Every time we ignore Jesus, we are "helping wicked men" put Him to death. Have you ever noticed how the more you become involved in the world and what the world considers right, the less Jesus influences you. You may not have called for His execution, but when you ignore Jesus you are "helping wicked men put him to death." In other words, you are allowing the world and its seductive nature to place Jesus in the back seat of your life -- He becomes "dead" in your life.
It is a dangerous thing to be prosperous. The crucible of adversity is a less severe trial for the Christian than the place of prosperity. What leanness of soul and neglect of spiritual things have been brought on through the very mercies and bounties of God!
We're not going to figure out God, so let's just relax. Instead try appreciating what God has done for you.
The fruit of the Spirit is not excitement or
orthodoxy: it is character.
~G.B. Duncan~
Let's take a reflective look at humility and faith. We have repeatedly encountered these two relational realities. This is to be expected, since "God…gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6), and "we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand" (Romans 5:2).
Remember today that God is with you in everything you do. Nothing is hidden from Him.
If you're searching for something in your house, do you wander aimlessly around your living room? Of course not; you search your house with purpose. In the same way, we are to search the Bible with purpose.
Someday
There’s a time for extravagant gestures. A time to pour out your affections on the one you love. And when the time comes—seize it. Don’t dismiss it!
“Someday,” we say, “I’ll take her on the cruise.”
“Someday”, we say, “I’ll have time to call and chat.”
“Someday, the children will understand why I was so busy.”
But you know the truth, don’t you? You could say it better than I. Some days never come. And the price of practicality is sometimes higher than extravagance. So, go to the effort…today. Invest the time, today. Make an apology. Take the trip. Purchase the gift. Do it! The seized opportunity renders joy. The neglect brings regret.
“Don't just let your business or your job make something for you; let it make something of you.” Jim Rohn
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“My father taught me to always do more than you get paid for as an investment in your future.” Jim Rohn
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“We get paid for bringing value to the marketplace. It takes time to bring value to the marketplace, but we get paid for the value, not the time.” Jim Rohn
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“The worst days of those who enjoy what they do are better than the best days of those who don't.” Jim Rohn
“Success is the study of the obvious. Everyone should take Obvious I and Obvious II in school.” – Jim Rohn
“It takes time to build a corporate work of art. It takes time to build a life. And it takes time to develop and grow. So give yourself, your enterprise, and your family the time they deserve and the time they require.” – Jim Rohn
The Lord wants His children to have significant measures of spiritual fruit developing in their lives. "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit" (John 15:8). Fruit is described in the Scriptures in various ways. It includes godly character qualities. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…" (Galatians 5:22). Also, it involves worship offered to God. "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name" (Hebrews 13:15).
Every setback is a chance for your comeback.
If you're too busy to connect with your spouse, you're too busy.
Make your marriage a priority by setting aside time to really connect.
I often get caught up in my kids behavior and hear myself saying, "What did you do?" or "what happened?" Jesus was always more concerned with the heart. He rarely asked WHAT and constantly got after the WHY. May we be parents who care for our child's heart, not just correct their behavior.
“Praise is God’s sunlight in the heart. It destroys sin germs. It ripens the fruits of the Spirit. It is the oil of gladness that lubricates life’s activities. There can be no holy life without it. It keeps the heart pure and the eye clear. Praise is essential to the knowledge of God and His will.” — Smith Wigglesworth
It is written that when Charles Wesley lay sick on his bed in his last days on Earth, he gathered his strength, raised his hand, and exclaimed, “The best of all is, God is with us.” The words of Psalm 46 echo in his hymns, as well as in those of Martin Luther. Luther’s version of his well-known hymn A Mighty Fortress is Our God begins with the words, “A sure stronghold our God is He, a timely shield and weapon.” Both men knew the Lord as their accessible, delightful place of retreat. He was to them all-sufficient, faithful, real and always near.
The cure for crime is not in the electric chair; it is in the high chair. Start early. Love your children by disciplining them.
Greg Laurie
Check yourself. Guard your mouth against divisive words, against over-confidence, against aimlessness.
Let us not confuse gossip with vain babbling. They are not the same and both are looked down upon by the Lord.
