PLEASE CHECK BACK... POSTS CHANGE AT LEAST WEEKLY

(week of May 13th) (worthy)

Worth, Worthy

<<value/deserving>>

God alone is deserving of our worship, our utmost love and the total devotion of our whole lives for what He has done, is doing now and is yet to do. We can be confident that He, who ‘began a good work in us’, is able to bring it to completion, knowing if it wasn’t for His grace and mercy we would still be headed for a lost eternity (Ps 18:3; Mk 12:30; Eph 2:12; Phil 1:6). David declared, “I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise…” (2 Sam 22:4).

By God’s criteria our worth is not based on anything we have done or will ever do, rather it comes from being made in His image and through accepting His offer of salvation. Then we are destined for heaven as His treasured possession, made righteous through Christ (Gen 1:26,27; Jn 3:16; 2 Cor 5:21; Eph 1:13,14). Thus our true worth is assigned to us by God who sees us of inestimable value for in His foreknowledge (and with love) Christ chose to pay the price to redeem us, affording humanity the opportunity to come back into the relationship with God that had been destroyed by sin (Eph 1:4-8,11). Throughout eternity the cry will be “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power...with your blood you purchased mankind” (Rev 4:11, 5:9,12).

Jn 1:12; 2 Cor 1:22; Gal 4:6; Phil 4:3). God values us highly; we should accept His judgment and live with our heads held high.  From this perspective, we can truly respect and value others, seeing them as people for whom Christ died and what they can become “in Him’ – just as we are. Unfortunately, we are inclined to judge human worth (incorrectly) by placing more value on what a person accomplishes, owns or contributes to society than their being a creation of God. This risks us ‘using’ people instead of loving them – the reverse of what God wants us to do. As we focus on how much God loves us and the price He paid to redeem us, we’ll come to see ourselves as God sees us, and how much we’re really worth as children of the most high God – an assessment which is not performance-based (1 Jn 3:1).  

The Master Potter, who sees our potential, desires to transform us from ‘just a lump of clay’ into useful vessels, fulfilling our God-given calling on earth (Isa 64:8; Jer 18:4; 2 Tim 2:20,21). Even as precious metals contaminated by impurities must be refined, so our lives need to be cleansed of sin and all the blemishes of our fallen nature removed so we can be of greater use to Him. In love and appreciation we must embrace what is specifically designed for us, to bring about the death of the old, sinful, fleshly nature; if this is not the case we are not worthy to be called His child, as something else has taken the place that He alone is to occupy in our lives (Ex 20:3; Mt 10:37, 22:37; 1 Thes 2:12).

and blameless in His sight, walking in newness of life (Rom 6:4; Eph 1:4; Col 1:10-12). This requires us to live disciplined lives in thought, word and action with total dependence on Him.

By living for Christ regardless of our circumstances we will be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, especially those severely persecuted or martyred for their faith; their reward is yet to come (2 Thes 1:5; Heb 11:38; Rev 2:10, 12:11, 20:4-6). The message to those who have not soiled their clothes in the world’s filth is they are worthy to walk with God dressed in white (Rev 3:4).

We are to give to others the compliments and encouragement they deserve and show honour even when they fail, as true value is not based on accomplishments. Similarly, we ourselves are vulnerable to shame, condemnation and disappointment when our best efforts fail and we feel overlooked, Satan attacks through this negative default setting in our minds. It must be confronted with the truth – a healthy estimation based on God’s true assessment. Although the Bible warns against thinking of ourselves more highly than we should, a realistic love of self is not wrong when it is grounded in what God has accomplished for us and in us (Rom 12:3). 

(week of May 5th) (Mother Day)

“A mother is a chalice, the vessel without which no human being has ever been born. She is created to be a life-bearer, cooperating with her husband and with God in the making of a child.” Elisabeth Elliot

“The influence of a mother upon the lives of her children cannot be measured. They know and absorb her example and attitudes when it comes to questions of honesty, temperance, kindness and industry.” Billy Graham

“A mother’s relationship with her child is one that will encompass a lifetime. How blessed is a child who has that anchor of strength and support.” Sally Clarkson

“Motherhood is a million little moments that God weaves together with grace, redemption, laughter, tears and, most of all, love.” Lysa TerKeurst

“I don’t believe there are devils enough in hell to pull a boy out of the arms of a godly mother.” Billy Sunday

“I learnt more about Christianity from my mother than from all the theologians in England.” John Wesley

For a wife take the daughter of a good mother. ~ Thomas Fuller

My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her. ~ George Washington

(week of April 29th) (impatience)

(week of April 22nd) (why)

Billy Graham

It is not unusual for persons in their early twenties to defect from their early teaching. The reasons are many. Perhaps their exposure to unbelief “took” better than their exposure to belief. This is often the case, for the Bible says, “The heart of man is deceitful above all things.”

