Heb 10:23-25

Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 

Heb 10:24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 

Heb 10:25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. 

1John 4:19

We love, because He first loved us.

**********************
Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Tho stretched from sky to sky.

Words found scratched on the wall of an insane asylum in California, 1917

Isa 30:18-19

And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.

For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee.

Mat 18:12-14

Mat 18:12 "What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them strays, he leaves the ninety-nine in the hills and goes to look for the one that has strayed, doesn't he?

Mat 18:13 If he finds it, truly I tell you that he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that haven't strayed.

Mat 18:14 In the same way, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost."

Christ our Everlasting Light

Men come and go; leaders, teachers, thinkers speak and work for a season, and then fall silent and impotent. He abides. They die, but He lives. They are lights kindled, and, therefore, sooner or later quenched; but He is the true light from which they draw all their brightness, and He shines for evermore.

- Alexander MacLaren -

Hearts Always Set Towards Heaven

We must devote, not only times and places to prayer, but be everywhere in the spirit of devotion; with hearts always set toward heaven, looking up to God in all our actions, and doing every thing as His servants; living in the world as in a holy temple of God, and always worshiping Him, with our lips, with the thankfulness of our hearts, the holiness of our actions and the pious and charitable use of all His gifts.

- William Law -

Psalm 25:4-5

Show me your ways,
O LORD,
teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth
and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope
is in you all day long.

Isa 25:7-8

And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, Even the veil which is stretched over all nations. He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces,

Verse from Dean A. B. Stanley

He is gone – and we remain
In this world for sin and pain:
In the void which He has left,
On this earth of Him bereft.
We have still His works to do;
We can still His path pursue;
Seek Him in both friend and foe,
In ourselves His image show.

Second Advent - John Milton

Come forth out of Thy royal chamber, O Prince of all the kings of the earth; put on thy visible robes of Thy imperial majesty; take up that unlimited sceptre which thy Almighty Father hath bequeathed Thee. For now the voice of thy bride calls Thee, and all creatures sigh to be renewed.

Mat 25:21

His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' 

From my Utmost for His Highest

"We do not need the grace of God to withstand crises—human nature and pride are sufficient for us to face the stress and strain magnificently. But it does require the supernatural grace of God to live twenty-four hours of every day as a saint, going through drudgery, and living an ordinary, unnoticed, and ignored existence as a disciple of Jesus. It is ingrained in us that we have to do exceptional things for God—but we do not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things of life, and holy on the ordinary streets, among ordinary people—and this is not learned in five minutes."

~ Thanks JIB.

2Co 12:9

And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 

Act 2:21

'AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.' 

Rev 3:10

Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

Rom 11:29

...for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 

Mark 6:50

for they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke with them and said to them,

"Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid."

Trusting the Sovereignty of God

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God." Romans 8:28.

"It is only the loyal soul who believes that God engineers circumstances. We take such liberties with our circumstances, we do not believe God engineers them, although we say we do; we treat the things that happen as if they were engineered by men.

"To be faithful in every circumstance means that we have only one loyalty, and that is to our Lord. Suddenly God breaks up a particular set of circumstances, and the realization comes that we have been disloyal to Him by not recognizing that He had organized them. We never saw what He was after, and that particular thing will never be repeated all the days of our life. The test of loyalty always comes just there. If we learn to worship God in the trying circumstances, He will alter them in two seconds when He chooses.....

"We will be loyal to work, to service, to anything, but do not ask us to be loyal to Jesus Christ.... Our Lord is dethroned more emphatically by Christian workers than by the world. God is made a machine for blessing men, and Jesus Christ is made a Worker among workers.

"The idea is not that we do work for God, but that we are so loyal to Him that He can do His work through us—‘I reckon on you for extreme service, with no complaining on your part and no explanation on Mine.’ God wants to use us as He used His own Son.

Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

1Cor 9:20 - 27

1Co 9:20 To the Jews I became like a Jew in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became like a man under the law, in order to win those under the law (although I myself am not under the law). 

1Co 9:21 To those who do not have the law I became like a man who does not have the law, in order to win those who do not have the law (although I am not free from God's law, but am under the law of Christ). 

1Co 9:22 To the weak I became weak in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some of them. 

1Co 9:23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel in order to have a share in its blessings. 

1Co 9:24 You know that in a race all the runners run but only one wins the prize, don't you? You must run in such a way that you may be victorious. 

1Co 9:25 Everyone who enters an athletic contest practices self-control in everything. They do it to win a wreath that dies, but we to win one that never dies. 

1Co 9:26 That is the way I run, with a clear goal in mind. That is the way I box, not like someone punching the air. 

1Co 9:27 No, I keep on beating my body and making it my slave so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not somehow be disqualified. 

The clarity given by the Holy Spirit

Pentecost gave me the key to the Scriptures. It has kept my feet in all the slippery places of all sorts of criticism. The things that are stumbling blocks to so many are stepping stones to me. The inexplicable becomes plain when we recognize the presence and law of the Spirit. It balances scholarship, and gives discernment beyond all human learning. Indeed, learning without the Holy Spirit blinds men to the realities of divine truth. The man who thinks he can know the Word of God by mere intellectual study is greatly deceived. Spiritual truth is spiritually discerned.

- Samuel Chadwick -

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

Psalm 103:20-22

Bless the LORD, you His angels, Mighty in strength, 
who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word! 

Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, 
You who serve Him, doing His will. 

Bless the LORD, all you works of His, 
In all places of His dominion; 
Bless the LORD, O my soul! 

"Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory."

"Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory." —Psalm 73:24

C H Spurgeon

The Psalmist felt his need of divine guidance. He had just been discovering the foolishness of his own heart, and lest he should be constantly led astray by it, he resolved that God's counsel should henceforth guide him. A sense of my own folly is a great step towards being wise, when it leads me to rely on the wisdom of the Lord. The blind man leans on his friend's arm and reaches home in safety, and so would I give myself up implicitly to divine guidance, nothing doubting; assured that though I cannot see, it is always safe to trust the All-seeing God. "Thou shalt," is a blessed expression of confidence. He was sure that the Lord would not decline the condescending task. There is a word for me and I should rest in it. I can be assured that my God will be my counsellor and friend; He shall guide me; He will direct all my ways. In His written Word I have this assurance in part fulfilled, for holy Scripture is His counsel to me. Happy am I to have God's Word always to guide me! What were the mariner without his compass? And what would I be without my Bible? This is the unerring chart, the map in which every shoal is described, and all the channels from the quicksands of destruction to the haven of salvation mapped and marked by one who knows all the way. Blessed be Thou, O God, that I may trust Thee to guide me now, and guide me even to the end! After this guidance through life, the Psalmist anticipates a divine reception at last—"and afterward receive me to glory." What a thought for me! God Himself will receive me to glory—me! Wandering, erring, straying, yet He will bring me safe at last to glory! This is my portion; I will live on it this day, and if perplexities should surround me, I can go in the strength of this text straight to the throne.

Once again thank you, Jib for the suggestion.

Be Holy for I am Holy

Oswald Chambers 1 Peter 1:16- Be Holy for I am Holy

We must continually remind ourselves of the purpose of life. We are not destined to happiness, nor to health, but to holiness. Today we have far too many desires and interests, and our lives are being consumed and wasted by them. Many of them may be right, noble, and good, and may later be fulfilled, but in the meantime God must cause their importance to us to decrease. The only thing that truly matters is whether a person will accept the God who will make him holy. At all costs, a person must have the right relationship with God.