“We can do little things for God: I turn the cake that is frying on the pan, for love of Him; and that done, if there is nothing else to call me, I prostrate myself in worship before Him who has given me the grace to work; afterward I rise happier than a king.” —Brother Lawrence
"Mother Teresa’s days began in prayer, and after meeting God in prayer she went out into the streets of Calcutta to meet Him in the form of people…her primary goal was not to better the lot of the poor, not to alleviate the suffering of the sick, not even to save lives. Rather, her goal was to recover the image of God in people.”
Practicing the Presence of People (Waterbrook Press, Colorado Springs, 1999
Mike Mason
If we look at the homeless and see anything other than the image of God we error according to the word. Mother Teresa understood this. This is what the Lord's Lunch is all about.
Anything that hinders your JOY in the Lord needs to be brought to the feet of Jesus to be healed. Just as He bowed down and washed the feet of His disciples, surrender to Him and receive hope and healing.
You never know who God might bring your way to challenge some of your prejudices and fears. Jesus showed us what to do. Welcome, love, and minister to those in need in His Name
The source of Jesus’ great joy is His absolute trust in the Father’s plan.
The more I am transformed by God’s love and the more I am modeling myself on Christ, the more I will speak the truth without concern for my advancement. I will seek to serve others and to help them see how wonderful God is, not how wonderful I am.
“Life can only be understood backward; it must be lived forward.” —Soren Kierkegaard
Discipleship is a call to me, but it is a journey of "we.” “Jesus of Nazareth always comes asking disciples to follow him--not merely "accept him," not merely "believe in him," not merely "worship him," but to follow him: one either follows Christ or one does not.
~A.W. Tozer~
The blessed ones who possess the Kingdom are they who have repudiated every external thing and have rooted in their hearts all sense of possessing. These are the "poor in spirit."
~A.W. Tozer~
“You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.” —
Amy Carmichael
You might as well hope to get to heaven by flying up in a balloon, as to get there by your own good works.
~C.H. Spurgeon~
“This is one problem Jesus came into the world to redress,” Mike Mason writes. “He let us crucify Him to show us how much we push everyone away, even the Son of God. As the dust settled on Calvary, some of us realized what we were missing. We realized how much we wanted love and how much He wanted us. And so we invited Him to come back and live in our hearts...and something wonderful happened. We began to wake up to how badly we’d been treating people and how much we missed each other. We began to want one another with a deep, pure love. And so the church was born.”
As he engaged in his messianic ministry, Jesus wasn’t just a preacher and healer. He was also an organizer. We see this in Luke 10, for example, where Jesus carefully organized the “advance teams” he sent out to the towns he intended to visit. The example of Jesus reminds us not all works of the kingdom of God are dramatically miraculous. We can use our gift of organization to honor God and to advance his work in the world.
Man’s heart cannot be reasoned to truth. The heart only reasons according to sin, therefore continuing to fall short of and pervert the truth.
However, man’s heart can be awakened to truth by the washing and regeneration that occurs through the precious blood of Christ. Daniel Etter
You can face ANYTHING if God is your EVERYTHING!
God loves you. He will not abandon you. He will not forget you. He hears your prayers. He see’s what you’re going through. He knows the stress you’re under. So instead of doing it on your own, turn to Him. He will be your rest. He will be your peace. He will be your strength.
The Lord wants His children to have significant measures of spiritual fruit developing in their lives. "By this, My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit" (John 15:8). Fruit is described in the Scriptures in various ways. It includes godly character qualities. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…" (Galatians 5:22). Also, it involves worship offered to God. "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name" (Hebrews 13:15). Additionally, it encompasses lives being touched by our ministry to them.
Every good thing is not a God thing that’s meant for you.
God often goes to the gutter to find the recipient for His grace. He lifts him out, washes him, and transforms him - making him into a child of God fit for His kingdom. That is God’s grace.
~Chuck Smith~
Jesus’ message couldn’t be realized until He died. Nor can we realize the beauty of our lives without accepting death. Resurrection — change — doesn’t happen without it.
Every conflict in marriage is an opportunity to experience or extend the unconditional aspects of God's love.
Let's take a reflective look at humility and faith. We have repeatedly encountered these two relational realities. This is to be expected, since "God…gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6), and "we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand" (Romans 5:2).
