"To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” — Martin Luther
Whenever the grace of God is allowed to work in human hearts, there will be evidences that appear. This can bring joy to those who are outwardly observing this inward work of grace. Still, it is appropriate to exhort those who have made progress in grace to continue in the grace of God.
The motive behind an action determines whether it's powered by the Spirit or one of our fleshly endeavors.
In order to find Jesus, every one of us needs direction. God gives it.
People see signs of God every day. Sunsets that steal the breath. Newborns that bring tears. Migrating geese that stir a smile. But do all who see the signs draw near to God? No. Many are content simply to see the signs. They do not realize that the riches of God are intended to turn us toward Him. Today, may we see and recognize signs of God and turn our hearts to worship Him!
The solution to this identity crisis is to change the way we think about ourselves. If we don’t, we’ll rely on how we feel, and Satan will bombard us with reminders of our failures and sins. He wants to keep us focused on being a sinner, because he knows that the recognition of our sainthood will lead us to live like saints. We’ll be motivated and empowered to obey God, and the Devil will lose his foothold in our lives. Jesus didn’t come just to save you from hell; He wants to live His life through you. In Christ, you have a new identity which has replaced your old one. If you will focus on who you are now, your actions will follow, and you’ll experience the enjoyment of a victorious Christian life.
Dr. Charles Stanley
If we complained less and were more thankful, we would be happier, and God would be more glorified. Every day thank God for ordinary mercies—we refer to them as ordinary, and yet they are so priceless that without them we are ready to perish. Let us thank God for our eyes with which we see the sun, for the health and strength to walk around, for the bread we eat, for the clothes we wear. Let us thank Him that we are not among the hopeless or confined among the guilty; let us thank Him for liberty, for friends, for family associations and comforts. Let us praise Him, in fact, for everything that we receive from His generous hand, for although we deserve little, He provides an abundance.
The sweetest and the loudest note in our thankful songs should be of redeeming love. God's redeeming acts toward His chosen are forever the favorite themes of their praise.
Alistair Begg
The only time you fail is when you Quit!
Through God's Lens
The Bible is like a telescope. If a man looks through his telescope he sees worlds beyond; but if he looks at his telescope, he does not see anything but that. The Bible is a thing to be looked through to see that which is beyond; but most people only look at it and so they see only the dead letter.
-- Phillip Brooks
"God calls us not to be successful but to be significant. When we focus on Significance, success is often part of the package."- Tom Ziglar
Be not miserable about what may happen tomorrow. The same everlasting Father, who cares for you today, will care for you tomorrow.
When we come before the Lord in worship, we must come as lowly servants. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. No matter our position or social status in life, God is the Ruler over all.
Those whom God will employ are first struck with a sense of their unworthiness to be employed.
~Matthew Henry~
When people are truly godly, they never boast of their devotion. They will not speak of what they have done for God. Rather, they will always speak of what God has done for them. That is why John described himself in his gospel as the disciple whom Jesus loved. John boasted of God's love for him rather than his love for God.
As Christians, we give with joy, because of the generous God we serve. A God who gave His only son for us.
One mans mistake another mans blessing!
Don't make unwise decisions based on the flesh. It is a greater cost in the end. We are at a time of the year when people will do just about anything to be able to buy Christmas gifts. Pray long and hard before you do things like sell your car and home to be able to buy little Suzy an expensive toy.
Each man's sin is the instrument of his punishment, and his iniquity is turned into his torment.
~Augustine~
Here’s a question to ask yourself: Are you a thermometer or a thermostat? A thermometer is affected by its surroundings. Depending on the temperature, it goes up or down. In contrast, a thermostat affects its surroundings. Unlike the thermometer, it controls the environment around it.
Do you merely react to what is happening around you, or do you have some kind of impact on it? Are you changing the culture, or is the culture changing you? Greg Laurie
Jealousy comes in two forms: sinful or godly.
Sinful jealousy displays a total lack of trust and understanding for the object of love. Selfish, self-seeking, self-preserving, it cares more about self than the other person. As believers, we have to be others minded to reach, plant seeds, and harvest souls for the kingdom...
