Even in death there is blessing to know that Jesus took the sting of death away for good when He rose on Easter Sunday.
The overall teaching of the Scriptures would lead to this conclusion. One's place in the final resurrection is determined by one's relationship to God. That issue is settled through exercising saving faith in Jesus Christ.
As Christian believers, we’re called to live set-apart lives. To be holy as God is holy. To be in the world, but not of the world. God is the source of all holiness, and in order to live a set-apart life, we must spend time with Him so we can be fueled by His Holy Spirit.
When Jesus was dying, He hung helpless upon the tree. He entrusted Himself into the hands of His Father. "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit" (Luke 23:46). The Father would have to prove faithful, if Jesus were to come forth from the grave.
"Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father" (Romans 6:4). At times, we are in circumstances that are personally crucifying. We are in situations where everything so obviously requires a mighty work of God. If He does not prove faithful on our behalf, there will be no way out of the agonizing dilemma
People who know God and His ways are able to help others discover direction and destiny in all walks of life.
"Stimulate the heart to love, and all other virtues will rise of their own accord." — W. T. Ussery
When Jesus was dying, He hung helpless upon the tree. He entrusted Himself into the hands of His Father. "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit" (Luke 23:46). The Father would have to prove faithful, if Jesus were to come forth from the grave. "Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father" (Romans 6:4). At times, we are in circumstances that are personally crucifying. We are in situations where everything so obviously requires a mighty work of God. If He does not prove faithful on our behalf, there will be no way out of the agonizing dilemma. When our Lord is so clearly our only hope (and then He comes through faithfully), we again grow in a deeper knowledge of Him and His ways.
Bob Hoekstra
We can all find comfort in God's way of redeeming every wrong decision we make, but that doesn't mean regret can't sneak into of our lives.
let us be open to what God has for us and not assume our Lord has one way to bring things about in our life.
“The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.”
― Dante Alighieri, Inferno
Wealth is some thing ~
Health is most things ~
But Character. is everything ~
"The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win."
Roger Bannister
A church membership does not make a Christian any more
than owning a piano makes a musician.
~Douglas Meador~
the power of godliness should change your language, your attitude, and your outlook on life. It should change how you handle money and how you interact with people. It should cause you to wake up in the morning and say, "Good morning Father, what do you have for me today?"
Godliness is a result of a relationship with God. And when godliness is absent from your life, you are just giving lip service -- you are doing your own thing throughout the day. God doesn't need lip service. He wants a relationship with you.
When there's clearly work to be done, don't wait, get up out of your chair and lend a helping hand. Have you benefited by the efforts of others?
When was the last time you volunteered to help in ministry?
Romans 12:11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
Grace Chooses to See Forgiveness
“Don't just read the easy stuff. You may be entertained by it, but you will never grow from it.” – Jim Rohn
“Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value.” – Jim Rohn
The Temple Curtain Torn
On Calvary’s Hill, Jesus cried out in a loud voice and died. Then the curtain in the Temple was torn into two pieces, from the top to the bottom. What did fifteen hundred years of a curtain-draped Holy of Holies communicate? Simple: God is holy! God IS holy—separate from us and unapproachable. Even Moses was told, “You cannot see my face because no one can see me and live.” God is holy and we are sinners, and there is a distance between us.
Jesus hasn’t left us with an unapproachable God. 1 Timothy 2:5 says, “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ.” When Jesus’ flesh was torn on the cross, the curtain was torn in two. With no hesitation, we are welcome into God’s presence—any day, any time. The barrier of sin is down. No more curtain!
From On Calvary’s Hill.
Eternity shall be at one and the same time a great eye-opener and a great mouth-shutter.
~Jim Elliot~
Today I want to encourage you to let the Holy Spirit start moving through you. The end of the age is near and things continue to happen at an alarming rate. You who love the Lord with all of your heart, let Him unleash the Word of God through you; the world desperately needs it. Let Him bless you by blessing other people through you. Be flexible. (Loosen up a little bit, even.) Take Him at His word and let Him use you to bless people. The Holy Spirit is going to use you. He wants to speak through you, so give Him the opportunity.
