Christ Is To Be Preeminent In Our Lives 4.28.21

CHRIST IS TO BE PREEMINENT IN OUR LIVES

BREAD

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.   John 1:1-5 (NIV)

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.  Colossians 1:15-18 (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. ²² And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, ²³ which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.  Ephesians 1:18-23 (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)

²⁶ “He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior.’  ²⁷ I will also appoint him my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth. ²⁸ I will maintain my love to him forever, and my covenant with him will never fail.  ²⁹ I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure.”   Psalms 89:26-29 (NIV)

¹³ See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. ¹⁴ Just as there were many who were appalled at him — his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness– ¹⁵ so will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.  Isaiah 52:13-15 (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)

⁷ Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen. ⁸ “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”  Revelation 1:7-8 (NIV)

BUTTER

“It is important to understand that fruitfulness and growth are the results of focusing on Christ and desiring to honor Him.  When growth and change are our primary goals, we tend to be preoccupied with ourselves instead of with Christ.  ‘Am I growing?  Am I getting any better? Am I more like Christ today?  What am I learning?’   This inordinate preoccupation with self-improvement parallels our culture’s self-help and personal enhancement movement in many ways.  Personal development is certainly not wrong, but it is misleading—and it can be very disappointing—to make it our preeminent goal.  If it is our goal at all, it should be secondary.  As we grasp the unconditional love, grace, and power of God, then honoring Christ will increasingly be our consuming passion…The only One worthy of our preoccupation is Christ, our sovereign Lord, who told Paul, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness’”.   Robert McGee, The Search for Significance

“Weary? Worn down? Discouraged? Stop moving. Start waiting. Fall at the feet of Jesus, and if you’re too busy to do that, you’re too busy. Knock some things off your agenda and make spending time with Jesus your main priority. Swap your plans for His. It’s an unfair trade—we get much more than we deserve. And in the process, we will become more like Him. What a gracious Father.”   Cathe Laurie

“Everything that attacks Jesus ends up serving Him instead. Crucify Him, and He will make the cross His throne (John 12:23). Exhaust your ammo on him, and He will disarm you in the process (Colossians 2:15). Bury Him in a tomb and set your guards against it, and He will rise and send you running (Matthew 28:4). You would sooner snuff out the sun than rob the Lord Jesus of his preeminence.  The living Christ reigns preeminent over closed countries, crazed dictators, demonic spirits, post-Christian wastelands, and all the enemies so familiar to our own souls. Whether willingly or not, every tongue will soon confess the truth, ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’ (Philippians 2:11).  The nations may still rage, and the rulers of earth and hell may still set themselves against God’s anointed (Psalms 2:1-3), but the empty tomb already tells the end of the story: He must be preeminent.”  Scott Hubbard

“What is our hope in life and death? Christ alone, Christ alone.  What is our only confidence? That our souls to him belong.  Who holds our days within His hand?  What comes, apart from His command?  And what will keep us to the end?  The love of Christ, in which we stand.  O sing hallelujah! Our hope springs eternal; O sing hallelujah!  Now and ever we confess Christ our hope in life and death.”  Getty Music Team

“If you will put Jesus first—make the time, make Him a priority—He will take care of all of the details of your life. You don’t have to run around aimlessly, searching for purpose or meaning. Those things are only found at the feet of Jesus, and until you’re willing to slow down and stoop down, you will search for meaning the rest of your life.”  Cathe Laurie

“The moment is coming, as surely as the day follows the dawn, when every knee will bow before the Firstborn from the dead (Philippians 2:9-11). In all things, he must get the glory. He must have the first place. He must be preeminent.”   Scott Hubbard

“Jesus Christ knows our circumstances better than we do, and He says we must not think about these things to the point where they become the primary concern of our life.  Whenever there are competing concerns in your life, be sure you always put your relationship to God first.”   Oswald Chambers

“When Jesus is the axle around whom all the spokes of your priorities revolve, when He is the very center of your life, all other priorities will fall into place as everything begins to revolve around Him. When Jesus is at the center of the priority wheel, we will give Him the first fruit of the day—not the rotten, leftover fruit of our time and energy. We will make decisions with His will in mind rather than our own.”   Michael Youssef

“I make it my priority to persevere in His holy presence, wherein I maintain a simple attention and a fond regard for God.”   Brother Lawrence

“When we gladly give him the first place, we find our sin forgiven and our humanity restored.  Jesus will be utterly preeminent in just a little while, without rebel or rival pretending otherwise. And it is not only our best wisdom, but also our highest happiness, to say today and every day, ‘In my life, he must be preeminent.’” Scott Hubbard

HEART SAVOR

• When we make Christ first in our lives – His priorities, His kingdom ways – all other relationships will fall suitably under that.  In pleasing Him, we will please others.  The command is love Him and love others.
• Make it your goal to live your life for an audience of One – giving priority to the Lord Jesus.
• One fine day every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth. 

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Beware Of Too Much Ease 4.26.21

BEWARE OF TOO MUCH EASE

BREAD

⁹ How long will you lie there, you sluggard?  When will you get up from your sleep?  ¹⁰ A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest– ¹¹ and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.   Proverbs 6:9-11 (NIV)

⁸ “Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. ⁹ Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.”  Proverbs 30:8-9 (NIV)

⁴ The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.  Proverbs 13:4 (NIV)

⁴ A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.  Proverbs 20:4 (NIV)

⁵ The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.  Proverbs 21:5 (NIV)

⁴ Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.  Proverbs 10:4 (NIV)

³⁰ I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment; ³¹ thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins.  ³² I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw:  ³³ A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest– ³⁴ and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.  Proverbs 24:30-34 (NIV)

¹⁰ God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. ¹¹ We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. ¹² We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.  Hebrews 6:10-12 (NIV)

²⁶ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? ²⁷ Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.’  ²⁸ ‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. ²⁹ For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. ³⁰ And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”  Matthew 25:26-30 (NIV)

¹⁶ And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. ¹⁷ He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ ¹⁸ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹ And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’  ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’  ²¹ This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”   Luke 12:16-21 (NIV)

¹⁸ But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.  Deuteronomy 8:18 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Every time we resist the slightest temptation, we honor God.  Every time we overcome even the smallest problem by trusting and obeying our Lord Jesus, God is glorified in our lives.  Whenever we choose character over convenience, faithfulness over ease, or honesty over deceit, we bring honor to the Lord Himself.”  Robert J. Morgan

“Blessing, ironically, can dull our spiritual senses and deplete our spiritual resolves. And it can open us to new and subtle temptations. Powerful men fall into this trap over the histories of Scripture. King David, for instance, defeated his tens of thousands with a heart like God’s, only then to crumble before another man’s wife while he enjoyed the comforts and spoils of his victories. The adversity and vulnerability of caves drew the best out of him, while the luxury of his palace exposed the worst.”   Marshall Segal

