“Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina,” she says. TED Talk
Grit is knowing your purpose and persevering. But no motivational talk, method, or trick will give you true grit like the Holy Spirit!
Fyodor Dostoevsky observed in The Brothers Karamazov, “For the secret of man’s being is not only to live but to have something to live for. Without a stable conception of the object of life, man would not consent to go on living and would rather destroy himself than remain on earth.”
Leaving a high-flying job in consulting, Angela Lee Duckworth took a job teaching math to seventh graders in a New York public school. She quickly realized that IQ wasn’t the only thing separating the successful students from those who struggled. Here, she explains her theory of “grit” as a predictor of success.
OSWALD CHAMBERS
To live a life alone with God does not mean that we live it apart from everyone else. The connection between godly men and women and those associated with them is continually revealed in the Bible, e.g., 1 Timothy 4:10.
We can bear the unbearable is when we bear it alongside each other.
You’re not alone. No matter what you’re going through, in the Body of Christ, you have family to share the burden and empathize. Even if we never see the miracle we ask for, we do have the holy honor of being one with the Body of Christ. Let’s continue to pray for miracles!
When some people are first checking out the gospel, they’re apprehensive. That’s because they’re afraid of what others might think.
As the years have passed, I’ve seen many people fall away from the faith whom I thought would make their mark on this world for God. And I’ve been very surprised. Then there have been others whom I thought would do nothing, and they’ve done a lot.
The Scriptures clearly declare that the knowledge of the Lord is for developing a relationship, not merely cataloging correct information about Him. Grace and peace are to be "multiplied to" us (2 Peter 1:2), not just memorized by us. "All things that pertain to life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3) are to be drawn upon for godly living, not merely listed to validate our orthodoxy. As we get to know the Lord, His goodness is to be experienced in our lives.
Free speech” does not mean liberty to blurt out one’s limited knowledge, mistaken conclusions, unproven assumptions and acidic gossip.
The price of hating other human beings is loving oneself less.
~Eldridge Cleaver~
Accountability frees us to grow and change and is an important part of every relationship.
At the heart of being accountable to someone is the willingness to be submissive to them. We have abused the concept of submission.
God places others in our lives to see things that we cannot see, to encourage and build up, to correct, love and protect.
Submission is harnessed strength, a controlled strength that is born out of obedience to God’s command. “Submit to one another unto Christ.
When God allows a crisis to influence our lives, rather than looking forward to the next thing we have a tendency to look backward.
And He said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks." But he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!"
—Genesis 32:26
we should never give up or back down. We need to keep praying. That is why Jesus said, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7). In the original language there is an ascending intensity to the terms. It is like starting off with some politeness. Then you get more aggressive. And then you are not letting go, like Jacob, who wrestled with the Lord and refused to let go until He blessed him.
Faith, to put it simply, is the conviction that
God does not tell lies.
~Frank Retief~
When we look at the work of God, there are so many things our minds cannot comprehend, but God clearly shows us how He is going to do it. Our part is to believe, by faith, the things He has revealed to us through His Word.
Resentment is a prison. When you’ve put someone in your jail cell of hatred, you are stuck guarding the door. If you’re out to settle a score, you are never going to rest. How can you? For one thing, your enemy may never pay up.
Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is uncertain; today is here. Use it wisely
There is an opportunity in every complaint...
As grace flows through our hearts, may it also flow out in kind, thoughtful, interesting words that express the Gospel in a way that intrigues, cares, and reaches the hearts of people.
When we look at our world, it is hard to envision Christ as head over everything. So much seems to be out of control, not submitted to a just and wise Sovereign. We are surrounded by so much sickness, brokenness, unrighteousness, and injustice. We might sure wonder: If Christ is head over everything, why is everything so messed up? The quick biblical answer is that things are such a mess because of human sin. But Scripture also teaches us that God is in the process of making everything right through Christ.
In Scripture, a covenant represents a final and irrevocable commitment between two parties. The covenant of marriage can be biblically described as the solemn and binding pledge before God that joins a man and a woman in a wholehearted commitment to be one with -- and live as one -- for the duration of their natural lives.
