Our great initial need before God is to be justified, to have God Himself declare us not guilty, to have the Lord pronounce us righteous in His sight. At first glance, this appears to be an impossible situation for a man. God, our Judge, is holy by His nature. Man (because of sin) is unholy by nature. "But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6).
Reading maketh a 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 man, prayer a 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘺 man, temptation an 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 man. —
John Trapp, A Puritan Golden Treasury, Pg. 295
"Faith laughs at that which fear weeps over." —
Charles Spurgeon
"Since the fall of man, free will is simply a name." -Martin Luther.
"He who on earth became obedient unto death has now gone into the glory, but he is still over the house of God, conducting its affairs." - Charles Spurgeon
God is a fountain of happiness and the only fountain of joy.
Jonathan Edwards
Let us look on him by faith, as one that hath had thoughts of kindness towards us from everlasting. - John Owen
Part of the beauty of being a part of the family of God is that we have brothers and sisters around us who are going through or have gone through similar circumstances to ours and we can lock arms and endure together. God gave us this community on purpose! Have you found your fellow warriors?
“Man, made in the image of God, has a purpose—to be in relationship to God, who is there. Man forgets his purpose and thus he forgets who he is and what life means.” —Francis Schaeffer
Even silence is filled with God’s presence.
If your life is right with God, you will welcome Christ’s return.
Believers should never force themselves on people in witnessing to them. When this happens, it will only push people away from Christ, instead of drawing them to Christ.
Mother Teresa taught us about servanthood. She represents a host of believers scattered throughout history and the world, who will never be famous and seldom receive acknowledgment for their service but are great people. Mother Teresa’s days began in prayer, and after meeting God in prayer she went out into the streets of Calcutta to meet Him in the form of people...her primary goal was not to better the lot of the poor, not to alleviate the suffering of the sick, not even to save lives. Rather, her goal was to recover the image of God in people.”
Mother Teresa accomplished her mission one person at a time. Looking into the dirty, smudged faces of the sad, the poor, and the diseased (which is all of us in some form), she gently wiped away the dirt. Then cupping a small face in her hands, and smiling into those eyes, she communicated love and acceptance. And then, I just know, she saw the reflection of God; she restored the image of God in a person the rest of the world would have thrown away.
People whose lives are marred and smudged with burdens that weigh them down and create anxiety, unrest, and unhappiness. Can we love and serve one such person back into God’s image? Can we walk out of our doors every morning and expect to witness God’s glory in the lives of our family, friends, and co-workers? Can we throw down our egos, our lives, and our self-importance, and be the servant of all?
You can read the Word of God and not believe the God of the Word. —
Terry Anderson
We heard the good news that Christ died for our sins. We heard the truth that Jesus could forgive us of our unrighteousness. Faith was stirred in our hearts as we considered that grand message. In simple, humble faith, we asked the Lord Jesus to come into our lives, to be our personal Savior.
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