Our God is great. "Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable" (Psalm 145:3). Since we were created to know our great God, we have a yearning to find true greatness. The counterfeit path to greatness for the world, the flesh, and the devil is through self-exaltation. "I will be like the Most High" (Isaiah 14:14). The heavenly path to find spiritual greatness is through childlike humility.
proclamation of the message was given in a parable that warns against self-righteousness and encourages humility. "He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others" (Luke 18:9). The contrasting examples in the parable are the prayers of a self-assured religious leader and a repentant publican. "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector" (Luke 18:10). When the self-righteous Pharisee prayed, he was actually having a personal dialogue with himself, even though he vainly addressed his prayer to God?! "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself" (Luke 18:11a).
Jesus' parable that warns against self-righteousness and encourages lowliness of mind. In this teaching, the Lord declares contrasting results for self-exaltation and humility. "Everyone who exalts himself will be abased, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." The contrasting examples in the parable are the prayers of a vainglorious religious leader and a contrite publican.
In order to live daily by the grace of God, we must be willing to walk in humility. "God … gives grace to the humble" (1 Peter 5:5). The word of God offers extensive teaching concerning a life of humility. Moreover, in all of the Scriptures we will find no greater insight than that which pertains to Jesus, the ultimate example of humility.
We’re never going to find solid ground in this world because it’s constantly changing. In Jesus, though, we can find firm footing. As we enter the busiest season of the year, let’s rely on Him and keep Jesus as the center. ~
Not only does Jesus warn us against living in an ungodly way, but He also warns us about living in such a way that we don’t walk with God as we ought to. It’s so easy, even for Christians, to go through life without a concern about God, His Word, and what He has to say to us.
Sometimes we get so bogged down in details that we don’t get the big picture. We can get confused as we study Bible prophecy because we don’t understand how the prophetic books unfold. That should not discourage us.
Without question there’s a blessing in having a proper and balanced understanding of what the Bible teaches about the last days. It is not to drive us into a state of panic or needless alarm, but it should have a purifying effect on our lives spiritually
You can be a gift from God to the world when you allow Him to reveal Himself through you, like love poured out through a flawed but very beloved vessel.
The places God went to reach us show how far He will go.
God loves you and wants to be with you. No matter what. He delights in you and loves you. Count Jesus in.
If you are a true Christian, then you must believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to God.
We also need to understand that all religions do not teach the same thing. To believe otherwise is to ignore what the Bible teaches. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 NLT).
The Bible tells us to test the spirits to see if they’re really of God (see 1 John 4:1). We must stop believing the false teachings that come our way. Far too often, we in the church are gullible because we allow our feelings and emotions to direct us instead of looking at things through a biblical lens. We must learn to think biblically and compare everything to what the Bible teaches.
The devil is an expert at offering substitutes for the real thing,
We need to realize that whenever there is the genuine, there always will be the counterfeit. The devil is the great deceiver and the great counterfeiter. Jesus said of him, “He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44 NLT).
We should look out for cults and groups who say they’re the way to God and that their leader, guru, or teacher is the Messiah. Today, in addition to relatively established cults, newer groups have sprung up. There has been a literal explosion of mysticism and spirituality in recent years.
Dr. Paul Brand was one of the world’s leading experts on treating Hansen’s disease, more commonly known as leprosy. Leprosy is cruel, Dr. Brand explained, in a way no other disease is cruel. It acts like an anesthetic, numbing the nerve cells of hands, feet, nose, ears, and eyes
That might not sound so bad at first; most diseases are feared for the pain they induce. But the terror of this “painless” disease is the damage wreaked upon a numbed and unmindful victim who “forgets” to defend himself against destructive situations. He once witnessed, horrified, as an afflicted person reached into a fire to retrieve a potato that had fallen in the flame.
Seek first the Kingdom of God and trust that He will be with you in the messy middle places.
The Lord is with you in the messy middle and He will strengthen you to endure. Keep seeking the Kingdom of God
“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”—C.S. Lewis
Living with struggles today gives us another reason to worship God. We know that our sufferings are part of living in a fallen world, but also that He has overcome it. In the meantime, we can praise Him and rest in the joy that comes as well.