Do I believe I need to be holy? Do I believe that God can come into me and make me holy? If through your preaching you convince me that I am unholy, I then resent your preaching. The preaching of the gospel awakens an intense resentment because it is designed to reveal my unholiness, but it also awakens an intense yearning and desire within me. God has only one intended destiny for mankind— holiness. His only goal is to produce saints. God is not some eternal blessing-machine for people to use, and He did not come to save us out of pity— He came to save us because He created us to be holy. Atonement through the Cross of Christ means that God can put me back into perfect oneness with Himself through the death of Jesus Christ, without a trace of anything coming between us any longer.

Never tolerate, because of sympathy for yourself or for others, any practice that is not in keeping with a holy God. Holiness means absolute purity of your walk before God, the words coming from your mouth, and every thought in your mind— placing every detail of your life under the scrutiny of God Himself. Holiness is not simply what God gives me, but what God has given me that is being exhibited in my life.

Thank you for the suggestion, Jib.

To Trust God

In light of the pending storm....

Let's pray for all the folks who may be in harm's way.

It is a glorious thing to know that your Father God makes no mistakes in directing or permitting that which crosses the path of your life. It is the glory of God to conceal a matter. It is our glory to trust him, no matter what.
- Joni Eareckson Tada -

Quote: Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727)

"About the Time of the End, a body of men will be raised up who will turn their attention to the Prophecies, and insist upon their literal interpretation, in the midst of clamor and opposition."

Martyr

"While we may not be called to martyr our lives, we must martyr our way of life. We must put our selfish ways to death and march to a different beat. Then the world will see Jesus."
~Michael Tait of DC Talk~

Bound By The Chain of Witnesses

A Christian prisoner in Cuba was asked to sign a statement containing charges against fellow Christians that would lead to their arrest. He said: "The chain keeps me from signing this."

The Communist officer protested, "But you are not in chains!"

"I am," said the Christian. "I am bound by the chain of witnesses who throughout the centuries gave their lives for Jesus Christ. I am a link in this chain. I will not break it."

- Anonymous -

Rom 15:13

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 62:5-8

“My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense; I shall not be moved.
In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength and my refuge, is in God.
Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us."

He shall rejoice over thee with singing

In the making of worlds, he stands at a distance and speaks his will; but when he creates saints, and redeems his people, he comes out of his chambers — he rends the heavens and comes down, he reveals himself as a God nigh at hand; he standeth over his work as the potter over the clay upon the wheel. It is written, that when he made the heavens and the earth, that “the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy;” but I never hear that God sang; there is nothing in the merely material universe to stir the Infinite heart; the work is not dear enough to him, nor so full of satisfaction as the grand work of redeeming love; but when he saved his people — when he created Israel for himself, I hear it said — “He shall rest in his love; he shall rejoice over thee with singing.”
~Charles H. Spurgeon~

The Eternal Goal

My Goal is God Himself. . .
At any cost, dear Lord, by any road.

"...because you ... have not withheld your son, your only son — I will bless you... In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” Genesis 22:16

"At any cost . . . by any road" means submitting to God’s way of bringing us to the goal.

There is no possibility of questioning God when He speaks, if He speaks to His own nature in me. Prompt obedience is the only result. When Jesus says, "Come," I simply come; when He says, "Let go," I let go; when He says, "Trust God in this matter," I trust. This work of obedience is the evidence that the nature of God is in me....

It is through the discipline of obedience that I get to the place where Abraham was and I see who God is. God will never be real to me until I come face to face with Him in Jesus Christ. Then I will know and can boldly proclaim, "In all the world, my God, there is none but Thee, there is none but Thee."

The promises of God are of no value to us until, through obedience, we come to understand the nature of God. We may read some things in the Bible every day for a year and they may mean nothing to us. Then, because we have been obedient to God in some small detail, we suddenly see what God means and His nature is instantly opened up to us...."

Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

2Cor 4:16-18

That's why we are not discouraged. No, even if our outer man is wearing out, our inner man is being renewed day by day.

This light, temporary nature of our suffering is producing for us
an eternal weight of glory, far beyond any comparison,

because we do not look for things that can be seen but for things that cannot be seen.

