Made Beautiful By Gentleness 2.26.21

MADE BEAUTIFUL BY GENTLENESS

BREAD

³ Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. ⁴ Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.  1 Peter 3:3-4 (NIV)

¹ Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. ² Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, ³ not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. ⁴ He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. ⁵ (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)  1 Timothy 3:1-5 (NIV)

¹ A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.  Prov 15:1 (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)

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)

¹ As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” ⁴ This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: ⁵ “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”  Matthew 21:1-5 (NIV)

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

⁵ “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”   Matthew 5:5 (NIV)

¹ As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. ² Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ³ Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.  Ephesians 4:1-3 (NIV)

¹³ Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? ¹⁴ But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear ; do not be frightened.” ¹⁵ But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶ keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. ¹⁷ It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.   1 Peter 3:13-17 (NIV)

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  Philippians 4:4-5 (NIV)

BUTTER

“The truly meek man is humble, gentle, patient, forgiving, and contented; the very opposite of the man who is proud, harsh, angry, revengeful, and ambitious. It is only the grace of God, as it works in us by the Holy Spirit, that can make us thus meek.”   Charles H. Spurgeon

“Conquer evil men by your gentle kindness.”   Isaac of Syria

“Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength.”   Francis de Sales

“In our walk with God we are told explicitly by Christ Himself that it would be His Spirit who would be sent to guide us and to lead us into all truth (John 16:13).  This same gracious Spirit takes the truth of God, the Word of God, and makes it plain to our hearts and minds and spiritual understanding.  It is He who gently, tenderly, but persistently says to us, ‘This is the way – walk in it.’  And as we comply and cooperate with His gentle promptings a sense of safety, comfort and well-being envelops us.”   Phillip Keller

“Jesus, the Blessed One, is gentle. Even though he speaks with great fervor and biting criticism against all forms of hypocrisy and is not afraid to attack deception, vanity, manipulation and oppression, his heart is a gentle heart. He won’t break the crushed reed or snuff the faltering wick (see Matthew 12:20). He responds to people’s suffering, heals their wounds, and offers courage to the fainthearted. Jesus came to bring good news to the poor, sight to the blind, and freedom to prisoners (see Luke 4:18-19) in all he says, and thus he reveals God’s immense compassion. As his followers, we are called to that same gentleness.”   Henri Nouwen

“Once, as I rode out into the woods for my health, in 1737, having alighted from my horse in a retired place, as my manner commonly has been, to walk for divine contemplation and prayer, I had a view that for me was extraordinary, of the glory of the Son of God, as Mediator between God and man, and his wonderful, great, full, pure and sweet grace and love, and meek and gentle condescension. This grace that appeared so calm and sweet, appeared also great above the heavens. The person of Christ appeared ineffably excellent with an excellency great enough to swallow up all thought and conception … which continued as near as I can judge, about an hour; which kept me the greater part of the time in a flood of tears, and weeping aloud. I felt an ardency of soul to be, what I know not otherwise how to express, emptied and annihilated; to lie in the dust, and to be full of Christ alone; to love him with a holy and pure love; to trust in him; to live upon him; to serve and follow him; and to be perfectly sanctified and made pure, with a divine and heavenly purity. I have, several other times, had views very much of the same nature, and which have had the same effects.”  Jonathan Edwards

“His nearness really is our greatest good.”  Jon Bloom

“A contentious people will be a miserable people…avoid all bitterness towards others.  However wrong you may think others have been, maintain with great diligence and watchfulness a Christian meekness and gentleness of spirit; and labour, in this respect, to excel those who are a contrary part.  And this will be the best victory, for ‘he that rules his spirit, is better than he that takes a city’.”     Jonathan Edwards

“Consider God in your own experiences of Him.  There is a taste and sight of His goodness.  This surpasses the greatest capacity of mere natural understanding.  Have not many of you found the delightful, gentle moving of God into your souls, sprinkled with His inward blessings as you seek Him?  Have you not sensed His gentle rebuke in your conscience when you are slipping away from Him?  Have you not found sometimes an invisible hand raising you up when you were dejected, or some unexpected providence stepping in for your relief?  Our hearts can easily realize that it was not a work of chance.   You have found that He is indeed a ‘rewarder of those who seek Him’, and you can set your seal that He is what He has declared Himself to be in His Word.”   Stephen Charnock

“God is the kindest person in existence, and the most severe. In Christ, he is ‘gentle and lowly’ (Matthew 11:29), and he is ‘the Almighty’ whose wrath is terrifying (Revelation 1:8; 6:15-17). He is ‘a friend of . . . sinners’ (Luke 7:34), but only to ‘those who fear him’ (Psalms 25:14).”  Jon Bloom

HEART SAVOR

• Our gentleness should be evident to all.
• A gentle and quiet spirit is precious in God’s sight.
• We are to be completely humble and gentle, patiently bearing with one another in love.

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Ingratitude Is Intolerable 2.24.21

INGRATITUDE IS INTOLERABLE

BREAD

⁷ For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?   1 Corinthians 4:6-7 (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. 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)

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 14:26-27 (NIV)

¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 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. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.  Colossians 3:15-17 (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)

²⁰ At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship ²¹ and said:  “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart.  The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.”  ²² In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.  Job 1:20-22 (NIV)

⁹ For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. ¹⁰ And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.  Colossians 1:9-14 (NIV)

¹ Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. ² Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. ³ Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. ⁴ Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.  Psalms 105:1-4 (NIV)

¹ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. ² Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. ³ Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. ⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. ⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.  Psalms 100:1-5

(NIV)

² Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the LORD or fully declare his praise?   Psalms 106:2 (NIV)

BUTTER

“When life is moving placidly along, when the diagnosis is negative and the mortgage is paid, we are easily lulled into habits of self-reliance and self-congratulations. Without clouds in the sky, we are given to forgetting that every ray of sun, every hint of spring is a gift from the Creator and Sustainer God.”  Jen Pollock Michel

Fret not.

Rejoice always.

Do not be anxious.

In everything give thanks.

Serve the Lord with gladness.

Be strong and of good courage.

Come before Him with thanksgiving.

Rest in the lord, and wait patiently on Him.

Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 

The Bible  (from The Promise – Robert Morgan)

“It is so easy to give thanks for what one naturally chooses, but that does not cover the ‘everything’ of the text…One morning lately, in speaking of some small trouble, I quoted ‘In everything give thanks,’ and at once someone answered ‘But I cannot give thanks for everything.’ Now if our God tells us to do a thing and we say cannot, there is something wrong somewhere, for we all know the words ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me’ – that is, all things commanded. It is treason to say ‘I cannot.’ But first we should make sure that we are commanded to do this.  The text says give thanks IN everything, not FOR everything. All God’s biddings are enablings. We can do that. We will do that.”   Amy Carmichael

“Whenever you react with praise and thanksgiving for an opportunity to grow more like Jesus in your way of reacting to things, instead of grumbling or feeling self-pity, you will find that that whole situation will be changed into a great blessing.”    Hannah Hurnard

“Joy is the realest reality, the fullest life, and joy is always given, never grasped. God gives gifts and I give thanks and I unwrap the gift given: joy. Gratitude for the seemingly insignificant – a seed – this plants the giant miracle. The miracle of eucharisto. Do not disdain the small. The whole of the life – even the hard – is made up of the minute parts, and if I miss the infinitesimals, I miss the whole…There is a way to live the big of giving thanks in all things. It is this: to give thanks in this one small thing. The moments will add up.”    Ann Voskamp

“Christian thanksgiving is the life of Christ in the heart — transforming the disposition and the whole character.  Thanksgiving must be wrought into the life as a habit—before it can become a fixed and permanent quality.  An occasional burst of praise, in the midst of years of complaining, is not what is required. Songs on rare, sunshiny days; and no songs when skies are cloudy—will not make a life of gratitude. The heart must learn to sing always.  This lesson is learned only when it becomes a habit which nothing can weaken.  We must persist in being thankful.  When we can see no reason for praise—we must believe in the divine love and goodness, and sing in the darkness.  Thanksgiving has attained its rightful place in us, only when it is part of all our days and dominates all our experiences.”   J. R. Miller

“He who can give thanks for a little will always find he has enough.”   Anonymous

“But the Bible does not say give thanks to the Lord because you feel good. Rather, it says, ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!’”   Greg Laurie

¹⁸ “‘Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. ¹⁹ See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.’ Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)  We are to live into this Truth.  Just because I do not see something happening out of my poor visibility due to my human earth-bound eye, does not mean it is not happening.  Just because I cannot see God’s work does not mean He is not working – God is always at work.  I am to sign all my prayers with anticipatory thanksgiving – thanking Him in advance and closing with ‘I am very truly yours, always’ is a constant reminder to me of Whom I belong to.  It is God alone.  It is He Who sends the great ‘showers of blessings’.”  BHY 

“Gratitude is what we experience when we perceive that what we have received is an undeserved gift of God’s grace. It is a fruit of humility; it’s inherently unselfish. We don’t feel true gratitude toward ourselves, but only towards someone else who treats us better than we deserve.”  Jon Bloom

“God requires nothing greater from us than giving thanks.  Giving thanks is a more acceptable service than all sacrifices.  God is continually heaping innumerable benefits…Ingratitude, therefore, is intolerable.”  John Calvin

HEART SAVOR

• Create in me a clean heart oh Lord and renew and steadfast and thankful spirit within me.
• What do I have that I did not receive?  The answer would be nothing.
• God loves a thankful heart.  In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

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None Like You 2.22.21

NONE LIKE YOU

BREAD

¹⁴ Is anything too hard for the LORD?  Genesis 18:14 (NIV)

⁶ For who in the skies above can compare with the LORD?  Who is like the LORD among the heavenly beings? ⁷ In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him. ⁸ O LORD God Almighty, who is like you?  You are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you.  Psalms 89:6-8 (NIV)

¹¹ “Who among the gods is like you, O LORD?  Who is like you–majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?”   Exodus 15:11 (NIV)

¹¹ The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it.   Psalms 89:11 (NIV)

¹⁸ To whom, then, will you compare God?  What image will you compare him to?  ¹⁹ As for an idol, a craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it. ²⁰ A man too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot.  He looks for a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not topple.  ²¹ Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning?  Have you not understood since the earth was founded?  ²² He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers.    He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. ²³ He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.  ²⁴ No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.  ²⁵ “To whom will you compare me?  Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. ²⁶ Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name.  Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.  ²⁷ Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God”?  ²⁸ Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.  ²⁹ He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  ³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; ³¹ but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.   Isaiah 40:18-31 (NIV)

⁸ “Remember this, fix it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels.  ⁹ Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.  ¹⁰ I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.  I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.”   Isaiah 46:8-10 (NIV)

¹⁴ Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. ¹⁵ Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD.  ¹⁶ They rejoice in your name all day long; they exult in your righteousness. ¹⁷ For you are their glory and strength, and by your favor you exalt our horn.   Psalms 89:14-17 (NIV) 

³³ Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!  ³⁴ “Who has known the mind of the Lord?  Or who has been his counselor?”  ³⁵ “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?”  ³⁶ For from him and through him and to him are all things.  To him be the glory forever!  Amen.   Romans 11:33-36 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Most (if not all) encounters in Scripture with God (or even His angels) and man have left men jaw dropping and prostrate.  When sinful flesh encounters total purity the normal cry is ‘Woe, Woe, Woe is me’ as Isaiah stated.  God is so totally other.  There is none like Him.  None to compare.  None.  He is not our buddy, our pal, or our Santa Clause or magic Genie for that matter.  He does not exist to do our bidding – indeed, that is what we exist for – to do His.  We have flipped this to our own destruction and harm.  He is loving and good but as C. S. Lewis writes, ‘He is not safe’ when we willingly choose to walk in disobedience to His ways.  We are in dire need of a proper view of God as demonstrated perfectly in His Word.  Never neglect it.”  BHY       

“Isaiah’s words remind me that God is God and I am not. He has no rivals and there is none like Him. He is the One who is utterly holy; the One who reigns and rules; who sees the beginning from the end; who knows me inside and out, yet still chooses to love me unconditionally. As I meditate on God’s immeasurable attributes I am forced to ask, ‘How should the knowledge that God is _________ change the way I live today?’”  Donna Evans  

“He shall lead you on with courage, and bring you off with honour.  He lived and died for you.  For mercy and tenderness to His soldiers, there is none like Him.”  William Gurnall

“He know my strengths, so He can use me for His purpose.  He knows my weaknesses, so He can perfect what concerns me.  He know my anxieties, so He can reassure me with His promises.  He knows my hurts, so He can apply His salve.  He knows my sins, so He can cleanse my soul.  He knows my failures, so He can work all things for my good.  He knows my past, so He can lead me toward maturity.  And He knows my future, so He can lead me all the way.”  Robert Morgan

“Our future-tense faith is a function of God’s past-tense faithfulness.”  Mark Batterson

“If you put God’s infinitely pure, transcendent being on the balance of a scale on one side, and all other being in the universe — all the waters of the oceans, the sand of the deserts, the rocks of the mountains, and all the nations of man, and all the galaxies of the universe, and all the demons of hell, and all the angels of heaven — on the other side of the scale, all other being goes up like air, because God’s holiness — his holy name — is the supreme and absolute Treasure inthe universe and over the universe. All other treasures are as nothing by comparison.”  John Piper

