yourself, ‘I got all this wealth by my own power and ability.’ Remember the Lord your God is the one who gives you power to do these things. He does this because he wants to keep the agreement that he made with your ancestors, as he is doing today! (‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭8‬:‭17-18‬ ERV)

Deuteronomy‬ ‭8‬:‭1-5‬

“You must obey all the commands that I give you today, because then you will live and grow to become a great nation. You will get the land that the Lord promised to your ancestors. And you must remember the entire trip that the Lord your God has led you through these 40 years in the desert. He was testing you. He wanted to make you humble. He wanted to know what is in your heart. He wanted to know if you would obey his commands. He humbled you and let you be hungry. Then he fed you with manna—something you did not know about before. It was something your ancestors had never seen. Why did the Lord do this? Because he wanted you to know that it is not just bread that keeps people alive. People’s lives depend on what the Lord says. These past 40 years, your clothes did not wear out, and your feet did not swell. You must remember that the Lord your God teaches and corrects you as a father teaches and corrects his son. (‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭8‬:‭1-5‬ ERV)

Deuteronomy‬ ‭7‬:‭7-10‬

Why did the Lord love and choose you? It was not because you are such a large nation. You had the fewest of all people! But the Lord brought you out of Egypt with great power and made you free from slavery. He freed you from the control of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. The Lord did this because he loves you and he wanted to keep the promise he made to your ancestors. “So remember that the Lord your God is the only God, and you can trust him! He keeps his agreement. He shows his love and kindness to all people who love him and obey his commands. He continues to show his love and kindness through a thousand generations, but the Lord punishes people who hate him. He will destroy them. He will not be slow to punish those who hate him. (‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭7‬:‭7-10‬ ERV)

John‬ ‭17‬:‭11-12‬

“Now I am coming to you. I will not stay in the world, but these followers of mine are still in the world. Holy Father, keep them safe by the power of your name—the name you gave me. Then they will be one, just as you and I are one. While I was with them, I kept them safe by the power of your name—the name you gave me. I protected them. And only one of them was lost—the one who was sure to be lost. This was to show the truth of what the Scriptures said would happen.
(‭John‬ ‭17‬:‭11-12‬ ERV)

Deuteronomy‬ ‭4‬:‭25-31

“You will live in the country a long time. You will have children and grandchildren there. After all that time, be sure that you do not then ruin your lives by making any kind of idol! That is something the Lord your God considers evil, and it would make him very angry! So I am warning you now. Heaven and earth are my witnesses! If you do such an evil thing, you will quickly be destroyed! You are crossing the Jordan River now to take that land. But if you make any idols, you will not live there very long. No, you will be destroyed completely! The Lord will scatter you among the nations. And only a few of you will be left alive to go to the countries where the Lord will send you. There you will serve gods made by men—things made of wood and stone that cannot see or hear or eat or smell! But there in these other lands you will look for the Lord your God. And if you look for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him. When you are in trouble—when all these things happen to you—then you will come back to the Lord your God and obey him. The Lord your God is a merciful God! He will not leave you there or destroy you completely. He will not forget the agreement that he made with your ancestors. (‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭4‬:‭25-31‬ ERV)

John‬ ‭16‬:‭27‬

The Father himself loves you because you have loved me. And he loves you because you have believed that I came from God. (‭John‬ ‭16‬:‭27‬ ERV)

‭John‬ ‭16‬:‭21-24‬

“When a woman gives birth to a baby, she has pain, because her time has come. But when her baby is born, she forgets the pain. She forgets because she is so happy that a child has been born into the world. It is the same with you. Now you are sad, but I will see you again, and you will be happy. You will have a joy that no one can take away. In that day you will not have to ask me about anything. And I assure you, my Father will give you anything you ask him for in my name. You have never asked for anything in this way before. But ask in my name, and you will receive. And you will have the fullest joy possible. (‭John‬ ‭16‬:‭21-24‬ ERV)

John‬ ‭16‬:‭7-10‬

Let me assure you, it is better for you that I go away. I say this because when I go away I will send the Helper to you. But if I did not go, the Helper would not come. “When the Helper comes, he will show the people of the world how wrong they are about sin, about being right with God, and about judgment. He will prove that they are guilty of sin, because they don’t believe in me. He will show them how wrong they are about how to be right with God. The Helper will do this, because I am going to the Father. You will not see me then. (‭John‬ ‭16‬:‭7-10‬ ERV)

John‬ ‭15‬:‭3-4, 7

You have already been prepared to produce more fruit by the teaching I have given you. Stay joined to me and I will stay joined to you. No branch can produce fruit alone. It must stay connected to the vine. It is the same with you. You cannot produce fruit alone. You must stay joined to me.