The human heart is as prepared by sin to accept unbelief as faith. Some person they regard highly has undoubtedly influenced their thinking; and for the time being they look on their early training as “bunk.” As someone has said, “A little learning may take a man away from God, but full understanding will bring him back.”

Some of the staunchest Christians I know are people who had periods in their life when they questioned the Bible, Christ, and God. But as they continued to examine the matter, there was overwhelming evidence that only “the fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.”

Share this answer with someone who may be questioning God.

Lea este devocional en español en es.billygraham.org.

Prayer for the day

I pray for all the questioning people today, Lord, remembering times in my own life when unbelief reigned.

(week of April 15th) (His Sheep)

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them.” (John 10:27)

Jesus knows those who are his. What is this knowledge?

John 10:3 is a close parallel to John 10:27. It says, “The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”

So, when Jesus says, “I know them,” this means at least that he knows them by name; that is, he knows them individually and intimately. They are not anonymous, lost in the flock.

John 10:14–15 provides another insight: “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father.”

There is a real similarity between the way Jesus knows his Father in heaven and the way he knows his sheep. Jesus sees himself in the Father, and he sees himself in his disciples.

To some degree Jesus recognizes his own character in his disciples. He sees his own brand mark on the sheep. This endears them to him.

He is like a husband waiting for his wife at the airport, watching as each person disembarks from the plane. When she appears, he knows her, he recognizes her features, he sees in her eyes a happy reflection of his own love. He delights in her. She is the only one he embraces.

The apostle Paul puts it like this: “God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are his’” (2 Timothy 2:19).

It is hard to overemphasize what a tremendous privilege it is to be known personally, intimately, lovingly by the Son of God. It is a precious gift to all his sheep, and it contains within it profound, personal fellowship and affection and the promise of eternal life.

(week of April 8th) (encourage)

(week of April 1st) (fools)

(week of March 25th) (Easter)

(week of March 18th) (mercy)

(week of March 11th) (Fruits of the Spirit)

(week of March 4th) (40)

Looking at the number 40 in the Bible is fascinating. It is mentioned 146 (or 149) times in scripture, depending on the translation. The symbolism of 40 in the Bible generally symbolizes a period of testing, trial and then, finally, triumph. Through hardships lasting 40 days or years, we endure to become more spiritually aware of our need for God.

Many numbers in general have a symbolic meaning in the Bible. The number “40” is particularly interesting and connected to the fulfillment of God’s promises, not all of them positive, however. As mentioned above, it is often associated with the time of testing, trials and judgment.

40 in the Bible: A Time of Testing

I’ve already pointed out that the meaning of 40 in the Bible is usually related to testing. There are truly dozens of examples which exemplify this, but we’ll take a look at a few to connect the dots. From Jesus to the Israelites wandering in the wilderness, 40 in the Bible features prominently. Why? Biblical scholars have pointed out, and God makes clear in scripture, that faith that is not tested is vulnerable.

Let’s take a look at nine examples of 40 in the Bible.

The Significance of 40 in the Bible: Examples of Testing and Trials

The Israelites Wandered in the Desert for 40 years

After being freed from Egypt, Moses and the Israelites weren’t sure what their next step was. God wanted them to head to the Promised Land, but only after the generation of men who’d doubted His plan had passed. So God made the Hebrews roam the wilderness, living on manna, for 40 years. Only when the last of the previous generation had died did God allow His people to proceed further, showing that sometimes patience is necessary to fully reveal God’s divine will.

The people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan. – Exodus 16:35 (ESV)

Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights and it wasn’t until after He fasted that He faced the greatest temptation that anyone has ever experienced…and He passed this difficult test. Can you imagine fasting for forty days and nights? (I often struggle with one day!) What must that have felt like? How hungry and tired He must have been!

Fasting is a powerful tool for us to use when battling a major sin or temptation (Isaiah 58) and by Jesus’ example of fasting for so many days He was able to resist the Devil and his three temptations in putting Jesus, God, to the test. Being hungry, how hard it must have been for Jesus to not turn stones into bread, yet Jesus defeated the Devil at his own game.