For things that can be seen are temporary, but things that cannot be seen are eternal.

The Weapon of Prayer

Dear friends, when we are tempted and desire to overcome, the best weapon is prayer. When you cannot use the sword and the shield, take to yourself the famous weapon of All-prayer. So your Savior did. Let us notice his prayer. It was lonely prayer. He withdrew even from his three best friends about a stone’s cast. Believer, especially in temptation, be much in solitary prayer. As private prayer is the key to open heaven, so is it the key to shut the gates of hell. As it is a shield to prevent, so is it the sword with which to fight against temptation. Family prayer, social prayer, prayer in the Church, will not suffice, these are very precious, but the best beaten spice will smoke in your censer in your private devotions, where no ear hears but God. Betake yourselves to solitude if you would overcome.

The Wandering One

Mat 18:12 "What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying?

Mat 18:13 "If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.

Mat 18:14 "So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.

What is spiritual growth?

Spiritual growth is the process of becoming more and more like Jesus Christ. When we place our faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit begins the process of making us more like Jesus, conforming us to His image. Spiritual growth is perhaps best described in 2 Peter 1:3-8, which tells us that by God's power He "has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

There are two lists in Galatians 5:19-23. Galatians 5:19-21 lists the “acts of the flesh.” These are the things that our lives were identified by before we trusted in Christ for salvation. The acts of the flesh are the activities that we are to confess, repent of, and with God’s help, overcome. As we experience spiritual growth, fewer and fewer of the “acts of the flesh” will be evident in our lives. The second list is the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23). These are what our lives should be identified by now that we have experienced salvation in Jesus Christ. Spiritual growth is identified by the fruit of the Spirit becoming increasingly evident in a believer’s life.

When that transformation of salvation takes place, spiritual growth begins. The Holy Spirit indwells us (John 14:16-17). We are new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). The old nature is replaced with a new one (Romans chapters 6-7). Spiritual growth is a lifelong process that occurs as we study and apply God's Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-26). As we seek after spiritual growth, we can pray to God, asking Him for wisdom on what areas He desires for us to grow spiritually. We can ask God to help us increase our faith and knowledge of Him. God desires for us to grow spiritually. God has given us all we need to experience spiritual growth. With the Holy Spirit’s help, we can overcome sin more and more, and steadily become more and more like our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Link

We are His

1Co 2:9 But just as it is written, "THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM."

The Anvil - God's Word

   by Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf (1703-1791)

  Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith's door,
  And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;
  Then, looking in, I saw upon the floor
  Old hammers, worn with beating years of time.

  How many anvils have you had," said I,
  "To wear and batter all these hammers so?"
  "Just one," said he, and then, with twinkling eye,
  "The anvil wears the hammers out, you know."

  And so, thought I, the anvil of God's Word,
  For ages skeptic blows have beat upon;
  Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard,
  The anvil is unharmed--the hammers gone.

Click here - Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf

Luke 6:20-36

Luk 6:20 Then Jesus looked at his disciples and said, "How blessed are you who are destitute, for the kingdom of God is yours! 

Luk 6:21 How blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied! How blessed are you who are crying now, for you will laugh! 

Luk 6:22 How blessed are you whenever people hate you, avoid you, insult you, and slander you because of the Son of Man! 

Luk 6:23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for your reward in heaven is great! For that's the way their ancestors used to treat the prophets. 

Luk 6:24 "But how terrible it will be for you who are rich, for you have had your comfort! 

Luk 6:25 How terrible it will be for you who are full now, for you will be hungry! How terrible it will be for you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and cry! 

Luk 6:26 How terrible it will be for you when everyone says nice things about you, for that's the way their ancestors used to treat the false prophets!" 

Luk 6:27 "But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. 

Luk 6:28 Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who insult you. 

Luk 6:29 If someone strikes you on the cheek, offer him the other one as well, and if someone takes your coat, don't keep back your shirt, either. 