“Fewer doctrines of the Christian faith are more comforting than the sovereignty of God. It humbles you in good seasons, provides hope in hard seasons, and gives joy in all seasons. The doctrine of God’s sovereignty is a constant nourishment for the soul. The sovereignty of God is a sweet pillow that you can lay your head on at night. It is a beautiful truth not only that God is in control over all, but is also working everything out- the good and the bad–for your good and for His glory. This sweet doctrine is medicine for the soul that you can take in any season of life.”  David Qaoud 

“From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea  Creation revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring  Every creature unique in the song that it sings  All exclaiming:  Indescribable, uncontainable, You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name. You are amazing God  All powerful, untameable, Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim You are amazing God.  Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go  Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow  Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light  Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night  None can fathom:  Indescribable, uncontainable, You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.  You are amazing God  All powerful, untameable, Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim  You are amazing God  You are amazing God.  You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same.  You are amazing God.  You are amazing God.”  Chris Tomlin –  Laura Story

“Our God is an awesome God, He reigns from heaven above in wisdom, power and love.  Our God is an awesome God.”  Michael W. Smith 

“Let every kindred, every tribe on this terrestrial ball, to Him all majesty ascribe, and crown Him Lord of all.”  Edward Perronet

HEART SAVOR

• There is none like You Lord.
• All honor and glory is due your Name.
• You are Lord of all.  

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Be Faith Filled 2.19.21

BE FAITH FILLED  

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)

²¹ Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. ²² If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”  Matthew 21:21-22 (NIV)

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. ¹⁰ For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV)

⁴⁷ Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. ⁴⁸ Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”  Luke 8:47-48 (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)

¹⁴ When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. ¹⁵ As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him. ¹⁶ “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked. ¹⁷ A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. ¹⁸ Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”  ¹⁹ “O unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you?  How long shall I put up with you?  Bring the boy to me.”  ²⁰ So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. ²¹ Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”  “From childhood,” he answered. ²² “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him.  But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”  ²³ “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.”  ²⁴ Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”  Mark 9:14-24 (NIV)

²² “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. ²³ “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. ²⁴ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. ²⁵ And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”  Mark 11:22-25 (NIV)

⁷ To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NIV)

¹⁴ Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin. ¹⁶ Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.  Hebrews 4:14-16 (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

“Faith draws nourishment from the root of Christ.  This taught David to fight, and Paul to preach.  Faith draws out the fullness of His grace.  Faith enables us to be as meek as Moses, patient as Job, and as zealous as David.  Comfort your soul in the Lord and seek His favor through faith.  As you grow from faith to faith, you will grow from strength to strength in His graces, till by degrees you will attain to the fullness of maturity in Christ.”  Samuel Ward

“God tries our faith so that we may try His faithfulness.”   Anonymous

“Sometimes our difficult circumstances make it seem impossible for God to fulfill His promises.  When we find God’s promises unbelievable, as did Abraham and Sarah, God has exposed the boundaries of our faith – boundaries He means to expand.  Learning to rest in the promises of God occurs in the crucible of wrestling with unbelief – seasons, sometimes long seasons, when everything hangs on believing that God ‘gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.  Abraham and Sarah ‘grew strong in (their) faith’ because God pushed them to believe more than they thought was possible.  For the sake of our joy, he does the same for you and me.”  Jon Bloom 

“Faith raises the soul above the difficulty, straight to God Himself, and enables one to stand still.  We gain nothing by our restless and anxious efforts….It is therefore true wisdom, in all times of difficulty and perplexity, to stand still – to wait only upon God, and He will assuredly open a way for us.”  C.H. Mackintosh 

“Live by faith.  Rejoice through faith in the Lord.  It is the neglect of this exercise that will allow discouragement to erupt, and Satan to interrupt your happiness and spiritual cheerfulness.  It will cast you int the dumps and into mourning.  What good is faith if it is not used?  Keep your faith and it will keep your joy.  Is it not fitting for the righteous to rejoice?  What is a Christian but one who is joyful?  Men wonder to see a rich man with all of his heart’s desire in a fit of heaviness, but much more if one knows that all will work for his good, and if Christ is his Friend, and God his Shepherd.  Can you be sad when you have all the treasures in heavenly places?  Our treasures are out of the devil’s reach forever and ever.  Show me your faith by your joy.  Use your faith, and have joy; increase your faith and increase your joy.”   Samuel Ward   

“To learn strong faith is to endure great trials.  I have learned my faith by standing firm amid severe testings.”  George Mueller

“A little faith will bring your soul to heaven, but a lot of faith will bring heaven to your soul.”   D. L. Moody

“As a weak limb grows stronger by exercise, so will your faith be strengthened by the very efforts you make in stretching it out toward things unseen.”  James H. Aughey    

“Faith tackles great obstacles.  Small boats do fine in a calm, and ordinary men can stand up to a light breeze, but when a heavy tempest blows, and wave after wave crashes, nature yields, the spirit faints, a heart fails.  To stand up against such storms and to live and reign is the work of faith.  This faith has the Word as its compass, and Christ directing the helm.  The greatest adversities are but the exercise and lustre of faith.  Men glory when they can tame the tigers, but what is that compared to faith that makes shame, poverty, sickness, persecutions, banishment, yea, death itself calm and bearable?  Christians have great advantage because of their faith.  Their only error is the lack of skill or failure to use the shield of faith when a dart comes suddenly upon them.  Consider this medicine for your faith to drink in comfort:  not the slightest trouble befalls you without the overruling eye and hand of God. He is not only our wise God, but a tender Father.  He knows what you are made up and measures out exactly every cross unto us as a chemist measures grains of medicine.”     Samuel Ward

“We don’t have to let our emotions rule us. I’ve learned  the peace of God can transform our pain.  I never found relief in begging, demanding, or scolding God. I only found relief in prayers oftrust.  This kind of prayer meant I had to turn over my problems to God. It was the only way to make a difference in my difficulties.  I’ve discovered that the prayer of trust is the real prayer of faith.”  Linda Evans Shepherd

“By faith we stand, by faith we fight, by faith we overcome.”  Samul Ward

HEART SAVOR

• Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
• God loves us and cares for us and has our best interest at heart.  We can trust Him with our lives.  It is His desire for His children to reflect the image of His Son and He uses all sorts of ways and means in this pursuit of so great an endeavor.
• Strengthen our faith Lord.