Today many people say they don’t really believe in any one religion, and they’ve found their own faith. But this, along with the seismic shifts that are happening in our culture, is a sign of the last days.
If we’re going to proclaim the true gospel, then we must tell people this. It’s a divisive point with some. But it is one thing that we cannot compromise on as Christians.
We are stewards over our lives, our time, and our resources. And one day we will be held accountable for it. Let’s not waste our time. Let’s not go on with business as usual. Instead, let’s allow this teaching of the Lord’s return to motivate us to live godly lives.
As signs of the imminent return of Jesus continue to unfold, it should keep us on our toes spiritually. Jesus said, “So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!” (Luke 21:28 NLT).
God will allow persecution in the life of the believer. Not only is persecution confirmation that we are children of God, but it also causes us to cling tighter to Jesus and remember this world is not our home.
Jesus told His disciples, “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you” (John 15:18-19 NLT).
Life isn't always going to be beautiful and you won't always be treated fairly, but the struggles will make you stronger and disloyal people will make you wiser!
"I'd rather have a life of 'oh wells' than a life of 'what ifs'!"
A shopkeeper was dismayed when a brand new business much like his own opened up next door and erected a huge sign which read 'BEST DEALS.'He was horrified when another competitor opened up on his right, and announced its arrival with an even larger sign, reading 'LOWEST PRICES.'The shopkeeper panicked, until he got an idea. He put the biggest sign of all over his own shop. It read 'MAIN ENTRANCE'.
Think out side the box then do it!
What good is a TEAM if everyone depends on one person for the team's success. EVERYONE must play their positions!
The blessing and flexibility the Holy Spirit gives you is when change comes you can change too.
Pastor Chuck Smith ~ Blessed is the flexible, they will not break
Charles Cosby
Pay more attention to a person's actions, and less on their words!
― Arthur W. Pink, In Book; The Sovereignty of God
“To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the Almighty, the Possessor of all power in Heaven and earth, so that none can defeat His counsels, thwart His purpose, or resist His will.... The sovereignty of the God of Scripture is absolute, irresistible, infinite.” To put it now in its strongest form, we insist that God does as He pleases, only as He pleases, always as He pleases; that whatever takes place in time is but the outworking of that which He decreed in eternity.”
Our freedom is free so long as we are abiding in God’s word.
His purposes are all-inclusive and never thwarted. Nothing takes Him by surprise. The sovereignty of God is not merely that God has the power and right to govern all things, but that He does so, always and without exception. In other words, God is not merely sovereign in principle, but sovereign in practice.
Scripture affirms both divine sovereignty and human responsibility. We must accept both sides of the truth, though we may not understand how they correspond to one another.
We should be very sensitive to the leading of the Spirit, who may want to redirect our steps.
When people use their lips to speak against us, we must guard ours from speaking against them or declaring the details of such assaults.
Rather, we should speak of all GOD is doing and who HE is in the midst of verbal attacks.
"They...opened THEIR mouth...against me...MY tongue shall speak of YOUR righteousness and of YOUR praise all the day long." (Ps 35:21,28)
This is the condemnation; that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil". (John 3:19)
"Sin is a thing I am born with and I cannot touch it; God touches it in Redemption. In the Cross of Jesus Christ God redeemed the whole human race from the possibility of damnation through the heredity of sin. God nowhere holds a man responsible for having the heredity of sin. The condemnation is not that I am born with a heredity of sin, but if when I realize Jesus Christ came to deliver me from it, I refuse to let Him do so, from that moment I begin to get the seal of damnation." ( Chambers)
In a world of tension, worry, and turmoil, and a society filled with things we recognize to be wrong – we can have the peace of God in our hearts. How? We must first know the grace of God before we can experience His peace. Have you got things out of order? Have you sought peace by trying to do more things for God? Do you know God’s grace demonstrated in His loving sacrifice? Have you accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?
God wants us to be people whose strengths and capabilities come from Him. He wants us to be people who acknowledge that it is “in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). This is what character building is all about.