Luk 6:30 Keep on giving to everyone who asks you for something, and if anyone takes what is yours, do not insist on getting it back. 

Luk 6:31 Whatever you want people to do for you, do the same for them. 

Luk 6:32 "If you love those who love you, what thanks do you deserve? Why, even sinners love those who love them. 

Luk 6:33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks do you deserve? Even sinners do that. 

Luk 6:34 If you lend to those from whom you expect to get something back, what thanks do you deserve? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back what they lend. 

Luk 6:35 Rather, love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, for he is kind to ungrateful and evil people. 

Luk 6:36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." 

An Appropriate Interest In God

There is something fundamentally flawed about a purely academic interest in God. God is not an appropriate object for cool, critical, detached, scientific observation and evaluation. No, the true knowledge of God will always lead us to worship…Our place is on our faces before Him in adoration.

- John Stott -

Christ is the Spring of Life

Christ is not a reservoir but a spring. His life is continual, active and ever passing on with an outflow as necessary as its inflow. If we do not perpetually draw the fresh supply from the living Fountain, we hall either grow stagnant or empty, It is, therefore, not so much a perpetual fullness as a perpetual filling.

- A. B. Simpson -

A Life of Prayer

Psa 32:6 Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him.

Psa 32:7 You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance.

Hebrews 12:1-3

12:1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
12:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
12:3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

The Full Reward

We may disagree about the timing of this event, but we all agree that it WILL happen.

1Th 4:16 -18

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven
With a shout, with the voice of the archangel
And with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together
With them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air,
And so we shall always be with the Lord.
Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Maranatha

No longer ourselves

Lord, I am no longer my own, but Yours. Put me to what You will, rank me with whom You will. Let be employed by You or laid aside for You, exalted for You or brought low by You. Let me have all things, let me have nothing, I freely and heartily yield all things to Your pleasure and disposal. And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You are mine and I am Yours.
So be it. Amen.

- John Wesley -

Thanks for all

We ought to give thanks for all fortune: if it is good, because it is good, if bad, because it works in us patience, humility and the contempt of this world and the hope of our eternal country.
-CS Lewis-

Psalm 34:11 - 22

Psa 34:11 Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

Psa 34:12 Who is the man who desires life And loves length of days that he may see good?

Psa 34:13 Keep your tongue from evil And your lips from speaking deceit.

Psa 34:14 Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.

Psa 34:15 The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry.

Psa 34:16 The face of the LORD is against evildoers, To cut off the memory of them from the earth.

Psa 34:17 The righteous cry, and the LORD hears And delivers them out of all their troubles.

Psa 34:18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psa 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.

Psa 34:20 He keeps all his bones, Not one of them is broken.

Psa 34:21 Evil shall slay the wicked, And those who hate the righteous will be condemned.

Psa 34:22 The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.

The path to peace

The soul which gives itself wholly and without reserve to
God is filled with His own Peace; and inasmuch as we are prone
to grow like that to which we are closely united, the closer
we draw to our God, so much the stronger and more steadfast
and more tranquil shall we become.
- Jean N. Grou (1731-1803) -

God is in control

When we worship the Lord, let’s remember that He is in control. Nothing alarms Him, or takes Him by surprise. Nothing is too big for Him to handle, or so small it escapes His attention. When the winds of my world begin to blow, He remains seated. When raging waves surround me, He governs their temper…I need not be moved … Because the Lord is seated and sovereign…He alone is sovereign.

- Ronald James -

Fully Relying On God

No soul can be really at rest until it has given up all dependence on everything else and has been forced to depend on the Lord alone. As long as our expectation is from other things, nothing but disappointment awaits us. Feelings may change, and will change with our changing circumstances; doctrines and dogmas may be upset; Christian work may come to naught; prayers may seem to lose their fervency; promises may seem to fail; everything that we have believed in or depended upon may seem to be swept away, and only God is left, just God, the bare God, if I may be allowed the expression; simply and only God.

