Lean Hard Upon Me 3.30.15

LEAN HARD UPON ME

BREAD

“Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders.” Deuteronomy 33:12 (NIV)

1 In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame….3 Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress….19 Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you who have done great things. Who, O God, is like you? Psalms 71:1, 3, 19 (NIV)

23 Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever…..28 But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds. Psalms 73:23-26, 28 (NIV)

15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. 16 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. 17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. 18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. 20 The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. Psalms 145:15-20 (NIV)

11 the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love. Psalms 147:11 (NIV)

3 You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3 (NIV)

8 “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.” Jonah 2:8 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Lean hard upon Me, for I bring you through to new victories, and restoration shall follow what seems now to be a wind of destruction. Hold fast to My hand, and rest in My love, for of this you may be very certain: My love is unaltered; yes, I have you in My own intensive care. My concern for you is deeper now than when things are normal. Draw upon the resources of My grace, and so shall you be equipped to communicate peace and confidence to your dear ones. Heaven rejoices when you go through trials with a singing spirit. Your Father’s heart is cheered when you endure the test and do not question His mercy. Be like a beacon light. His own glorious radiance shall shine through you, and Christ Himself will be revealed.” Frances J. Roberts

“Over and over again we find in Scripture and lived out in life, people seeking counsel from someone other than God. Oh, we cry out to Him quickly enough in our despair, yet seek to handle everything else by ourselves. While the Bible instructs us to seek counsel from others, this comes only after we have sought the Lord first. Counsel from others often brings a confirmation of the Lord’s guidance. Next time we are disillusioned or in a quandary, instead of turning to the arm of flesh for guidance and consolation, let us turn to the Lord and to His omnipotent hand. ‘In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.’ (Psalm 5:3).” BHY

“A ministry which flows from abiding dependence upon the Holy Spirit can never become barren. If a man is drawing on his own resources, he will soon run dry. It matters not what his powers may be, or how extensive his reading, or how vast his stores of information; if the Holy Spirit be not the spring and power of his ministry, it must, sooner or later, lose its freshness and its effectiveness. How important then, that all who minister (and live) in the gospel…should lean continually and exclusively on the power of the Holy Spirit. He knows what souls need, and He can supply it. But he must be trusted and used. It will not do to lean partly on self and partly on the Spirit.” C H Macintosh

“When a man has not strength, if he leans on God, he becomes powerful.” D.L. Moody

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” Corrie Ten Boom

HEART SAVOR

• I am to rest secure in God’s love for me. He is my Rock, my Fortress and my Deliverer – nothing is too hard for Him.
• He satisfies me with good things.
• His works are perfect and just – He never does wrong.

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Love – The Action Of The Redeemed Heart 3.27.15

LOVE – THE ACTION OF THE REDEEMED HEART

BREAD

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV)

8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 (NIV)

19 We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19 (NIV)

16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17 In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 1 John 4:16-17 (NIV)

18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18 (NIV)

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. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40 (NIV)

BUTTER

“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

“You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.” Amy Carmichael

“He who is filled with love is filled with God Himself.” Augustine

“Love seeks one thing only: the good of the one loved.” Thomas Merton

“The gospel…should be seen as not only a message of good news for lost people to be saved from sin’s penalty, but also a message of good news for Christian people to be saved from sin’s domineering power. The goal of the gospel is not merely to forgive us, but to change us into true worshippers of God and authentic lovers of people.” Dr. Steve Childers

“Love one another that it may at last be said of Christians as it was at first: ‘Behold how they love one another.’” Ralph Venning

“Christian Love, either towards God or towards man, is an affair of the will.” 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

HEART SAVOR

• Biblical love is a fruit of the Spirit made possible in the life of the believer through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. It is not a fleshly love which primarily takes but a sacrificial love which seeks to give for the good of the beloved.
• God so loved the world that He gave. Selfless love demonstrates Christ in me.
• I must love not only in words but also in actions as love is made manifest in what I do.