“A noted scientist observing that ‘early voyagers fancied that the coral-building animals instinctively built up the great circles of the Atoll Islands to afford themselves protection in the inner parts,’ has disproved this fancy by showing that the insect builders can only live and thrive fronting the open ocean, and in a highly aerated foam of its resistless billows.  So it has been commonly thought that protected ease is the most favorable condition of life, whereas all the noblest and strongest lives prove on the contrary that the endurance of hardship is the making of the men, and the factor that distinguishes between existence and vigorous vitality.  Hardship makes character.”     Mrs. Charles E. Cowman

“A life lived for Jesus Christ is not usually outlined with popularity or ease. But churches in the West today are steeped in comfort, espousing self-help rather than sacrifice, and they are growing in number.”  Michael Youssef

“The worst of sluggards only ask for a little slumber; they would be indignant if they were accused of complete laziness. A little folding of the hands to rest is all they desire, and they have a host of reasons to show that this indulgence is entirely legitimate. Yet by these ‘littles’ the day runs out, and the time for work is all gone, and the field is overgrown with thorns. It is by little procrastinations that men ruin their souls. They do not intend to delay for years—a few months, they say, will bring the more convenient season—tomorrow they will attend to serious things; but the present hour is so occupied and so unsuitable that they beg to be excused.  Like sands from an hourglass, time passes; life is wasted by driblets, and seasons of grace lost by little slumbers. Oh, to be wise, to catch the fleeting hour, to use the passing moments! May the Lord teach us this sacred wisdom, because otherwise a poverty of the worst kind awaits us—eternal poverty that will want even a drop of water and beg for it in vain. Like a robber steadily pursuing his victim, poverty overtakes the lazy, and ruin overthrows the undecided: Each hour brings the    dreaded pursuer nearer; he doesn’t pause on the way, for he is on his master’s business and must not delay. As an armed man enters with authority and power, in similar fashion want will come to the idle, and death to the impenitent, and there will be no escape.  O that men would become wise and would diligently seek the Lord Jesus, before the solemn day will dawn when it will be too late to plow and to sow, too late to repent and believe. In harvest, it is useless to lament that the seedtime was neglected. As of now, there is still time for faith and holy decision.”  C. H. Spurgeon

“Some of the darkest, most irresistible temptations come in the wake of blessing. As we enjoy some provision or breakthrough or triumph, whether in life, or work, or ministry, our spiritual defenses often come down. We might coast. We may begin neglecting disciplines and relationships that have kept us close to and dependent on Jesus.  Suffering, by comparison, often has the opposite effect. Suffering simultaneously raises our defenses (vigilance), and brings us to our knees (humility). Suffering disabuses us of self-reliance, and removes the luster of earthly pleasures and indulgences. Suffering often makes spiritual and eternal reality more vivid and tangible, putting the urgency of earthly life in greater perspective and focus.”  Marshall Segal

“Worldly ease is a great enemy to faith; it loosens the joints of holy zeal and snaps the sinews of sacred courage. The balloon never rises until the cords are cut; affliction provides this service for believing souls. While the wheat sleeps comfortably in the husk, it is useless to us; it must be threshed out of its resting place before its value can be known. Thus it is good that the Lord tests the righteous, for it causes them to grow rich toward God.” C. H. Spurgeon revised by Alistair Begg

“When people ask about healing, I’m less interested in the physical and more interested in healing my heart.  Pray that I get rid of my lazy attitude about God’s Word and prayer, of brute pride – set me free from self-centeredness. Those are more important, because Jesus thought they were more important….God will permit what he hates in order to accomplish what he loves.”   Joni Eareckson Tada

“As we look back to our pains and sufferings, we shall see that suffering is not worthy to be compared to our first night’s welcome home in heaven.  If we could smell of heaven and our country above, our crosses would not bite us.  Lay all your loads by faith on Christ, ease yourself, and let Him bear all.  He can, He does, and He will bear you.”  Samuel Rutherford

HEART SAVOR

• An easy life rarely (if ever) produces a mighty oak of righteousness.
• Storms in our lives are designed to make the roots grow deep.
• Many temptations come in the wake of blessings.

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Custom Designed For Your Calling 4.23.21

CUSTOM DESIGNED FOR YOUR CALLING

BREAD

¹³ For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. ¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. ¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, ¹⁶ your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.  Psalms 139:13-16 (NIV)

⁵ As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.  Ecclesiastes 11:5 (NIV)

¹⁰ Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese, ¹¹ clothe me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews? ¹² You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit.   Job 10:10-12 (NIV)

⁴ The word of the LORD came to me, saying, ⁵ “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”  ⁶ “Ah, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.”  ⁷ But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. ⁸ Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD.   Jeremiah 1:4-8 (NIV)

¹⁵ When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”  “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”  Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”  ¹⁶ Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?”  He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”  Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”  ¹⁷ The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”  Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”  Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. ¹⁸ I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹ Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”  ²⁰ Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) ²¹ When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”  ²² Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”   John 21:15-22 (NIV)

¹⁰ In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”  “Yes, Lord,” he answered.  ¹¹ The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. ¹² In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”  ¹³ “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”  ¹⁵ But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. ¹⁶ I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”  Acts 9:10-16 (NIV)

³ For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. ⁴ Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. ⁷ If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; ⁸ if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.  Romans 12:3-8 (NIV)

¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.   John 15:16 (NIV)

⁷ The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. ⁸ Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. ⁹ Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. ¹⁰ Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.  1 Peter 4:7-10 (NIV)

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 2:10 (NIV)

¹⁹ And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 (NIV)

BUTTER

“This ‘it’s all about grace’ talk goes wrong when we say that the amazing grace that saves the Christian doesn’t also make him distinct from the unbeliever in love, action, and speech.  When we go out of our way to discount the grace of good works in Christian life, we betray how little we really know of grace.  Nothing on this planet is like it.  It is the most precious jewel we can receive.  The sweetest thing our souls can taste.  The loveliest lyric our mouths can sing.  But it is never a powerless thing.  God does not have a type of saving grace that, once given, leaves its recipient unchanged.  Saving grace not only justifies the ungodly (Romans 4:5) but trains us ‘to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age’ (Titus 2:11-12).  God himself is at work in us by His Spirit (Philippians 2:13).  And this grace is a more effective teacher than Dr. Phil or Dr. Seuss or any other teacher in the world.  But the doctrine of same-as-the-world Christianity tells us something different:  that those who have found the doctor are no healthier than those who have not.  Or, in the other rendition, that those beggars who have found the bread stay just as malnourished as the starving world.  But patients who tell us that they have seen the medic, while also confessing they are still no different from those miserable souls in the waiting room, let us all in on the secret that they are either lying or need to find a new doctor.”  Greg Morse   