The Lord wants His children to have significant measures of spiritual fruit developing in their lives. "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit" (John 15:8). Fruit is described in the Scriptures in various ways. It includes godly character qualities. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…" (Galatians 5:22). Also, it involves worship offered to God. "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name" (Hebrews 13:15). Additionally, it encompasses lives being touched by our ministry to them. "I often planned to come to you…that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles" (Romans 1:13).
OSWALD CHAMBERS
Wherever the providence of God may dump us down, in a slum, in a shop, in the desert, we have to labour along the line of His direction. Never allow this thought—“I am of no use where I am,” because you certainly can be of no use where you are not! Wherever He has engineered your circumstances, pray.
OSWALD CHAMBERS
It is impossible to read too much, but always keep before you why you read. Remember that “the need to receive, recognize, and rely on the Holy Spirit” is before all else.
Are you in the wilderness right now? Do you wonder if God is doing anything, or if He even sees you and your circumstances? He does! Enter into worship. Seek His face remembering all that He has done in the past for you and for the Family of God. Praise Him as you recall His goodness and faithfulness.
The Lord has already written the end of the story.
Has holy fear seemed like a contradictory term to you? Sometimes it may seem odd that we should have fear of God… that that’s a right response. It’s time to redefine what that means in our hearts and truly revere Him with joy and love!
When God denies us something, even when we have the best of motives, He has an even greater plan.
God wants to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
You and I don’t have to do X, Y, and Z to gain the approval of God. Rather, we need to understand what God has done for us and let it impact the way that we live.
It is not a matter of needing more; we need to use what we already have. We need to stop living like spiritual paupers and start laying hold of what God has given to us. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we have God’s approval. He has adopted us, loves us, has chosen us, and has called us.
As Christians, we often don’t know all that God has given to us. We don’t know the resources that He has placed into our spiritual bank accounts.
Spiritual resources are waiting for the believer who is walking with God. Although there are treasures in the heavenly realms, there are resources that God wants us to start using here.
A Christian is someone who lives in two dimensions. There is the spiritual dimension, and as we walk in the Spirit, we know God in the Spirit. Yet we live on the earth. And we need to transfer what we have in the spiritual realm to the earthly realm.
The doctrine of predestination is not something that we will understand, necessarily. Yet Jesus Christ shed His blood for everyone. Jesus said, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NLT).
God didn’t choose us because of any inherent merit or goodness on our part. It’s clear that, despite our best intentions and the high opinion we may hold of ourselves, God’s choice had nothing to do with that. Before God made the world, before sin even entered into it, God predestined us and chose us to be His children.
God knew exactly how each of us would turn out. And He chose us from the foundation of the world. Maybe you’re saying, “I think the Lord made a mistake here, because I’m a loser.”
How great is that blood, that must have more of 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦, since it is the blood of the Son of God, than all sins can have of 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵, since they are the sins of men! —Puritan Stephen Charnock, Works 3:531
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Puritan Gold reposted
Dean Defuria
@_DeanAnthony
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“The ultimate end of true theology is the celebration of the praise of God and His glory and grace in the eternal salvation of sinners." — John Owen
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Puritan Gold
@PuritanMines
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The justification of a believer stands upon as certain grounds as the justification of Christ himself before God. —Stephen Charnock, Works 3:532
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Puritan Gold
@PuritanMines
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Ordinarily there seems to be no doubt of the Lord’s power, but that which most weakens faith and discourages the heart in praying is fear, or doubting that the Lord is not willing. —David Clarkson, Works 1:329
Though our sins have weakened the Law, and made it unable to save us, yet they cannot weaken the omnipotent satisfaction of the Redeemer. —Stephen Charnock, Works 3:531
The church is like a river. If it gets wider instead of deeper it will lose its power. —Puritan Thomas Manton
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Puritan Gold reposted
Darrell B. Harrison*
@D_B_Harrison
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"He who obeys sincerely endeavors to obey thoroughly." - Thomas Brooks
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Puritan Gold
@PuritanMines
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Be sure thou takest some pains with thy heart the afternoon (or evening at least) before, to prepare thy soul for the ensuing Sabbath. —George Swinnock, Works 1:249
“The door on which we have been knocking all our lives will open at last.” - C.S. Lewis
“Those who do not know the difference between the law and the gospel are… prone to misunderstand both justification and sanctification, thus diminishing Christ in the soul and promoting self-righteousness.” — Joel Beeke and Paul Smalley
“In the world where expressive individualism is normative, creeds and confessions become even more problematic for the wider culture and even more important and useful for Christians.” — Carl Trueman
“Indeed, this is the ultimate purpose of all theology: not merely to gather information, but to know, love, and enjoy God, the one who is the truth.” — Michael Reeves, Authentic Ministry, 12.