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread. – Matthew 4:1-3 (ESV)

Moses’ Forty Day Fast

Moses was up on the mountain in the presence of God and while there, “he neither ate bread nor drank water.”  This seems to fit a pattern of seeking the presence of the Lord while fasting. Many people fast when they are trying to overcome a major sin or temptation or when they are laying their needs out to God because of a difficult trial in their life. While God was carving the Ten Commandments in stone, the nation of Israel was already doubting and and worshiping an idol.

Moses was also on Mount Sinai for 40 days and nights, on two separate occasions, receiving God’s laws. In addition, he also sent spies, for forty days, to investigate the land God promised the Israelites as an inheritance.

Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights. – Exodus 24:18 (ESV)

At the end of forty days they returned from spying out the land. – Numbers 13:25 (ESV)

According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.’ – Numbers 14:34 (ESV)

Refer also to Exodus 34:1-28

Ezekiel Had Laid on His Right Side For 40 Days 

The prophet Ezekiel was informed by God to lay on his left side for 390 days and his right side for 40 days to “bear the iniquities” of Israel and Judea (respectively). The days corresponded to the number of years each kingdom dishonored the name of God through their wickedness and rebellion. Ezekiel suffered greatly for the sake of his people and ancestors, but his understanding and insights helped prepare the Israelites for the coming of Jesus.

And when you have completed these, you shall lie down a second time, but on your right side, and bear the punishment of the house of Judah. Forty days I assign you, a day for each year. – Ezekiel 4:6 (ESV)

God Flooded the Earth For 40 Days

Most are familiar with this story of 40 in the Bible.

When God saw the increasing sins of man, he was agrieved. He called on Noah, a devout believer. He instructed him to build an ark that could hold two of every living creature on earth, as well as Noah’s entire family. Once the ark was completed, God flooded  the earth 40 days and nights. Once the rain had stopped, Noah and his family found land again and God made a covenant that He would never flood the Earth so completely again, thus reestablishing a level of trust between Him and His people that had been lost since Adam and Eve.

For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.” – Genesis 7:4 (ESV)

Goliath Mocked and Taunted Israel for 40 Days 

Goliath, as you likely know from the famous story in the Bible, was a huge and intimidating Philistine soldier who took pleasure in humiliating the Israelites. The Philistine and Israelite armies stood on opposite sides for 40 days. Every day, a new Hebrew warrior or solider would come out to meet Goliath face-to-face, only to be destroyed. After 40 days, David, a young shepherd from Bethlehem, the youngest and smallest of his family, was sent by God to defeat the Philistines, opening a new chapter for the Israelites­—namely, the solidification of the kingdom of Israel. 

For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening. – 1 Samuel 17:16 (ESV)

Three Kings in the Bible Reigned For 40 Years Each: Saul, David and Solomon

The three great and well-known Hebrew kings, Saul, David and Solomon, each ruled for 40 years. That’s not a coincidence. 40 years is considered a generation in the Bible (this means that a new group of Israelites that rises up, sustains itself, then dies off).

For these three kings, this time period of 40 years also contains a warning: 20 years of their rule was marked by prosperity and 20 years by ruin. It characterizes the Prophet Samuel’s trepidations over instituting kings in the first place: eventually, they’ll take from the people more than they give.

And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. – 1 Kings 11:42 (ESV)

Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. – Acts 13:21 (ESV)

David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. – 2 Samuel 5:4 (ESV)

Here are some additional examples of 40 in the Bible:

• 40 lashes (stripes) was the maximum whipping penalty (Deuteronomy 25:3)
• God allowed the land to rest for 40 years (Judges 3:11, 5:31, 8:28)
• Abdon, a judge in Israel, had 40 sons (Judges 12:14)
• Israel did evil; God gave them to an enemy for 40 years (Judges 13:1)
• Eli judged Israel for 40 years (1 Samuel 4:18)
• Ishbosheth (Saul’s son) was 40 years old when he began to reign (2 Samuel 2:10)
• The holy place of the temple was 40 cubits long (1 Kings 6:17)
• Elijah had one meal that gave him strength for 40 days (1 Kings 19:8)
• Joash reigned 40 years in Jerusalem (2 Kings 12:1)
• Egypt to be laid desolate for 40 years (Ezekiel 29:11-12)
• God gave Ninevah 40 days to repent (Jonah 3:4)
• Jesus remained on earth 40 days after the resurrection (Acts 1:3)

Today, God continues to test His children and often, (as in the case of Job), this testing is not always for punishment or correction but to see if His children will seek God and still praise Him even in the storms of life.