God wants to pour tranquility and peace that is beyond understanding into our souls. Every day, He teaches us this powerful secret—contentment in all circumstances, based on the knowledge that Jesus loves us, this we know.
G.K. Chesterton said, “True contentment is a real, even active, virtue—not only affirmative but creative…It is the power of getting out of any situation all there is in it.” Chesterton, G.K., A Miscellany of Men, (Kessinger Publishing, 2004), p. 106.
C.S. Lewis was blunter when he said, “Nobody who gets enough food and clothing in a world where most are hungry and cold has any business to talk about ‘misery.’”Lewis, C.S., and Hopper, William, The Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis: Books, Broadcasts and the War, 1931-1949 (HarperCollins, 2004), p. 271.
The exclusivity of your marriage means there are parts of you and your relationship that nobody else knows. It's easy to take that for granted and to forget the unique position you're in to love your husband or wife intentionally. In all things, remember that you have been placed in each others' lives by God to fulfill his purposes. Steward your marriage well. When you do, you bring glory to God and joy to each other.
S.M. Lockridge (1913-2000) was a prominent African-American preacher who preached a powerful message titled It’s Friday but Sunday is Coming. One passage reads:
It’s Friday. Jesus is buried. A soldier stands guard.
And a rock is rolled into place.
But it’s Friday. It is only Friday.
Sunday is a comin ’!
Look up, Look Forward!
Don’t ever think that there are many ways to the Divine. Jesus is the One qualified Mediator, the only qualified sacrifice,
and the only qualified Savior.
~Erwin Lutzer~
The death of Christ doesn’t instantly bring reconciliation to divided workplaces. But it does lay a foundation for true, deep, lasting reconciliation in every sector of life.
Too often we place responsibility with someone (or a group) without providing the authority necessary to get the job done, or sometimes worse -- allocating too much responsibility and authority without proper direction. Both are formulas for disaster.
The next time you are considering delegating a task or responsibility, ask yourself, "What authority (decision-making latitude), and direction or instruction do I need to provide along with the responsibility, to ensure a successful outcome?" The reverse is true when you accept a new responsibility, make sure you know what decisions you are allowed to make and also have a clear idea of what would be considered a successful result.
It is easy to let things go and move forward but if we see a brother or sister in sin and don't say anything their blood is on our hands.
A brother said well I am going to die happy to my wife and me, we were talking about food and obesity. No big deal right? Wrong. Keep in mind he has had heart surgery as well.
Where ever my wife and I go people compliment us and want to know more but when you tell them then they have to make a choice. But if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ your body is not your own in fact the bible tells us we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, yes I know the Lord lives in you no matter how much you weigh but in the book of James it says they that know to do right and do wrong to them it is sin.
as sin becomes more socially acceptable people will be more rebellious to listen to the truth but rather will believe a lie.
Whatever you love more than God is your idol.
The Lord has made everything for his purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble. –
Proverbs 16:4
Today you may wonder what’s going on with the United States government. Much of it, like Pharoah’s hardened heart, doesn’t seem to make sense. Trust the God who has the big picture. None of this is surprising God. He sees the beginning and the end. Regardless of the circumstances, most assuredly the Heavenly Father wants His children to set their affection on Him, not on earthly things (Colossians 3:2).
• Jesus will return in the clouds.
• He will raise the dead in Christ.
• He will transform the bodies of living believers to glorified, resurrection bodies.
We will all join Him in Heaven while the earth endures one final seven-year
campaign of severe evangelism.
Are you ready for the rapture? If not, Get ready; Stay ready; Keep looking up.
Ready or not, Jesus is coming!
God’s Word is the source for truth and the standard for life!
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” – 1 Timothy 2:1-2
To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement.
~St. Augustine of Hippo
God gave us the Ten Commandments so we could identify sin ("become conscious of sin"), however, too many in our modern society have rejected the Law of God to replace it with their own set of values. The problem with this is twofold, first, if we author the Law then we can change it to suit ourselves; and second, it has nothing to do with God.