“God has designed a particular purpose for all His creatures – birds, beasts, bees, sun, moon, stars, flowers, trees, and fruits – all are appointed to act according to their nature.  Flowers refresh us and trees give us shade and fruit.  Rivers run along their course to the ocean, and the mighty sea ebbs and flows. Man is designed for a nobler end, suitable to the excellence of his being:  to worship the glorious and blessed God, and to exercise himself to godliness.  The Lord made all things for Himself.   Man was made to worship Him actively and affectionately.  He is predestined and created for this purpose.  How absurd to conceive that God would so carefully form us and enliven us with a spark of His own fire and a ray of His own light, to send us into the world merely to eat, drink, sleep, buy, sell, sow, and reap!  Surely He had a higher purpose in forming man with so much care and cost?   Man is a spiritual being that he might seek heaven and be serviceable to the Lord of heaven.”     George Swinnock

“Service to God is as uniquely differing among believers as our fingerprints.  God has specifically designed good works for each life that we may walk in them through His power and for His glory and for our good.  These works encompass all areas from peeling potatoes to running a country to changing a diaper to caring for the elderly to holding a door – it matters not what the task is but that we are faithful to walk in it.  We cannot do all things for all people.  Jesus Himself did not feed every hungry soul nor heal every hurting one as He walked this dusty earth.  We are all limited by our physical bodies yet through His power we are all equipped to do what we are called to do, and the body of Christ suffers –as well as we ourselves – when we remain unfaithful to the task.  God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply and it equates to the abundant life which Jesus came to give us.  Don’t be misled, service out of love for God is that component which makes for greatness in a life because God’s Word attests to that.”   BHY

“We are the workmanship of God. He wants to regenerate us through our relationship with Jesus in the supernatural community of the Church. Then, He gives us the spiritual gifts and tools we’ll need to do the good works that he’s already prepared for us to do.”   Chip Ingram

“Grumbling and complaining denotes a dissatisfied heart with God’s plan for our lives.  When we murmur and wail over our circumstance we demonstrate our lack of contentment with His provisions for us and, as the “rabble” complained about the manna, it incites God’s anger.  So often we are consumed by selfish ambitions and vain conceits with a penchant for every sort of self-indulgence.  Comfort becomes not a luxury but a necessity and almost a “god” in our eyes.  Our giftings are meant to lead us into selfless service with a pure heart.  Indeed, that is where the abundant life is found.  Watch your hearts and guard against dissatisfaction – whatever that may look like in your life.”  BHY

“Good works do not make a good man, but a good man does good works.”  Martin Luther

“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

• We are uniquely created for works that God planned in advance for us to do.
• We are the ultimate losers if we choose not to stand firm in God’s will for our lives, mature and fully assured.  In doing so, we miss out on His best for our lives
• He gives us the power to accomplish His works and the One Who gives the power gets the glory.

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Endeavor To Keep A Tender Conscience 4.21.21

ENDEAVOR TO KEEP A TENDER CONSCIENCE

BREAD

¹ The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. ² Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.  1 Timothy 4:1-2 (NIV)

³ I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. ⁴ Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.  2 Timothy 1:3-4 (NIV)

¹³ He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.  Proverbs 28:13 (NIV)

¹⁴ Blessed is the man who always fears the LORD, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.  Proverbs 28:14 (NIV)

⁶ I will maintain my righteousness and never let go of it; my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.   Job 27:6 (NIV)

¹ Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. ² Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. ³ Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. ⁴ But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, ⁵ “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” ⁶ He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. ⁷ “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “[It was intended] that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. ⁸ You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”  John 12:1-8 (NIV)

³ For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. ⁴ For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. ⁵ Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.  Romans 13:3-5 (NIV)

¹ Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.”  Acts 23:1 (NIV)

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.  1 Peter 3:15-16 (NIV)

¹² Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God. We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God’s grace.        2 Corinthians 1:12 (NIV)

³ As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer ⁴ nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God’s work–which is by faith. ⁵ The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. ⁶ Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk.  1 Timothy 1:3-6 (NIV)

¹⁶ So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.   Acts 24:16 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Get and keep a tender conscience.  Be sensible of the least sin.  Some men’s consciences are like the stomach of the ostrich that can digest iron:  they can swallow the most notorious sins without regret.  A good conscience is very delicate.  It feels the least touch of known sin, and is grieved at the thought of grieving God’s Spirit.  It will choose the greatest of suffering before the least of sinning.”  John Gibbon

“He who makes a small matter of small sins is in danger of falling into the greater.  Even the godly are subject to a fall.  Yet a truly regenerate soul rooted in Christ can never fall away totally or finally…How can we keep from falling so we do not crucify afresh the Son of God and tread on His blood?  Watch and pray that you do not enter into temptation.  Keep your conscience tender and flee the first motion and occasion of sin.  Don’t think of sin as a little thing and don’t take mercy for granted.  Don’t trust in your own strength.  Don’t trust in light repentance.  True repentance flees further stumblings.  Remember that yielding to sin increases its power to rise higher.  Every time the bone is broken, the mending is more difficult and the limp more pronounced.”   John Sheffield 

“Grace remits sin and peace quiets the conscience. Sin and conscience torment us, but Christ has overcome these fiends now and forever. Only Christians possess this victorious knowledge given from above. These two terms, grace and peace, constitute Christianity. Grace involves the remission of sins, peace and a happy conscience. Sin is not canceled by lawful living, for no person is able to live up to the law…the fact is the more a person seeks credit for himself by his own efforts, the deeper he goes into debt. Nothing can take away sin except the grace of God. In actual living, however it is not so easy to persuade oneself that by grace alone, in opposition to every other means, we obtain the forgiveness of our sins and peace with God.”  Martin Luther

“The ‘pure in heart’ are those who have had their sins forgiven and are resting in the merits of Christ’s efficacious blood shed on the cross on their behalf.  They are those who, clothed in Christ’s righteousness, rest secure in Him.  It is only they who are bestowed upon the peace that passes all understanding.”  BHY

“A bad example may kindle a flame that years of amended character cannot quench.”    C.H. Spurgeon

