“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 Schaeffe
He paid the price of sin for us. He came to pay a debt He did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay.
That is why Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father. It sounds radical, but it came from Jesus Himself. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 nlt).
God knew that we would fall short. But He loved us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to this earth. Jesus was more than a good man; He was the God-Man who went to the cross willingly, laid down His life, and shed His blood for us.
When the Bible tells us to fear God, it means that we should have reverence for God. We should honor God and respect Him. To fear God means to recognize that He is God Almighty and never take His offer of forgiveness for granted.
“No fear” is a popular slogan for T-shirts. The problem is that we’re not afraid of what we ought to be afraid of. We ought to fear God.
Married folk, if there’s one goal that’s all too worthy this year, it’s to grow and flourish with your spouse! Reclaim the excitement and freshness of your romance. Rededicate your marriage to Jesus. God has more for you and your spouse. New year. New Marriage, Same Couple.
Beware of pronouncing any verdict on the life of faith if you are not living it. OSWALD CHAMBERS
God’s plan is always better. Yes, He tells us what we should avoid. But it is for our own good.
Yes, the Bible does say that we shouldn’t do certain things. The Bible does tell us to stay away from particular things. But when it tells us not to do something, it also tells us to do something else instead.
We begin our Christian life by believing what we are told to believe, then we have to go on to so assimilate our beliefs that they work out in a way that redounds to the glory of God. The danger is in multiplying the acceptation of beliefs we do not make our own. OSWALD CHAMBERS
Defenders of the faith are inclined to be bitter until they learn to walk in the light of the Lord. When you have learned to walk in the light of the Lord, bitterness and contention are impossible.
OSWALD CHAMBERS
What are you grieving today, or what have you grieved most recently? What has your grieving process looked like? How does it feel to know Jesus also experienced grief?
As Jesus followers, our hearts are for Him, wanting to be closer to Him, and wanting to be more like Him. As we do that, we show the world who He is!
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 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).
“Fear not that your life shall come to an end, but rather that it shall never have a beginning.” —John Henry Newman
A fanatic is one who entrenches himself in invincible ignorance. OSWALD CHAMBERS
If you are genuinely sorry and willing to turn from your sins, then God will forgive you. And you will have another opportunity to obey Him.
Maybe you’ve been disobeying God. Maybe you’ve been compromising in an area of your life and have been doing things that you shouldn’t do. You know it’s wrong before God.
The Christian life is like running a race—and it’s a long-distance run. We need to obey the rules, and we also need to pace ourselves. It doesn’t really matter whether we’ve held first place for nine-tenths of the race. We must cross the finish line. Otherwise, it means nothing.
When athletes have the privilege of representing their countries in the Olympic Games, they agree in advance to play by the rules. This includes an anti-doping code. If athletes test positive for performance-enhancing drugs, even after they’ve won a medal, it will result in their disqualification because they didn’t play by the rules.
Ask God to guide you to the right boundary that you need to establish today.
Do you struggle with the inability to say no, confront, and establish consequences in relationships when you need to? How does that affect your life? We all desire to have fruitful and fulfilled lives and God’s Word says guarding our heart is the primary way to achieve those goals!
The law of God offers no help and provides no hope of remedying this dire situation. People are "not justified by the works of the law." Trying one's best to measure up to the law never produces a verdict of not guilty.
From the very beginning, God warned Adam and Eve that if they disobeyed Him and ate of the forbidden fruit, the penalty would be death. And while their bodies did not die the moment they sunk their teeth into the fruit of disobedience, the process was set into motion and their spirits died totally and completely.
Although John the Baptist was a tremendous man of God, he was simply a messenger for God with a very clear message: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." God's call was for the people to repent, to literally change their mind. They were to stop serving false gods and turn back to the True and Living God.