As I wrote earlier, a faith that is not tested cannot be trusted so if you are presently experiencing a trial or a test, don’t grow weary or faint and don’t give up because God may not necessarily be disciplining you but may be testing you to see how strong your faith and trust in Him really is. I pray we can all pass the test and remain obedient to God and have our trust in Him remain unshaken.

 We’ll have times of trials, tests, sufferings, and we may be wandering in a spiritual wilderness for a time, but rest is coming; the true rest that is found when we place our trust in Jesus Christ.

(week of Feb 26th) (content)

(week of Feb 19th) (comfort)

(week of Feb 12th) (the tongue)

“Faith is choosing and believing God’s dream for your life. Nothing starts happening in your life until you start dreaming. God gave you the ability to dream, to create, to imagine.” Rick Warren

Doubt kills more dreams than failure

Peter Nii Korley

The Lord is able turn hopeless situations around and cause light to shine in darkness. He turns our mourning into dancing until we are like people who are dreaming.(Ruth2:20)

Rosemond Anaba

dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today. - James Dean

(week of Jan 22) (temptation)

(week of Jan 15th) (it is written)

(week of Jan 8) (snow)

(week of Jan 1) (Crown -: something that imparts splendor, honor, or finish : culmination)

There are five heavenly crowns mentioned in the New Testament that will be awarded to believers. They are the imperishable crown, the crown of rejoicing, the crown of righteousness, the crown of glory, and the crown of life. The Greek word translated “crown” is stephanos (the source for the name Stephen the martyr) and means “a badge of royalty, a prize in the public games or a symbol of honor generally.” Used during the ancient Greek games, it referred to a wreath or garland of leaves placed on a victor’s head as a reward for winning an athletic contest. As such, this word is used figuratively in the New Testament of the rewards of heaven God promises those who are faithful. Paul’s passage in 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 best defines for us how these crowns are awarded.

1) The Imperishable Crown – (1 Corinthians 9:24-25) “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate [disciplined] in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown” (NKJV). All things on this earth are subject to decay and will perish. Jesus urges us to not store our treasures on earth “where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19). This is analogous to what Paul was saying about that wreath of leaves that was soon to turn brittle and fall apart. But not so the heavenly crown; faithful endurance wins a heavenly reward which is “an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4).

2) The Crown of Rejoicing – (1 Thessalonians 2:19) “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?” The apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:4 to “rejoice always in the Lord” for all the bountiful blessings our gracious God has showered upon us. As Christians we have more in this life to rejoice about than anyone else. Luke tells us there is rejoicing even now in heaven (Luke 15:7). The crown of rejoicing will be our reward where “God will wipe away every tear . . . there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

3) The Crown of Righteousness – (2 Timothy 4:8) “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” We inherit this crown through the righteousness of Christ which is what gives us a right to it, and without which it cannot be obtained. Because it is obtained and possessed in a righteous way, and not by force and deceit as earthly crowns sometimes are, it is an everlasting crown, promised to all who love the Lord and eagerly wait for His return. Through our enduring discouragements, persecutions, sufferings, or even death, we know assuredly our reward is with Christ in eternity (Philippians 3:20). This crown is not for those who depend upon their own sense of righteousness or of their own works. Such an attitude breeds only arrogance and pride, not a longing, a fervent desire to be with the Lord.

4) The Crown of Glory – (1 Peter 5:4) “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.” Though Peter is addressing the elders, we must also remember that the crown will be awarded to all those who long for or love His appearing. This word “glory” is an interesting word referring to the very nature of God and His actions. It entails His great splendor and brightness. Recall Stephen who, while being stoned to death, was able to look into the heavens and see the glory of God (Acts 7:55-56). This word also means that the praise and honor we bestow to God alone is due Him because of who He is (Isaiah 42:8, 48:11; Galatians 1:5). It also recognizes that believers are incredibly blessed to enter into the kingdom, into the very likeness of Christ Himself. For as Paul so eloquently put it, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18 NKJV).

5) The Crown of Life – (Revelation 2:10) “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” This crown is for all believers, but is especially dear to those who endure sufferings, who bravely confront persecution for Jesus, even to the point of death. In Scripture the word “life” is often used to show a relationship that is right with God. It was Jesus who said, “I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Just as things such as air, food, and water are vital for our physical lives, Jesus provides us what is required for our spiritual lives. He is the One who provides “living water.” He is the “bread of life” (John 4:10, 6:35). We know that our earthly lives will end. But we have the amazing promise that comes only to those who come to God through Jesus: “And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life” (1 John 2:25).