Make sure that whatever influence the Spirit of God has in your life
results in greater surrender to Him.
David Guzik
In the light of God, human vision clears.
~James Philip~
True sheep of Christ, welcome and appreciate His shepherding!
People are often God's conduits to bring experiences/input into our lives we would not otherwise seek out.
Our Father has strategically placed others around us to sharpen us and bring balance.
The last of the plagues the Lord brought on Egypt before evacuating the Israelites was the death of the firstborn son. In order for the Jews to escape, they had to put a lamb’s blood over the doorposts so the angel of death would pass over them. Thereafter, according to the Lord’s instructions, the Jews have celebrated Passover.
It was no accident that Christ’s crucifixion happened during Passover. Jesus was the Passover lamb (I Corinthians 5:7) shedding His blood so God’s wrath passes over those who trust in Him.
Hosanna, Hosanna,” from the people. They were crying out to the Savior, “Save now, save now.”
He who came in humility and shame will return in spectacular magnificence.
~John R. W. Stott~
You know there is a moral decline when people protest the tool rather than protesting the one who uses the tool. Gun's don't kill in and of them selfs, it is a tool. People on Bear Valley at the 15 yelling NRA who will you kill next is just stupid. Let's keep it real shifting the blame will not change anything. Remember the terrorist who use planes to fly into the twin towers hijacked them with box cutters. It is not going to get better until the Lord comes back for church.
God’s relationship with you tells you who you are. You are chosen, holy, and beloved. The more you remember this, the more you define your identity by who you are in Christ, the more you’ll be ready to put on his “clothing” and live in his way.
If God calls you to the guttermost, would you go? Be Willing!
Be a witness Step Out In Faith Proclaim The Blessing
Look at how obedient the children of Israel are to the commands of God, and yet they missed the greatest sign—the Lamb of God who brought deliverance to the children of Israel pointed to Christ. How important it is for us to not be blinded to the work of God.
All is loss that comes between us and Christ.
~George Macdonald~
God loves you so much, and He made it really easy to live for Him. All you need to do is love Him. This is the first, and greatest, commandment. Christianity isn't about laws, rules, regulations, and religious activities. It's all about our love for Him. It's all about our heart-felt desire to please Him. And when we fall in love with Him, then we start falling in love with the Bible (His written word to us).
Courage can’t see around corners, but chooses to go around them anyway.
“Learn to express, not impress.” – Jim Rohn
“Take time to gather up the past so that you will be able to draw from your experiences and invest them in the future.” – Jim Rohn
We tend to look for approval from everyone ells but if we examine what we are about and are doing then we don't need a pat on the back. Do your best and commit the rest.....
Our vision is to empower people everywhere to LIVE a life filled with health, abundance, and joy... To truly LOVE each and every moment, and to SHARE the recipe for a better life.
Our Mission in Life Gano:
Improve each of the lives we touch. Through our innovative products and exceptional business opportunities, give people a way to build a better life. We are committed to excellence in every aspect of our business, and always aiming to follow a simple philosophy of putting people first. Where to find shortages, we take care of transforming galore. Our aim, teaching those who need to get up ... and then climb even higher by sharing its success with others.
Sometimes you live with something so long, no matter how bad it is your think it's great.... Let us not be blind to the truth, it will set you free.
The broken spirit and the contrite heart are the abiding
marks of the believing soul.
~John Murray~
To accept grace is the vow to give it. You don’t endorse the deeds of your offender when you forgive them. Jesus didn’t endorse your sins by forgiving you. The grace-defined person still sends thieves to jail and expects the ex to pay child support. Grace sees the hurt full well. But it refuses to let hurts poison the heart. Where grace is lacking, bitterness abounds. Where grace abounds, forgiveness grows.
