Sufficiency – Substance Rather Than Shadow 8.29.14

SUFFICIENCY – SUBSTANCE RATHER THAN SHADOW

BREAD

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

Psalms 23:1 (NIV)

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Psalms 23:5-6 (NIV)

16 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

Psalms 145:16 (NIV)

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

John 10:10 (NIV)

BUTTER

“There are joys that are unearthly in their power and in their sweetness.” Amy Carmichael

“The enjoyment of God is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows, but God is the substance. These are but scattered beams, but God is the sun. These are but streams. But God is the ocean.” Jonathan Edwards

“This morning let us hear the Lord Jesus speak to each one of us: ‘I will help thee’. ‘It is but a small thing for Me, thy God, to help thee. Consider what I have done already. What! Not help thee? Why, I bought thee with My blood. What! Not help thee? I have died for thee; and if I have done the greater, will I not do the less? Help thee! It is the least thing I will ever do for thee; I have done more, and will do more. Before the world began I chose thee. I made the covenant for thee. I laid aside My glory and became a man for thee; I gave My life for thee; and if I did all this, I will surely help thee now. In helping thee, I am giving thee what I have bought for thee already. If thou hadst need of a thousand times as much help, I would give it thee; thou requirest little compared with what I am ready to give. ‘Tis much for thee to need, but it is nothing for me to bestow. “Help thee?” Fear not! If there were an ant at the door of thy granary asking for help, it would not ruin thee to give him a handful of thy wheat; and thou art nothing but a tiny insect at the door of my all sufficiency. “I will help thee”.’ O my soul, is not this enough? Dost thou need more strength than the omnipotence of the United Trinity? Dost thou want more wisdom than exists in the Father, more love than displays itself in the Son, or more power than is manifest in the influences of the Spirit? Bring hither thine empty pitcher! Surely this well will fill it. Haste, gather up thy wants, and bring them there – thine emptiness, thy woes, thy needs. Behold, this river of God is full for thy supply; what canst thou desire beside? Go forth, my soul, in this thy might. The Eternal God is thine helper!” C. H. Spurgeon

HEART SAVOR

• Jesus is my sufficiency and my strength. He came to give me life to the full.
• Jesus satisfies every living thing.
• All else is but shadow while He is Substance.

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All Things For Good 8.27.14

ALL THINGS FOR GOOD

BREAD

11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV)

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. 31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

Romans 8:28-32 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Could you ask for a better promise? It is better that all things should work for my good than all things should be as I would wish to have them. All things might work for my pleasure and yet might all work my ruin. If all things do not always please me, they will always benefit me. This is the best promise of this life.” Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“We judge things by their present appearance; but the Lord sees them in their consequences. If we could do the same we would be perfectly of His mind; but since we can’t, it is an unspeakable mercy that He will manage for us, whether we are pleased with His management or not; and it is regarded as one of His heaviest judgments when He gives any person up to the way of their own hearts, and to walk according to their own wisdom.” John Newton

“To the child of God, there is no such thing as an accident. He travels an appointed way…..Accidents may indeed appear to befall him and misfortune stalk his way; but these evils will be so in appearance only and will seem evils only because we cannot read the secret script of God’s hidden providence.” A.W. Tozer
“So if you find yourself in a difficult spot, remember: you are there by God’s appointment, in His keeping, under His training, and for His time. And all evidence to the contrary, there’s no better place to be.” Robert J. Morgan

“The Lord will make a way for you where no foot has been before. That which, like a sea, threatens to drown you, shall be a highway for your escape.” Charles H. Spurgeon

“No sea is deeper than the ocean of His love. There is no army stronger than His hosts, no force greater than His throne of grace, no enemy who can overcome His direct and indirect work in our lives.” Robert J. Morgan

“Realize that God means for you to be where you are.” Robert J. Morgan

HEART SAVOR

• God is in control. I can rest safely and sweetly between His secure shoulders.
• There is no such thing as chance or happenstance.
• His grace is sufficient to meet my every need in every circumstance He allows in my life. God is never taken by surprise.

