Elmo Peele

Chosen by God for this life of love

Colossians 3:14 (MSG)
And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

Not doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it

Colossians 3:8 (MSG)
But you know better now, so make sure it's all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk.

Fill your minds with what is true

Philippians 4:9 (MSG)
Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

Use your head

Colossians 4:5 (MSG)
Use 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.

Think about what is true

Philippians 4:8 (NIV84)
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.

Agree, love, help

Philippians 2:2-4 (MSG)
then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends.

Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it

Ephesians 5:10 (MSG)
Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it.

Live God's way

Galatians 5:22-24 (MSG)
But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

Live selflessly or live empty

Galatians 5:16-21 (MSG)
My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don't you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?

Belief not rule keeping

Galatians 2:16 (MSG)
We know very well that we are not set right with God by rule-keeping but only through personal faith in Jesus Christ. How do we know? We tried it-and we had the best system of rules the world has ever seen! Convinced that no human being can please God by self-improvement, we believed in Jesus as the Messiah so that we might be set right before God by trusting in the Messiah, not by trying to be good.

Belief not rule keeping

Galatians 2:16 (MSG)
We know very well that we are not set right with God by rule-keeping but only through personal faith in Jesus Christ. How do we know? We tried it-and we had the best system of rules the world has ever seen! Convinced that no human being can please God by self-improvement, we believed in Jesus as the Messiah so that we might be set right before God by trusting in the Messiah, not by trying to be good.

Belief not rule keeping

Galatians 2:16 (MSG)
We know very well that we are not set right with God by rule-keeping but only through personal faith in Jesus Christ. How do we know? We tried it-and we had the best system of rules the world has ever seen! Convinced that no human being can please God by self-improvement, we believed in Jesus as the Messiah so that we might be set right before God by trusting in the Messiah, not by trying to be good.

Belief not rule keeping

Galatians 2:16 (MSG)
We know very well that we are not set right with God by rule-keeping but only through personal faith in Jesus Christ. How do we know? We tried it-and we had the best system of rules the world has ever seen! Convinced that no human being can please God by self-improvement, we believed in Jesus as the Messiah so that we might be set right before God by trusting in the Messiah, not by trying to be good.

Belief not rule keeping

Galatians 2:16 (MSG)
We know very well that we are not set right with God by rule-keeping but only through personal faith in Jesus Christ. How do we know? We tried it-and we had the best system of rules the world has ever seen! Convinced that no human being can please God by self-improvement, we believed in Jesus as the Messiah so that we might be set right before God by trusting in the Messiah, not by trying to be good.

Belief not rule keeping

Galatians 2:16 (MSG)
We know very well that we are not set right with God by rule-keeping but only through personal faith in Jesus Christ. How do we know? We tried it-and we had the best system of rules the world has ever seen! Convinced that no human being can please God by self-improvement, we believed in Jesus as the Messiah so that we might be set right before God by trusting in the Messiah, not by trying to be good.

Belief not rule keeping

Galatians 2:16 (MSG)
We know very well that we are not set right with God by rule-keeping but only through personal faith in Jesus Christ. How do we know? We tried it-and we had the best system of rules the world has ever seen! Convinced that no human being can please God by self-improvement, we believed in Jesus as the Messiah so that we might be set right before God by trusting in the Messiah, not by trying to be good.

Gentle, kind words

Proverbs 15:1 (MSG)
A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire.

Proverbs 15:4 (MSG)
Kind words heal and help; cutting words wound and maim.

Proverbs 15:7 (MSG)
Perceptive words spread knowledge; fools are hollow—there's nothing to them.

Proverbs 15:23 (MSG)
Congenial conversation—what a pleasure! The right word at the right time—beautiful!

Fear of human opinion

Proverbs 29:25 (MSG)
The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in God protects you from that.

Loving discipline teaches

Proverbs 23:13-14 (MSG)
Don't be afraid to correct your young ones; a spanking won't kill them. A good spanking, in fact, might save them from something worse than death.

Motive matters

Proverbs 21:2 (MSG)
We justify our actions by appearances; God examines our motives.

Shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life

Psalm 51:10 (MSG)
God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.

Haste makes waste

Proverbs 19:2 (MSG)
Ignorant zeal is worthless; haste makes waste.

Answering before listening is stupid and rude

Proverbs 18:13 (MSG)
Answering before listening is both stupid and rude.

We don't last long...

Psalm 49:12 (MSG)
We aren't immortal. We don't last long. Like our dogs, we age and weaken. And die.

Psalm 49:20 (MSG)
We aren't immortal. We don't last long. Like our dogs, we age and weaken. And die.

Through good and bad

Proverbs 14:10 (MSG)
The person who shuns the bitter moments of friends will be an outsider at their celebrations.