So, let the hands of God wipe away every dirty part of your life. Then look across the room and wash someone else’s feet. Let grace begin and continue in you!
We are all very busy people, pulled in many different directions by distractions that, at times, hinder our ability to hear the Lord. But despite all the distractions, Jesus is speaking to us.
Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.
~Thomas V. Moore~
As Christians, everyday should be our Passover. God has rescued us from death by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to defeat sin. If you are in Christ, then you are free! We need to remember the deliverance that Jesus Christ brought against the bondage of sin and death.
It's easy to take each other for granted in marriage. Familiarity allows comfort and closeness, but if we're not careful, it can also bring contempt.
One sure-fire way to consistently appreciate your spouse is to remember what a blessing they are from God. Of course, neither of you is perfect, but God has entrusted you to your spouse, and your spouse to you.
C. S. Lewis wrote, “Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive.”
“God's definition of what matters is pretty straightforward. He measures our lives by how we love.” ― Francis Chan, Crazy Love:
“When it's hard and you are doubtful, give more.” ― Francis Chan, Crazy Love:
“Joy is something that we have to choose and then work for.” ― Francis Chan
There is no fame in the ministry. Jesus Christ should be the only one to receive the glory and the honor.
A fruitless person is not a failed Christian, but a false one — in other words, not a Christian at all.
~John Blanchard~
The problem with the law is it is hard to follow, subject to multiple interpretations, and causes many to get caught up in legalistic wording rather than divine intent.
Unrepented sin is a continued sin.
~Corrie ten Boom~
Never are men's hearts in such a hopeless condition as when they are not sensible of their own sins.
~J. C. Ryle
In the closing paragraphs of the Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis wrote about the death of some of his characters: "For them, it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world...had only been the cover and title page; now, at last, they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story, which no one on earth has read; which goes on forever; in which every chapter is better than the one before."
C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle, (The Macmillan Co., 1956)
Your Christian life will not grow one inch beyond your intake of the word of God.
Steve Lawson
As we are getting to know our God of resurrection (by learning about and then partaking of His resurrection power, Christ's sufferings, and conformity to His death), our lives are being changed. We are attaining to "the resurrection from the dead."
Our passage speaks again of the Lord's resurrection power operating in our daily Christian lives, in the process of sanctification and spiritual growth. The setting in which the Lord did this resurrecting work was in the midst of trials while Paul and his team were serving God.
OSWALD CHAMBERS
We are only what we are in the dark; all the rest is reputation. What God looks at is what we are in the dark—the imaginations of our minds; the thoughts of our heart; the habits of our bodies; these are the things that mark us in God’s sight.
OSWALD CHAMBERS
We never enter into the Kingdom of God by having our head questions answered, but only by commitment.
HOSANNAH! Hosannah in the highest! Today, on Palm Sunday, may we recognize the true King and shout out for Him to save us… from our sin and from ourselves. May we enter into Holy Week with Jesus as our Savior!
The Christian life is not a changed life. It is an exchanged life.
Have you thought about it that way before? Most of us could say, “Christ lives in me” but to envision ourselves with Christ on the cross is a different way of looking at it. How does that change your view of how God looks at you? ~
Jesus was about to face Gethsemane but knew leaving His beloved disciples with these life-giving lessons was important.
There is a difference between the terms “Father” and “Daddy.” Both describe the same person, but they indicate a difference of relationship. That is not to suggest that Jesus was manipulating God the Father. Rather, it indicated intimacy. Jesus was saying, in effect, “I trust You, Father. I know You are in control.”
We discover God’s will through careful study of the Scriptures. And frankly, there will be times when we read things in the Bible and think, “Wow, that is hard. I don’t know if I want to forgive this person who has wronged me, but Lord, You have told me in Scripture to do so.”
It is okay to think about the future and make plans for our lives. In fact, we should. But we also need to say, “Lord, here are my plans. But if You have a different plan in mind, I am willing for You to overrule what I have decided, because I’ve come to discover that Your plan is better than my own. So not my will, but Yours, be done.”
