Zondervan Inspire

NIV Holy Bible Testimonials

The New International Version (NIV) of the Bible marks three decades this year. Today, the NIV is recognized as the world’s most read and most trusted English Bible translation. Over the last 30 years, 300 million NIV Bibles have been sold, touching countless lives, including Carla’s.

“I am a drug addict and an alcoholic. I did not live on the streets but in a beautiful home with expensive cars, a swimming pool, and my attractive family. It all looked great on the outside but what was happening on the inside was not. Housewives use drugs too, and soon enough, I found myself in jail. While incarcerated, I received a beautiful NIV Bible as a gift. After reading this Bible, I now have hope - for today Jesus Christ lives and he lives in me. Philippians 4:13 says I can do everything through him who gives me strength. I prayed for strength and now I know God has a great plan for my life and I am excited about living for Him. I want to obey, serve and please Him and raise my daughter to love Jesus Christ. Now I know that God wants nothing but good for me - to bless me, to care for me in my times of trial and in the future. I wanted to let you know that you’ve touched many lives on this unit including my own. Thank you and God is smiling on you. I’ll keep you in my prayers.”

Love in Christ,
Carla

The New International Version (NIV).
Most Read, Most Trusted.
Celebrating 30 Years.
Visit WWW.30NIV.COM.

Celebrate What God Has Done

In our confrontations with obstacles or opponents today, we would do well not to focus on the troubles lined up against us. Instead, we need to celebrate the God who has already demonstrated his power and provision in our past. We don't need to be fretful or anxious. We need to anchor our hearts and minds in God's overwhelming track record.

The Bible says, "Come near to God and he will come near to you" (James 4:8). Apparently not all Christians live the same distance from God. Even though we all belong to his family, some are pressing in closer to his dynamic strength than others. As we live a life full of praise and thanksgiving for past mercies, we experience God coming ever closer to us in the present.

From You Were Made for More: The Life You Have, the Life God Wants You to Have

by Jim Cymbala

Any comments or testimonies today?

Living to Win

Call it drive, heart, or the will to win — whatever you call it, we are deeply moved by the display of competitive greatness. When a competitor prepares his mind and body through rigorous training, then stares the challenge of his life in the eye and reaches down deep within himself to give his last ounce of effort to the battle, it touches something visceral in everyone who watches.

The drive of a runner to win the race was one of Paul's favorite pictures of the life of faith. "One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize."

From When the Game Is Over It All Goes Back in the Box

by John Ortberg

Any comments or testimonies today?

Take the Risk

There is no way around it: caring for others leaves us vulnerable to disappointment and rejection. Relationships are risky. Just as a child risks scraping a knee in climbing a tree, so do you and I risk emotional pain in entering into relationship.

There is no way we can live a rich life unless we are willing to repeatedly suffer grief, sadness, anger, agony, confusion, criticism, and rejection. As psychiatrist and author M. Scott Peck has said, "We cannot heal without being willing to be hurt." Dr. Peck also said, "If Jesus taught us anything, he taught us that the way to salvation lies through vulnerability." Take the risk of opening yourself to another person.

From Trading Places: The Best Move You'll Ever Make in Your Marriage

by Drs. Les & Leslie Parrott

Any comments or testimonies today?

God Looks at the Heart

All throughout history, the church of Jesus Christ has grown through the consecrated lives of committed men and women, irrespective of their social, economic or educational background. Peasants have testified before kings, and farmers have been used mightily by God to shake whole nations. God even once chose a shepherd boy to be king of Israel!

The way of the world is always to look at human credentials as the prerequisite for success. We look for the strongest, most attractive, most educated, thinking that God's work can be accomplished through human effort. God, however, clearly uses a different set of scales when he weighs a person. He looks at the character and heart of each individual.

From Living Water 

by Brother Yun

Any comments or testimonies today?

You Are Where You Are for a Reason

Esther did not set out to be queen, but once she was on the throne, she had to decide between a shadow mission of safety, wealth, and power and her God-given mission of saving her people (see Esther 4:6-16).

What is your position? Maybe it involves your job, your marriage, your tasks as a parent, or your friendships. Maybe your position includes going to school. Maybe it involves the neighborhood where you live, or volunteering, or your church. One thing is for sure: This is your time. Not some other situation. Not tomorrow or yesterday. We are often tempted to think that we are treading water right now, waiting for some other time, some more important position. You don't get to choose your time; your time chooses you. You are where and who you are for a reason.

From When the Game Is Over It All Goes Back
in the Box

by John Ortberg

Any comments or testimonies today?

What Do I Have Left?

Your body is not you. Your job is not you. Your success, reputation, and possessions are not you. What your parents, boss, peers, friends, or enemies think of you is not you. Your circumstances and limitations are not you. Psychologist Dan Baker puts it like this: "There is a you in you nobody put there."

We will all, like Daniel, spend some time in Babylon (see Daniel 1:1-7). Sometimes dreams will go unfulfilled, health will disappear, hopes will fade. The key question is never, "What have I lost?" It is "What do I have left?"

From When the Game Is Over It All Goes Back
in the Box

by John Ortberg

Any comments or testimonies today?

Flourish Under Difficult Circumstances

We boomers may long to escape the hassles ahead of us, but I believe God is saying, "This is your hard time to go through." To focus on escaping the hard time means that we descend into a foolish waiting game, longing for the happiness that we hope different circumstances will bring. This kind of waiting produces not wisdom, but whining. God does not want us merely to live through the next few decades of scarce resources and hard work; he wants us to live and to learn about him and about how to flourish even under difficult circumstances. Not everything that lies ahead of us is good, but all things can work for our wisdom and learning (see Romans 8:28-29).

From Boomers on the Edge: Three Realities That Will Change Your Life Forever

by Terry Hargrave

Any comments or testimonies today?

joy

In his final prayer (see John 17:1-26), Jesus prayed that his disciples would experience the full measure of his joy—now. He prayed for us to have his joy in the middle of rush-hour traffic, screaming kids, and a darkening world. He doesn't want us to wait for heaven to be full of joy. Jesus' joy has a divine purpose; to reveal him. He desires to fill us with overflowing joy, to proclaim his victory to the world over life's worse conditions—even in the face of hurricanes, plagues, terrorism, and nuclear disaster.

From New Women's Devotional Bible

Any comments or testimonies today?

hunger

We human beings have an innate longing to know God, our Creator. We crave this the way abandoned children yearn to know their fathers. The hunger for relationship goes deep.

If Jesus is right and God really does welcome our addressing him as "Father," we have come upon a most stunning fact: we can relate to God as members of the family. The door is open to the most profoundly personal relationship—that of a child to a parent.

From Personal God: Can You Really Know the One Who Made the Universe?

by Tim Stafford

Any comments or testimonies today?