Sometimes the process is difficult, lengthy, puzzling, even painful—but necessary. The quality, depth, and strength of our character is a reflection of our relationship with the Lord. And nothing else in our lives matters more.
Rebellion, waywardness, lack of discipline, confusion, and conflict prevent happy relationships within the home. But God is interested in your family, your marriage, your children. He shows us the ideals and the goals for the family.
~Billy Graham~
"Give me the love that leads the way,
The faith that nothing can dismay,
The hope no disappointments tire,
The passion that will burn like fire,
Let me not sink to be a clod:
Make me Your fuel, Flame of God."
—Amy Carmichael
"Faith is what one wishes to be true ...Knowledge is what one knows to be true.”
Ray Bently
Everything in creation obeys God's laws of nature—except us. We are the one part of creation to whom He gave a free will, which we stubbornly exercise with alarming persistence.
"When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey.
Trust and obey, for there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."
—John H. Sammis, 1887, from the hymn, "Trust and Obey"
I always harp on how the first-century partridge did not have the HolySpirit to lead them and guide them and teach them and bring all things back to our remembrance as we have and yet with the hope endured till the end and we can't drive a mile without blowing it. I am like Paul who said O wretched man that I am who can save me from the hour of death.
“The blacker the night around us grew, the brighter and truer and more beautiful burned the Word of God.”
― Corrie ten Boom, The Hiding Place
There is justice in hell, but sin is the most unjust thing. It would rob God of his glory, Christ of his purchase, the soul of its happiness.
~Thomas Watson~
Man has two great needs. One is for forgiveness,
the other is for goodness.
~Billy Graham~
One of the great discoveries of the biblical revelation is that God delights in the work that he does. We, as his image-bearers, are intended to do the same. And, we are intended to express our gratitude to God through and in the context of our work.
Psa 104:33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being
If I hate sin because of the punishment I have not repented of sin. I merely regret that God is just.
~C. H. Spurgeon~
We don't have to follow Christ. The choice is ours. But if we choose to follow Him there is a cross—our cross—to bear. It's the instrument of self-death. You can't follow Christ without daily bearing that cross.
~A.W. Tozer~
The more we understand, deeply understand God’s will for all things, the more we are prepared to discern God’s will for our individual lives. The more we deeply understand God’s will for all things, the more we will grasp his will for the church. Our story will be shaped by God’s own story, our purpose by God’s own purpose, our heart by God’s own heart.
The Holy Spirit gives power and energy to the Christian wearing armor and wielding the sword. In our own strength, we can do nothing against Satan; we will fall.
Raul Ries
The more you know of Christ, the less you will be satisfied with this fleeting world.
Dustin Benge
God is still writing your story.
Quit trying to steal the pen.
Jason Robinson
In His majestic salvation mission, Jesus, the Son of God, would voluntarily accept the path of humility. "He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." This humility involved a yielding to the Father that was so extensive He would even embrace the most abhorrent death of all, a sin-atoning crucifixion. In spiritual agony, He would pray, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will" (Matthew 26:39).
Faith in God has not saved people from hardships and trials, but it has enabled them to bear tribulations courageously and to emerge victoriously.
~Lee Roberson~
There is power, freedom, and health in honest forgiveness that comes from the heart of God.
Preach Christ, and Christ, and Christ, and Christ, and nothing else but Christ.
Charles Spurgeon
Today, 319 years ago, New England pastor-theologian, Jonathan Edwards was born.
Among many things, he has taught me, “The happiness of the creature consists in rejoicing in God, by which also God is magnified and exalted.”
When the gospel changes who you ARE, it will also begin to change what you DO.
Context is a beautiful thing
FORGIVENESS SHOULD NEVER LEAD TO FOOLISHNESS.
AS A PREACHER, I'D RATHER BE THEOLOGICALLY SOUND THAN THEATRICALLY SEEN.
PUBLIC FUNCTION DOESN'T MEAN THERE'S ISNT PRIVATE DYSFUNCTION.
NEVER BE AFRAID, EMBARRASSED, OR ASHAMED OF YOUR SCARS. THEY'RE PROOF THAT YOU WERE STRONGER THAN WHAT TRIED TO KILL YOU!