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The Wealth Of Wisdom 3.25.15

THE WEALTH OF WISDOM

BREAD

1 My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, 2 turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, 3 and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, 4 and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, 5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7 He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, 8 for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. 9 Then you will understand what is right and just and fair–every good path. 10 For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Proverbs 2:1-10 (NIV)

13 Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, 14 for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. Proverbs 3:13-17 (NIV)

10 Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, 11 for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Proverbs 8:10-11 (NIV)

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” 20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 (NIV)

BUTTER

“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

“His wisdom’s vast, and knows no bounds, a deep where all our thoughts are drowned.” Isaac Watts

“God alone knows the depth and riches of His Godhead, and divine wisdom alone can declare His secrets.” Thomas Aquinas

“Most of us go through life praying a little, planning a little, jockeying for position, hoping but never being quite certain of anything, and always secretly afraid that we will miss the way. There is a better way. It is to repudiate our own wisdom and take instead the infinite wisdom of God…..God has charged Himself with full responsibility for our eternal happiness and stands ready to take over the management of our lives the moment we turn in faith to Him.” A. W. Tozer

“The doorstep to the temple of wisdom is a knowledge of our own ignorance.” Charles H. Spurgeon

“It is a bad world, Donatus, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it a quiet and good people who have learned the great secret of life. They have found a joy and a wisdom which is a thousand times better than any of the pleasures of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They are masters of their souls. They have overcome the world. These people, Donatus, are Christians…and I am one of them.” St. Cyprian, 200-258

HEART SAVOR

• Wisdom is more precious than rubies.
• I am blessed to find wisdom and to gain understanding – both are more profitable than silver and gold.
• The “foolishness” of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the “weakness” of God is stronger than man’s strength.

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Sleeping In The Boat – The Secret To Finding Peace In The Squall 3.23.15

SLEEPING IN THE BOAT – THE SECRET TO FINDING PEACE IN THE SQUALL

BREAD

22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. 23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. 24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25 “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.” Luke 8:22-25 (NIV)

27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27 (NIV)

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV)

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (NIV)

16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. 2 Thessalonians 3:16 (NIV)

20 May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20-21 (NIV)

BUTTER

“I’ve lived long enough to know that unexpected squalls are part of the deal. Just because the sun is shining in the morning doesn’t mean you’ll see it in the afternoon. This life is unpredictable and, at times, terrifying. But I’m tired of fear and bouncing up and down with every wave. I want to know the secret to sleeping in the boat. “Where is your faith?” These are Jesus’ only recorded words to a nearly drowned, still-trembling band of followers. I can’t help but wonder if, in that four-word question, we have the secret to a peace that rises above the waves. Where is my faith? In myself, more often than not. Which is why an unexpected squall—every last one of them over the span of two years—unraveled me. A boat anchored to itself is not anchored at all. I must secure my faith where it cannot be unmoored. In the One who controls the waves and whose peace runs so deep we can find a way to sleep in the storm. My faith belongs there, with Him. That’s the secret sauce between panic and peace. Faced with my frailty and exhausted from fighting wind and waves of a life I hadn’t expected, I had to die to the self-sufficiency and arrogance that had fooled me into thinking I could do all, be all, without consequence. Michele Cushatt

“Peace comes not from the absence of trouble, but from the presence of God.” Alexander Maclaren

“Peace is such a precious jewel that I would give anything for it but truth.” Matthew Henry

“Peace: a quiet knowing that God can be trusted.” Anonymous

“To added affliction He addeth His mercy, to multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.” Annie Johnson Flint

“We sleep in peace in the arms of God, when we yield ourselves up to His providence.” Francois Fenelon

“Oh, how great peace and quietness would he possess who should cut off all vain anxiety and place all his confidence in God.” Thomas a Kempis

“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inward peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset. Commend all to God, and then lie still and be at rest in His bosom. Whatever happens, abide steadfast in a determination to cling simply to God……Maintain a holy simplicity of mind, and do not smother yourself with a host of cares, wishes, or longings, under any pretext.” St. Francis de Sales

HEART SAVOR

• When I have no peace my faith is misplaced.
• Jesus gives me an unearthly peace through every circumstance enabling me not to lose heart and live victoriously. “Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders.” Deuteronomy 33:12 (NIV)
• This world brings trials and troubles but Jesus has overcome them all.

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The Blessing of Godly Friendships 3.20.15

THE BLESSING OF GODLY FRIENDSHIPS

BREAD

17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17 (NIV)

24 A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24 (NIV)

6 Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. Proverbs 27:6 (NIV)

10 Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father, and do not go to your brother’s house when disaster strikes you– better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away. Proverbs 27:10 (NIV)

20 He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. Proverbs 13:20 (NIV)

14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 2 Corinthians 6:14-15 (NIV)

5 For when we came into Macedonia, this body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn–conflicts on the outside, fears within. 6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever. 2 Corinthians 7:5-7 (NIV)