"A lot of us haven’t seen God MOVE yet because God hasn’t seen us MOVE yet. WALK by FAITH."
"NEVER Lose SIGHT of the GOD Who HEALS YOU, By FOCUSING On the PERSON Who HURT YOU."
What GOD STARTS the DEVIL CAN'T STOP!
No amount of success in ministry is worth failure at home.
Authentic faith isn’t praising Jesus when it’s convenient and popular, then rejecting Him when it’s not.
Real faith is trusting and worshipping Him in all circumstances.
Not everyone who dies goes "to a better place". Only those who have been saved by Jesus do.
God’s people must expect opposition. The moment you say you’re standing for the Lord, expect opposition and misunderstanding.
You don’t have to work God. He’s always in a good mood. He’s always the same. You don’t have to sneak up on God when you think it is appropriate to ask Him for what you need. He loves you and He wants to do as much for you as He can at any given time. David Jeremiah
It is a good thing to rejoice in the Lord. Perhaps you found the first dose ineffectual. Keep on with your medicine, and when you cannot feel any joy, when there is no spring, and no seeming comfort and encouragement, still rejoice, and count it all joy. A B Simpson
We need to find help outside of ourselves and look to Jesus Christ. Chuck Smith
Jesus was not only virtuous and pure, but He was also beautiful and full of the sweet attractiveness of love. AB Simpson
God may be pruning something out of your life. Let it go. Trust Him. Don’t fight it. Welcome it, for His pruning will ultimately enrich your life. Ray Bentley
Being misunderstood is very difficult because there is no real way to defend yourself. They will misjudge you and they are upset and the more you try to explain it the harder their heart gets. Let them Lord defend you and get back to Kingdom work.
Jesus doesn’t condemn you—He’s interceding for you. Chuck Smith
There's no room for laziness among the pastoral staff or any ministry within the church.
There are none that walk so close with God all the six days, as those that keep closest to God on the seventh day. —Thomas Brooks
If we be frequently and seriously with God when we are solitary, the fruit and benefit of it will be manifest by our holiness and heavenliness when we are in company. —Puritan Thomas Manton, Works 7:77
The minister every Lord’s Day: “He hath once more sent me to you, even to the worst amongst you, to tell you from Him, that He's unwilling you should perish.” —Richard Alleine, The Godly Man's Portion and Sanctuary Opened, in Two Sermons, 167
It is a wrong done to the promises of the gospel by carnal libertines, who make use only of them to countenance their sloth and not to quicken their obedience. —William Spurstowe, The Wells of Salvation Opened, Pg. 59
Let us not therefore despise the hearing of the divine Scriptures. For this is of Satan's devising; not suffering us to see the treasure, lest we should gain the riches. —John Chrysostom, Homily 2 on Matthew
Besides public ordinances, we should give ourselves to spiritual exercises in secret. All the time we can spare from our necessary, civil, and natural actions should be employed in calling to mind what we have seen, heard, or felt of God. —Thomas Manton, Works 7:94, 95
He is the Lord God merciful, who far more willingly scatters His pardons in forgiving than executes His justice in condemning, like the bee that gathers honey with delight but stings not once unless she be much provoked. —William Spurstowe, Wells of Salvation Opened, 70
…as Christ was forty days instructing Moses in Sinai what he should teach, and how he should govern the church under the law: so he continued forty days teaching his disciples what they should preach, and how they should govern the church under the gospel…z —Thomas Brooks
The church is like a river. If it gets wider instead of deeper it will lose its power. —Puritan Thomas Manton
God remembers the duties which we forget, and forgets the sins which we remember. —Puritan John Owen, Works 6:603
If we be frequently and seriously with God when we are solitary, the fruit and benefit of it will be manifest by our holiness and heavenliness when we are in company. —Puritan Thomas Manton, Works 7:77
“When you are arguing against God you are arguing against the very power that makes you able to argue at all.” - C.S. Lewis
“I sometimes wonder if all pleasures are not substitutes for joy.” - C.S. Lewis
False teachers often speak of Jesus, salvation, the gospel, and faith, but they twist the words and concepts of Scripture to fit their own versions of the truth, which is no truth at all. Burk Parsons
"We need preachers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who know the Scriptures, and are enabled by the grace of God to face any culture, and cry out, 'Thus saith the Lord!'" - Paul Washer
"If you are a child of God, you will never be happy in sin." — Charles Spurgeon
Patience is the companion of wisdom. Augustine
Faith believe and rejoices while waiting. Chuck Smith
The Bible not only corrects us; it also oxygenates us. We need a Bible not only because we are wrong in our minds but also because we are empty in our souls. - Dane Ortlund
We know nothing of humility by nature, for we are all born proud. -J.C. Ryle -
It is not your hold of Christ that saves you, but His hold of you. -C.H. Spurgeon -
"O for grace to study the Bible with Jesus as both our teacher and our lesson!" — Charles Spurgeon
"If a man's religion does not affect his use of money, that man's religion is vain." -Hugh Martin.