“Admit no peace with sin.  Satan will tell you that sin is pleasant.  Ask yourself if the gripping of conscience is also pleasant?  Ask yourself if it is pleasant to be in hell, and be under the wrath of God?  Ask yourself if the pleasures of sin for a season compare with the rivers of God’s pleasures?  How do they compare to a weight of glory, an incorruptible crown, and a heavenly kingdom?  God alone is enough, but without Him, nothing is enough for your happiness.  His love, grace, and the comforts of his Spirit will certainly sweeten your way to heaven.  Sometimes you will experience joy unutterable and full of glory.  God is a good Master and in His service is a perfect freedom.”  John Gibbon  

“Everything of duty and sin is the object of the conscience.  There is no way to get rid of your conscience.  The wicked try to extinguish it.  They flatter it with carnal reasoning, bribe it with mock devotions, wound it with heinous provocations, and trample it under foot by sinning in spite of it.  They run from it, and will not listen to it.  They seek to blind it by diversions, yet it is still active.  The conscience can stir the heart to see sin, perhaps forty years ago, as if it was yesterday.  Even emperors of the world are troubled.  Why don’t they shake it off?  Is it the fear of men or shame?  No!  It was a secret sin.  They are haunted by the fury of their own consciences.  Even the atheist cannot relieve himself of God’s deputy, the conscience.  They cannot sin in peace, and blow out the candle of conscience.  Your conscience is your best friend.  There is no greater riches, pleasure, or safety, than a good conscience.”  Samuel Annesley

“Bring your lusts under the rule of your sanctified reason.  What a silly thing is man in a fleshly passion.  Nothing is more ridiculous and contemptible.  If your lust overcomes reason, bid your conscience to do its work, and look to Scripture for support.  If the love of God’s commands will not restrain you, let the terrors and the thunders of His threats persuade you.  God will not be mocked.  Seek to draw the stream of your lusts in a different direction.”  John Gibbon     

“How shall we get a good conscience?  Take heed of every sin, and do not count any small.  Renew repentance every day, being serious and frequent in heart examinations.  Live as under God’s eye.  All things are bare before Him.  Be much in secret prayer.  Consider every action as a part of your life purpose.  Enjoy Christ more and entertain good thoughts of God.  Whatever you do, do it out of love for God.”  Samuel Annesley

HEART SAVOR

• Beware, consciences can be seared as with a hot iron.  Take heed of your sin and do not count any small. 
• Get and keep a clear conscience by seeking quick repentance.  If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 
• Never forget we all live Coram Deo – before the face of God.

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Stable And Steadfast 4.19.21

STABLE AND STEADFAST

BREAD

²¹ Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. ²² But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation– ²³ if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.  Colossians 1:21-23 (NIV)

⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. ⁸ For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  2 Peter 1:5-8 (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)

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)

¹² Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.  James 1:12 (NIV)

⁶ He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.  Isaiah 33:6 (NIV)

³ We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.  1 Thessalonians 1:3 (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.  Hebrews 6:17-19 (NIV)

²³ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.  Hebrews 10:22-23 (NIV)

³ We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. ⁴ Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.  2 Thessalonians 1:3-4 (NIV)

⁵ May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.  2 Thessalonians 3:5 (NIV)

⁵⁸ Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.  1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Hold steady!  Trials will come; don’t be blown over.  Be unbending and undeterred. Remain faithful.  Steadfastness, holding fast, is a critical facet of Christian maturity.  We do not become complete or godly without it.  Steadfastness isn’t a virtue that shines in comfort but in conflict — under trial (James 1:12), in persecutions, afflictions, and sufferings.  Happy are they who hold their holy ground, who keep the anchor down in unstable times, because they are held firm by the steadfastness of Christ.”  David Mathis

“The Christian disgraces his profession far more often in prosperity than in adversity.  It is a dangerous thing to be prosperous.  The crucible of adversity is a less severe trial to the Christian than the refining experience of prosperity…It needs more than human skill to carry the brimming cup of mortal joy with a steady hand. ”   Charles H. Spurgeon

“‘A field has to be broken open before it can grow anything up.  Just stay steady.  No fits and starts – just stay steady.  Trust it as it comes.’ I hear too… nod too. Steadiness is a balm to brokenness.”   Ann Voskamp

“It is vastly important where our steady gaze remains – fixed on Jesus – as we traverse this dusty earth on our way home.  It is easy to grow weary and loose heart without a proper focus.  He gives us everything we need to do His will.  We don’t muster ‘it’ up because ‘it’ is not in the flesh.  The flesh will fizzle out while the Spirit is a steady stream of achieving power and joy and peace as we remain in the center of His good and pleasing and perfect will.   It is the best place to be – hands down.”  BHY  

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

“How to be pure?  By steadfast longing for the one good, that is, God.”  Meister Eckhart

“Immerse yourself in God’s Word, apply what you learn, and He will fan into flames the fire of your passion which keeps you yearning for further still and creates within you a pure and clean heart and a steadfast spirit.  Nothing this life offers equal this.”  BHY

“Until a man learns how to take a blow and keep on standing he will never produce a steady walk of faith.”   Alan Stewart

“In the wait, whatever you lose, don’t lose heart — you never lose what lasts forever. You’ve got to believe it: whatever is being lost momentarily, more is being gained eternally.  In the wait, if you shift the way you see — and see that the wait could make you into the person you’ve been waiting to become.  If you’re waiting on God — do what waiters do: serve.  In serving, you are served a feast of what you’re longing for.  Because the One who loves you steadfastly, stood fast at the cross for you, so now stand fast for Him.”   Ann Voskamp

The masterworks of God are those men who stand in the midst of difficulties steadfast, unmovable– Calm mid the bewildering cry, Confident of victory. The one who would glorify his God must be prepared to meet with many trials. No one can be illustrious before the Lord unless his conflicts are many.  If, then, yours is a much-tried path, rejoice in it, because you will be better able to display the all-sufficient grace of God. As for His failing you, never dream of it–hate the thought. The God who has been sufficient until now should be trusted to the end.” C. H. Spurgeon revised by Alistair Begg

“Be much in communication with God, and the devil will have little communication with you.  When the soul has taken its flight, O how easily does it soar above the smoke and dust of fleshly lusts!  Love your dear Master, and you will not find a love for sin.  Consider also that things morally good or evil are not so just because one is commanded and the other forbidden, but it is what they are essentially and unalterably.  They are fixed in their natures.  Bathe your soul with the everlasting beauty of holiness, and the horror and ugliness of all iniquity.  Also, understand your own self.  Do not be a stranger to yourself.”   John Gibbon

“Watch, therefore, over this unsteady heart of mine, O thou Keeper of Israel; that as soon as it begins to wander from thee, I may be alarmed to flee from sin as from a serpent.  Give me grace to look upon every hour as my last; so that being ever wisely upon my guard I may meet thee with joy when my time is run out, whenever it shall please thee to call me hence.”   K. H. Von Bogatzky     

HEART SAVOR

• Our Christian walk should be resolutely firm, fixed and steadfast.
• We are called to persevere under trials and we will receive the crown of life.
• May the Lord direct our hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.