15 So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less? 2 Corinthians 12:15 (NIV)

BUTTER

“(Why does God) bother to speak to us? The truly staggering answer that the Bible gives to this question is that God’s purpose in revelation is to make friends with us. It was to this end that he created us rational beings, bearing his image, able to think and hear and speak and love; he wanted there to be genuine personal affection and friendship, two-sided, between himself and us—a relation, not like that between a man and his dog, but like that of a father to his child, or a husband to his wife. Loving friendship between two persons has no ulterior motive; it is an end in itself. And this is God’s end in revelation. He speaks to us simply to fulfill the purpose for which we were made; that is, to bring into being a relationship in which he is a friend to us, and we to him, he finding his joy in giving us gifts and we finding ours in giving him thanks”. J I Packer

“A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.” St. Basil

“In our presentation of the Gospel we often focus on what Jesus can do for us. Now don’t get me wrong. Jesus does a lot for us. He forgives us, reconciles us with God, gives us meaning and eternal life. But the most important thing about Jesus is He gives us Himself. We have so emphasized the rewards of following Christ that we have forgotten that following Him, being with Him, knowing Him, and calling Him ‘Friend’ and ‘Elder Brother’ are far more wonderful and important than anything else.” Steve Brown

“When sin penetrated the hearts of Adam and Eve, they not only became alienated from God, but they also became alienated from each other. When Jesus died on the Cross, He made it possible for all who believe in Him to be in fellowship with God—and also in godly fellowship with one another. Godly friendships are the evidence of our belonging to the Lord Jesus Christ. But godly friendships are not found; they are made. They are built up stone by stone. They are established on biblical principles.” Michael Youssef

“What brings joy to the heart is not so much the friend’s gift as the friend’s love.” Aelred of Rievaulx

“The main business of friendship is to sustain and make bearable each other’s burdens.” Eugene Kennedy

“God employs His people to encourage one another. We should delight that God usually works for human beings with other human beings. It forms a bond of friendship, and being mutually dependent on one another, we are fused more completely into one family. Work to help others, and especially strive to encourage them. Talk cheerily to the young and anxious inquirer, lovingly try to remove obstacles out of his way. When you find a spark of grace in the heart, kneel down and blow it into a flame. Leave the young believer to discover the roughness of the road by degrees, but tell him of the strength which dwells in God, of the sureness of the promise, and of the charms of communion with Christ. Aim to comfort the sorrowful, and to animate the hopeless. Speak a word in season to him who is weary, and encourage those who are fearful to go on their way with gladness. God encourages you by His promises; Christ encourages you as He points to the heaven He has won for you, and the Spirit encourages you as He works in you to will and to do of His own will and pleasure. Imitate divine wisdom, and encourage others according to the Word.” Charles H. Spurgeon

HEART SAVOR

• A friend will stick close by my side and love me as a brother (sister).
• I can trust a true friend even if their words are difficult to embrace.
• I am not to be yoked with unbelievers – this includes deep friendships.

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Glorious Grace 3.18.15

GLORIOUS GRACE

BREAD

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished– 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Romans 3:23-26 (NIV)

1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2 (NIV)

4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions–it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:4-9 (NIV)

16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 (NIV)

10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them–yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 1 Corinthians 15:10 (NIV)

1 As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. 2 For he says,
“In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:1-2 (NIV)

BUTTER

“It is well to be poor, when the knowledge of our poverty serves but to unfold to us the exhaustless riches of divine grace. That grace can never suffer any one to go away empty. It can never tell anyone that he is too poor. It can meet the very deepest human need; and not only so, but it is glorified in meeting it. This holds good in every case. It is true of every individual sinner…Grace is the grand and only resource for us all. It is the basis of our salvation; the basis of a life of practical godliness; and the basis of those imperishable hopes which animate us amid the trials and conflicts of this sin-stricken world. May we cherish a deeper sense of grace, and more ardent desire for glory!” C H MacIntosh

“It is a sure mark of grace to desire more.” Robert Murray M’Cheyne

“We should never take the forgiveness of sin, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and our sanctification in simple faith, and then forget the enormous cost to God that made all of this ours. Forgiveness is the divine miracle of grace. The cost to God was the Cross of Christ. To forgive sin, while remaining a holy God, this price had to be paid. Never accept a view of the fatherhood of God if it blots out the atonement. The revealed truth of God is that without the atonement He cannot forgive – He would contradict His nature if He did. The only way we can be forgiven is by being brought back to God through the atonement of the Cross. God’s forgiveness is possible only in the supernatural realm……Once you realize all that it cost God to forgive you, you will be held as in a vise, constrained by the love of God.” Oswald Chambers