Jesus was in a borrowed grave on Saturday, because He wouldn’t need it on Sunday.
We all want real community but only on our own terms, only when it's convenient, and only when no one demands anything from us.
Real community takes love. It takes patience and time. It takes courage. It takes risking our hearts being broken. It takes sacrifice.
"FAITH WILL TAKE YOUR BLESSINGS FROM 'STANDARD DELIVERY' TO 'PRIORITY OVERNIGHT!"
“The Past is frozen and no longer flows, and the Present is all lit up with eternal rays.” - C.S. Lewis
"Whatever God has revealed, if I am not capable of understanding it, I will still believe and preach it." — Charles Spurgeon
"If you do not find salvation in Christ, you will never find it elsewhere." — Charles Spurgeon
"The world's one and only remedy is the cross." — Charles Spurgeon
"The Lord may not give gold, but he will give grace. We may be called to labor, but with the call there will come all the grace required." — Charles Spurgeon
"A faithful and unchanging God lays the foundation for my hope, in oaths, and promises, and blood." — Charles Spurgeon
"God no longer proclaims to you his fiery law, but his sweet, simple gospel: believe and live." — Charles Spurgeon
"When God makes a soul willing, it is clear proof that he means to give that soul to Christ." — Charles Spurgeon
"The promise of God is longer than life, broader than sin, deeper than the grave, and higher than the clouds." — Charles Spurgeon
"You must be divorced from your sin or you cannot be married to Christ." — Charles Spurgeon
“Faith grows through the exercise of prayer.” — Charles Spurgeon
"It is a blessed thing when the waves of affliction wash us upon the rock of confidence in God alone." — Charles Spurgeon
"Why should you not love the God of love, and delight in him who is so kind to you?" — Charles Spurgeon
"He has blotted out my sins and removed my enmity. I know that I am his servant, and that he is my Friend, my Father, my All." — Charles Spurgeon
"The deeper a man drinks into the Spirit of Christ, the more happy he will become." — Charles Spurgeon
"The gospel is all about Christ from beginning to end." – Charles Spurgeon
"While we preach the Word, the Spirit of God accompanies it with saving power, and the man is made to live." — Charles Spurgeon
We need to hear the Gospel every day, because we forget it every day. Martin Luther
It is impossible for God to do that which is unkind. Charles Spurgeon
What could disturb the universe when the Lord God omnipotent shall reign forever? Charles Spurgeon
We would not care for a God who did not hate sin. Charles Spurgeon
We need to hear the Gospel every day, because we forget it every day. Martin Luther
God is preparing us for what He has prepared for us.
"May the pulpits of the land ring with exposition of the Word of God and exultation in the God of the Word." - John Piper
"We must learn to preach Christ from the Old Testament without falling into the old traps of an artificial exegesis." - Sinclair Ferguson
I believe the Lord allows us to go through hurts, pains, and struggles—physically, emotionally, and spiritually—because they alone are what give us hearts of compassion. Jon Courson
If you were to remove from the Bible all the stories about afflicted men and women, all the psalms of the sorrowful, all the promises for the distressed, and all the passages for the children of grief, the Bible would be a small book. Spurgeon
You can never part with sin soon enough; it is a cursed inmate, that will surely bring mischief upon the soul that harbours it. It will set its own dwelling on fire. —Thomas Manton, Works 7:147
"The question often arises: If the supernatural described in Mark 16:14-18 is relevant today, where is it?" Supernatural Christianity - Tim Conway
"If you are saved it is not because God will not or cannot save you; it is because you refuse to accept his mercy in Christ." — Charles Spurgeon
Religion without self-denial… is Christianity of our own making, not of Christ’s. We pick out the easy safe part of religion, and then we call this love to God and love to Christ. No; true Christian love is to love God above all. —Thomas Manton, Works 7:155
Though I have daily experience of my sins, yet there is more righteousness in Christ, who is mine, than there is sin in me. Sibbes
“The Past is frozen and no longer flows, and the Present is all lit up with eternal rays.” - C.S. Lewis