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The Sad State of the Hypocrite 8.25.14

THE SAD STATE OF THE HYPOCRITE

BREAD

9 “Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, ‘We are safe’–safe to do all these detestable things? 11 Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the LORD.”

Jeremiah 7:9-11 (NIV)

27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”

Matthew 23:27-28 (NIV)

1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

1 Peter 2:1-3 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Some of Jesus’ strongest words were reserved for hypocrites – for people who claimed to believe in God and follow His laws, but in reality lived only for themselves. He compared them to ‘whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean’ (Matthew 23:27). None of us is perfect; even the most dedicated Christian falls short. When we do, we need to confess it and seek God’s help to live more consistently. But hypocrisy – living a deliberate lie – is another matter. Be on guard; don’t let hypocrisy take root in your soul. Instead, make sure of your commitment to Christ, and walk close to Him every day.” Billy Graham

“The popular image of Christ as ‘gentle Jesus meek and mild’ simply will not do. To be sure, He was full of love, compassion and tenderness. But He was also uninhibited in exposing error and denouncing hypocrisy. Christ was a controversialist.” John Stott

“It is the prerogative of him who searches the heart, and knows what is in man, to pronounce who are hypocrites. The eye of man can perceive open profaneness, but it is only the eye of Christ that can discern hypocrisy. And as it is a sin which his eye discovers, so it is a sin which of all others his soul hates.” Matthew Henry

“Here is the divine antidote against the pride and restless ambition of the men of this world. Nothing is more sad than to witness a pushing, bustling, forward, self-confident spirit and style in those who profess to be followers of Him who was meek and lowly in heart. It is such a flagrant contradiction of the spirit and precepts of Christianity, and is a sure accompaniment of an unbroken condition of the soul. It is utterly impossible for any one to indulge in a boastful, pretentious, self-confident spirit, if ever he has really measured himself in the presence of God. To be much alone with God is the sovereign remedy for pride and self-complacency. May we know the reality of this in the secret of our own souls. May the good Lord keep us truly humble, in all our ways, simply leaning on Himself and his grace…” C H Macintosh

“Any thought or activity is to be eschewed or cut down if it does not bring the Christian towards their goal of heaven but serves rather to retard and impede them on their good course. For this simple reason, every action, thought or word – that is not one of piety and goodness – one must lift up their axe against.” BHY

HEART SAVOR

• God detests hypocrisy. If I call myself a Christian – I am to be a Christian.
• I am to cut down – through the power of the Holy Spirit – anything that shines a poor light on my Savior Who gave up all for me.
• To be much alone with God is the sovereign remedy for pride, self-complacency and hypocrisy enabling me to grow up in my salvation.

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The Pleasing Aroma of Prayer 8.22.14

THE PLEASING AROMA OF PRAYER

BREAD

8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

Revelation 5:8 (NIV)

2 May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

Psalms 141:2 (NIV)

14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.

2 Chronicles 7:14-15 (NIV)

17 pray continually;

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NIV)

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

James 5:16 (NIV)

BUTTER

“There comes a time, in spite of our soft, modern ways, when we must be desperate in prayer, when we must wrestle, when we must be outspoken, shameless and importunate. Many of the prayers recorded in Scripture are ‘cries,’ and the Hebrew and Greek words are very strong. Despite opinions to the contrary, the Bible recognizes such a thing as storming heaven- ‘praying through.’ The fervent prayer of a righteous man is mighty in its working.” Cameron Thompson

“Our attitude of surrender and dependence upon God is best evidenced by our prayer life.” Chip Ingram

“Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons; but they are helpless against our prayers.” J. Sidlow Baxter

“The great tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer but unoffered prayer.” F. B. Meyer

“The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.” Samuel Chadwick

HEART SAVOR

• My prayers are as a pleasing aroma to the Father Who lovingly desires relationship with me.
• God is ever attentive to the praise, prayers and pleas of His children. If I (though flesh) desire to help my children how much more so does God. 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matt 7:11 (NIV)
• Satan seeks to keep the saints from supplication.