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He Forever Satisfies The Soul 4.16.21

HE FOREVER SATISFIES THE SOUL

BREAD

¹ Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. ² Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits– ³ who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, ⁴ who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, ⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.  Psalms 103:1-5 (NIV)

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

² I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. ³ Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. ⁴ I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. ⁵ My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.  Psalms 63:2-5 (NIV)

² Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. ³ Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.   Isaiah 55:2-3 (NIV)

¹³ Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  John 4:13-14 (NIV)

³⁵ Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”  John 6:35 (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)

⁸ And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. ⁹ As it is written: “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”  2 Corinthians 9:8-9 (NIV)

¹⁰ “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  John 10:10 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Our soul-thirst is satisfied with Jesus, so that we don’t thirst anymore. He is the end of our quest for satisfaction. There is nothing beyond, and nothing better.”  John Piper

“Desire only God, and your heart will be satisfied.”   Augustine

“Ecstasy and delight are essential to the believer’s soul and they promote sanctification.  We were not meant to live without spiritual exhilaration, and the Christian who goes for a long time without the experience of heart-warming will soon find himself tempted to have his emotions satisfied from earthly things and not, as he ought, from the Spirit of God.  The soul is so constituted that it craves fulfillment from things outside itself and will embrace earthly joys for satisfaction when it cannot reach spiritual ones…The believer is in spiritual danger if he allows himself to go for any length of time without tasting the love of Christ and savoring the felt comforts of a Savior’s presence.  When Christ ceases to fill the heart with satisfaction, our souls will go in silent search of other lovers….By the enjoyment of the love of Christ in the heart of a believer, we mean an experience of the “love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us”(Rom 5:5)….because the Lord has made himself accessible to us in the means of grace; it is our duty and privilege to seek this experience from Him in these means till we are made the joyful partakers of it.”  John Flavel (1630-1691)

“Much of the Christian life rests upon our response and our desire to experience God to the fullest. Don’t become satisfied with a relationship with God that is broken by sin and void of the power of the Holy Spirit. You have just as much of God’s powerful presence available to you as the greatest saint in Christian history!”   Henry Blackaby, Richard Blackaby

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

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

“Saving faith is spoken of as a drinking of water that satisfies the deepest longings of the soul. And the satisfaction becomes productive, like a well overflowing.”  John Piper

“He who is a believer in Jesus finds enough in his Lord to satisfy him now, and to content him for evermore.  The believer is not the man whose days are weary for want of comfort, and whose nights are long from absence of heart-cheering thought, for he finds in Christ such a spring of joy, such a fountain of consolation, that he is content and happy.  Put him in a dungeon and he will find good company; place him in a barren wilderness, he will eat the bread of heaven; drive him away from friendship, he will meet the ‘friend that sticketh closer than a brother.’  Blast all his gourds, and he will find shadow beneath the Rock of Ages; sap the foundation of his earthly hopes, but his heart will still be fixed, trusting in the Lord.  The heart is as insatiable as the grave till Jesus enters it, and then it is a cup full to overflowing.  There is such a fullness in Christ that He alone is the believer’s all.  The true saint is so completely satisfied with the all-sufficiency of Jesus that he thirsts no more – except it be for deeper draughts of the living fountain.”   Charles H. Spurgeon

“If you are thirsty in this life you have gone to the wrong well.”  BHY

“Through faith, Christ becomes in us an inexhaustible fountain of satisfying life that lasts forever and leads us to heaven, and on the way sets us free from the sinful illusions of other satisfactions. This he does by sending us his Spirit.”  John Piper

“The goal for every believer is to be conforming into the image of Jesus in ever increasing glory.  He came to show us how to live and left us with the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish so great a task. We can do nothing of eternal value apart from Him.  The One that gives the power gets the glory therefore, our Christlike behavior brings forth much glory to God as well as much joy and abundance to the believer in sweet Jesus.  At His right hand are pleasures forevermore.  Nothing in life satisfies the soul like Jesus.  Nothing.”  BHY

HEART SAVOR

• Jesus came to give us life to the full.  He overflows our cups.
• Whoever comes to Him will never thirst.
•  He alone can fully satisfy the soul – we are not found wanting with Him.

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Do Not Fear Man 4.14.21

DO NOT FEAR MAN

BREAD

⁴ The word of the LORD came to me, saying, ⁵ “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”  ⁶ “Ah, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.”  ⁷ But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. ⁸ Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD.   Jeremiah 1:4-8 (NIV)

¹⁰ Moses said to the LORD, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”  ¹¹ The LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? ¹² Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”  ¹³ But Moses said, “O Lord, please send someone else to do it.”  ¹⁴ Then the LORD’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you. ¹⁵ You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do.”  Exodus 4:10-15 (NIV)

⁶ So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”  Hebrews 13:6 (NIV)

³¹ What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³ Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died–more than that, who was raised to life–is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.  Romans 8:31-34 (NIV)

²⁴ Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the LORD’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them. ²⁵ Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD.”  ²⁶ But Samuel said to him, “I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you as king over Israel!”  1 Samuel 15:24-26 (NIV)

⁶ The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me?  ⁷ The LORD is with me; he is my helper.  I will look in triumph on my enemies.   Psalms 118:6-7 (NIV)

²³ Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. ²⁴ But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. ²⁵ He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.  John 2:23-25 (NIV)

⁷ Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. ⁸ The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. ⁹ Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ¹⁰ Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.  Galatians 6:7-10 (NIV)

²⁵ Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.  Proverbs 29:25 (NIV)

BUTTER

“A great obstacle to serving the Lord, especially among the young, is the fear of rejection and opposition.  All kinds of thoughts enter the mind about how some people might not like the way we act or speak.  People might disagree or be offended. I might make a mistake and get criticized. The fear of man is a great hindrance to ministry.  So God says, Don’t fear, because I will be with you and I will deliver you. God’s presence and approval is more valuable than all the accolades of men. And God says that, in and through all your troubles, I will deliver you. You will triumph in the end. You will be more than a conqueror. And the same thing is promised to all of us in Christ Jesus today.”  John Piper

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

“For your own soul’s sake, dare to make up your mind what you believe, and dare to have positive distinct views of truth and error. Never, never be afraid to hold decided doctrinal opinions. And let no fear of man and no morbid dread of being thought party-spirited, narrow, or controversial make you rest contented with a bloodless, boneless, tasteless, colorless, lukewarm, undogmatic Christianity.”   J.C. Ryle  