"... assurance is to be the normal experience of every Christian believer and not simply the preserve of a few special saints who have been given extraordinary insight into their status before God." –– Carl Trueman, Crisis of Confidence, 109.
“What is our chief end in all we do? To glorify God, and enjoy him in our ministry.” — Michael Reeves, Authentic Ministry, 12.
The law discovers the disease, and the gospel the Physician. Thomas Boston
A hasty man never is a wise man. Charles Spurgeon
Do right, and fear nothing, and God will help you. Charles Spurgeon
"Since man ceases not to be sinful, it is a great blessing that the Lord ceases not to be merciful." — Charles Spurgeon
That blood that hath cleansed so many from sin, and from such multitudes of sin, in their several capacities, can cleanse you from 𝘢𝘭𝘭 your sins, were they as great as all those jointly that have been cleansed by it from the beginning of the world. —Stephen Charnock, 3:531
The Holy Ghost rides in the chariot of Scripture, and not in the wagon of modern thought. Charles Spurgeon
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Belt of Truth 1
@beltoftruth1
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Speak to a friend about the state of his soul; your loving appeal will have more influence than a whole library of tracts -C.H. Spurgeon -
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Eternity won't be long enough to discover all that God is, or praise Him for all that He has done -A.W. Tozer -
"True strength comes from walking with the Lord." — Charles Spurgeon
"We count nothing to be riches, but that which makes us rich towards God." — Charles Spurgeon
Distributing gospel tracts in downtown this evening. “Do something, by God’s help, to make heaven more full and hell more empty..” —JC Ryle, Old Paths, Pg. 62
"The doctrine of the cross can be used to slay sin." — Charles Spurgeon
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@RememberLondon
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God is the most adequate and complete object of our love. - Thomas Watson
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Gospel Quotes
@QuotesGospel
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"The gospel is simple and should be presented simply." -John MacArthur.
"We look back upon past sins with deep sorrow, and yet with no dread of any penalty to come." — Charles Spurgeon
Old truths are always new to us, if they come with the smell of Heaven upon them. John Bunyan
"There is not a word which has gone out of the Savior's lips which he has ever retracted." — Charles Spurgeon
I will stay in prison till the moss grows on my eye lids rather than disobey God. John Bunyan
The love of our Lord #Jesus Christ towards sinners is strikingly shown in His steady purpose of heart to die for them. -J.C. Ryle -
His blood can cleanse as many sins as his Godhead can create worlds, and those are numberless; since there is no limit to his power there can be none to his blood. —Puritan Stephen Charnock, Works 3:531
Avoiding churches because of people being hypocrites is like avoiding restaurants because of people breaking their diets. Both are perfect places for imperfect people that need to be fed.
"You can live for this world, or live for the next; but to live equally for both is impossible." — Charles Spurgeon
Let us lose ourselves and rise to a new life in Christ. AB Simpson
"Doubt is a great joy-killer." — Charles Spurgeon
If God’s Spirit dwells in you, then the natural result will be the fruit of agape love. We are impatient for that fruit. But fruit does not grow overnight. Do not be impatient with God and with the Holy Spirit as He develops fruit in your life. Chuck Smith
Before questioning "What will people think?" it's essential to first consider "What will God think?" and "What does the Word of God say about this?"
“The gospel is not lacking, because He is not lacking.” — Michael Reeves
If you need God to speak to you then open His Word.
Our students are growing and being challenged to be the “Revival Generation” in 2024. Pray for our students to encounter Jesus!
One day Jesus will come and we'll stand face to face. Come to Him, lay it all down because it might be today!
Believe Jesus is the Son of God, who shed His blood for you, died on the cross for our sins, He was buried and resurrected during the third day, according to the Scriptures, so we can have eternal life with Him. The moment you believe in Him and that He died for your sins - you're saved, justified, sealed until the day of redemption, and rapture ready! The Holy Spirit will come to live inside of you - He will help you, guide you, change you, and be with you FOREVER!
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