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A Heart Fully Yielded 8.20.14

A HEART FULLY YIELDED

BREAD

9 “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.”

1 Chronicles 28:9 (NIV)

35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.”

Matthew 22:35-38 (NIV)

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

Matt 16:24 (NIV)

BUTTER

“The Christian way is different: harder and easier. Christ says, ‘Give me All. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want you… No half-measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down…Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked – the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. I will give you Myself: My own will shall become yours.’” C.S. Lewis

“Seek, O believer, that every good thing you have may be an abiding thing. May your character not be a writing upon the sand, but an inscription upon the rock! May your faith be no ‘baseless fabric of a vision,’ but may it be built of material able to endure that awful fire which shall consume the wood, hay, and stubble of the hypocrite. May you be rooted and grounded in love. May your convictions be deep, your love real, your desire earnest. May your whole life be so firm and strong, that all the blasts of hell and the storms of earth shall never be able to remove you.” Charles Spurgeon

“O Lord our God, grant us grace to desire Thee with our whole heart.” Anselm

HEART SAVOR

• God desires my wholehearted devotion and willing mind.
• I am to live life with open hands – He gives, He takes away – all for my good and for His glory – never one surpassing the other. The abundant life comes only in relinquishing my grip. “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV)
• My life in Christ is to be so firm and strong that tribulations will not move me. My Anchor holds.

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The Word 8.18.14

THE WORD

BREAD

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)

12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Hebrews 4:12-13 (NIV)

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

Colossians 3:16 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Keep your constant hours every day with God. Begin the day with God, visit God in the morning before you make any other visit; wind up your hearts towards heaven in the morning and they will go the better all the day after! Oh turn your closets into temples; read the Scriptures. The two Testaments are the two lips by which God speaks to us; this will make you wise unto salvation. Besiege heaven every day with your prayer, thus perfume your houses.” Thomas Watson

“The Word of God well understood and religiously obeyed is the shortest route to spiritual perfection. And we must not select a few favorite passages to the exclusion of others. Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian.” A.W. Tozer

“We Christians too often substitute prayer for playing the game. Prayer is good; but when used as a substitute for obedience, it is nothing but a blatant hypocrisy, a despicable Pharisaism…To your knees, man! And to your Bible! Decide at once! Don’t hedge! Time flies! Cease your insults to God, quit consulting flesh and blood. Stop your lame, lying, and cowardly excuses. Enlist!” C. T. Studd

“Jesus claimed that the Word of God is inspired, accurate, authoritative, infallible, unerring, and trustworthy down to its smallest elements. Every single Word of the Bible is precious.” Robert J. Morgan

“The bottom line is that when the church has moved away from the Bible as the complete and clear Word of God, it has moved away from Christ.” David Robertson

HEART SAVOR

• All of God’s Word is profitable for me.
• I do not know my own heart yet God does. His Word shines light on the thoughts and attitudes of my heart to grow me up in Him. 9 For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. 2 Chronicles 16:9 (NIV)
• God’s Word is to dwell in my heart for out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks and the hands act.

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Take Hold of Hope 8.15.14

TAKE HOLD OF HOPE

BREAD

17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. 18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.

Psalms 33:17-18 (NIV)

5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. 6 He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

Psalms 62:5-6 (NIV)

10 His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man; 11 the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Psalms 147:10-11 (NIV)

11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: 22 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

Lamentations 3:21-24 (NIV)

BUTTER

“It’s a promise that whatever you might be experiencing today is just one chapter in a story that He is writing, and that story isn’t over yet….extract the precious from the worthless …Life has far more sticky situations than miraculous moments. As you encounter challenges, difficulties, and setbacks, train your eyes to ‘extract the precious.’ Train your ears to hear the promise. And train your heart to pursue relentless hope.” Beth Guckenberger

“Theirs is an endless road, a hopeless maze, who seek for goods before they seek for God.” Bernard of Clairvaux

“Hope, it is exquisitely fragile and it is an exceptional force and it is essential to faith and you can’t afford to lose it. Lose your fears but never your hope.” Ann Voskamp

HEART SAVOR

• My hope comes from God alone – from His unfailing love.
• God’s compassions never fail they are new every morning – His faithfulness is great and steady.
• My fears must give way to hope – it’s called faith. God always has my best interest at heart.