"If we draw near to God, it will have an effect upon our common, everyday life." — Charles Spurgeon
Why is the Son of God called “Jesus,” meaning “savior”? A. Because he saves us from our sins; and because salvation is not to be sought or found in anyone else. — Heidelberg Catechism 29
I am resolved simply to preach the gospel of Christ, and leave others to quarrel by and with themselves. - George Whitefield
It is God's Word that saves souls, not our comment upon it, however correct that comment may be. - Charles Spurgeon
"God, I cannot do much, I cast all my time and eternity into your treasury." — Charles Spurgeon
"The Word of God will interest men throughout all time; but novelties soon fail." — Charles Spurgeon
"Begin at the cross, believe in Jesus, and let his purity transform you." — Charles Spurgeon
"Why cannot men find time for prayer? The only answer is because they do not love it." — Charles Spurgeon
"Are you dirty? The fountain is open—wash." — Charles Spurgeon
We should labor to be familiar with every line that is written about Jesus -J.C. Ryle -
How entirely different is the God of Holy Writ from the fictitious one of the sentimental dreamers of this effeminate age! -A.W. Pink
“Your Christian life will not grow one inch beyond your intake of the word of God.” Steven Lawson
“The Law is a court of justice, but the Gospel a throne of grace.” George Swinnock
"Your great sin is that you do not serve God." — Charles Spurgeon
"Breaking the law of God is a direct insult in the face of infinite love." — Charles Spurgeon
Let us not therefore despise the hearing of the divine Scriptures. For this is of Satan's devising; not suffering us to see the treasure, lest we should gain the riches. —John Chrysostom, Homily 2 on Matthew
"True believers are not of the world, and the world does not understand them." — Charles Spurgeon
"You are saved by what Christ felt for you, not by what you feel." — Charles Spurgeon
The minister every Lord’s Day: “He hath once more sent me to you, even to the worst amongst you, to tell you from Him, that He's unwilling you should perish.” —Richard Alleine, The Godly Man's Portion and Sanctuary Opened, in Two Sermons, 167
"Expository preaching is the best method for displaying & conveying your conviction that the whole Bible is true." - Tim Keller
"To be a true Christian is something higher and nobler than simply sitting in our pews on Sunday." — Charles Spurgeon
"You can truly serve God behind the counter, in the workroom, by digging a ditch, or clipping a hedge." — Charles Spurgeon
Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe. Augustine
“Seldom if ever do I descend from the pulpit without at least a partial sense of failure, without a mood of penitence and a cry to God to give me grace to do better in future.” -John Stott
The character of God is the foundation of all holy joy, as his nature is the basis of all right theology, Psalm 119:137-138. ~ William S. Plumer
"A Christian is always and everywhere not his own, but belongs to Christ." — Charles Spurgeon
"Expository preaching is not just a superior mode of preaching -- it is essential to the church’s survival." - Al Mohler
There is a world of difference between knowing the Word of God and knowing the God of the Word! -Leonard Ravenhill -
God's purpose in redemption is to make worshipers out of rebels. -A.W. Tozer -
Many of the people singing, “Hosanna” on Palm Sunday were the same ones screaming, “Crucify” on Good Friday. Authentic faith isn’t praising Jesus with it’s convenient and popular, then rejecting Him when it’s not. Real faith is trusting and worshipping Him in all circumstances.