- Hannah Whitall Smith -

The Daily Wardrobe

In heaven we shall appear, not in armour, but in robes of glory. But here these are to be worn night and day; we must walk, work, and sleep in them, or else we are not true soldiers of Christ.

- William Gurnall -

Job 42:1-6

42:1 Then Job answered the LORD and said,

42:2 "I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.

42:3 'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' "Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know."

42:4 'Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.'

42:5 "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You;

42:6 Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes."

Eph 3:14 - 21 Prayer for Comprehension

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,

15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,

16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,

17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,

21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

Zephaniah 1:7

"Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests."

Daniel in the lion’s den

Dan 6:16 Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lions' den. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you."

17 A stone was brought and laid over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing would be changed in regard to Daniel.

18 Then the king went off to his palace and spent the night fasting, and no entertainment was brought before him; and his sleep fled from him.

19 Then the king arose at dawn, at the break of day, and went in haste to the lions' den.

20 When he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions?"

21 Then Daniel spoke to the king, "O king, live forever!

22 "My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime."

23 Then the king was very pleased and gave orders for Daniel to be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den and no injury whatever was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

Psalm 121

A Song of Ascents.
1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD is your keeper;
The LORD is your shade at your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
8 The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.

Thirsty

In keeping with the Spurgeon theme...

I have a great need for Christ, I have a great Christ for my need.

~ Charles Spurgeon

A "Prayer Tip" from Charles Spurgeon:

"How are we to handle this sword of 'It is written'? First, with deepest reverence. Let every word that God has spoken be law and gospel to you. Never trifle with it; never try to evade its force or change its meaning. God speaks to you in this book as much as if he came to the top of Sinai and lifted up his voice with thunder.

I like to open the Bible and pray, 'Lord God, let the words leap off the page into my soul; make them vivid, powerful, and fresh to my heart.'"

Our Lord Himself felt the power of the Word. It was not so much the devil who felt the power of 'It is written" as Christ Himself. The manhood of Christ felt an awe of the Word of God, and so the Word became a power to Christ. To trifle with Scripture is to deprive yourself of its aid. Reverence it, and look up to God with devout gratitude for having given it to you.

-Charles Spurgeon, Spiritual Warfare in a Believer's Life (P.81)

Prayer For Health and Healing

Father, in the name of Jesus, we confess Your Word concerning the healing of ALL GOD'S PEOPLE. As we do this, I believe and say that Your Word will not return to You void in ALL GOD'S PEOPLE'S behalf, but will accomplish what Your Word says it will.

Therefore, we believe in the name of Jesus that ALL GOD'S PEOPLE are healed, totally and completely, from the top of their heads to the soles of their feet, according to 1 Peter 2:24.

It is written in Your Word that Jesus Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses. Therefore, with great boldness and confidence we say on the authority of the written Word that ALL GOD'S PEOPLE IN THE EARTH, WORLD, UNIVERSE are redeemed from the curse of sickness, and we refuse to tolerate it.

1 Peter, Chapter 2:24: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
By: Lou Sanders

Col 3:1-4

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength, a help in distresses, very readily found.
Therefore will we not fear though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the heart of the seas;
Though the waters thereof roar and foam, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
There is a river the streams whereof make glad the city of God, the sanctuary of the habitations of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her at the dawn of the morning.
The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
Jehovah of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our high fortress. Selah.
Come, behold the works of Jehovah, what desolations he hath made in the earth:
He hath made wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariots in the fire.
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.
Jehovah of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our high fortress. Selah.

Darby Bible

Psalm 27:14

Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.