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His Power Is Made Perfect In Weakness 2.17.21

HIS POWER IS MADE PERFECT IN WEAKNESS

BREAD

⁴ For to be sure, He was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power. Likewise, we are weak in Him, yet by God’s power we will live with him to serve you.   2 Corinthians 13:3-4 (NIV)

⁵ Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: ⁶ Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, ⁷ but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death–even death on a cross! ⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.   Philippians 2:5-11 (NIV)

¹⁸ I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, ²⁰ which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹ far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.  Ephesians 1:18-21 (NIV)

⁷ To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.    2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NIV)

⁸ We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. ⁹ Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. ¹⁰ He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, ¹¹ as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.  2 Corinthians 1:8-11 (NIV)

¹ When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. ² For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. ³ I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. ⁴ My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, ⁵ so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.  1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (NIV)

¹¹ With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. ¹² We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.  2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 (NIV)

BUTTER

“It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we are able to crucify sin in our lives.  Flesh so often fails.  Go in His power and strength.  And take hold of the life that is truly life.”  BHY 

“Christ followed the course of weakness to the cross.  In the Resurrection the magnitude of that untapped power was displayed.  This side of the grave Paul like Jesus followed the path of ‘weakness’ but as in Jesus’ life, a glimmer of God’s power showed through….When Paul came to the end of himself, Christ alone was seen. When he was weak, then Christ, by His strength, could make Paul spiritually strong.”   Bible Knowledge Commentary

“It is not through our own power that we can muster up sufficient courage in all of life’s circumstances.  Flesh will fail and flee.  It is only through the life controlled and empowered by the Holy Spirit that the believer is equipped to stand firm and fully assured in all the will of God while the winds of life blow hard.  It is not what we do, it is what He does through us.  And the One Who gives the power gets the glory.”   BHY 

“The true secret to all ministry is spiritual power. It is not man’s genius, or man’s intellect, or man’s energy; but simply the power of the Spirit of the God of the Gospel. ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts (Zech.iv.6)   It is well for all ministers (and believers) to bear this ever in mind. It will sustain the heart and give constant freshness to their ministry (and lives).  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 we can do nothing Jesus can do all things; let us enlist His powerful aid upon our side, and all will be well.”  Charles Spurgeon

“The goal is Christlikeness.  The power to achieve this high calling, is only through the all-achieving indwelling Omnipotence of the Holy Spirit residing in every true believer of sweet Jesus.  Our willingness, lame and limping as it so often is, to this superlatively high calling is our meager contribution.”  BHY

“It costs much to obtain the power of the Spirit:  It costs self-surrender and humiliation and a yielding up of our most precious things to God; it costs the perseverance of long waiting, and the faith of strong trust.  But when we are really in that power, we shall find this difference, that whereas before, it was hard for us to do the easiest things, now it is easy for us to do the hard things.”    A. J. Gordon

“A primary qualification for serving God with any amount of success, and for doing God’s work well and triumphantly, is a sense of our own weakness.  When God’s warrior marches forth to battle, strong in his own might, when he boasts, ‘I know that I shall conquer, my own right arm and my conquering sword shall get unto me the victory’, defeat is not far distant.  God will not go forth with that man who marches in his own strength.  He who reckoneth on victory thus has reckoned wrongly, for ‘it is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts’.  They who go forth to fight, boasting of their prowess, shall return with their gay banners trailed in the dust, and their armour stained with disgrace.  Those who serve God must serve Him in His own way, and in His strength, or He will never accept their service.  That which man doth, unaided by divine strength, God can never own.  The mere fruits of the earth He casteth away; He will only reap that corn, the seed of which was sown from heaven, watered by grace, and ripened by the sun of divine love.  God will empty out all that thou hast before He will put His own into thee; He will first clean out the granaries before He will fill them with the finest of the wheat……Your emptiness is but the preparation for your being filled, and your casting down is but the making ready for your lifting up.”   C. H. Spurgeon  

“If the Sovereign, Omnipotent, Omniscient God is on our side, as His child, seriously, what do we have to fear?  He, Who loves us with an everlasting love, Who ever has His eye upon us, Who never leaves us nor forsakes us, Who not only died to save us but has also given us the Grand Deposit of the precious Holy Spirit to empower us to walk in a manner worthy of our high calling all the way Home – this God, this very God is for us and not against us.  No matter what the circumstances of your life may be bellowing out.  The world shouts fear while God whispers peace.  He will never let the righteous fall and we can trust Him with our lives and with the lives of all we love and hold dear.”  BHY        

“Against me earth and hell combine, But on my side is power divine; Jesus is all, and He is mine!” Charles H. Spurgeon

“We are never more like Christ than when we walk in the power of the Holy Spirit – clothed in His righteousness – being about the good works which the Father has prepared in advance for us to do.”  BHY

HEART SAVOR

• Anything eternal done by us is done through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit – works done in the flesh will not make it through the fire which will test the quality of each man’s work.
• Our attitude is to be the same as that of Christ Jesus Who, being in very nature  God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped but made Himself nothing for us, humbling Himself and becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross.
• His power is made perfect in our weakness.   

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Crush The Idols 2.15.21

CRUSH THE IDOLS

BREAD

²⁴ “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”  Matthew 6:24 (NIV)

⁷ “You shall have no other gods before me. ⁸ You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁹ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ¹⁰ but showing love to a thousand [generations] of those who love me and keep my commandments.”  Deuteronomy 5:7-10 (NIV)

¹⁴ He cut down cedars, or perhaps took a cypress or oak.  He let it grow among the trees of the forest, or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow.  ¹⁵ It is man’s fuel for burning; some of it he takes and warms himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread.  But he also fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it.  ¹⁶ Half of the wood he burns in the fire; over it he prepares his meal, he roasts his meat and eats his fill.  He also warms himself and says, “Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.”  ¹⁷ From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, “Save me; you are my god.”  ¹⁸ They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds closed so they cannot understand. ¹⁹ No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, “Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate.  Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”  ²⁰ He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say, “Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?”  Isaiah 44:14-20 (NIV)

⁵⁶ But they put God to the test and rebelled against the Most High; they did not keep his statutes.  ⁵⁷ Like their fathers they were disloyal and faithless, as unreliable as a faulty bow. ⁵⁸ They angered him with their high places; they aroused his jealousy with their idols.  ⁵⁹ When God heard them, he was very angry; he rejected Israel completely.  Psalms 78:56-59 (NIV)

⁹ You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not bow down to an alien god. ¹⁰ I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.  Psalms 81:9-10 (NIV)

⁶ But godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁷ For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. ⁸ But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. ⁹ People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.  1 Timothy 6:6-10 (NIV)

¹⁹ Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”  2 Timothy 2:19 (NIV)

¹⁵ Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷ The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:15-17 (NIV)

⁹ Do your best to come to me quickly, ¹⁰ for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica.  2 Timothy 4:9-10 (NIV)

²³ “Everything is permissible”–but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”–but not everything is constructive. ²⁴ Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.  1 Corinthians 10:23-24 (NIV)

The man who fears God will avoid all [extremes].  Ecclesiastes 7:18 (NIV)

²¹ Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.   1 John 5:21 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Every one of us is, from his mother’s womb, a master craftsman of idols.”   John Calvin