AS LONG AS YOU HAVE GOD, YOU'RE ALWAYS BIGGER THAN YOUR PROBLEMS; BETTER THAN YOUR PAST; AND STRONGER THAN YOUR PAIN!
“A BUDGET IS TELLING YOUR MONEY WHERE TO GO INSTEAD OF WONDERING WHERE IT WENT.”
“God has infinite attention to spare for each one of us. You are as much alone with him as if you were the only being he had ever created.” - C.S. Lewis
I pray that we can learn to forgive and be forgiven; then we are truly living and experiencing God’s grace. Ray Bentley
If you strive to attain, then you must strive to maintain. Chuck Smith
Sometimes I see men wrestling with God and I wonder, What is it going to take to bring them to their knees? In Jacob's case, it took a crippling. When he couldn't run anymore, couldn't scheme anymore, couldn't trick his way out of his circumstances anymore, he finally surrendered himself to God. Chuck Smith
Thy sins are all as a spark of fire that falls into the ocean, that is drowned presently. So are thy sins in the ocean of God’s mercy. —Puritan Richard Sibbes, Works 3:35 We must never look in this world for a peace altogether absolute. That is reserved for heaven. —Richard Sibbes, Works 5:21 Take sin, with all the aggravations we can, yet if we repent and resolve upon new courses, there is comfort, though we relapse into sin again and again. —Richard Sibbes, Works 3:36-37 A true saint differs from a hypocrite in many respects; but in this one mainly, that a true saint of God is altered in the inward frame and qualifications of his soul. He is a ‘new creature’. —Richard Sibbes, Works 3:14 If we must pardon ten times seven-times, as Christ saith , certainly there cannot be more mercy in the cistern than there is in the fountain; there cannot be more mercy in us than there is in the ‘Father of mercies’, as God is. —Richard Sibbes, Works 3:36-37
Satan cares not how many sins one leaves, if he live in any one sin. As children when they have a bird, they can give it leave to fly, so it be in a string to pull it back again; so Satan hath men in a string, if they live in any one sin. —Richard Sibbes, Works 4:231 He that has doctrinal knowledge and speculation only, without affection, never is engaged in the business of religion. — Jonathan Edwards
The church is like a river. If it gets wider instead of deeper it will lose its power. —Puritan Thomas Manton Discord and division are appropriate for no Christian. For wolves to worry the lambs, is no wonder; but for one lamb to worry another, this is unnatural and monstrous. —Thomas Brooks “Take these three darts—the Word of God, prayer, and mortification—and strike through the heart of your lusts so that they die.” Thomas Watson The Mischief of Sin
We will not fear the present, we will not dread the future; for Christ is risen indeed, and our lively hope is fixed on Him. Charles Spurgeon
The door of God’s mercy is thrown wide open, and Christ stands in the door and says to sinners ‘Come.’ Jonathan Edwards Child of God, you cost Christ too much for Him to forget you. Charles Spurgeon
Unbelief is actually perverted faith, for it puts its faith not in the living God, but in dying men. A.W. Tozer I believe that entertainment and amusements are the work of the Enemy to keep dying men from knowing they're dying; and to keep enemies of God from remembering that they're enemies. A.W. Tozer
Avowed atheists are not a tenth as dangerous as those preachers who scatter doubt and stab at faith. Charles Spurgeon
Christ gives peace to the most sinful and miserable that come to Him. He heals the broken in heart and binds up their wounds. Jonathan Edwards
"There is no worse screen to block out the Spirit than confidence in our own intelligence.” — John Calvin
“Christ Jesus set himself wholly apart for believers.” — John Flavel
“The terms of the gay Christian movement, rooted in Freud and Darwin and Marx rather than in Jesus and Paul and Scripture, will not heal you or help you. It will dig you further in sin and confusion.” — Rosaria Butterfield, Five Lies of our Anti-Christian Age, 107.