Though the power for godly character comes from Christ, the responsibility for developing and displaying that character is ours.
~Jerry Bridges~
Jesus uses a parable about farming to encourage us to live fruitful lives. The key, according to Jesus, is to receive his word openly, letting it take root in our hearts. Bearing fruit isn’t easy, though. It requires resilience, as we hold on tight to God’s word, learning it, internalizing it, and living it each day.
God historically uses unusual circumstances to accomplish His will, which remains unchanged since the beginning of time: revealing His grace to the undeserving through the sacrifice of his Son Jesus.
God's grace is to be sought every day. It is a major error of the faith to relegate grace to days gone by. We can praise and thank the Lord for all of His grace experienced in previous years. Nevertheless, the grace of God is essential today and in each new day.
“It has never been quite enough to say that God is in his heaven and all is right with the world; since the rumor is that God had left his heavens to set it right.” —
G.K. Chesterton
You are not better at sinning than Jesus is at forgiving.
There is more grace in Jesus than there is sin in you.
Luke Lezon
Sometimes the way God works is mysterious; other times magnificent, but one thing we know for certain -- He is always right.
we all slip into sin from time to time. God knows our nature and He is always waiting with grace, mercy, and forgiveness for us to turn toward Him.
The preaching that this world needs most is the sermons in shoes that are walking with Jesus Christ.
~D.L. Moody~
“There are two hundred and fifty-six names given in the Bible for the Lord Jesus Christ, and I suppose this was because He was infinitely beyond all that any one name could express.”—
Billy Sunday
True humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.
~C.S. Lewis~
"Since Satan can't destroy the gospel, he has too often neutralized its usefulness by addition, subtraction or substitution."
-J.C.Ryle
4 things I’ve learned:
1. My primary aim: know Christ. 2. My primary task: proclaim Christ. 3. My primary goal: glorify in Christ. 4. My primary hope: is only Christ.
Complaining, criticism, and cynicism are not fruits of the Holy Spirit.
𝘖𝘯𝘦 promise in the word of God doth bear up the heart more than 𝘢𝘭𝘭 the arguing and discourses of men, though [they be] never so excellent. —Puritan Thomas Manton, Works 6:150
The church is like a river. If it gets wider instead of deeper it will lose its power. —Puritan Thomas Manton What a man delighteth in he will be talking of.
The question is sometimes asked, whether the virgin birth is a matter of doctrinal importance. It may be said that it would be inconceivable that God should cause Christ to be born in such an extraordinary manner, if it did not serve some purpose. —Louis Berkhof, ST, Pg. 340
“It is safe to tell the pure in heart that they shall see God, for only the pure in heart want to.” - C.S. Lewis
“The moment we begin to water down the law… the work of Christ starts to become obscured. If we are blind to the depth of our sin, then we are handicapped in perceiving the grace of God to save us in Christ.” — Brown and Keele, Sacred Bond, 120.
“Our reconciliation to God is permanent and eternal. Because Christ accomplished it for us, there is no possibility it can ever be undone.” — Jerry Bridges
Our worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace. - Jerry Bridges
“Though we continue, even as believers, to do those things that in themselves deserve God's displeasure, we can never revert to a state of divine alienation.” — Jerry Bridges
“The infinite became finite, the eternal and supratemporal entered time and became subject to its conditions… All is summed up in the proposition, ‘God became man.’” — John Murray
“Because the Mediator of the new covenant has reconciled us to God forever, we do not find God's wrath when we come to him. Rather, we have his favor.” — Brown and Keele, Sacred Bond, 152.
“Faith alone justifies, through Christ alone. Assurance is the enjoyment of that justification.” — Sinclair Ferguson
The new covenant declares "the love, grace, and mercy of God; and therewith to give repentance, remission of sin, and life eternal." — John Owen, Works, 22:89-90.
Don't believe everything you think. You cannot be trusted to tell yourself the truth. Stay in The Word. - Jerry Bridges
Every sermon needs the gospel. Every worship song needs the gospel. Every church needs the gospel. Every small group needs the gospel. Every mission effort needs the gospel. Every leader needs the gospel. Every heart needs the gospel. Stick to the Gospel.
