The “end times” are about Jesus!
1. He will be unexpected
(Mt 24:37-51)
2. He will gather His people
(Mt 24:31)
3. He will establish His kingdom
(Dan 7:14)
4. He will judge unbelievers
(Mt 16:27)
5. He will be glorious
(Mt 16:27)
6. He will be seen by all
(Mt 24:30)
Dustin Benge
The flower of youth never appears more beautiful than when it bends toward the sun of righteousness.
~Matthew Henry~
The purpose of journeying together in spiritual friendship and spiritual community (whether there are just two of you or whether you are in a small group) is to listen to one another's desire for God, to nurture that desire in each other, and to support one another in seeking a way of life that is consistent with that desire.
Your desire for more of God than you have right now, your longing for love, your need for deeper levels of spiritual transformation than you have experienced so far is the truest thing about you. You might think that your woundedness or your sinfulness is the truest thing about you or that your giftedness or your personality type or your job title or your identity as husband or wife, mother or father, somehow defines you. But in reality, it is your desire for God and your capacity to reach for more of God than you have right now that is the deepest essence of who you are.
The purpose of journeying together in spiritual friendship and spiritual community (whether there are just two of you or whether you are in a small group) is to listen to one another's desire for God, to nurture that desire in each other, and to support one another in seeking a way of life that is consistent with that desire.
When we shift our perspective from our puny self-interest, which often fuels our disgruntlement toward the church, she not only becomes precious to us but also becomes a treasure of eternal joy, beauty, and love.
Dustin Benge
The cache of Christianity is Christ! Not money in the bank or a car in the garage or a better self-image. The Fort Knox of faith is Christ! Fellowship with him…walking with him…pondering him. The heart-stopping realization that in Christ you are part of something endless, unstoppable, unfathomable! And that he, who can dig the Grand Canyon with his pinkie, thinks you’re worth his death on Roman timber. Christ is the reward of Christianity.
From Next Door Savior
Weakness doesn’t have to mean defeat. It is my opportunity to experience God’s power firsthand.
PR
Life as a Christ-follower will always be a learning process of depending less on our own strength and more on God’s power.
PR
the story of Aslan in the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. Aslan the lion is an allegorical figure representing Christ. One of the main characters, Lucy, asks Mrs. Beaver about Aslan: “Then he isn’t safe?”
“Safe?” said Mrs. Beaver. “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
No, God is not always “safe.” He doesn’t allow us to remain as we are. He challenges us to grow and stretch and deal with problems head-on. He takes us places we’re not sure we want to go. But, as Mrs. Beaver said, He is good! We can trust Him. We can abandon our fears and pursue intimacy with our heavenly Father because we can trust in His goodness.
Ray Bently dies 1-4-22
If I please Jesus, it doesn’t matter whom I displease.
If I displease Jesus, it doesn’t matter whom I please.
— Adrian Rogers
One More Summary Message of the Law: Be Perfect
"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." (Matthew 5:48)
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus provides a startling summary of the law of God: "be perfect." Our Lord had just been teaching about God's law. His instruction provided a much deeper understanding of the law than the teachers of Jesus' day had grasped. He showed how the law goes far beyond external behavior alone.
The format Jesus used was "You have heard that it was said…But I say to you." In Matthew 5:27-28, He addressed the commandment on adultery in this fashion. "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." When lustful imaginations are entertained in our thoughts, adultery has already occurred, as far as God is concerned.
In verses 21-22 Jesus used this same pattern of instruction to reveal God's perspective on murder: "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder,' and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment. But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment." When vengeful anger floods our thoughts, this is harboring a murderous spirit within the heart. Actual murder and vindictive anger both deserve the same judgment. Clearly, God's commandments can be transgressed by the unseen attitudes of the heart, as well as by the visible actions of the body.
Again, Jesus summarized such teaching on the law by saying: "be perfect." In the law, God requires perfection that measures up to the perfect character of Himself. The law is saying that we are to hold within our hearts and manifest through our actions a character that matches God's. "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."
Bob Hoekstra
It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.” —
Charles Spurgeon
Many attempts to be disciples of Jesus and not let the world know it. To be a secret disciple means to be no disciple at all. If one really has received Christ he cannot keep it to himself.
R.A. Torrey
When people do not really hear what the law of God is saying, they may still desire to be under the law. Those who are lost and dying in the world often underestimate the message of the law. They may imagine that it is only calling them to attend religious services or to join a religious organization. In missing the message of the law, they choose to remain under it, trusting in their own best behavior to pass any final judgment concerning heaven or hell. This is a matter of "not hearing the law."
Bob Hoekstra
Our habits won’t change God’s love for us, but God’s love for us can and should change our habits.
Justin Whitmel Earley
Our sorrows are all, like ourselves, mortal. There are no immortal sorrows for immortal souls. They come but blessed be God, they also go. Like birds of the air, they fly over our heads. But they cannot make their abode in our souls. We suffer today, but we shall rejoice tomorrow.
~C. H Spurgeon~
Obedience to the will of God is the pathway to perpetual honor and everlasting joy.
~C.H. Spurgeon~
“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
Joy is the natural outcome of the Christian's obedience to the revealed will of God.
~John Blanchard~
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