rejoice

Deuteronomy 12:6-8 (New Century Version) 6 and bring to that place your burnt offerings and sacrifices; bring a tenth of what you gain and your special gifts; bring what you have promised and the special gifts you want to give the Lord, and bring the first animals born to your herds and flocks. 7 There you will be together with the Lord your God. There you and your families will eat, and you will enjoy all the good things for which you have worked, because the Lord your God has blessed you. 8 Do not worship the way we have been doing today, each person doing what he thinks is right.

1 Chronicles 16:9-11 (Contemporary English Version) 9 Sing praises to the LORD! Tell about his miracles. 10 Celebrate and worship his holy name with all your heart. 11 Trust the LORD and his mighty power. Worship him always.

Psalm 2:11 (New International Version) 11 Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling.

Psalm 5:11-12 (New Living Translation) 11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread your protection over them, that all who love your name may be filled with joy. 12 For you bless the godly, O Lord; you surround them with your shield of love.

Psalm 13:5-6 (New International Version) 5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. 6 I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.

Psalm 16:8-10 (Amplified Bible) 8 I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory [my inner self] rejoices; my body too shall rest and confidently dwell in safety, 10 For You will not abandon me to the place of the dead, neither will You suffer Your holy one to see corruption.

choose

Proverbs 8:10-11 (New International Version) 10 Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, 11 for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.

Joshua 24:14-16 (New Living Translation) 14 So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. 15 But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.

John 7:16-18 (New Century Version) 16 Jesus answered, "The things I teach are not my own, but they come from him who sent me. 17 If people choose to do what God wants, they will know that my teaching comes from God and not from me. 18 Those who teach their own ideas are trying to get honor for themselves. But those who try to bring honor to the one who sent them speak the truth, and there is nothing false in them.

John 15:15-17 (New Century Version) 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know what his master is doing. But I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I heard from my Father. 16 You did not choose me; I chose you. And I gave you this work: to go and produce fruit, fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you anything you ask for in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

He not me

Galatians 2:20 (New Living Translation) 20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 3:3-5 (New International Version) 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? 4 Have you suffered so much for nothing—if it really was for nothing? 5 Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?

Isaiah 55:8-9 (New Living Translation) 8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Exodus 16:25-26 (NIV) 25 There the LORD made a decree and a law for them, and there he tested them. 26 He said, "If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you."

Refine Me by Jennifer Knapp
I come into this place burning to receive your peace. I come with my own chains from wars I've fought for my own selfish gain. You're my God and my Father. I've accepted your Son, but my soul feels so empty now. What have I become? Lord, come with your fire, burn my desires; refine me. Lord, my will has deceived me, please come and free me. Refine me. My heart can't see when I only look at me. My soul can't hear when I only think of my own fears. They are gone in a moment; You're forever the same. Why did I look away from You? How can I speak Your name?

Matthew 11:28-30 (New International Version) 28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:28-30 (New Century Version) 28 Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest. 29 Accept my teachings and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit, and you will find rest for your lives. 30 The burden that I ask you to accept is easy; the load I give you to carry is light.

Matthew 11:28-30 (Contemporary English Version) 28 If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. 29 Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. 30 This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light.

understanding

Philippians 4:6-8 (New Living Translation) 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. 8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Psalm 111:10 (New Century Version) 10 Wisdom begins with respect for the Lord; those who obey his orders have good understanding. He should be praised forever.

Psalm 119:33-35 (New Century Version) 33 Lord, teach me your demands, and I will keep them until the end. 34 Help me understand, so I can keep your teachings, obeying them with all my heart. 35 Lead me in the path of your commands, because that makes me happy.

Psalm 119:72-74 (New Century Version) 72 Your teachings are worth more to me than thousands of pieces of gold and silver. 73 You made me and formed me with your hands. Give me understanding so I can learn your commands. 74 Let those who respect you rejoice when they see me, because I put my hope in your word.

Psalm 119:103-105 (New International Version) 103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! 104 I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (New Living Translation) 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

Isaiah 6:10 (New Century Version) 10 Make the minds of these people dumb. Shut their ears. Cover their eyes. Otherwise, they might really understand what they see with their eyes and hear with their ears. They might really understand in their minds and come back to me and be healed.

Isaiah 11:2-3 (New International Version) 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. 3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears.

Mark 12:33 (The Message)33 loving him with all passion and intelligence and energy, and loving others as well as you love yourself. that's better than all offerings and sacrifices put together.

2 Corinthians 6:4-10 (New International Version) 4 Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; 5 in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; 6 in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; 7 in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; 8 through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; 9 known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; 10 sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

2 Corinthians 6:4-10 (New Living Translation) 4 In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. 5 We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. 6 We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. 7 We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. 8 We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. 9 We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. 10 Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.

Philemon 1:6-7 (New King James Version) 6 that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

Philemon 1:6-7 (New American Standard Bible) 6 and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ's sake.

James 3:13 (New Living Translation) 13 If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.

1 John 5:20-21 (English Standard Version) 20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

trust and obey

Psalm 27:13-14 (Contemporary English Version) 13 but I know I will live to see how kind you are. 14 Trust the LORD! Be brave and strong and trust the LORD.

