Prepared by Joy Le Page Smith, MA

Each Scripture passage listed below has strengthened, inspired or encouraged many people through the ages. Much of what God is about can be found within these readings. These brief offerings, one from each book of the Old Testament followed by one Biblical passage from the New Testament, capsulates intrinsic truths for a vital and vigorous life.  [Biblical chapters is shown at the end of each passage followed by a colon then the verses follow.]

All Scripture quotations, in this publication are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ® NIV ® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®. All rights reserved worldwide. (Unless an exception is identified.)

Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Exodus 3:14 – “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘ I
AM has sent me to you.'”

Leviticus 11:45 – “I am the Lord who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be
holy, because I am holy.” [“Egypt” can be seen as representing our sinful state before we
hear God’s call to us to be like Him.]

Numbers 14:18 – “The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion.
Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished; He punishes the children for the sin of the fathers
to the third and fourth generation.”

Deuteronomy 6:5-6 – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,
and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your
hearts.” [See Exodus 20 for the 10 commandments and Matthew 22:36-40 for “the greatest”
commandment according to Jesus.]

Joshua 24:15 – “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves
this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or
the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we
will serve the Lord.”

Judges 6:14 – “The Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in the strength you have . . . am I not sending you?’”

Ruth 2:12 – “May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by
the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”

1 Samuel 16:7 – “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man
looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

2 Samuel 7: 22 – “How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there
is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.”

1 Kings 2:2-3 – [David’s charge to Solomon] “I am about to go the way of all the earth. So, be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in His ways,
and keep His decrees and commands, His laws and requirements, as written in the Law of
Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go”

2 Kings 23:3 – “The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the
Lord–to follow the Lord and keep His commands, regulations and decrees with all his heart
and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the
people pledged themselves to the covenant.”

1 Chronicles 16:15-16 – “He remembers His covenant forever, the word He commanded, for a
thousand generations, the covenant He made with Abraham, the oath He swore to Isaac.”

2 Chronicles 7:14 – “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and
pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will
forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Ezra 3:11-12 – “With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: “He is good; His love to
Israel endures forever.” And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because
the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.”

Nehemiah 8:10 – “The joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Esther 4:14 – (Message to Queen Easter) “Who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”

Job 13:15 – “Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him; I will surely defend my ways to His face.”

Psalms 34:7 – “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers
them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.”

Proverbs 19:20 – 22 – “Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.
Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails . . . What a man
desires is unfailing love: better to be poor than a liar.”

Ecclesiastes 12:1, 13, 14 – “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days
of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, ‘I find no pleasure in them’. Now
all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His
commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into
judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”

Songs of Songs 8:7- “Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one
were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned.”

Isaiah 6:8 – “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for
us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’ He said, ‘Go and tell my people.’” Isa. 30:21 – “Whether
you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the
way; walk in it.’”

Jeremiah 29:11-14 – “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘Plans to prosper
you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me
and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you
seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and will bring you back
from captivity.’”

Lamentations 3:22-33 – “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young. Let him sit alone in silence, for the Lord has laid it on him. Let him bury his face in the dust—there may yet be hope. Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, and let him be filled with disgrace. For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.”

Ezekiel 18:22b- 23 – “’Because of the righteous things he has done, he will live. Do I take anypleasure in the death of the wicked?’ declares the Sovereign Lord. ‘Rather, am I not pleasedwhen they turn from their ways and live?’”

Daniel 9:18-19 – “Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the
city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but
because of your great mercy. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act!”

Hosea 2:23 – “I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.’ I will say to those
called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people;’ and they will say, ‘You are my God.’”

Joel 2:13 – “Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for He is
gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and relents from sending
calamity.”

Amos 5:14 – “Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with
you, just as you say He is.”

Obadiah 1:17 –  “But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy . . . .”

Jonah 2:6-7 – “But you brought my life up from the pit, O Lord my God. When my life was
ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.”

Micah 6:8 – “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of
you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Nahum 1:7-8 – “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in
Him, but with an overwhelming flood He will make an end of [Nineveh]; He will pursue His foes
into darkness.”

Habakkuk 3:19 – “The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
He enables me to go on the heights.”

Zephaniah 2-3 – “The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight
in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Malachi 3:16 – “But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing
in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.”

One Passage from Every Book in the New Testament

Matthew 1:24-27- “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into
practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams
rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its
foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put
them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down,
the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great
crash.”

Mark 1:14-15 – “After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good
news of God. 15 ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent
and believe the good news!’”

Luke 9:20 – “’But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ Peter answered, ‘God’s
Messiah.’”