“There are such difficulties in the way of our salvation as could never be overcome but by that grace of God which is almighty. ‘What is impossible with men is possible with God.’ His grace can work on the soul, so as to alter the bent and bias of it, and give it a contrary leaning.” Matthew Henry

“Measure your growth in grace by your sensitiveness to sin.” Oswald Chambers

“Grace is totally alien to human psychology. We want to get our house in order and then let God love and accept us. The psychology of works-righteousness and self-certification is foundation to the human psyche and totally at odds with grace. The deep-seated way humans resist divine grace helps us understand something about the fear of love. While some people fear any love, what most of us resist in unconditional love—perfect love. The reason for this is that such love demands surrender…I am willing to accept measured doses of love as long as it doesn’t upset the basic framework of my world. That framework is built on the assumption that people get what they deserve…what humans want is to earn the love we seek. The Christian God comes to us as wholly other—so different from the gods of my imagination, so far beyond my control…God invites us to let him rid us for our fears and heal us by his love.” David Benner

“The true Christian cannot be hid, he cannot escape notice. A man truly living and functioning as a Christian will stand out. He will be like salt; he will be like a city set on a hill, a candle set upon a candlestick. But we can also add this further word. The true Christian does not even desire to hide his light. He sees how ridiculous it is to claim to be a Christian and yet deliberately to try to hide the fact. A man who truly realizes what it means to be a Christian, who realizes all that the grace of God has meant to him and done for him, and understands that, ultimately, God has done this in order that he may influence others, is a man who cannot conceal it. Not only that; he does not desire to conceal it, because he argues thus, ‘Ultimately the object and purpose of it all is that I might be functioning in this way’.” Martin Lloyd-Jones

HEART SAVOR

• Apart from God’s grace I am cooked.
• It is Divine grace which saves me and sustains me.
• God’s grace is greater than all my sin.

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Our Refuge 3.16.15

OUR REFUGE

BREAD

27 The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you, saying, ‘Destroy him!’ Deuteronomy 33:27 (NIV)

11 Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband–how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. 12 May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” Ruth 2:11-12 (NIV)

2 He said: “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; 3 my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior– from violent men you save me. 4 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.” 2 Samuel 22:2-4 (NIV)

31 “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. 32 For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? 33 It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. 34 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights.” 2 Samuel 22:31-34 (NIV)

8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Psalms 34:8 (NIV)

7 How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. Psalms 36:7 (NIV)

1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalms 46:1 (NIV)

1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. Psalms 91:1-4 (NIV)

BUTTER
“What we feed our minds and hearts on will determine whether we live a life of faith or a life of fear. …The more time we spend with God and His Word, the more our faith develops and our fear diminishes….Faith in God conquers fear every time. The God who has redeemed us and cares for us is trustworthy. Our Creator God will never abandon us, and He has our best interests at heart. ‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging’ (Psalm 46:1-3).” Michael Youssef

“The Christian is a new creature, born and taught from above. He has been convinced of his guilt and misery as a sinner, has fled for refuge to the hope set before him, has seen the Son and believed on Him: his natural prejudices against the glory and grace of God’s salvation have been subdued and silenced by almighty power; he has accepted the Beloved and is made acceptable in Him; he now knows the Lord; has renounced the confused, distant, uncomfortable notions he once formed of God…He sees God in Christ, reconciled, a Father, a Savior and a Friend, who has freely forgiven him all his sins and given him the spirit of adoption; he is now no longer a servant, much less a stranger, but a son; and because a son, an heir already interested in all the promises, admitted to the throne of grace, and assured expectant of eternal glory.” John Newton

“Lord, I trust in You. I trust in Your mercy because You are merciful, I trust in Your grace, for You are gracious, I trust in Your goodness for You are good. I trust in Your strength for You are almighty, I trust in Your council for You are wise, I trust in Your compassion for You are love. I trust in the shelter of Your wings, in the shield of Your protection, in the safety of Your surrounding presence. Lord, I trust in You at all times, in all ways, and for all reasons. I trust in You, because what happens to me matters to You, and because my needs are Your concern. Lord, I trust in You, You are my heavenly Father, and I know that You would never do anything unkind or unloving to one of Your children.” Roy Lessin

“It is a precious doctrine that the saints are safe, but it is a damnable inference from it, that therefore they may live as they please. It is a glorious truth that God will keep his people, but it is an abominable falsehood that sin will do them no harm. Remember that God gives us liberty, not licence, and while he gives us protection, he will not allow us presumption.” C. H. Spurgeon