“Scripture permits us to broaden the definition of idolatry so that includes anything on which we set our affections and indulge as an excessive and sinful attachment.  Therefore, the idols that we can see are certainly not the whole problem.  Idolatry includes anything we worship:  the lust for pleasure, respect, love, power, control, or freedom from pain.  Futhermore, the problem is not outside of us….the problem is in us….the heart’s instinctive plotting in this idol construction is amazing.  We know we are called to imitate God.  This means we are to live for His glory, not our own.  We are to make Him famous, not ourselves….the purpose of all idolatry is to manipulate the idol for our own benefit…..but (we) need the power of God, the message of Christ crucified and risen.  Other therapies can offer sobriety, but only this good news is powerful enough to liberate the soul.”  Ed Welch

“When you cling tightly to bitterness, anger, resentment, and unforgiveness, elevating them above your relationship with God, they become ‘idols’ in your life. For each idol you are willing to destroy, you will gain more than you lose. Each time you surrender something to God, you will remove another hindrance to a productive life of faith and prayer. Every idol that is demolished will bring you new treasures of grace and peace.”   Michael Youssef

“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

“Since we are made to worship, we are always centering our lives on something whether we realize it or not.  It is like a fire hose that is stuck in the ‘on’ position and shooting water out endlessly with great force. We must decide where we aim the hose as the focus of our worship. The idols of our modern world are not necessarily the hand-carved statues of the ancient world.  In our autonomous self-seeking ways, people have instead come to serve or worship the self-erected idols of approval, comfort, and security.  We must ruthlessly inspect the sin in our heart for these idols… so it is vital that [we] get to the heart. As Tim Keller puts it, ‘The solution to our sin problem is not simply to change our behavior, but to reorient and center our entire heart and life on God.’  Therefore, we must go after the nature of the sin by going after its root and not just the fruit of the sin. Oftentimes people repent of sin that is simply the fruit of the idols in their hearts. We must find out the why of the behavior and not just the what”.  Tom Wood & Scott Thomas

“We can make idols out of  – our work, our family, our friends, our hobbies, our adoring audiences, our wealth, even our ‘perfect’ children or our wonderful meals or our clean and ordered houses.  We can make ‘Delilah’s’ out of anything.  Idols are whatever we have a tendency to hold on to with a grip that we will not let go.  None of these things are bad in and of themselves – it is the priority we place on them that’s askew.  If they become our ‘god’s’ it is wrong.  If anything or anybody takes Christ’s rightful position on the throne of our lives it is an idol and must be removed for the King of kings and the Lord of Lords.  Live your life with open hands.”  BHY 

“Ask God to help you and show you:  How to move from pleasing your body/soul to pleasing and serving God.  How to exchange being dependent upon idols/false gods or fleshly thoughts, feelings or desires to being dependent on His Spirit.  How to be free in Christ and not captive to anything of this world.  How to let go what is not of Him and to hold to Him.”   Margaret Arant

“We must be aware of the various ways sin pulls us to wrong thoughts about God, righteousness, grace, ourselves and sin itself. Only the truth of God’s word and meditation in prayer can reveal the deceitfulness of sin.  Sin works against God. Sin will either deceive us into thinking God is a cruel taskmaster, or, if that will not work, will deceive us into thinking He is like a doting grandfather who really does not care what we do. Sin affects every Christian’s view of God and leads us to worship idols, figments of our own imaginations, and not the true God. Sin will deceive us concerning grace. We will either be deceived into thinking it is too good to be true, or we will buy into cheap grace and think that ethics are unimportant.”  Dr. Bob Flayhart

“God is rightfully to be on the throne of our lives.  He will not share that throne with another.   We cannot serve two masters.  We decide who or Whom we will serve.  How easy it is to seek after counterfeit God’s – God’s that we ignorantly believe will satisfy our souls yet when tried and depended upon ever come forth wanting.”  BHY

“We all have our own priorities, our own way of shaping our personal golden calves to feed our craving, aching emptiness. Idols are always about feeding gaping wounds that are really hungry for Him. And He is the hound of heaven who relentlessly comes to devour the cravings  and win free hearts and there is a tender grace that meets what we crave for and gives us what we are in need of.  Only our own lack of love can keep us from His love letter.   Only being captivated by other words can keep us from His Word.”   Ann Voskamp

“All of us fail.  And yes, some failures wreak horrible destruction.  But if we turn from our sinful failures to Christ, there is no failure that can’t be redeemed by the cross.  And if we will wait for the Lord, there is no failure that Christ can’t restore to useful service.  Jesus chooses and uses failures.”   Jon Bloom

HEART SAVOR

• God will have no other god’s before Him.
• Nothing but Jesus satisfies the human soul totally and completely.
• Keep balanced – avoid all extremes.  We end up making our extremes into god’s we serve.  It is unproductive, costly and often ruinous to go down that path.  Don’t go there – save yourself the pain.  

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Trials Teach 2.12.21

TRIALS TEACH

BREAD

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade–kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷ These have come so that your faith–of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire–may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  1 Peter 1:3-7 (NIV)

² Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴ Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  James 1:2-4 (NIV)

¹¹ Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”  ¹² Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”  ¹³ Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. ¹⁴ After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”  ¹⁵ When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his own work.  Nehemiah 4:11-15 (NIV)

⁶ “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. ⁷ Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. ⁸ Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:6-9 (NIV)

¹⁷ You may say to yourselves, “These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?” ¹⁸ But do not be afraid of them; remember well what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. ¹⁹ You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the miraculous signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the LORD your God brought you out. The LORD your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear. ²⁰ Moreover, the LORD your God will send the hornet among them until even the survivors who hide from you have perished. ²¹ Do not be terrified by them, for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God.  Deuteronomy 7:17-21 (NIV)

¹ And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. ² Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. ³ For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, ⁴ they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. ⁵ And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will.   2 Corinthians 8:1-5 (NIV)

¹² Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³ But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. ¹⁴ If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. ¹⁵ If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. ¹⁶ However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. ¹⁷ For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? ¹⁸ And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”  ¹⁹ So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.  1 Peter 4:12-19 (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. ³ Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.  Romans 5:1-5 (NIV)

¹⁰ And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. ¹¹ To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.  1 Peter 5:10-11 (NIV)

BUTTER

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

“The gem cannot by polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.”   Anonymous

“These trials are just ‘tools’ in God’s hands,” said the Iranian believer.  “Who am I to criticize the tools that God uses to make me more holy?”  Anonymous

“God does not give grace till the hour of trial comes. But when it doescome, the amount of grace and the nature of the special grace required is vouchsafed. My soul, do not dwell with painful apprehension on the future. Do not anticipate coming sorrows; perplexing thyself with the grace needed for future emergencies; tomorrow will bring its promised grace along with tomorrow’s trials . . . and the strength which the hour of trial brings often makes the Christian a wonder to himself!”  John Ross MacDuff   

“To learn strong faith is to endure great trials.  I have learned my faith by standing firm amid severe testings.”  George Mueller

