September 30

Matthew 6:34

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

NLT:  “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries.  Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

John 10:10

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

NLT:  “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy.  My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

James 4:13-15

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”  Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.  What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

NLT:   Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year.  We will do business there and make a profit.”  How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow?  Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.  What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”

September 28

 Ephesians 3:16-18

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.

NLT:  I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.  Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him.  Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.  And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.

 

Hebrews 4:16

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence.

NLT: So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

 

John 8:44

“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire…When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

NLT:  For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does.  He was a murderer from the beginning.  He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.

 

James 4:7-8 (NKJV)

Therefore submit to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.  Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you doubleminded.

NLT:  So humble yourselves before God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Come close to God, and God will come close to you.  Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

September 27

Deuteronomy 33:27

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.  He will drive out your enemy before you, saying, “Destroy him!”

NTL:  The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you.  He drives out the enemy before you; he cries out: ‘Destroy them!’

 

Romans 8:26

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

NLT:  And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.  For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for.  But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.

 

Psalm 27:13-14

I am still confident of this:  I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

NLT:  Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living.  Wait patiently for the Lord.  Be brave and courageous.  Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

 

September 26

Isaiah 50:4

The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary.  He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.

NLT:  The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom, so that I know how to comfort the weary.  Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will.

 

Isaiah 55:2-3

“Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?  Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.  Give ear and come to me; hear me,that your soul may live.  I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.”

 

NLT: “Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength?  Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good.  You will enjoy the finest food. Come to me with your ears wide open.  Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.”

 

John 19:30

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.”  With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

NLT:  When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!”  Then he bowed his head and released his spirit.

 

Matthew 27:50-51

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.  At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  The earth shook and the rocks split.

NLT:  Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit.  At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.  The earth shook, rocks split apart.

September 25

 Psalm 23:4

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

NLT:  Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.  Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

 

Matthew 7:1-2

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

NLT:  “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.  For you will be treated as you treat others.  The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.”

 

Proverbs 29:25

Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.

NLT:  Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety.

September 24

Psalm 89:15-16

Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord.  They rejoice in your name all day long; they exult in your righteousness. 

NLT:  Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord.  They rejoice all day long in your wonderful reputation.  They exult in your righteousness.

 

Psalm 16:8

I have set the Lord always before me.  Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

NLT:  I know the Lord is always with me.  I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

2 Peter 1:2

Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

NLT:  May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.

 

John 10:28 (NKJV)

“And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”

 

NLT:  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.  No one can snatch them away from me.

September 23

Psalm 68:19

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.

NLT:  Praise the Lord; praise God our savior!  For each day he carries us in his arms.

 

1 John 1:7-9

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.  If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

NLT:  But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.  If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.  But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

 

1 John 4:18

There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.  The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

NLT:  Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear.  If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.

September 22

 

Exodus 15:2

The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.  He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

NLT:  The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory.  This is my God, and I will praise him—my father’s God, and I will exalt him!

 

2 Corinthians 10:5

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

NLT:  We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God.  We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.

 

Hebrews 10:23

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

NLT:  Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promises.

September 21

Colossians 1:16 (NKJV)

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.  All things were created through Him and for Him.

NLT:  For through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth.  He made the things we can see and things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.  Everything was created through him and for him.

 

1 Kings 19:12 (NKJV)

And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

NLT:  And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.  And after the fire there was the sound of gentle whisper.

 

Psalm 5:3

In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.

 

NLT:  Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.  Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.

September 20

 

Psalm 36:9 (NKJV)

For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.

NLT:  For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see.

  

Proverbs 20:24

A man’s steps are directed by the Lord.  How then can anyone understand his own way?

NLT:  The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?

 

2 Corinthians 4:17-18

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

NLT:  For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long.  Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!  So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen.  For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

September 19

 

Ephesians 2:6

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.

NLT: For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.

 

Romans 8:6

The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.

NLT:  So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death.  But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.

 

1 John 2:15, 17

Do not love the world or anything in the world….The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

NLT:  Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.  And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave.  But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.