“God promises us redemption, but His sacred path leads us away from safety, predictability, and comfort. Any attempt to fly over the dangerous terrain or make a detour to safer ground is doomed because it will not take us to God. Instead, it leads to a host of other idols that can’t provide us with the confidence of faith, the dynamic of hope or the passion of love we so deeply crave. Each day we either live for God or for other gods. In each moment of hardship we fear either God or man. When we choose to worship gods and fear men our lives will suffer an emptiness and turmoil that is not much different than trying to fill our bellies with dirt. At first we may feel full, but in short order our violation of God’s plan will lead to torment.” Dan Allender

HEART SAVOR

• God is my refuge and strength – my ever present help in trouble.
• God has His eye on His own – leading, guiding directing, filling and protecting.
• I can trust Him with my life.

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Old Life Versus New Life In Christ 3.13.15

OLD LIFE VERSUS NEW LIFE IN CHRIST

BREAD

20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 (NIV)

5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Colossians 3:5-10 (NIV)

18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 (NIV)

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:12-14 (NIV)

6 Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. Isaiah 55:6-7 (NIV)

22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear–hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. Jude 1:22-23 (NIV)

24 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy– Jude 1:24 (NIV)

BUTTER

“But only you can make the choice to become all I have called you to be. Nothing will change without your effort and obedience to my word. Your choice to let go of your old life and cling to the new life I offer will become the key to your freedom. You will find something far greater than temporary pleasure; you will find everlasting joy, unshakable peace, and renewed passion. This change will not only affect you, but will also make an everlasting impact on those you love.” Sheri Rose Shepherd

“Enable me to do what is pleasing to you; give me that grace that is necessary to the right knowledge of your will, and an acceptable obedience to it, that I may neither displease God in anything I do nor be displeased at anything God does.” Matthew Henry

“Sin is the dare of God’s justice, the rape of His mercy, the jeer of His patience, the slight of His power, and the contempt of His love.” John Bunyan

“It is well to be poor, when the knowledge of our poverty serves but to unfold to us the exhaustless riches of divine grace. That grace can never suffer any one to go away empty. It can never tell anyone that he is too poor. It can meet the very deepest human need; and not only so, but it is glorified in meeting it. This holds good in every case. It is true of every individual sinner…Grace is the grand and only resource for us all. It is the basis of our salvation; the basis of a life of practical godliness; and the basis of those imperishable hopes which animate us amid the trials and conflicts of this sin-stricken world. May we cherish a deeper sense of grace, and more ardent desire for glory!” C H MacIntosh

“I remember two things: that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior.” John Newton

HEART SAVOR

• In Christ, my old self is to be gone the new has come.
• Through Christ’s all-sufficient power I can walk in a manner worthy of the Gospel.
• My walk will impact those I love – both positively as well as negatively.

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The Secret Weapon Of Christian Joy 3.11.15

THE SECRET WEAPON OF CHRISTIAN JOY

BREAD

27 To this John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.’ 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:27-30 (NIV)

10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 (NIV)

11 You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalms 16:11 (NIV)

6 Surely you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence. 7 For the king trusts in the LORD; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken. Psalms 21:6-7 (NIV)

7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. 8 The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. Psalms 28:7-8 (NIV)

17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. 19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights. Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NIV)

16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Solid joys and lasting treasure none but Zion’s children know.” John Newton

“The weapon of repentance, through rejection of false beliefs and affirmation of godly truth, has changed thousands of lives. Repentance can liberate the mind and destroy speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God (2 Cor. 10:5). And it can help us discover the wondrous significance we have in Jesus Christ: We are deeply loved, completely forgiven, fully pleasing, totally acceptable, and complete in Him. Our journey is a joyous and challenging adventure with Christ.” Robert McGee

“They that deny themselves for Christ shall enjoy themselves in Christ.” John Mason

“What were we made for? To know God. What aim should we set ourselves in life? To know God. What is the eternal life that Jesus gives? Knowledge of God. What is the best thing in life, bringing more joy, delight, and contentment, than anything else? Knowledge of God. What, of all the states God ever sees man in, gives Him most pleasure? Knowledge of Himself.” J.I. Packer

“Happiness depends on what happens; joy does not.” Oswald Chambers

“Peace without joy is contradictory. Joy is fundamental for the Christian; sorrow is peripheral. For the unbeliever, sorrow is fundamental and joy is peripheral.” Ravi Zacharias