John 3:16-17 –“ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the
world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

Acts 4:31-33 – “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they
were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. 32 All the believers were
one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they
shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the
resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all.”
Romans 3:23-24 – “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified
freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

1 Corinthians 13:3 – “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of
these is love.”

2 Corinthians 4:16-17 – “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting
away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary
troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes
not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen
is eternal.”

Galatians 5:22-25 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”

Ephesians 1:5-8 – “In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in
accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has
freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us with
all wisdom and understanding.”

Philippians 1:9-11- “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in
knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may
be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes
through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”

Colossians 2:13 – “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh,
God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins”

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 – “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your
own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win
the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”

2 Thessalonians 3:11-13 – “We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are
not busy; they are busybodies. 12 Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ
to settle down and earn the food they eat. 13 And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of
doing what is good.”

I Timothy 4:12 – “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an
example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”

2 Timothy 1:8-10 – “So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner.
Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. 9 He has saved us and
called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own
purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, ¹⁰ but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

Titus 3:3-5 – “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all
kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one
another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not
because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the
washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously.”

Philemon 1:4-7 – “In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your
partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who
began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 It is right
for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in
chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.”

Hebrews 4:14-16 – “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into
heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a
high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been
tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

James 1:22-25 – “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his
face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he
looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues
in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”

1 Peter 1:3-4 – “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he
has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade–kept in heaven for you,
who by faith are shielded by God’s power until of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in
the last time.”

2 Peter 1:3-4 – “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our
knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given
us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the
divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

1 John 3:16-18 – “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we
ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions
and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in
that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in
truth.”

2 John:5-6 – “And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have
had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. 6 And this is love: that we walk in
obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that
you walk in love.”

3 John 1:11- “Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is
good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.”

Jude 20-22 – “But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and
praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord
Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. 22 Be merciful to those who doubt . . .”

Revelations 3:20 – “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and
opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”

Dear Reader,

If you are interested in entering the peace, comfort and joy God gives to those who belong to Him (our Creator)—plus eternal life—here is how to start:

“Jesus, I want to begin following ‘The way’ You taught. Please cleanse my soul from the wrongs I have done. Strengthen and feed my soul so I can grow, becoming the person You knew I could become when I was first born. Amen.”

For support in your decision and your growth in faith please see the post “Being God’s child is a choice”

Healing-with-joy.com hold many articles that help with the difficulties of life. Also a FREE video of my children’s book.

By Joy Le Page Smith, MA, BCC

Early in my life just before Easter Sunday, I had a vision of Jesus dying on the cross. I was reading the account of it in Scripture when suddenly it was as if I was there! I was “taken back” to say the least. I wept my heart out seeing that awful, unthinkable suffering. I looked into His eyes within this vision and cried out, “Why did you let them do this?” After all, Scripture makes it clear He could have called 10,000 angels. He could have had that rescue! Then, I hear Him answer, “So that you could be free.”

It tore at my heart that He died so I could be free—as I knew I was not free. I had a lot of guilt about not doing everything right. “Free” would mean feeling good about life and OK about myself. No. I was not free.

Then in the vision I was allowed to feel what being totally free would be like—and I laughed as it was what everyone would love to feel in life. Then, I cried again, knowing I was not free.

Of course, I was learning a powerful lesson. Yes, Jesus died and picked up my tab. His spilling His blood to cover the sins of humanity was something I had not yet been able to absorb. I felt I had to win my way into His good graces. I felt I could not be good enough. I wasn’t “good enough” for my father so how can I be good enough for God?

The human part of Jesus–for He was both man and He was God–had asked His Father the night before, “saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Scripture portrays him praying earnestly and being in agony to the point drops of blood following His sweat. Jesus chose the cross! This is why so many of us love Jesus the Anointed One, the Christ, for he has taken away the burden of our sins. He purposely covered them with His life-giving blood.

I soon sought the help of a priest. He listened. He called this “a great consolation.” I left his office wondering if I could ever comprehend the truth of God loving me so much as to pick up my tab, pay my sin debt. Maybe some of us have to work harder at receiving God’s grace—His limitless love. But that Easter I came to understand why we see the Friday before Christ’s resurrection as “Good Friday.”

It was no small deal for Him to die! His life and then His death were the hugest thing that has ever happened on earth—aside from God setting up human life on the globe out of love for us all! Although we know our Lord suffered more than any one of us can imagine. It was for no other reason than to bring us back to Himself. His plan opened the way for humans to walk and talk with Him . . . and to feel the peace He brings to our hearts and to know the joy of being loved!