Heb 4:16

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 10:19-25

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

The Old Rugged Cross

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

Psalm 18:1-2

I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my ROCK, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

"Too Easily Pleased"

"Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling around about drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are too easily pleased."
(C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory)

Divine Humility

"It is hardly complimentary to God that we should choose him as an alternative to hell. Yet even this he accepts. The creature's illusion of self-sufficiency must, for the creature's sake, be shattered. And by trouble, or fear of trouble on earth, by crude fear of the eternal flames, God shatters it, unmindful of his glory's diminution. I call this "divine humility," because it's a poor thing to strike our colors to God when the ship is going down under us, a poor thing to come to him as a last resort, to offer up our own when it is no longer worth keeping. If God were proud, he would hardly have us on such terms. But he is not proud. He stoops to conquer. He would have us even though we have shown that we prefer everything else to him, and come to him because there is nothing better now to be had."
~ (C.S. Lewis)

On Coming to Christ

Some say, "I see all this, and I want to do it too. I know what is said about how to rest, but I try it and it doesn't work. Why? Why do we fail?" The answer is given, I think, in a word of the Lord Jesus, recorded in Matthew 11, words we well know.

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Notice that twice in that passage is the word, rest. One rest is "given," the other is "found." One is experienced when we first come to Jesus Christ. He gives us rest. Do you remember when you came to Christ? You simply believed what the Scripture said, that on the cross of Calvary he took your place, he died for you; he bore the punishment for your sin; he was wounded for your transgressions, he was bruised for your iniquity; and you believed that. Immediately there was a sense of peace flooding your heart, a quietness. You felt no more guilt, no more fear of death, no more need for painful efforts to win Brownie points with God. You were resting on the work of Another. Christ paid it all; you were freely forgiven. What a sense of rest that was! He gave it to you.

But as you went on as a Christian you found that problems began to return and failures came. Your Christian life became boring and dull, barren and uninteresting. You knew something was wrong and you resolved to try harder, to give yourself more fully to Christian activity, to throw yourself into it with more zeal and effort. This you did, and for awhile things went better, then it seemed to ebb out again into the same old thing. You ended up bored and disillusioned, disenchanted, discouraged. What is the answer? Well, it is what our Lord said, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, and you will find rest."

Back in the days of the old West the oxen teams that came across the prairies were yoked together with a great, wooden yoke, made to fit over the necks of two oxen. A yoke is always made for two, never for one. Jesus was a carpenter, and in the carpenter shop in Nazareth he often made yokes. From this he draws this very apt simile. "Enter into the yoke with me," he says, "you on one side; l on the other." A yoke is also a symbol of servitude, of controlled labor and activity. It means the end of self-service. When an ox is yoked he is no longer free to do what he wants to do. He is under the direction of the owner, the driver. To be yoked means the end of running his own life and seeking his own way. This is what Jesus means. He did this. "He learned obedience by the things which he suffered," the writer of Hebrews tells us. He learned to do what he did not want to do, because God wanted him to do it. "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me," he says.

When you enter into the yoke with Jesus you expect the Father to take over the program of your life. You may be surprised what he does with it. You no longer have the right to decide what you are going to do with your life. It does not make any difference what time of your life you enter into this yoke, whether you are a youth at the beginning of your adult life, or whether you are a man sixty years old, with a great business depending upon you as the executive head. It does not make any difference. When you enter into the yoke with Jesus Christ you give up the right to determine what your life may be. You expect him to direct you.

It is his job to give the orders, it is his job to make you know what he wants you to do . He may make some dramatic changes, or he may not. He may leave you right where you are, doing what you are doing now, or he may tell you to stop it all, at great cost perhaps, outwardly, and leave it and go some place else to do something else. But one thing is certain, one thing he surely will do, no matter if he sends you some place else or leaves you right where you are-one thing he will certainly do. He will remove you from the spotlight, out of the center of things. He will enroll you in school; and do you know what the curriculum will be? "Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart." He will begin to teach you humility-how not to be the center of attention, how to be content with letting someone else get all the credit. He will enroll you in the school that cancels out ego satisfaction. That is the principle by which the world lives, in its delusion. It is the thing that is destroying human life; the desire to be a god, your own god; to run your life to suit yourself. This can never be for those who are called to be Jesus Christ's-"you are not your own, you are bought with a price."