“If you cannot catechise your own heart, and drill a truth into your own soul, you do not know how to teach other people.” - C.H. Spurgeon
Great is the comfort that cometh in by singing of Psalms with grace in our hearts. —John Trapp, A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments, 2:657
He who is the feeder of sparrows, will also furnish you with what you need. Sit not down in despair; hope on, hope ever. —C.H. Spurgeon
Now, shall sin have a more ready consideration [from you] than God? Will you rush upon the practice of sin like a horse into the battle, and come on in the service of God like a snail? —Thomas Manton, Works 7:147
True joy comes only from God and He shares this joy with those who walk in fellowship with Him. Jerry Bridges
Love for the brethren is far more than an agreeable society whose views are the same. -A.W. Pink
Little concern over sin is a serious offence to the grace and mercy of God. -John Owen -
Before I can be effective in ministry, I must first sit where others have sat. Jon Courson
The two deepest secrets of rest are, first, to be in harmony with the will of God, and, secondly, to trust. AB Simpson
Sitting down and prayerfully and thoughtfully communicating through the written word with a friend, co-worker, or relative can open doors to communication, teaching, understanding, and sharing God’s love. Ray Bentley
The surest source of destruction to men is to obey themselves. John Calvin
If you have breath in your body, you have sufficient reason to praise the Lord. H.B. Charles
Persecution brings death in one hand and life in the other; for while it kills the body it crowns the soul... God loves to smile most upon His people when the world frowns most. Thomas Brooks
“A weak faith may lay hold on a strong Christ”. Thomas Watson
So long as Jesus Christ is there, in heaven before God for us, our salvation will last. Sinclair Ferguson
Nothing is more difficult to counterfeit than virtue. John Calvin
Hell will have no friendships, no fellowship-no camaraderie-no comfort. It will not even have the debauched pleasures in which the ungodly love to revel on earth. There will be no pleasure in hell of any kind or degree only torment, day and night forever and ever. John MacArthur
"We must not confide in the armour of God, but in the God of this armour, because all our weapons are only mighty through God." William Gurnall
There are many sorts of broken hearts, and Christ is good at healing them all. Charles Spurgeon
All death can do to the believer is deliver him to Jesus. John MacArthur
God is light, sin is darkness; God is life, sin is death; God is heaven, sin is hell; God is beauty, sin is deformity. Thomas Brooks
'I believe that in the end truth will conquer.' John Wycliffe
'There is no such thing as a great man of God, only weak, pitiful, faithless men of a great and merciful God.' Paul Washer
Anybody can be a Christian for 5 minutes, 5 hours or even 5 years. But the recurring theme in the Bible is "he who endures to the end is the one who experiences redemption" R.C. Sproul
For a woman to destroy the child in the womb is murder. —Puritan Thomas Manton (1620-1677), Works 7:150
When you pick up your Bible, you have in your hand the greatest book in the entire world. – Earl Blackburn
Like theistic evolution, "Christian psychology" is an attempt to harmonize two inherently contradictory systems of thought. – John MacArthur
"As the star brought the wise men to Christ, so should all the stars in the world bring up your thoughts to God." -Thomas Manton.
Prayer is his breath, the word of God his food, and the ordinances more precious to him than the light of the sun. Such is a believer - in his judgment and prevailing desires. - John Newton
To resist Christ in this work [of calling you by His Word] is a dangerous thing. For a woman to destroy the child in the womb is murder; so to resist Christ in this work that is going towards the new birth is spiritual murder. —Thomas Manton, Works 7:150
“God reveals our misery to us so that we would be ready for the cure. And the cure is Christ. While sin in mankind provokes God's wrath, for those who are His precious people, it also provokes His mercy.” — Jonathan Landry Cruse, Glorifying and Enjoying God, 48.
For the cross saves completely, or not at all. -Horatius Bonar -
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