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Choose Joy 8.13.14

CHOOSE JOY

BREAD

9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.

Hebrews 1:9 (NIV)

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13 (NIV)

16 Be joyful always;

1 Thessalonians 5:16 (NIV)

“Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Nehemiah 8:10B (NIV)

5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

Psalms 30:5 (NIV)

BUTTER

“We all know the value of joy. It alone is the proof that what we have really satisfies the heart. Just this makes gladness such a mighty element in the Christian character: there is no proof of the reality of God’s love and the blessing He bestows, which men so soon feel the force of, as when the joy of God overcomes all the trials of life. And for the Christian’s own welfare, joy is no less indispensable: the joy of the Lord is his strength; confidence, and courage, and patience finds their inspiration in joy. With a heart full of joy no work can weary, and no burden can depress; God Himself is strength and song.” Andrew Murray

“I realize that I am not used to the image of God throwing a party. It seems to contradict the solemnity and seriousness I have always attached to God. But when I think about the ways in which Jesus describes God’s Kingdom, a joyful banquet is often at its center…This invitation to a meal is an invitation to intimacy with God…Celebration belongs to God’s Kingdom. God not only offers forgiveness, reconciliation, and healing, but wants to lift up these gifts as a source of joy for all who witness them.” Henri Nouwen

“Joys are always on their way to us. They are always traveling to us through the darkness of the night. There is never a night when they are not coming.” Amy Carmichael

“Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.” Mother Teresa

HEART SAVOR

• In Jesus, I am anointed with the “oil of joy” through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
• God desires for me to be joyful. Jesus was loving, winsome and wooing when He walked on this earth. Why would anyone else choose to follow Christ if they see in me such a run of the mill, joyless and lifeless life? “Amy Carmichael felt that the world had far too many run-of-the-mill Christians, cool, respectable, satisfied with the usual, the mediocre. Why bother to lay down one’s life to multiply the number of those?” Elisabeth Elliot
• Jesus really satisfies my heart and I want others to know it.

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Faith 8.11.14

FAITH

BREAD

1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.

Hebrews 11:1-2 (NIV)

16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring–not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.

Romans 4:16 (NIV)

6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

BUTTER

“The issue of faith is not so much whether we believe in God, but whether we believe the God we believe in.” R. C. Sproul

“Faith, mighty faith, the promise sees, and looks to that alone; laughs at impossibilities and cries: it shall be done.” Charles Wesley

“Understanding is the reward of faith. Seek not to understand that you may believe, but to believe that you may understand.” Augustine of Hippo

“Faith is the sight of the inward eye.” Alexander Maclaren

HEART SAVOR

• My faith in Jesus is sure and certain.
• The promise is delivered by my faith and guaranteed by God’s grace.
• It is impossible to please God without faith.

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Deny Self 8.8.14

DENY SELF

BREAD

23 Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?”

Luke 9:23-25 (NIV)

BUTTER

“If I really love God, my innate and persistent selfishness will have received its death blow.” Alexander Smellie

“Christ regarded the self-loving, self-regarding, self-seeking spirit as the direct antithesis of real living.” J. B. Phillips

“We may easily be too big for God to use, but never too small.” D. L. Moody

HEART SAVOR

• Jesus calls me to deny self, take up His cross and follow Him. This is a daily call to all. In doing this I discover life that is truly life.
• I save my life by losing it.
• Pride and selfishness have no place for a child of the King. “God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble. 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:6-7 (NIV)

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