"God can take away his people's sorrow and fill them with exultant joy." — Charles Spurgeon
Complaining, criticism, and cynicism are not fruits of the Holy Spirit.
The church is God's vineyard. Heinrich Bullinger
"If Christ is not all to you, he is nothing to you." — Charles Spurgeon
"I wish there were ten or a dozen Christmas days in the year; for there is work enough in the world, and a little more rest would not hurt laboring people." — Charles Spurgeon
"God is always ready to speak with you when you are prepared to hear." — Charles Spurgeon
"Though I had gotten over sermons and arguments and churches and everything else, I could not get over my mother's prayers." -R.A.Torrey.
"If you are living without prayer, you are living without Christ." — Charles Spurgeon
No candle which #God lights was ever meant to burn alone. -J.C. Ryle - Make no mistake; #regeneration is the direct result of the supernatural operation of #God -A.W. Pink -
"The Christian grows rich by his losses, he lives by dying, and becomes full by being emptied." — Charles Spurgeon
The Past is frozen and no longer flows, and the Present is all lit up with eternal rays. C. S. Lewis
The power of faith to justify does not lie in the worth of the act itself, for our justification consists solely in God’s mercy and in Christ’s merit. John Calvin God is calling us to so greatly love others that we do not desire for them anything that might separate them from God. R.C. Sproul
"Understanding the love of Jesus lifts the mind above all fear." — Charles Spurgeon
We best defend the Lord's glory by speaking first TO Him about unbelieving men rather than speaking first ABOUT Him to unbelieving men. Sinclair Ferguson "To actually preach with variety and excitement, we must treat the Scriptures as they are - a library of different types of great literature." - Jeffrey Arthurs
Life is uncertain. There is much we do not know. But because of the Word of God, we know the only thing that matters —the Lord loves us. Let the storms rage, let the arrows fly. Come what may, we are loved. Chuck Smith “Christ is not valued at all, unless he is valued above all.” — Augustine "Cultural engagement in preaching must never be for the sake of appearing 'relevant' but rather must be for the purpose of laying bare the listener’s life foundations." - Tim Keller "By his death, Jesus has destroyed death, and by his resurrection he has torn away the gates of the grave." — Charles Spurgeon
God, being God, cannot just forgive sin. - Martyn Lloyd-Jones
"The thermometer of a church is its prayer meeting." -Vance Havner. "It is never good to lose the friendship of God in order to keep on good terms with men." — Charles Spurgeon
It’s not the church’s job to affirm and celebrate sin. It’s the church’s job to point people to Jesus, who saves sinners and transforms them. "The Holy Spirit can cast out the spirit of fear. He can make the coward brave." — Charles Spurgeon ...the #Spirit enriches us with no other than the riches of #Christ, that he may display his glory in all things. -John Calvin - It is an abominable thing to give men stones for bread and scorpions for eggs, yet they do so who preach not #Christ. -C.H. Spurgeon -
Wicked people breaking God’s commandments have created most of the wars and problems that we’re facing today. Yet God will bring peace to the person who is pleasing to Him.
A day is coming when Jesus will establish His kingdom on Earth. A day is coming when Christ will return as King of kings and Lord of lords. But He won’t be born in a humble stable in Bethlehem. When He returns, every eye will see Him. He won’t wear a crown of thorns, and people won’t crucify Him on a cross. When Christ returns, He will wear many crowns.
Do you know Jesus in a real and personal way? Nothing this world has to offer will fill the void inside us because we were created to know God. Only Jesus can give you a life that is worth living and the absolute assurance that when you die, you will go to Heaven.
The Lord desires for us to continue in a growing relationship with Him, continuing to draw more and more upon His grace: "continue with the Lord…continue in the grace of God" (Acts 11:23; 13:43). One vital aspect of this process is to be continuing in the word of His grace.
"Grace is the voice that calls us to change and then gives us the power to pull it off."— Max Lucado
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