“However, faith has its trials, as well as its answers.  It is not to be imagined that the man of faith, having pushed out from the shore of circumstances, finds it all smooth and easy sailing.  By no means.  Again and again, he is called to encounter rough sea and stormy skies; but it is all graciously designed to lead him into deeper and more matured experience of what God is to the heart that confides in Him.  Were the sky always without a cloud and the ocean without a ripple, the believer would not know so well that God with Whom he has to do; for alas, we know how prone that heart is to mistake the peace of circumstances for the peace of God.  When everything is going on smoothly and pleasantly—our property safe, our business prosperous, our children carrying themselves agreeably, our residence comfortable, our health excellent—everything in short, just to our mind, how apt we are to mistake the peace which reposes upon such circumstances for that peace which flows from the realized presence of Christ.”  C.H. Mackintosh

“Somehow in the wonder-working providence of God, our worst problems become our best pulpits. God turns our tragedies into testimonies and our emergencies into evangelism. Our testimonies are forged and crafted in the trials of life, our pain has an evangelistic purpose, our problems become His pulpits, and the things that happen to us turn out for the furtherance of the gospel.”  Robert J. Morgan

“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

“We should follow Christ in simplicity and faith, because the paths in which He leads us all end in glory and immortality.  It is true they may not be smooth paths – they may be covered with sharp flinty trials, but they lead to the ‘city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.’  ‘All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of His covenant.’  Let’s put full trust in our Leader, since we know that, come prosperity or adversity, sickness or health, popularity or contempt, His purpose shall be worked out, and that purpose shall be pure, unmingled good to every heir of mercy…..His dear love will make us far more blessed than those who sit at home and warm their hands at the world’s fire.”   Charles H. Spurgeon

“All God’s ways are loving even if we cannot readily discern that with our eyes of flesh.  None of us can see the entire picture yet God makes known from the beginning from ancient times what is yet to come.  His purposes will stand and He will do all that He pleases.  He is a good and loving and faithful God Who only allows what is best for every heir of mercy.  We can trust Him with our lives.”   BHY

“On Him then reckon, to Him look, on Him depend:  and be assured that if you walk with Him, look to Him and expect help from Him, He will never fail you.  An older brother, who has known the Lord for forty-four years, who writes this, says for your encouragement that He has never failed him.  In the greatest difficulties, in the heaviest trials, in the deepest poverty and necessities, He has never failed me; but because I was enabled by His grace to trust in Him, He has always appeared for my help.  I delight in speaking well of His Name.”   George Mueller  

HEART SAVOR

• Trials come so that our faith may be proved genuine.
• The testing of our faith develops perseverance.
• What He allows is what He deems best for our lives – it is good in His sight.  It is often His chosen tool to conform us into the image of His Son.  We are not to kick against His best but learn and grow from it.   

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My Hope 2.10.21

MY HOPE

BREAD

⁵ Why are you downcast, O my soul?  Why so disturbed within me?  Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.  Psalms 43:5 (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. ⁷ My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. ⁸ Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Selah   Psalms 62:5-8 (NIV)

⁴ But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, “Let God be exalted!”  Psalms 70:4 (NIV)

²¹ When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, ²² I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. 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.  Psalms 73:21-26 (NIV)

⁵ For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth. ⁶ From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you.  Psalms 71:5-6 (NIV)

⁹ This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance ¹⁰ (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.  1 Timothy 4:9-10 (NIV)

¹¹ For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. ¹² It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, ¹³ while we wait for the blessed hope–the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.  Titus 2:11-14 (NIV)

¹⁷ Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. ¹⁸ Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. ¹⁹ In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.  1 Timothy 6:17-19 (NIV)

⁸ But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. ⁹ For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁰ He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. ¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.   1 Thessalonians 5:7-11 (NIV)

¹⁷ Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. ¹⁸ God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. ¹⁹ We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, ²⁰ where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.   Hebrews 6:17-20 (NIV)

¹⁴ But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. ¹⁵ My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure. ¹⁶ I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign LORD; I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone.   Psalms 71:14-16 (NIV)

BUTTER

“God is the only rock on which we may rest safe in times of danger.  Trusting Him brings peace in every circumstance. God has set apart His grace for this purpose.  It is the grace of the new covenant, the grace of all graces, which comforts the soul when it is disturbed.  The same love that brings you everlasting life will also give you daily bread.  You may trust God for provision, for protection, and for whatsoever you want.  When you find yourself in a troubled state, there is always something in God for your comfort.”   Richard Sibbes

“Give me the love that leads the way, The faith that nothing can dismay, The hope no disappointments tire, The passion that will burn like fire, Let me not sink to be a clod: Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God.” Amy Carmichael

“Hope can see heaven through the thickest clouds.”  Thomas Brooks

“Our Christian testimony, as Peter reminded his readers, is that, ‘we have been born again to a living hope through the resurrection of the dead’.  Who else has the answer to the frailty of life, the reality of death and the certainty of judgment than Jesus, who by His death destroyed him who holds the power of death and frees those whose lives are enslaved by the fear of death?”  Alistair Begg 

“We shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul.  If we would at once overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by ‘looking unto Jesus’.  Keep thine eye simply on Him; let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession, be fresh upon thy mind; when thou wakest in the morning look to Him; when thou liest down at night look to Him.  Oh!  Let not thy hopes or fears come between thee and Jesus; follow hard after Him, and He will never fail thee.”     C. H. Spurgeon

“I was the enemy of God.  I was stamping through God’s universe, shaking my fist in His face.  And in the very moment when I was shaking my fist in God’s face and tramping through the Creator’s universe, muddying all His streams, that’s when Jesus died for me.  And if this is when Jesus died for me, what hope it gives me now!  Now, even when I fall, the blood of Jesus is enough.  He didn’t save me because I was strong; He saved me when I was weak. He didn’t save me when I was a pretty thing; He saved me when I was a mess. On the basis of this reality, I can have comfort.”  Francis Schaeffer

“Other men see only a hopeless end, but the Christian rejoices in an endless hope.”   Gilbert Brenken

“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 (Jeremiah 15)..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

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

“Life is hopeless without Christ. But He is alive, and He is willing to fill every void in your life. You can look to Him for all the right answers to your every question. Jesus will meet you right where you are. God knows you, and He loves you. He knows your deepest needs. Keep His Word close to your heart, and you will not be deceived.”   Michael Youssef

“Canst thou answer this, believer?  Canst thou find any reason why thou art so often mourning instead of rejoicing?  Why yield to gloomy anticipations?  Who told thee that the night would never end in day?  Who told thee that the winter of thy discontent would proceed from frost to frost, from snow and ice, and hail, to deeper snow, and yet more heavy tempest of despair?  Knowest thou not that day follows night, that flood comes after ebb, that spring and summer succeed winter?  Hope thou then!  Hope thou ever!  For God fails thee not!”    Charles H. Spurgeon  