“When faith has the upper hand in my heart I am satisfied with Christ and His promises. This is what Jesus meant when He said, ‘He who believed in Me shall never thirst’ (John 6:35). When my thirst for joy and meaning and passion are satisfied by the presence and promises of Christ, the power of sin is broken. We do not yield to the offer of sandwich meat when we can smell steak sizzling on the grill. The fight of faith against lust is the fight to stay satisfied with God.” John Piper

“Seeking with faith, hope, and love pleases our Lord; and finding Him pleases the soul, filling it full of joy.” Julian of Norwich

“Peace is not found when you get into perfect circumstances. Peace is found because Jesus Christ, the Price of Peace, has gotten into you. Joy is the perfect partner to peace and is found in the same way as peace. Joy is never found in what you have or what you do, but in who you have living in you.” Roy Lessin

“It is a bad world, Donatus, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it a quiet and good people who have learned the great secret of life. They have found a joy and a wisdom which is a thousand times better than any of the pleasures of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They are masters of their souls. They have overcome the world. These people, Donatus, are Christians…and I am one of them.” St. Cyprian, 200-258
HEART SAVOR

• In Jesus there is fullness of joy.
• Circumstances cannot rob my joy if I am satisfied with Christ.
• Peace and joy go hand in hand. J-O-Y is Jesus Over You.

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Our God Is A God Who Sees 3.9.15

OUR GOD IS A GOD WHO SEES

BREAD

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)

13 “There are those who rebel against the light, who do not know its ways or stay in its paths. 14 When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up and kills the poor and needy; in the night he steals forth like a thief. 15 The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk; he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’ and he keeps his face concealed. 16 In the dark, men break into houses, but by day they shut themselves in; they want nothing to do with the light. 17 For all of them, deep darkness is their morning; they make friends with the terrors of darkness….22 But God drags away the mighty by his power; though they become established, they have no assurance of life. 23 He may let them rest in a feeling of security, but his eyes are on their ways.” Job 24:13-17, 22-23 (NIV)

13 From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; 14 from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth– 15 he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. Psalms 33:13-15 (NIV)

3 The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good. Proverbs 15:3 (NIV)

17 My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes. Jeremiah 16:17 (NIV)

10 “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.” Jeremiah 17:10 (NIV)

24 “Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the LORD. Jeremiah 23:24 (NIV)

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 4:13 (NIV)

BUTTER

“A little thorn can cause much suffering. A small cloud may hide the sun. Tiny foxes spoil the vineyards, and little sins do mischief to the tender heart. These small sins burrow in the soul and fill it with that is hateful to Christ, and thus our comfortable fellowship and communion with Him is spoiled. A great sin cannot destroy a Christian, but a little sin can make him miserable. Jesus will not walk with His people unless they drive out every known sin. He says, ‘If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.’” Charles H. Spurgeon

“Let us watch jealously over our hearts, and beware of giving way in the beginnings of sin. Happy is he who feareth always, and walks humbly with his God. The strongest Christian is the one who feels his weakness most, and cries most frequently, ‘Hold Thou me up, and I shall be safe.’” John Ryle

“He is nearer than our own soul, closer than our most secret thoughts.” A.W. Tozer

“It may be a secret sin on earth, but it is an open scandal in heaven.” Lewis Sperry Chafer

“It is only the fear of God that can deliver us from the fear of men.” John Witherspoon

“God knows all that is done in the most secret caverns of the heart. No place is deprived of His presence. Though reason and Scripture declare it, we cannot conceive it. He is not measured by time nor limited by space. He is from the height of the heavens to the bottom of the sea, and in every point of the world.” Stephen Charnock

“How can we but love Him when we know that He numbers the very hairs of our head, marks our path, and orders our ways? Specially is the great truth brought near to our heart, when we recollect how attentive He is, not merely to the temporal interests of His creatures, but to their spiritual concerns. Though leagues of distance lie between the finite creature and the infinite Creator, yet there are links uniting both. When a tear is wept by thee, think not that God doth not behold; for, ‘Like a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him.’ Thy sigh is able to move the heart of Jehovah; thy whisper can incline His ear unto thee; thy prayer can stay His hand; thy faith can move His arm. Think not that God sits on high taking no account of thee. Remember that however poor and needy thou art, yet the Lord thinketh upon thee. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards Him.” Charles H. Spurgeon

HEART SAVOR

• Nothing is hidden from God’s sight or takes Him by surprise. He who makes known the end from the beginning is not thwarted in the least by man’s puny plans.
• As God is searching my heart it would behoove me to do so as well!
• God strengthens the hearts of those fully committed to His ways and will.

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