Reverend Billy Graham tells of a time early in his ministry when he arrived in a small town to preach a sermon. Wanting to mail a letter, he asked a young boy where the post office was. When the boy had told him, Dr. Graham thanked him and said, "If you'll come to the Baptist Church this evening, you can hear me telling everyone how to get to heaven." The boy replied, "I don't think I'll be there... You don't even know your way to the post office."
A disciple is a person who learns to live
the life his teacher lives.
~Juan Carlos Ortiz~
Les Brown
Whatever dream you decide to go after, whether it is a family goal or a career goal, you must consciously decide that it is your life's mission. Benjamin Disraeli said, "The secret of success is constancy to purpose." You must go at it obsessively and set high standards for yourself along the way. There is no room for compromise when you are charting a course for your life or your career.
When it comes to using your time wisely, Begin to keep a journal and log the time you spend doing things every day. Do this for at least two weeks. Track the time you spend getting ready for work, driving your car, working at the office, eating out, reading, watching television, surfing the internet or simply doing nothing. You may be surprised at the amount of time that you spend on unproductive matters. It is very often shocking the amount of time each day that we squander and will never get back.”
People cannot earn Jesus Christ’s love and friendship. He takes the initiative, reaches out, and draws into fellowship those who are willing. We are not worthy, but we are privileged to live in His love anyway. In the Lord, we find a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Prov. 18:24).
Dr. Charles Stanley,
Just because I feel it doesn't make it real.
Just like I felt the sun was gone but it wasn't, I might feel like I'm not doing anything well, but it doesn't make it true. The fact that I have weaknesses doesn't make everything about me weak. I have plenty of strengths.
If the clouds have been looming close lately, maybe it's time to stop. Pause. Lift your eyes to an altitude that can rearrange your attitude.
Glory moments do not require a physical vision, but a spiritual revelation—an understanding of a greater reality than this physical world in which we live. The unseen world is very real, and while we may not see God’s activity with our physical eyes, we can be assured of His provision and protection in ways we may never understand.
Many scriptures exhort believers to encourage one another. And yet, sometimes we get so busy in our own lives that we neglect thinking about others. We may become insensitive to the concerns of those around us.
God not only wants us to share the Gospel, He desires we raise up Timothy’s, Titus’s, Priscilla’s and Aquilla’s—men and women who will commit to the things of the Lord and teach them to others.
Teach the tractable, command the obstinate, lay God’s
charge upon all.
~John Trapp~
What really matters is what you do with what you have. Not what you want or hope for.
Jesus fulfilled everything in the law and everything in the prophets. And Jesus can surely fulfill everything in your life when you surrender it to Him.
Do you know why you were made, why you are here on this earth? It's simple: to please God. The anthem that will be sung in heaven is, "For thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created" (Revelation 4:11, KJV).
Peace comes not from the absence of trouble, but from the
presence of God.
~Alexander Maclaren~
There's no place in our worship for criticism and talking down to each other. All of this is an indication of a backsliding life. Maybe it starts off small, such as criticizing the songs or the music; then it turns into criticizing the pastor's message; then it gets into criticizing the people. And before long, people are picking apart the Bible and eventually the Lord, blaming Him for "everything wrong in my life."
Examples can be either negative (what not to do), or positive (what to do). In this same way, watching and learning from the Jews throughout the Old Testament has taught us the consequences of a lack of faith, as well as the gigantic blessings of a return to faith.
Pro 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he.
A vision within a vision
You have herd this lots of times but the question is do you have one? No matter what you do, who you work for, or what ministry you serve in that has a vision of its own, you need one as well.
I know life IS change. But when that change isn't quite as subtle as it usually is, we're suddenly faced with having to accept that we must also allow ourselves to change, to let go of who we've been in order to become who we're meant to be in the now. But as much as I know this willingness to evolve, transform, is the right path, it can be a little scary. Amidst such big change, I too need a little encouragement, guidance and reassurance.
Nia Peeples
There is always a void that only Jesus can fill, a light that shines in the dankness of the brightest days.