Stay joined together with me, and follow my teachings. If you do this, you can ask for anything you want, and it will be given to you. (‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭3-4, 7‬ ERV)

Proverbs‬ ‭30‬:‭5-6‬

You can trust this: Every word that God speaks is true. God is a safe place for those who go to him. So don’t try to change what God says. If you do, he will punish you and prove that you are a liar. (‭Proverbs‬ ‭30‬:‭5-6‬ ERV)

John‬ ‭12‬:‭24-26

It is a fact that a grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die before it can grow and produce much more wheat. If it never dies, it will never be more than a single seed. Whoever loves the life they have now will lose it. But whoever is willing to give up their life in this world will keep it. They will have eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me. My servants must be with me everywhere I am. My Father will give honor to anyone who serves me. (‭John‬ ‭12‬:‭24-26‬ ERV)

Deuteronomy‬ ‭2‬:‭7‬

Remember that the Lord your God has blessed you in everything you have done. He knows about everything that happened on the trip through this great desert. The Lord your God has been with you these 40 years. You have always had everything you needed.’ (‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭2‬:‭7‬ ERV)

Proverbs‬ ‭28‬:‭9

When people do not listen to God’s teachings, he does not listen to their prayers.
(‭Proverbs‬ ‭28‬:‭9‬ ERV)

Proverbs‬ ‭28‬:‭13

Whoever hides their sins will not be successful, but whoever confesses their sins and stops doing wrong will receive mercy. (‭Proverbs‬ ‭28‬:‭13‬ ERV)

John‬ ‭10‬:‭25-29

Jesus answered, “I told you already, but you did not believe. I do miracles in my Father’s name. These miracles show who I am. But you do not believe, because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give my sheep eternal life. They will never die, and no one can take them out of my hand. My Father is the one who gave them to me, and he is greater than all. No one can steal my sheep out of his hand. (‭John‬ ‭10‬:‭25-29‬ ERV)

John‬ ‭9‬:‭3, 6-7‬

Jesus answered, “It was not any sin of this man or his parents that caused him to be blind. He was born blind so that he could be used to show what great things God can do.

After Jesus said this, he spit on the dirt, made some mud and put it on the man’s eyes. Jesus told him, “Go and wash in Siloam pool.” (Siloam means “Sent.”) So the man went to the pool, washed and came back. He was now able to see. (‭John‬ ‭9‬:‭3, 6-7‬ ERV)

Hosea‬ ‭3‬:‭1

Then the Lord said to me again, “Gomer has many lovers, but you must continue loving her. Do this because it is an example of the Lord ’S love for Israel. He continues to love them, but they continue to turn to other gods, and they love to eat those raisin cakes. ” (‭Hosea‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬ ERV)‬

Hosea‬ ‭11‬:‭8-10

“Ephraim, I don’t want to give you up. Israel, I want to protect you. I don’t want to make you like Admah. I don’t want to make you like Zeboiim. I am changing my mind. My love for you is too strong. I will not let my terrible anger win. I will not destroy Ephraim again. I am God and not a human. I am the Holy One. I am with you. I will not show my anger. I, the Lord, will roar like a lion, and my children will come and follow me. They will come from the west, shaking with fear.
 (‭Hosea‬ ‭11‬:‭8-10‬ ERV)

(‭John‬ ‭7‬:‭38-39‬ ERV)

If anyone believes in me, rivers of living water will flow out from their heart. That is what the Scriptures say.” Jesus was talking about the Spirit. The Spirit had not yet been given to people, because Jesus had not yet been raised to glory. But later, those who believed in Jesus would receive the Spirit. (‭John‬ ‭7‬:‭38-39‬ ERV)

John‬ ‭6‬:‭35-40‬

Then Jesus said, “I am the bread that gives life. No one who comes to me will ever be hungry. No one who believes in me will ever be thirsty. I told you before that you have seen me, and still you don’t believe. The Father gives me my people. Every one of them will come to me. I will always accept them. I came down from heaven to do what God wants, not what I want. I must not lose anyone God has given me. But I must raise them up on the last day. This is what the one who sent me wants me to do. Everyone who sees the Son and believes in him has eternal life. I will raise them up on the last day. This is what my Father wants.” (‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭35-40‬ ERV)

John‬ ‭6‬:‭47-48‬

“I can assure you that anyone who believes has eternal life. I am the bread that gives life.
(‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭47-48‬ ERV)

John‬ ‭5‬:‭24‬

“I assure you, anyone who hears what I say and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life. They will not be judged guilty. They have already left death and have entered into life. (‭John‬ ‭5‬:‭24‬ ERV)