"Grace is free; Christ is free. Come, poor sinner, there is none to push you back." — Charles Spurgeon
"Religion is man searching for God: Christianity is God seeking man, manifesting Himself to him, drawing Himself unto him. This, I believe is at the back of the Puritan idea of placing in the central position the exposition on the Word in preaching." - Martyn Lloyd Jones
"Dedicate your home, consecrate your living room, make your kitchen into a church for God." — Charles Spurgeon
We must realise that our salvation is entirely gratuitous, and arises only and altogether from the love of God in His infinite grace. - Martyn Lloyd-Jones
All error is, more or less, whether directly or indirectly, a misrepresentation of God’s character and a subversion of His revelation. – Horatius Bonar
It is not only by grace alone that we become God’s people but by grace alone we remain His people. – Dale Ralph Davis
Pornography is not fundamentally a health problem, a background problem, or a psychological problem. Pornography is a God problem with a God solution. – Owen Strachan
Sin, in being contrary to God, is contrary to man, for what crosses God’s glory is opposed to man’s happiness. - Ralph Venning
"You are justified by faith, not by feelings." — Charles Spurgeon
Right is right even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it. Augustine
If you believe what you like in the Gospel, and reject what you don't like, it is not the Gospel you believe, but yourself. Augustine
"The true religion of Jesus is a good thing for you." — Charles Spurgeon
"The least selfish one is King of this kingdom." — Charles Spurgeon
God always gives His best to those who leave the choice to Him. -Leonard Ravenhill -
'We cannot know God fully if the world Has influenced us more than the Scriptures." Paul Washer
"There is mercy for a sinner, but there is no mercy for the man who will not own himself a sinner." — Charles Spurgeon
"The one thing the church today needs is the one thing many pastors & church planters aren't keen to provide: expository preaching" - Nate Pickowicz
"It is good to be a Herschel who describes the sun; but it is better to be a Prometheus who brings the sun’s fire to the earth." - Phillips Brooks
"I am always glad when men cannot be happy in the world." — Charles Spurgeon
“Let the sun stop shining, and we will preach in darkness. Let the waves stop their ebb and flow, and still our voice shall preach the gospel.” - Charles H. Spurgeon
"Virtues without faith are whitewashed sins." — Charles Spurgeon
“If what I study won't preach, there is something wrong with the way I study what I study.” Dale Ralph Davis
"I only know it is far easier to be a Christian among singing, praying sympathizing Christians in a public room than to be a consistent Christian in a quiet, retired, out of the way, uncongenial home.” — Holiness, J.C Ryle, Preface
"We ought to work as if all depended upon us, and then we are to trust God knowing that all depends on him." — Charles Spurgeon
“Prayer is the best response to hatred.” (C.H. Spurgeon)
“God’s promises, well digested, will arm the soul with confidence, that it shall be able to put to any trouble that can arise from Satan or our own hearts.” –– Richard Sibbes
"Man must have a god; he cannot be happy without one." – Charles Spurgeon
"Sermon preparation is a way of life, a necessary discipline, and a serious mediation for the man of God, duly called and ordained to herald the royal proclamation of Jesus." -John Bombaro
"At all times, in all trials, for all our needs, to the throne we fly in prayer." — Charles Spurgeon
If it is a substitutionary atonement, then it is a definite atonement. — S. Lewis Johnson
"In our sorrows, God's Word is our delight. In our difficulties, it is our guide." — Charles Spurgeon
Comments