Feeling encouraged

I'm finally feeling pretty good health wise- aside from a little fatigue. Children sleeping would really solve that though.

I've been reviewing and doing a lot of cross referencing. Building off my last post/subject, I decided to go all the way through Colossians.

Colossians 4:2
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

The Message:
2-4Pray diligently. Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude. Don't forget to pray for us, that God will open doors for telling the mystery of Christ, even while I'm locked up in this jail. Pray that every time I open my mouth I'll be able to make Christ plain as day to them.

The verse pretty much jumped off the page at me. I smiled to myself as I looked at the cross ref's. Went to Luke 18:1, which was a memory verse for the class I took.

Colossians 4:5-6
5Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

The Message:
5-6Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders. Don't miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.

This was a good reminder. Clearly, one to memorize. It crossed to:

Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

The Message:
1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

What amazing timing. The way things flow...