“It is always a lie from the pit that tells you that your gifts aren’t good enough to be given.  What will keep too many from doing much good — is caring too much what others think.”  Ann Voskamp

“To be like Jesus is to be sanctified — set apart for God’s holy use — in the truth of God’s word (John 17:17), which becomes our word (John 17:20). The most Christlike people have ‘the word of Christ’ dwelling in them richly (Colossians 3:16), and they speak what should be said, and refrain from speaking what should not be said (Ephesians 4:29). The most Christlike people seek God’s glory more than anything else, and this pursuit is what governs what they say.  The glory we seek has a great deal to do with what we choose to say or not say. When our primary pursuit is our own glory, we will hardly ever say anything that might endanger it. What others think of us will dictate our words (John 5:44). We will speak like everyone else speaks for the reasons everyone else speaks. What frees our tongues for God is what freed Jesus’s tongue for God. He sought the Father’s glory and trusted the Father to glorify him. If our tongue is tied, it very well could be that we value our glory above God’s.  One of the great freedoms for which ‘Christ has set us free’ (Galatians 5:1) is the freedom from the tyranny of pursuing our own glory. True freedom is pursuing God’s glory and trusting the Father, like Jesus did, to glorify us in the most satisfying ways at the proper time.”  Jon Bloom

“The person who serves selflessly, lovingly, without complaint, and without seeking recognition is highly regarded in the kingdom of God. The world will estimate your importance by the number of people serving you. God is more concerned with the number of people you are serving.”   Henry Blackaby, Richard Blackaby

“The most important thing in life isn’t what we think about ourselves or what others think about us, but what God thinks about us. He is the final Judge. When He examines and evaluates our motives, words, and actions, are we commended, as was Abel, or are we condemned, as was his brother Cain? ‘The Lord does not look at the things man looks at,’ God told the prophet Samuel. ‘Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart’ (1 Sam. 16:7).   Warren Wiersbe

“Live your life for an audience of One and you will not be disappointed.”  BHY

“Your life is rooted in the unshakable, sovereign purposes of God. You have been chosen and consecrated and formed and appointed for a great purpose.  God’s authority, not your own, is behind your serving and your speaking.  God himself will be with you to deliver you in all your trials.”  John Piper

“The brilliance of man cannot appreciate the plan of God (Isaiah 55:8-9). It is not self-confident erudition but self-effacing faith that allows one to enter the narrow way.”   Bible Knowledge Commentary

“God never fails the eyes of them that look up to Him.  His people will never be ashamed to hope in Him.  His name is a strong tower.  Cast your care upon Him.”  John Gibbon

“When you stop caring what others think may be exactly when you start doing what God wants.”   Ann Voskamp

HEART SAVOR

• We are not to be afraid of what man thinks rather what God thinks.
• Live your life for an audience of One.  When we live to please Him, all other relationships fall in proper order under.     
• Seek to bring God glory – not flesh. 

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The Slavery Of Selfish Ambition 4.12.21

THE SLAVERY OF SELFISH AMBITION

BREAD

³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. ⁴ Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 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 2:3-11 (NIV)

¹² Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.  Proverbs 18:12 (NIV)

²⁴ Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest.  Luke 22:24 (NIV)

³⁶ Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.  ³⁷ Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.  Psalms 119:36-37 (NIV)

¹ An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends; he defies all sound judgment.   Proverbs 18:1 (NIV)

⁴ Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life.   Proverbs 22:4 (NIV)

⁴ Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. ⁵ Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.    Proverbs 23:4-5 (NIV)

²⁰ A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished. Proverbs 28:20 (NIV)

²² A stingy man is eager to get rich and is unaware that poverty awaits him.  Proverbs 28:22 (NIV)

²⁵ A greedy man stirs up dissension, but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.  Proverbs 28:25 (NIV)

²³ A man’s pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.  Proverbs 29:23 (NIV)

¹⁹ The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.  Galatians 5:19-21 (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.  James 3:13-16 (NIV)

BUTTTER

“How quickly the moon of selfish ambition eclipses the Sun of Righteousness.  But where sin increased, Jesus’s grace abounded all the more.”   Jon Bloom

“It is another one of those ‘immutable laws of the universe’ where sharing, caring and giving trumps self-centered, narcissistic and selfish every time.”  Anonymous

“Empty me of the selfishness inside.  Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride.  Empty me of me so I can be filled with You.”   Chris Sligh

“Instead of being unhappy, just let your love grow as God wants it to grow.  Seek goodness in others.  Love more persons more…unselfishly, without thought of return.  The return, never fear, will take care of itself.”   Henry Drummond

“Grumbling and complaining denotes a dissatisfied heart with God’s plan for our lives.  When we murmur and wail over our circumstance we demonstrate our lack of contentment with His provisions for us and, as the “rabble” complained about the manna, it incites God’s anger.  So often we are consumed by selfish ambitions and vain conceits with a penchant for every sort of self-indulgence.  Comfort becomes not a luxury but a necessity and almost a “god” in our eyes.  Our giftings are meant to lead us into selfless service with a pure heart.  Indeed, that is where the abundant life is found.  Watch your hearts and guard against dissatisfaction – whatever that may look like in your life.”  BHY       

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

“There is something contagious about a heart of love. People who are selfless with their love can make giant waves in this world where those who cling to selfish desires cause only ripples. In fact, those who have hearts of love view the people around them as being most important. A heart that bears the marks of God’s intimate love is not a selfish heart. When we look directly into God’s heart of love, we are transformed forever. The selfish desires that once dominated our heart’s landscapes vanish in an instant, replaced by a desire to lavish love on others. As God begins to transform our hearts through His grace and kindness, we become vessels willing to reciprocate this type of love. Something happens inside of us. We begin to realize the twofold effect of loving God and loving others – not just friends and family, but others who cross our paths every day. Hardened hearts begin to melt beneath the warmth of Christ’s love overflowing from our lives. People who we never thought would let the name of Jesus roll off their lips suddenly praise Him because we have taken the time to love them the way God has commanded us to love. Once we learn how to abide in His love, our feelings of jealousy, greed, and anger die a quick death. A true champion extends grace and kindness because he knows the transformation that has taken place in his own heart, and he realizes those who receive God’s love and grace have no other course of action but to give God’s love away.”   Michael Youssef

“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

“Holy obedience puts to shame all natural and selfish desires.”  Francis of Assisi

“One act of war against pride is to marvel at the army of grace at our side, all the other grace-filled, grace-empowered members of the body of Christ.  Pride selfishly sets itself — its wisdom, its gifts, its experience, its potential — above everyone else. It focuses on its own strengths and minimizes its own weaknesses, while at the same time magnifying others’ weaknesses and downplaying their strengths. And when it is confronted, pride tends to cave in on itself in self-consuming introspection and self-pity. Paul won’t allow the proud to retreat into ourselves, though. He draws our eyes, instead, awayfrom ourselves to the awe-inspiring grace God has given to others. True humility does not quietly despise graces that are not its own, but loves them just as much, and even more.”  Marshall Segal

“When we have an inordinate eagerness to seek our own gain – vying for more and more power and prestige – we will find ourselves chained to selfish ambition.  Jesus tells us in all four Gospels that those who come to Him must deny self and take up our cross and follow hard after Him.  If you desire to take hold of life that is truly life then lose self and make much of Him.  He must become greater, we must become less.”  BHY 

HEART SAVOR

• We are to do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit rather in humility.
• Selfish ambition is an act of the sinful nature.
• Obedience puts to death fleshly desires.