“It is not possible to be in any state, ever so miserable, but there is something in God to comfort us.  God is called in Scripture a rock, a castle, and a shield.  He is a rock to build upon, a castle for safety, and a shield to defend us in all times of danger.  If God so comforts us by these, how much more in Himself?…a Christian must look at the trouble with one eye, and to God with the other.  See God to be your salvation.  Let the trouble be what it will, if God is your deliverer…I beseech you to consider God as your ‘very great reward’ (Genesis 15:1).”  Richard Sibbes

“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

“My hope is not in a cure today. My hope is not the absence of suffering and comfort returned. My hope is in the presence of the One who promises never to leave or forsake, the One who declares nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God.” (Romans 8:39). Nothing. Your story is a good story. In the grief, pain and hard, the Author has a plan. It may feel like a desperate breaking of your very heart, but suffering is not the absence of God or good.”  Kara Tippetts

HEART SAVOR

• Put your hope in God and you will not be disappointed.
• We are to let our souls find rest in God alone – He alone is the Ultimate Satisfier of the Soul.  Our hope comes from Him.
• We are to place our hopes and dreams, our fears and anxieties in the living God Who will not let our foot slip and Who watches over our coming and our going both now and forevermore.

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Lay Down Your Burden I Will Carry You 2.8.21

LAY DOWN YOUR BURDEN I WILL CARRY YOU

BREAD

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

³⁷ On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” ³⁹ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.   John 7:37-39 (NIV)

¹³ “If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”  ¹⁴ The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”  Exodus 33:13-14 (NIV)

¹⁶ This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’”  Jeremiah 6:16 (NIV)

¹ Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. ² This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. ³ This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, ⁴ for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. ⁵ Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.  1 John 5:1-5 (NIV)

¹⁹ Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Selah  Psalms 68:19 (NIV)

²² Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. Psalms 55:22 (NIV)

⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰ We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  2 Corinthians 4:7-10 (NIV)

⁷ To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NIV)

⁶ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. ⁷ Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.  1 Peter 5:6-7 (NIV)

“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)

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)

BUTTER

“Anticipation of trouble makes trifles appear unduly large, and the troubles that never come make up an imagined burden that will crush the spirit.  They are haunting specters, as unsubstantial as a bad dream, and we spend the strength that should be expended in constructive work and services in fighting problems that do not even exist.”  Billy Graham

“Life holds for all of us, from time to time, desolate places. All that was ordinary and secure and familiar and dependable seems a thousand miles away. Here we are in this strange wilderness- out of work, ill, robbed of something or someone, banished from a privilege that once was ours, no longer needed, confused, forsaken. It is a place of dryness, loneliness, isolation, helplessness, fear. We feel as though we are walking where no human being was ever meant to walk, a place of dragons. Don’t despair. Even though you find no signs, be sure that thousands have traversed this terrain. When you reach the far side you will meet them. But there is something that is far more comforting than that. You are not alone now. Always beside you is Another whose voice you may not hear, whose arm you may not feel, whose footprint you may not see. Nevertheless His Word is utterly to be trusted: ‘I cared for you in the wilderness.’” (Hosea 13:5)  Elisabeth Elliot

“If He bids us carry a burden, He carries it also.”   Charles Spurgeon

“The burden of suffering seems a tombstone hung about our necks, while in reality, it is only the weight which is necessary to keep down the diver while he is hunting for pearls.”   Richter

“Give me a stout heart to bear my own burdens.  Give me a willing heart to bear the burdens of others.  Give me a believing heart to cast all burdens upon Thee, O Lord.”   John Baillie

“Praising God lifts us above our trials and reminds us of how He overcomes them….Our praise reminds us of Who God is.  As we worship Him, the threats and burdens that weigh us down grow smaller and He grows bigger.  The thought of an exalted God Who is entirely on our side is an awesome inspiration….Praise is based on Who He is.  And He is Who He is all the time.”   Chris Tiegreen

“I’ll take your broken heart and give you My warmed one; I’ll take your broken body and give you My fresh Spirit; I’ll take your burden-broken back and give you weightlessness.  Take Me?  Let Me be your enough?  Always now, no matter what – let Me be your enough.”   Ann Voskamp

“God hath not promised skies always blue, Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through; God hath not promised sun without rain, Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.  God hath not promised we shall not know Toil and temptation, trouble and woe; He hath not told us we shall not bear Many a burden, many a care.  God hath not promised smooth roads and wide, Swift, easy travel, needing no guide; Never a mountain, rocky and steep, Never a river, turbid and deep.  But God hath promised strength for the day, Rest for the laborer, light for the way, Grace for the trails, help from above, Unfailing sympathy, undying love.”   Annie Johnson Flint

“Depend upon it, you will either serve Satan or Christ, either self or the Savior. You will find sin, self, Satan, and the world to be hard masters, but if you wear the livery of Christ, you will find Him so meek and lowly of heart that you will find rest unto your souls. He is the most magnanimous of captains. There never was His like among the choicest of princes. He is always to be found in the thickest part of the battle. When the wind blows cold He always takes the bleak side of the hill. The heaviest end of the cross lies ever on His shoulders. If He bids us carry a burden, He carries it also. If there is anything that is gracious, generous, kind, and tender, yes lavish and super abundant in love, you always find it in Him.”  Charles H. Spurgeon

“Earthly pleasures cannot free us from our cares and crosses.  In Him alone can be found true rest and satisfaction.  Let us cast our cares and burdens upon Him who has promised to sustain us.”   Ezekiel Hopkins 

“Our mercies come in great numbers, but God distributes them by parcels that we are able to acknowledge them and be thankful for them.  He loads us daily that we may not forget Him but have new reasons for praise.  Each day we are in need of new strength, new grace, and new supplies.  Every day affords business, trouble, care, and burdens enough…God would not have us to be overly burdened with worry about tomorrow; He would have us look no further than today.  Take one day at a time, and go to God that He will most plentifully provide for you.”   Thomas Manton  

“The soul is downcast too much when our sorrow does not bring us to God, but away from God…When we do not trust in God we are trusting in ourselves, and we cannot experience victory in our own strength.  The true child of God, in his greatest troubles, has the Spirit of God to strengthen him.  He rests upon his God.  In the greatest troubles, the Spirit helps our weakness.”  Richard Sibbes

“Give your burdens to Him – moment by moment – He never tires to hear from His children.  He will never let the righteous fall but will strengthen them to soar on wings like eagles, to run and not grow weary to walk and not be faint.”  BHY

HEART SAVOR

• God delights for His children to depend on and rest secure in Him.
• We can’t do it, He never said we could.  He can do it, He always said He would.  ¹³ I can do everything through him who gives me strength.  Philippians 4:13 (NIV)
• We are not to be troubled.  We are not to be afraid.  We are to cast our cares upon Him.      