We have only to accept this precious and wondrous love of the Creator of life, while turning our aberrant behaviors over to this mighty One who calls us home to Himself. What do we get in return? Eternal life. Fellowship now and forevermore with our Creator–Father, Son and Holy spirit…the Trinity.

Could we not call this day, “Good Friday” because it is the best of all days since creation—extending

freedom from guilt, free of shame. And, so we could be with Him forever after this life has come to its end.

In John 14:6 Jesus made it clear, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” There are not multiple ways to gain this great gift Jesus provided for us. There is one way.

No human being is so good that he or she does not need Jesus. For, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23.

VIEW FREE- – at Healing-with-Joy.com Joy’s children’s book titled: The Little Mountain Goat Who Was Afraid of High Places. There are helpful articles –also FREE–for people who are struggling with varied difficulties. Internet analytics show people are reading Joy Le Page Smith’s blogs are read in up to 32 countries. 

By Chaplain Joy Le Page Smith, MA

Years back our then bachelor son, Tim, “lost his heart” to a lovely, young woman. He was inspired, yet, distraught as her job found his friend moving to another state. However, Tim seemed tireless, able to make a “short distance” out of the 450 miles it took to visit her.

Once, while we had an hour together before his leave-taking he and I talked and prayed together. Upon telling him of something I planned to do for his friend, Tim’s eyes filled with love and he said, “Oh, Mom . . . if you do that for her it will be as if you are doing it for me.”

A momentary sense of déjà vu—then a recognition that Jesus had spoken these same words yet a bit differently to His disciples: “I assure you, as often as you did it for one of my least brothers, you did it for me” (Matthew 25:40).

When Tim made this point on behalf of the one he loved his words were rich with meaning. In an instant I saw how it was Jesus’ love for His beloved that saw Him beseeching us to serve. Surely, we have done it unto Him when we serve another who is in need.

Perhaps occasionally it is important to examine “heart motives.”  Is the service we are giving to our fellow man really an act of love? Done with love of our Lord? Or, out of our hopes to please, gain favor or be noticed? Prestige? A place in the “inner circle”? Power? How often are deeds done out of a sense of obligation—working to pay back what we have received? The truth is we don’t have to prove our worth or earn our space! God created us. We are His children — good, acceptable and beloved. On the other hand, pride is, at times, a motivator. Pride can come through our always being the one who helps. Always needing to be the giver. Sometimes it is good and right to sit back, allowing others opportunity to serve. It is very important to also be the receiver of loving care.

There are times when we serve others out of sympathy. Even though this emotion is a valid response, we best be careful. Here again there can be a self-serving twist. Conrad Baars, MD wrote in Healing the Unaffirmed, that the emphasis must lie “on a state of being for and with another, of being moved inwardly by his goodness and unique worth prior to doing anything for him.”

Other times, out of fear of disappointing another or losing face, we give. But, when we look at the life of our Master, we see that of all the things He could have done, He moved and acted only through the motivation of love. In His Words, “I do only what I see the Father doing.”  And His Father, after all, was love. For, “ . . . For God is love,” (1 John 4:8).

Now let’s take a moment to look at what, for many of us, is a common failure: the inability to accept and lovingly serve our own selves. Dr. Carl Jung put it eloquently:  “what if I should discover that the least of all brethren, the poorest of all beggars, the most insolent of all offenders, yes, even the very enemy himself – that these live within me; that I myself stand in need of the alms of my own kindness, that I am to myself the enemy who is to be loved?”  Jung was concerned about our refusing to receive the least among the lowly in ourselves with open arms.”

We esteem our bodies enough to shave and bathe, groom and consume nourishing foods, yet whip the inner self into frenzies of doing as we have not yet discovered the beauty of being. Once we are able to cherish the true essence of ourselves and what we were created to be, that which is done to validate and love ourselves will act as springboards moving us speedily and spontaneously into God-directed service. New fervor and vision will be held.

Could it be possible Jesus wore a smile when He said: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind and all your soul. And love your neighbor as yourself?” Was He gently using humor to make His point of how far we are from loving God until we can also love ourselves? Then our neighbors?

Do not mistake hedonism; pervasive consumerism; demanding or expecting allegiance from others; and outright selfishness as the act of validly loving oneself. However, truly knowing how to generously treat the person called “me” to the best life has to offer is an artful way to live—one in which our hearts can celebrate!

Let us “break forth into joy, giving thanks for the beauty of our personhood.”  And, in so doing heap love upon our Lord.

Joy Le Page Smith is a Board-certified clinical chaplain with with degrees in psychology and theology. View her children’s book as a video at healingwithjoy.blogspot.com Also, find many articles addressing life’s difficulties at Healing-with-Joy.com