Not everything you go after and get is God's will but you will soon see if it leads you into bondage.
If it is God's will you won't have to Fake it Till You Make it. You will be happy resting in His provision where you are.
Old habits don’t open new doors.
A GOOD LEADER/TEACHER LEAVES ROOM FOR CURIOSITY AND QUESTIONS.
“I realize I can get very comfortable on this side of the Jordan and miss out on what God wants to do through me and in me.” Jon Courson
When trials come, we get frustrated. We lash out at people and get defensive when things don't go our way. We go through messy situations like divorce or bankruptcy, and we feel like failures. When things aren't going right, so often we lose our discernment of right and wrong, and we just react.
Satan commonly stops the ear from hearing sound doctrine before he opens it to embrace corrupt.
~William Gurnall~
It may be time for you to leave the secure, comfortable position you have and do what God desires for your life. Will you commit yourself to prayer and ask God to provide for all the necessities?
I heard the story of a little boy who was flying his kite, which had gone up so high, he could no longer see it. Someone saw him tugging on the string and asked, "Where is your kite?"
"Up there," he said.
"I can't see your kite. How do you know it's there?"
"It's there," the boy said. "I feel its tug."
We feel the same thing. We feel the pull of heaven deep down inside. As Augustine wrote, "Thou madest us for Thyself, and our heart is restless, until it [rests] in Thee." There's a desire in us, a craving in us, that nothing on this earth will ever satisfy.
Greg Laurie
if there is an idol in our hearts and we're seeking the Lord, we will hear the idol and think it is the voice of the Lord. Every one of us needs to pay very careful to this warning. We must guard against idols gaining a foothold in our lives -- and I'm not talking about statues. It's the passions, fascinations and obsessions with people, thoughts or things that ultimately lead to compromise, temptation, and a fall to sin.
It's just as easy to choose words that bring healing and encouragement to others & yourself as it is to speak words that wound and tear down.
The enemy often uses TEMPTATION to bring TORMENT. If we are having tormenting thoughts or dreams, consider whether we are not fighting temptation but rather giving place to the devil in our lives. Sexual sin, in particular, seems to bring vicious emotional and spiritual torment.
“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
“There are only two kinds of people: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right, then, have it your way.’” - C.S. Lewis
“To walk out of his will is to walk into nowhere.” - C.S. Lewis
Your accumulated offences do not surpass the multitude of God's mercies: your wounds do not surpass the great Physician's skill. —Cyril of Jerusalem (313-386)
Christ hath taught us to pray for the pardon of sin; which gives unquestionable security that it may be attained. On this supposition it is the highest blasphemy and reproach of God imaginable, to conceive that there is not forgiveness with Him for us. —John Owen, Works 6:468
The Roman Church is not grown better [since the Reformation], but worse; and that which was before but mere practice and custom is since established by law and canon, and they have ratified and owned their errors in the Council of Trent. —Thomas Manton, Works 6:304
The church is like a river. If it gets wider instead of deeper it will lose its power. —Puritan Thomas Manton
They who will not have the law to rule them, shall never have the gospel to save them. — Thomas Watson
If God hath made Heaven by His word, He can give thee Heaven, and make good His promises by His word. —Thomas Manton, Works 13:433
Such may talk of assurance, and make a stir and noise about assurance, but it is the close walking Christian that shall be crowned with assurance. —Thomas Brooks, Works 2:415
He walks foolishly that, to please a few weak, dying men, displeaseth the jealous and almighty God; he walks wisely who will be sure, whoever be offended, to please him upon whose favour his life and all his comforts depend. —George Swinnock, Works 2.281 ~ HT
@GeorgeSwinnock
Earthly riches are full of poverty. Augustine
The ultimate goal of the human mind is to know God. Augustine