Psalm 5:2-3 (New International Version) 2 Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. 3 In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.

Psalm 9:9-10 (New International Version) 9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. 10 Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 20:7-8 (New Century Version) 7 Some trust in chariots, others in horses, but we trust the Lord our God. 8 They are overwhelmed and defeated, but we march forward and win.

Psalm 4:5 (New Century Version) 5 Do what is right as a sacrifice to the Lord and trust the Lord.

Isaiah 50:9-11 (New Century Version) 9 Look! It is the Lord God who helps me. So who can prove me guilty? Look! All those who try will become useless like old clothes; moths will eat them. 10 Who among you fears the Lord and obeys his servant? That person may walk in the dark and have no light. Then let him trust in the Lord and yet depend on his God. 11 But instead, some of you want to light your own fires and make your own light. So, go, walk in the light of your fires, and trust your own light to guide you. But this is what you will receive from me: You will lie down in a place of pain.

Psalm 119:33-35 (New Century Version) 33 Lord, teach me your demands, and I will keep them until the end. 34 Help me understand, so I can keep your teachings, obeying them with all my heart. 35 Lead me in the path of your commands, because that makes me happy.

Psalm 119:59-61 (New Century Version) 59 I thought about my life, and I decided to follow your rules. 60 I hurried and did not wait to obey your commands. 61 Wicked people have tied me up, but I have not forgotten your teachings.

Jeremiah 7:22-24 (New Century Version) 22 When I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, I did not speak to them and give them commands only about burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 I also gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Do all that I command so that good things will happen to you. 24 But your ancestors did not listen or pay attention to me. They were stubborn and did whatever their evil hearts wanted. They went backward, not forward.

Luke 11:27-29 (New International Version) 27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you." 28 He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."

1 John 3:23-24 (New Century Version) 23 This is what God commands: that we believe in his Son, Jesus Christ, and that we love each other, just as he commanded. 24 The people who obey God's commands live in God, and God lives in them. We know that God lives in us because of the Spirit God gave us.

1 John 5:2-4 (New Century Version) 2 This is how we know we love God's children: when we love God and obey his commands. 3 Loving God means obeying his commands. And God's commands are not too hard for us, 4 because everyone who is a child of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world—our faith.

hope

Psalm 25 (New Century Version)
1 Lord, I give myself to you; 2 my God, I trust you. Do not let me be disgraced; do not let my enemies laugh at me. 3 No one who trusts you will be disgraced, but those who sin without excuse will be disgraced. 4 Lord, tell me your ways. Show me how to live. 5 Guide me in your truth, and teach me, my God, my Savior. I trust you all day long.6 Lord, remember your mercy and love that you have shown since long ago.7 Do not remember the sins and wrong things I did when I was young. But remember to love me always because you are good, Lord. 8 The Lord is good and right; he points sinners to the right way. 9 He shows those who are humble how to do right, and he teaches them his ways.10 All the Lord's ways are loving and true for those who follow the demands of his agreement.11 For the sake of your name, Lord, forgive my many sins.12 Are there those who respect the Lord? He will point them to the best way.13 They will enjoy a good life, and their children will inherit the land.14 The Lord tells his secrets to those who respect him; he tells them about his agreement.15 My eyes are always looking to the Lord for help. He will keep me from any traps.16 Turn to me and have mercy on me, because I am lonely and hurting.17 My troubles have grown larger; free me from my problems.18 Look at my suffering and troubles, and take away all my sins.19 Look at how many enemies I have! See how much they hate me!20 Protect me and save me. I trust you, so do not let me be disgraced.21 My hope is in you, so may goodness and honesty guard me. 22 God, save Israel from all their troubles!

Psalm 33:16-22 (New Century Version)16 No king is saved by his great army. No warrior escapes by his great strength.17 Horses can't bring victory; they can't save by their strength.18 But the Lord looks after those who fear him, those who put their hope in his love.19 He saves them from death and spares their lives in times of hunger.20 So our hope is in the Lord. He is our help, our shield to protect us.21 We rejoice in him, because we trust his holy name.22 Lord, show your love to us as we put our hope in you.

Psalm 62:5 (New Century Version)5 I find rest in God; only he gives me hope.

Psalm 65:5 (New Living Translation)5 You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior. You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas.

Psalm 65:5,9 (New Century Version)5 You answer us in amazing ways, God our Savior. People everywhere on the earth and beyond the sea trust you.9 You take care of the land and water it; you make it very fertile.

Psalm 130:5 (New International Version)5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.

Isaiah 40:31 (Amplified Bible)31 But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.

Jeremiah 14:22 (New International Version)22 Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers? No, it is you, O LORD our God. Therefore our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this.

Jeremiah 14:22 (American Standard Version)22 Are there any among the vanities of the nations that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O Jehovah our God? therefore we will wait for thee; for thou hast made all these things.

Jeremiah 14:22 (New Century Version)22 Do foreign idols have the power to bring rain? Does the sky itself have the power to send down showers? No, it is you, Lord our God. You are our only hope, because you are the one who made all these things.