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Be Aware Of The Deadly Effects Of Ignorance 4.9.21

BE AWARE OF THE DEADLY EFFECTS OF IGNORANCE

⁶ My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.  “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.”  Hosea 4:6 (NIV)

¹ “Put the trumpet to your lips!  An eagle is over the house of the LORD because the people have broken my covenant and rebelled against my law.  Hosea 8:1 (NIV)

¹² I wrote for them the many things of my law, but they regarded them as something alien. Hosea 8:12 (NIV)

²¹ “This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Go ahead, add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices and eat the meat yourselves! ²² For when I brought your forefathers out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, ²³ but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you. ²⁴ But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.’”  Jeremiah 7:21-24 (NIV)

⁴ And though the LORD has sent all his servants the prophets to you again and again, you have not listened or paid any attention. ⁵ They said, “Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways and your evil practices, and you can stay in the land the LORD gave to you and your fathers for ever and ever. ⁶ Do not follow other gods to serve and worship them; do not provoke me to anger with what your hands have made. Then I will not harm you.”  ⁷ “But you did not listen to me,” declares the LORD, “and you have provoked me with what your hands have made, and you have brought harm to yourselves.”  Jeremiah 25:4-7 (NIV)

¹ Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. ² For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. ³ Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. ⁴ Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.  Romans 10:1-4 (NIV)

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

¹⁵ Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.  2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV)

¹² For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. ¹³ Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.  Hebrews 4:12-13 (NIV)

¹² Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.  Proverbs 23:12 (NIV)

³ His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. ⁴ Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.  2 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV)

²³ Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline and understanding. ²⁴ The father of a righteous man has great joy; he who has a wise son delights in him.   Proverbs 23:23-24 (NIV)

³ By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; ⁴ through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. ⁵ A wise man has great power, and a man of knowledge increases strength.  Proverbs 24:3-5 (NIV)

BUTTER

“I will honor My Word, and I will honor those who give My Word the sacred preeminence it deserves.  My Word shall never return void.  It shall accomplish My purposes.”   Frances J. Roberts

“Meditation is a lost art today, and Christian people suffer grievously from their ignorance of the practice.  Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God.  It is an activity of holy thought, consciously performed in the presence of God, under the eye of God, by the help of God, as a means of communion with God.”   J. I. Packer

“Simple assent to the truth of the Word is but an act of the understanding.  Reprobates and devils may exercise this, but justifying faith takes its seat both in the understanding and the will.  The promises of God call for an act of the will to embrace and receive it.   Therefore, he who only notionally knows the promise, and speculatively assents to the truth of it, without clinging to it, and embracing it, does not believe to the saving of the soul.”  William Gurnall

“If there were one piece of advice, one bit of encouragement, that I could give you, that would be: know God’s word for yourself and have it memorized. Take those Scriptures that you read and take the time to get them deep and embedded into your heart and your mind. Because here’s what happens in life: you hit a moment of crisis. Many times, it can come out of the blue. It’s not something that you always get a forewarning or impression that something’s coming. And what will hold you, and what held me on that darkest day, are God’s word and His promises.”  Cathe Laurie

“Be willing to show others how they can communicate personally with God through His Word by His Spirit and ‘hear from heaven’ themselves – this is the greatest blessing you can ever give to another human being.  God is uniquely personal and desires for each one of us to approach Him individually and humbly.  Each of us are simply beggars sharing with other beggars where to get bread.”  BHY

“The brilliance of man cannot appreciate the plan of God (Isaiah 55:8-9). It is not self-confident erudition but self-effacing faith that allows one to enter the narrow way.”  Bible Knowledge Commentary

“Faith and freedom are never more than one generation away from extinction. We have to be intentional about being sure our children, and our children’s children, will hear the Word of God like we have heard it. We don’t pass it on to our children through our bloodstream; it’s not a genetic relationship. It must be fought for. It must be protected. It must be held onto. You must not veer from it or deviate from it no matter what culture tells you. If it is in opposition to the Word of God, you hold onto the Word of God. His Word will never fail. Heaven and earth will pass away, but we are told God’s Word will never pass away. It is eternal. It is God-breathed. We can bank on it. Live it. Know it. Understand it. Share it.”  Cathe Laurie

“Faith finds that Christ has made full payment to the justice of God having poured out His blood to death upon the cross.  All of His previous acts of humiliation were but preparatory to this.  He was born to die; He was sent into the world as a lamb bound with the bonds of an irreversible decree as a sacrifice.  There is no redemption but by His blood.  Christ did not redeem and save poor souls by sitting in majesty on His heavenly throne, but by hanging on the shameful cross, under the tormenting hand of man’s fury and God’s just wrath.  And therefore, the poor soul that would have pardon of sin, is directed to place its faith not only on Christ, but on a bleeding Christ, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood.  Believing implies a union of the soul to Christ with full trust and reliance.”   William Gurnall 

“Believe God’s Word and power more than you believe your own feelings and experiences.  Your Rock is Christ, and it is not the Rock which ebbs and flows, but your sea.”   Samuel Rutherford

“The One who is the Word wants to have a word with you.  To neglect the only Voice that calms waves is to invite internal chaos.  One day, either this world is going to blow apart, or your own world is going to blow apart, and the only way you’re going survive is if you’ve set time apart to let God’s Spirit blow in.  Apathy for God’s Word leads to atrophy of a soul.”   Ann Voskamp

HEART SAVOR

• If you know the Truth it will set you free.
• The Bible is your lifeline, we ignore it to our own detriment.
•  Wisdom brings much joy.  Be able to correctly handle and apply God’s Word – you will not be disappointed.