You look kindly on the humble, but the lofty-minded You regard from afar. You draw close to those whose hearts are crushed. Augustine
We have His assurance that, although we may not see Him, He is always present with us, and that in His good time He will show us that His ears have never been deaf to our prayers John Calvin
Because God has made us for Himself, our hearts are restless until they rest in Him. Augustine
A Christian is: a mind through which Christ thinks, a heart through which Christ loves, a voice through which Christ speaks, and a hand through which Christ helps. Augustine
O Lord, who teaches by sorrow, and wounds us to heal; and kills us, lest we die from you. Augustine
Pride is the beginning of all sin. Augustine
A jewel received by a child and a giant, it is the 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 jewel; so strong and weak faith are built upon one and the same righteousness of Christ. —Puritan Thomas Manton, Works 13:188
Oh! When a man goes every morning to God, and desires the direction of His Spirit, and professeth to God in the poverty of his own spirit that he knows not how to guide his way for the day, then God shall teach him the way he shall walk. —Puritan Thomas Manton, Works 6:234
“To 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 and 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 is to hunt much and catch nothing.” —Puritan Thomas Brooks, Ore from the Puritan’s Mine, 456
Jesus’ life was filled with joy when He healed and taught, or with sorrow as He wept for those who hurt. He was admired and worshiped. He was hated, rejected, and crucified. All so that we would come to know the Father. Ray Bentley
Allow me to say this: If your trust is in Jesus, there is nothing in the Bible to make you afraid. Spurgeon#
God has His reasons for the pains and pleasures that enter our souls. Through the tragedies we would have preferred to avoid, as well as the good news we welcomed, God prepares us, His servants, for the work He has designed us to do. Chuck Smith
Until we have sat for a while in failure and come to the end of ourselves, we will neither know nor credit God’s grace for whatever good we may do. Nor will we be able to minister grace to others in their time of need and failure. Chuck Smith
Becoming a Christian made Paul capable of recognizing his weaknesses. He became more honest, vulnerable, and broken—real. He shared freely his personal struggles and brokenness. He had no need to protect his image or misrepresent himself. Ray Bentley
ALWAYS BE READY!
THANK GOD FOR EVERYBODY WHO DIDN'T SEND YOU A LIFE RAFT WHEN YOU WERE DROWNING IN THE STORMS OF LIFE. NOW, THEY CAN'T TAKE CREDIT FOR YOUR SURVIVAL!
I'M LEARNING TO BE LIKE MARY THIS YEAR. SIT BACK AND QUIETLY PONDER WHATS SAID AND DONE IN MY HEART. NOT EVERYTHING REQUIRES A REACTION OR A RESPONSE. BE PATIENT WITH YOUR MIND AND MOUTH.
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF PRAYER. ONE SMALL PRAYER CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE IN A BIG WAY!
When a man is lost, he has earned it. When a man is saved, it is a gift." — Charles Spurgeon
"If a man has eternal life, it is eternal, and therefore it cannot end or be lost." — Charles Spurgeon
"When I see young men and women full of zeal for God’s glory, I say, ‘God bless them!’" — Charles Spurgeon
"Let gratitude move you to holy living." — Charles Spurgeon
2
"Endeavor, not only to grow in grace yourselves, but to help others." — Charles Spurgeon
"May the abounding mercy of God have abundant praise from us." — Charles Spurgeon
"Everyone is empty until they come to the Savior and Lord." — Charles Spurgeon
"Self-righteousness is the very height of rebellion against God." — Charles Spurgeon
"Trust in Christ at all times and however deep your poverty, you shall have a superabundant supply." — Charles Spurgeon
"The whole substance of the New Testament is Jesus crucified." — Charles Spurgeon
"You are not called to earn life, but to receive it." — Charles Spurgeon
"No sinner ever came to God and was sent empty away." — Charles Spurgeon
"Be much on your knees, for so Elijah drew the rain upon famished Israel’s fields." — Charles Spurgeon
"The Old Testament was perfect in itself and the New Testament is an expansion of the same truth." — Charles Spurgeon
"Close access to God in wrestling prayer is sure to make the believer strong—if not happy." — Charles Spurgeon