“Sola Scriptura was never meant as a denial of the usefulness of the Christian tradition as a subordinate norm in theology." — Richard Muller
No man can come to God but by an extraordinary revelation of the Spirit. John Calvin
"Although one sin spoils and makes void all good in any creature... yet Christ's righteousness, on the contrary, is sin-proof for time to come, and has the worth of His person, who is the great God, to give it power to prevail against all sins past, present, to come" - Goodwin
"Satan tells me I am unworthy; but I always was unworthy, and yet God has long loved me." — Charles Spurgeon
An Evening With James Eglinton, Thurs 19 October, Covent Garden, London. 50% off Personality and Worldview - J H Bavinck (while stocks last). "It is an important work, perhaps even what we call a ‘game-changer.’” - Tim Keller
“Lord, condemnation was yours, that justification might be mine; agony was yours, and victory mine; pain was yours, and ease is mine; agony was yours, and victory mine; the curse was yours and the blessing mine; a crown of thorns was yours, and eternal life mine!” — John Flavel
"May we ever feel an influence drawing us Christward. If it be so, our weakness will all vanish, for his strength will be remembered." — Charles Spurgeon
Missions is not simply a by-product of church life and theology. Missions belongs to the very essence of the church. JH Bavinck
Many, in shunning the snare of self-righteous pride, have fallen into the pit of Antinomian presumption. —Andrew Fuller (1745-1815), Works 1:467
“There is a war raging between good and evil in our world, and though we might prefer the conflict to be fought somewhere else, we don't get to pick the times in which we live.” — Kevin DeYoung
"God is not changed because we tremble. Christ is not altered because we are in fear." — Charles Spurgeon
"In times of affliction we commonly meet with the sweetest experiences of the love of God." -John Bunyan.
"A sermon comes with far greater power when it is plainly the very word of God—not a lecture about the Scripture." — Charles Spurgeon.
"Unbelief will destroy the best of us. Faith will save the worst of us." — Charles Spurgeon
“The gospel…is also the principal article of all Christian doctrine, wherein the knowledge of all godliness consisteth. Most necessary it is, therefore, that we should know this article well, teach it unto others, and beat it into their heads continually.” -Martin Luther You can be as straight as a gun barrel theologically--and be as empty as one spiritually. -A.W. Tozer - Preaching is not a profession but a passion. If you don't preach with passion, you shouldn't preach at all. -Leonard Ravenhill
"Sin is a sovereign, until sovereign grace dethrones it." — Charles Spurgeon “the bible - the best selling book that no one has read” - dominic done
"Jesus Christ will not tone down the truth of Scripture to suit your carnal taste." — Charles Spurgeon
Redefining sin doesn’t change the truth.
"Why is there so much speaking yet so little prayer? Why is there so much running to and fro, yet so little prayer? Why so much bustle and business, yet so little prayer? Why so many meetings with fellow men, yet so few meetings with God?" -William Reid.
"There was nothing in us to love at first, so there cannot be less now." — Charles Spurgeon Grace is to the soul, as light to the eye, as health to the body. - Thomas Watson "Sin and hell are married unless Repentance proclaim the divorce." — Charles Spurgeon
“Make the heart think of the shortness and vanity of this life, with the uncertainty of the time of our death; and of what wondrous consequence it is to be in the state of grace before we die.” — Richard Sibbes
Three ways to worship the immutable Christ: 1. Bring your adoration to him. 2. Cast your hope upon him. 3. Find your joy in him. -Charles Spurgeon
"Self is the worst enemy a Christian has." — Charles Spurgeon That religion which costs a man nothing is usually worth nothing. -C.H. Spurgeon - Beware of following Christ for any secondary motive. Follow Christ for His own sake, if you follow Him at all. -J.C. Ryle -
“The simpler something is, the more excellent it is. God is a most simple, unmixed, and indivisible essence. He is incapable of the least composition and, therefore, of the least division. He is most pure—without parts, members, or qualities.” — George Swinnock
“Do you want to be made well on Jesus’s terms or your own?” — Rosaria Butterfield on John 5:6
“We have a tendency to so focus on God as Judge that we forget to relate to him as Father.” — Kevin DeYoung, Impossible Christianity, 104.
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