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A Wasted Life Can Be Redeemed 4.7.21

A WASTED LIFE CAN BE REDEEMED

BREAD

¹¹ Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. ¹² The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. ¹³ “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. ¹⁴ After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.”  ¹⁷ “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸ I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ ²⁰ So he got up and went to his father.” “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.  ²¹ “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ ²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.”   Luke 15:11-24 (NIV)

³⁹ One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” ⁴⁰ But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹ We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”  ⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”  ⁴³ Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”  Luke 23:39-43 (NIV)

⁹ What shall we conclude then? Are we any better ? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. ¹⁰ As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; ¹¹ there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. ¹² All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”  ¹³ “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.” ¹⁴ “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”  ¹⁵ “Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶ ruin and misery mark their ways, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they do not know.”  ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”  ¹⁹ Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. ²⁰ Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. ²¹ But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. ²² This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference.  Romans 3:9-22 (NIV)

³⁶ Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. ³⁷ When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, ³⁸ and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. ³⁹ When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is–that she is a sinner.”  ⁴⁰ Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”  “Tell me, teacher,” he said. ⁴¹ “Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴² Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”  ⁴³ Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.”  “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. ⁴⁴ Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶ You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. ⁴⁷ Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven–for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”  ⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”  Luke 7:36-48 (NIV)

⁹ Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders ¹⁰ nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.  1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NIV)

²⁰ When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. ²¹ What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! ²² But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 6:20-23 (NIV)

²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.   2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Maybe it was what he heard from Jesus himself. As men mocked and tormented him, laughing and insulting him, he met their derision with prayer: ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do’ (Luke 23:34). He had been cursing the crowd, but this man — with nails in his flesh — prayed for their forgiveness. Who is this man calling God ‘Father’ — even from these awful heights? Could I possibly be an answer to this King’s prayer? Can I be forgiven of my many sins and wasted life?   Greg Morse

“No one wants to waste his life — but what if you fear that you have? The thief who died next to Jesus on the cross, and lived a most ravaged and pitiful life two thousand years ago, stands out like a flower grown between cracks in the pavement, showing how, even on life’s final page, even in its final lines, a wasted life can be redeemed.”  Greg Morse  

“The worst of sluggards only ask for a little slumber; they would be indignant if they were accused of complete laziness. A little folding of the hands to rest is all they desire, and they have a host of reasons to show that this indulgence is entirely legitimate. Yet by these ‘littles’ the day runs out, and the time for work is all gone, and the field is overgrown with thorns. It is by little procrastinations that men ruin their souls. They do not intend to delay for years—a few months, they say, will bring the more convenient season—tomorrow they will attend to serious things; but the present hour is so occupied and so unsuitable that they beg to be excused.  Like sands from an hourglass, time passes; life is wasted by driblets, and seasons of grace lost by little slumbers. Oh, to be wise, to catch the fleeting hour, to use the passing moments! May the Lord teach us this sacred wisdom.”  Charles H. Surgeon

“He who makes a small matter of small sins is in danger of falling into the greater.  Even the godly are subject to a fall.  Yet a truly regenerate soul rooted in Christ can never fall away totally or finally…How can we keep from falling so we do not crucify afresh the Son of God and tread on His blood?  Watch and pray that you do not enter into temptation.  Keep your conscience tender and flee the first motion and occasion of sin.  Don’t think of sin as a little thing and don’t take mercy for granted.  Don’t trust in your own strength.  Don’t trust in light repentance.  True repentance flees further stumblings.  Remember that yielding to sin increases its power to rise higher.  Every time the bone is broken, the mending is more difficult and the limp more pronounced.”   John Sheffield  

“If He be God, there can be no limit to His power.  Come then with the blind eye of darkened understanding, come with the limping foot of wasted energy, come with the maimed hand of weak faith, the fever of an angry temper, or the ague of shivering despondency, come just as thou art, for He who is God can certainly restore thee of thy plague.  None shall restrain the healing virtue which proceeds from Jesus our Lord.”  Charles H. Spurgeon

“The marrow of life is not in our possessions or titles or degrees or anything else that will pass away with this age. The marrow is found in the man Christ Jesus and the mission he has given us. All transitory gifts God provides are for us to enjoy and for us to employ in the mission he calls us to (1 Timothy 6:17-19).  But if we look to these things for life’s marrow, we will find them hollow bones.”  Jon Bloom

“Never tire of doing what is right.  Live a life acutely aware of the brevity of it.  We are indeed but a mist.  And we will have all eternity to be in bliss.  Seek not to pander the flesh but to promote self-discipline, placing a priority of love on those in your spheres – especially those in your own household.  We often miss so many God given opportunities when indulging our worldly wants.  Denial of the flesh – choosing God’s will over my own – is never easy, often misunderstood but always worth it.  His way is higher, better, more beneficial and pleasing to the soul though often unutterably difficult.  In the end, it produces a life of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”  BHY

“Nothing is ever too far gone for hope to come find you.  Grace would have it no other way — but to make a way.”  Ann Voskamp

“If you are really the chosen of God, and beloved by Him, do not allow all this lavish treasure of grace to be wasted on you. Pursue holiness; it is the Christian’s crown and glory. An unholy church is useless to the world and of no esteem among men. It is an abomination, hell’s laughter, heaven’s abhorrence.”   C. H. Spurgeon 

“The essence of life is not found merely in simplicity and solitude and trying to get closer to a nature pulsing with life and convulsing in death. Life is not in today’s minimalism movement or sustainable living movement, nor is it in dream houses or bucket-list pursuits. All these things are ‘vanity and a striving after wind’ (Ecclesiastes 1:14) if we are not finding life’s essence, its meaning, in the Creator of life. The unwasted life is the life we receive from Him and live for Him (John 1:12-13).”  Jon Bloom

“If you have wasted your life, know that another life exists. There are more pages. He is Life itself, and only those can die well who, like this penitent thief, perish in peace in the shadow of his cross.”  Greg Morse

“As we think so we do.  The action always begins in the mind.  Therefore, it matters greatly what we continually dwell on and we are not to take our thoughts lightly rather captive always making them obedient to Christ.  As believers we are to set our minds on things above rather than the baser things of life.  This must be intentional as the world is loud.  Play your thoughts out.  Where do they lead?  Will you like the results?  You have one life to live.  Don’t waste it.”   BHY

HEART SAVOR

• A wasted life can be redeemed.  Run to Him Who offers us peace and life in abundance both in the here and now and eternally.  He is the living water whose love surpasses knowledge and who fills us to the measure of the fullness of God –  able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to His power that is at work within us (Ephesians 3:19-20) – to Him be glory!
• A life is wasted by “littles” giving way to “littles” giving way to “littles”.  A small pinhole in a bucket can drain it dry.  Be wise in the way you live your life.
• Life’s essence and meaning is only found in the Creator – all other things are vanity, and a chasing after the wind (Ecclesiastes 1:14).    

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