"Never was there care so tender, so perpetual, so faithful, so affectionate, as the care of God over all his chosen ones." — Charles Spurgeon
"Trust in Christ does not come from us; it is always the work of the Spirit of God." — Charles Spurgeon
"Non-Christians have death and damnation at their doors and yet are joking and unconcerned." — Charles Spurgeon
"The gospel is all about Christ from beginning to end." – Charles Spurgeon
"Let mildew destroy everything. I have lost nothing of what I have in God." — Charles Spurgeon
I gave Him my deaths and He gave me His life. My sorrows, He gives me joy. My losses, He gives me His gains. This is the great principle of the cross. Elisabeth Elliot
We have but one Saviour; and that one Saviour is Jesus Christ our Lord. Nothing that we are and nothing that we can do enters in the slightest measure into the ground of our acceptance with God. Jesus did it all. B.B. Warfield
Oh! When a man goes every morning to God, and desires the direction of His Spirit, and professeth to God in the poverty of his own spirit that he knows not how to guide his way for the day, then God shall teach him the way shall walk. —Puritan Thomas Manton, Works 6:234
“He who had been a Lamb in His passion became a Lion in His resurrection” - Bernard of Clairvaux
"To be a great Christian, would be to become very unlike the men around us." -James W. Alexander.
Our danger is to submit ourselves to our feelings and to allow them to dictate to us, to govern and to master us and to control the whole of our lives. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
To believe Him that cannot lie, and trust in Him that cannot fail, is a kind of wisdom that none but fools will laugh at. -C.H. Spurgeon -
We can hold a correct view of truth only by daring to believe everything God has said about himself. -A.W. Tozer -
Biblical orthodoxy without compassion is surely the ugliest thing in the world. Francis Schaeffer
I'm so thankful for the active obedience of Christ. No hope without it. John Gresham Machen
The process of shaping the child, shapes also the mother herself. Reverence for her sacred burden calls her to all that is pure and good, that she may teach primarily by her own humble, daily example. Elisabeth Elliot
Some temptations come to the industrious, but all temptations attack the idle. - Charles Spurgeon
#Christ did not die for any upon condition, if they do believe; but he died for all God's elect, that they should believe. -John Owen -
Men one to another seem to be some better, some worse by nature, but to #God they are all alike, dead in trespasses and sins. -John Bunyan -
"The fuel of worship is the truth of God." -John Piper.
“We may say too much in a single sermon, we may give a field of wheat instead of a loaf of bread.” - Charles Spurgeon.
Ridiculing how other pastors dress on Twitter is not masculine. It is juvenile.
Steven Lawson
The Bible is God’s word. Divinely inspired. Inerrant. Infallible. Authoritative. Truthful. Clear. Complete. All-Sufficient. Immutable. Invincible. Final.
The word hope I take for faith; and indeed hope is nothing else but the constancy of #faith. -John Calvin -
The great mistake made by people is hoping to discover in themselves that which is to be found in #Christ alone. -A.W. Pink
"I think a preacher should never take a text and extract from it, as a dentist would a tooth from the jaw, something which, however true in itself, is not the plain literal meaning of the inspired words." - J.C. Ryle
"God sometimes has to separate us from the crutches we lean on so that we will find our strength solely in Him." -Ray Stedman.
As God is in Christ, through his interposition and mediation he accepts of such a holiness in us as we are capable of, and which no man has any discouragement from endeavouring to attain. - John Owen
Paul Washer
If Christianity were a religion of works that required even the most minimal personal righteousness on our part, we would be driven to despair
"Let us not forget to intermingle prayer with all we do." -Andrew Fuller.
I implore you to frequently compare your hearts with the Word of #God. -Jonathan Edwards -
Let it be a settled principle that men's #salvation, if saved, is wholly of #God; and that man's ruin, is wholly of himself. -J.C. Ryle -
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