“To be a true minister to men is to accept new happiness and new distress,” wrote Pastor Phillip Brooks. “The man who gives himself to other men can never be a wholly sad man; but no more can he be a man of unclouded gladness. To him shall come with every deeper consecration a before untasted joy, but in the same cup shall be mixed sorrow that was beyond his power to feel before.”
Worship is the activity of the new life of a believer in which, recognizing the fullness of the Godhead as it is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ and his mighty redemptive acts, he seeks by the power of the Holy Spirit to render to the living God the glory, honor, and submission which are his due.
~Robert G. Rayburn~
At times, we are in circumstances that are personally crucifying. We are in situations where everything so obviously requires the mighty work of God. If He does not prove faithful on our behalf, there will be no way out of the agonizing dilemma. When our Lord is so clearly our only hope (and then He comes through faithfully), we again grow in a deeper knowledge of Him and His ways.
Sacrifice drives out comfort. Sacrifice is uncomfortable. But sacrificial giving is what we find celebrated in Scripture. God looked favorably on Abel’s offering because he sacrificed his best. God blessed Abraham because he was willing to sacrifice his son. Jesus pointed out the widow with two coins because she gave all she had. Biblical giving is sacrificial. And God uses the sacrifice to shape the giver’s heart and advance His Kingdom. Multiplication often requires sacrifice.
God takes that which is insufficient and uses it to accomplish His purpose. He took an elderly, childless couple and made a people more numerous than the stars. He used a small group of people in a house to start His global church. Our God can take whatever is given in faith and multiply its impact in unfathomable ways for His mission. God is about multiplication.
God gives us not the answers we want, but the answers we need. He calls upon us to trust Him even when life seems to make no sense.
Randy Alcorn
Biblical manhood and womanhood begin in the same place — in Christ.
Dustin Benge
The underlining motivation of our prayer life should be the recurring reminder that God is far better to us than we will ever deserve or could ever imagine.
Dustin Benge
When we worship, we are the performers and God is the audience. This is true whether we’re gathered together with others or whether we’re praising God in our personal devotions.
Søren Kierkegaard
We don’t try to be good Christians in order to earn God’s favor. Rather, we live out who we are because God’s favor has been given to us through Christ.
God’s relationship with you tells you who you are. You are chosen, holy, and beloved. The more you remember this, the more you define your identity by who you are in Christ, and the more you’ll be ready to put on His “clothing” and live in his way.
You know there is a moral decline when people protest the tool rather than protesting the one who uses the tool. Guns don't kill in and of themselves, it is a tool. People yelling NRA who will you kill next is just stupid. Let's keep it real, shifting the blame will not change anything. Remember the terrorist who use planes to fly into the twin towers and hijacked them with box cutters? It is not going to get better until the Lord comes back for the church.
He who came in humility and shame will return in spectacular magnificence.
~John R. W. Stott~
People are often God's conduits to bring experiences/input into our lives we would not otherwise seek out. Our Father has strategically placed others around us to sharpen us and bring balance.
Let's participate and soak up all we can when others initiate things we would not likely initiate ourselves. "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." (Prov 27:17)
In the light of God, human vision clears. ~James Philip~
Make sure that whatever influence the Spirit of God has in your life
results in greater surrender to Him.
David Guzik
Eternity shall be at one and the same time a great eye-opener and a great mouth-shutter.
~Jim Elliot~
The Temple Curtain Torn On Calvary’s Hill, Jesus cried out in a loud voice and died. Then the curtain in the Temple was torn into two pieces, from the top to the bottom. What did fifteen-hundred years of a curtain-draped Holy of Holies communicate? Simple: God is holy! God IS holy—separate from us and unapproachable. Even Moses was told, “You cannot see my face because no one can see me and live.” God is holy and we are sinners, and there is a distance between us. But Jesus hasn’t left us with an unapproachable God. 1 Timothy 2:5 says, “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ.” When Jesus’ flesh was torn on the cross, the curtain was torn in two. With no hesitation, we are welcome into God’s presence—any day, any time. The barrier of sin is down. No more curtain! From On Calvary’s Hill “Don't just read the easy stuff. You may be entertained by it, but you will never grow from it.” – Jim Rohn
When there's clearly work to be done, don't wait, get up out of your chair and lend a helping hand. Have you benefited from the efforts of others? When was the last time you volunteered to help in ministry? Romans 12:11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
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