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The Damaging Destruction Of The Undisciplined Emotions 2.5.21

   THE DAMAGING DESTRUCTION OF THE UNDISCIPLINED EMOTIONS

BREAD

²⁹ Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:29-32 (NIV)

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7 (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)

¹⁷ A quick-tempered man does foolish things, and a crafty man is hated.  Proverbs 14:17 (NIV)

²⁹ A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly. ³⁰ A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.  Proverbs 14:29-30 (NIV)

²⁸ Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.  Proverbs 25:28 (NIV)

²⁴ Better to live on a corner of the roof  than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.  Proverbs 25:24 (NIV)

¹³ A foolish son is his father’s ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping.  Proverbs 19:13 (NIV)

¹¹ A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.  Proverbs 19:11 (NIV)

¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you?  Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.  ¹⁴ But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.  ¹⁵ Such ‘wisdom’ does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.  ¹⁶ For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.  ¹⁷ But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.  ¹⁸ Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.  James 3:13-18 (NIV)

The man who fears God will avoid all [extremes].   Ecclesiastes 7:18 (NIV)

¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.  Ephesians 5:15-18 (NIV)

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.  Galatians 5:22-26 (NIV)

BUTTER

“We don’t have to let our emotions rule us. I’ve learned  the peace of God can transform our pain.  I never found relief in begging, demanding, or scolding God. I only found relief in prayers oftrust.  This kind of prayer meant I had to turn over my problems to God. It was the only way to make a difference in my difficulties.  I’ve discovered that the prayer of trust is the real prayer of faith.”  Linda Evans Shepherd

“Her example was the antithesis of complaining, that ‘woe is me’ tendency to grouse, grouch, and grumble. Complainers are usually contentious instead of content, tear down instead of building, and wear others out emotionally. A complainer’s lack of contentment is often caused by a tendency to compare themselves to others. Complainers are often people who relive ugly situations and perceived injustices over and over in their minds. They are unwilling or unable to let past events or hurts go. Complainers keep reloading their minds with negative thoughts and often live in depression, despair, or darkness.  Pastor Harry Reeder puts it like this, ‘Selfish, self-absorbed, self-centered people are despairing, despondent, and depressed.’”  Donna Evans

“You see, we all have what Paul Tripp calls ‘Gospel amnesia.’  We (probably) know the truth; we just don’t allow the truth to set us free, to quote Jesus.  We have to remember that every hardship in life and ministry—marriage conflicts, parenting questions, financial struggles, fear of the future, loss of vision or focus, divisiveness in leadership, etc.—is an opportunity to apply the gospel.  Even saying it like that is wrong.  We don’t “apply the gospel” to the issues of life, as if it was a mathematical formula.  The gospel is not a principle to master or a procedure to follow.  The gospel is life.  It is how we live life as a believer.  It is how we relate to ourselves, to God, and to each other.  The Scriptures put it like this: “The just shall live by faith” (Hab. 2:4; Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38).  The just, the righteous, the people of God, live only by faith.  We don’t live by effort or insight or emotion; we live by faith in the work of Another, and his name is Jesus.”  Dr. Tom Wood

…“The fact of the matter is that we cannot cast off restraint, run riot, please ourselves and be completely hedonistic without a price having to be paid. The human price is the destruction of relationships; the spiritual price is a breach with God.”   John Blanchard

“Worry is the great robber of peace and joy.  What has it ever done for us except to make us miserable and steal away our valuable time?  Can we really afford to give in to its far-reaching destruction?  If we are a child of the King, if it is true that God is our loving Father and that all of His promises are for us and “yes” in Jesus, then what do we have to worry about?  He bestows on us the peace that passes understanding and through His power we can prevent emotions from controlling our lives. ”  BHY 

“A person who has an undisciplined spirit or no self-control is like a city without walls. He or she is open to enemy attack at any given moment. When we fail to exercise a spirit of self-control, the wild animals of jealousy, rage, frustration, gossip, bearing a false witness, and more can enter our lives easily and unopposed. A lack of self-control is Satan’s way of preparing us for destruction. However, you do not have to fall victim to the enemy’s schemes. You have all you need to stand firm in your faith. God is the one who strengthens you. When you fall in battle and cry out to Him, He rushes to your side and lifts you up.”   Michael Youssef

“No one is brought to life through curses, gossip, accusations, or blaming. There is so much taking place around us all the time. And it calls forth only darkness, destruction, and death.”  John Piper

“He will keep your heart at peace, even amid your busy life.”  Cathe Laurie

“Christianity is more than going to heaven when you die; it’s about dying with Christ now — so you can live now.  Christianity is more than performing a good life —- it’s about Christ performing an entirely perfect life for you — so you can live the abundant life in its entirety.  Christianity is more than going through the motions — it’s about letting Christ touch the heart of your emotions  — and going through life with Him. It’s time to check behind the cheap frame of things — because it turns out:  A life of faith may not be what you think — or what most people live.  It’s infinitely more.”   Ann Voskamp

“Who among us does not need grace?  Who among us does not long for merciful loving-kindness?  Who among us does not need forgiveness?  Every morning get up and teach yourself the Gospel – we all are sinners in need of a Savior – and be ever so thankful that we have One.”    BHY  

“When we let our fears and anxieties dominate our emotions and behaviors, peace will seem out of reach. This will remain true as long as we seek peace in our own strength. Where do you seek peace? In striving for perfect, conflict-free relationships? In knowing you have more money than you could possibly need? In feeling accepted by those around you? But peace can only come from God’s righteousness working within us. No person can have peace apart from a daily filling of the Spirit of God.”    Michael Youssef

“Feelings are meant be fully felt and then fully surrendered to God.  Pain begs to be felt—or life will beg you to feel not one emotion at all. Emotion means movement — and emotions are meant to move you toward God.”   Ann Voskamp

“The part of the story that made all the difference—and the part that continues to take the ordinary and pain-filled minutes and turn them into potential—is that I brought my emotions and my wrestling to the Word of God. Your eyes watched every minute. You held me with those eyes.  Not one of my minutes goes unwitnessed by You, God.  Bareness before God shows up in unexpected places, in the everyday chaos of life. In the middle minutes.”  Sara Hagerty

“Since ‘The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure’, it is wise for us, like King David, to pray:  ‘²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. ²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’ (Psalms 139:23-24 (NIV)).  And, also like King David as well, allow ourselves to have friends like Nathan who are willing to tell us the difficult things so that we may change and no longer be on the path of destruction.  All sin leads to death of something.  Just saying…”  BHY

“Give me a hundred men who love God with all their hearts and fear nothing but sin, and I will move the world.”   John Wesley

HEART SAVOR

• Get control of your emotions through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit so that they will not control you to your demise.
• We are to be careful how we live – not as unwise but as wise – making the most of every opportunity.
• We can be world movers if we love God with wholehearted devotion and a willing mind and fear (as well as hate) sin.

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