The reason why you cannot enter into the joy and glory and excitement of the rest which God has provided in ceasing from your own activities and resting upon his, is because, in some way or another, you are protecting some area of the ego, the self-life, saying, This is mine; keep your hands off. As long as you do that you cannot have rest.

"Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone; but if it die, it brings forth much fruit."

Rest is the secret of human fruitfulness. As you consent to this, a wonderful thing will begin to happen. You will find rest. Jesus said you would. "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for l am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest." Rest, with all it implies in terms of fruitfulness and dominion; reigning, ruling, producing that which is worthwhile and satisfying in life. That is the secret of life. This is why Jesus said, "If any man will save his life, he shall lose it. But if he shall lose his life for my sake, he shall find it." He will find rest, he will fulfill the sabbath for that is what the sabbath is. It is God's divine provision for us. (Ray C. Stedman)

Prayer

May the Name of Jesus, the Son of God, who is mightier than all the hosts of Satan, and more glorious than all the angels of Heaven, abide with you in your going out and your coming in; by day and by night; at morning and evening; at all times and in all places.

May the Name of Jesus protect, defend and deliver you from the wrath of evil persons; from the assaults of evil spirits; from foes invisible; from the snares of the Evil One; and from all low passions that beguile the soul and the body.

May the Name of Jesus protect, defend and deliver you.
And the Blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with you this day and always.
Amen.

Quotes

Maybe the atheist cannot find God for the same reason a thief cannot find a policeman. ~Author Unknown

A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.
~C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

Some stand on tiptoe trying to reach God to talk to him - you try too hard, friend - drop to your knees and listen to him, he'll hear you better that way. ~Ever Garrison

Remember this. When people choose to withdraw far from a fire, the fire continues to give warmth, but they grow cold. When people choose to withdraw far from light, the light continues to be bright in itself but they are in darkness. This is also the case when people withdraw from God. ~Augustine

When we lose God, it is not God who is lost. ~Author Unknown

Exercise daily. Walk with the Lord! ~Author Unknown

1John 3:1

Behold what manner of love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God. Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

Titus 3:4-7

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by His grace, we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

John 10:27-29

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand."

Heb 13:1-2

"Let love of the brethren continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it."

1John 3:2

"Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. But we know that when He shall be revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."

Trials - The Purpose of Trials

Jas 1:2 My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into different kinds of temptations,

Jas 1:3 knowing that the trying of your faith works patience.

Jas 1:4 But let patience have its perfect work, so that you may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing.

Jas 1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and with no reproach, and it shall be given to him.

Jas 1:6 But let him ask in faith, doubting nothing. For he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed.

Jas 1:7 For do not let that man think that he shall receive anything from the Lord;

Jas 1:8 he is a double-minded man, not dependable in all his ways.

Jas 1:9 But let the humble brother rejoice in his exaltation;

Jas 1:10 and the rich one rejoice in his humiliation, because he shall pass away as the flower of the grass.

Jas 1:11 For the sun rose with the hot wind and dried up the grass, and its flower fell out, and the beauty of its appearance perished; so also the rich one will fade away in his ways.

Jas 1:12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation, because having been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Jas 1:13 Let no one being tempted say, I am tempted from God. For God is not tempted by evils, and He tempts no one.

Jas 1:14 But each one is tempted by his lusts, being drawn away and seduced by them.

Jas 1:15 Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin. And sin, when it is fully formed, brings forth death.

Jas 1:16 Do not err, my beloved brothers.

Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning.

Jas 1:18 Of His own will He brought us forth with the Word of truth, for us to be a certain firstfruit of His creatures.

Stupid Chickens by Ray Comfort

Click Here

C.S. Lewis quote

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.”

My second Post

Well, what did you expect; a Joel Rosenberg gem?

I found my hat and cane by the way.