James tells us that this crown of life is for all those who love God (James 1:12). The question then is how do we demonstrate our love for God? The apostle John answers this for us: “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). As His children we must keep His commandments, obeying Him, always remaining faithful. So, as we endure the inevitable trials, pains, heartaches, and tribulations—as long as we live—may we ever move forward, always “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2) and receive the crown of life that awaits us.

https://fatherlessmale.com/

https://idontwantgod.com/

(week of December 25th)  (Have a peaceful Christmas!)

(week of Dec 17th) (foundation)

Love is never primarily defined in the Bible as a feeling. At its foundation love is at least a commitment and a promise.

Tim Keller

Idolatrous beliefs have eroded the foundations of truth. Whether ancient or modern, all have posed alternatives to the biblical way of approaching God.

Billy Graham

Faith is the foundation and the solution to everything. Our faith becomes alive when we activate it by prayer and fasting. If you can believe, all things are possible.

Justice Kojo Bentil

The God we serve has purpose and plans for your life that are good. His thoughts about you are good; his will for you is good. All things are made new in his presence… your glorious future was planned before the foundations of the earth.

Brian Houston

Jesus is the only Foundation, the only sure Foundation. That's the reason we should come to Him. Nobody else has that foundation; riches doesn't have it; popularity doesn't have it.

William Marrion Branham

(week of Dec 11th) (victory)

(week of Dec 4th) (seek)

A woman's heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her.

If we seek God for our own good and profit, we are not seeking God.

To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement.

The most common mistake Christians make in worship today is seeking an experience rather than seeking God

Don't let past mistakes keep you from seeking God

Of course God does not consider you hopeless. If He did He would not be moving you to seek Him (and He obviously is). What is going on in you at present is simply the beginning of the treatment. Continue seeking with cheerful seriousness. Unless He wanted you, you would not be wanting Him.

It is a myth that man in his natural state is genuinely seeking God. Men do seek God. But they do not seek him for who he is. They seek him in a pinch as one who might preserve them from death or enhance their worldly enjoyments. Apart from conversion, no one comes to the light of God.

He who begins by seeking God within himself may end by confusing himself with God.

Seeking God? We have totally revised corporate worship services to be sensitive to "seekers." If worship were to be tailored for seekers, it would be directed exclusively to believers, for no one except believers ever seeks God (Rom. 3:9-12).

(week of Nov 27th) (thoughts)

Watch your thought, for your thought will become your words and your words will soon be your Action.  Douglas Yaw Mensah

You can foul up the devil's whole strategy by taking charge of your thoughts and bringing them in line with the Word of God. Kenneth M. Copeland

When you have negative thoughts, refuse to dwell on them & replace them with God's powerful promises. Lisa Osteen Comes

let the love of Jesus Christ be in your thoughts continually. Peter Nii Korley

The mind can take a thought and turn it into an experience. Mike Murdock

At this point God taught me another important lesson: He would do for me what I could not do for myself, but He would not do for me what He required me to do for myself. God had responded to my cry and delivered me from the spirit of heaviness, but after that He held me responsible to exercise scriptural discipline over my own thoughts. Derek Prince

Worry is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained. Ultimately, worry is faith in fear and not in God John C. Hagee

(week of Nov 20th) (Thanksgiving)

“God has promised to supply all our needs. What we don’t have now, we don’t need now.” –Elizabeth Elliot

 “In happy moments, PRAISE GOD. In difficult moments, SEEK GOD. In quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD. In painful moments, TRUST GOD. Every moment, THANK GOD.” –Rick Warren

"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." –C.S. Lewis

 “Gratitude is an offering precious in the sight of God, and it is one that the poorest of us can make and be not poorer but richer for having made it.” –A.W. Tozer

“Genuine thankfulness is an act of the heart’s affections, not an act of the lips’ muscles.” –John Piper

“A spirit of thankfulness is one of the most distinctive marks of a Christian whose heart is attuned to the Lord. Thank God in the midst of trials and every persecution.” –Billy Graham

(week of Nov 13th) (stewardship)

(week of Nov 6th) (listen)

There are many things that God can reveal unto you. You just need to get closer to Him, listen to what He has to say and do what He asks you to do. When you follow His will, you will be blessed in all you do.Gift Gugu Mona

Prayer is not just asking. It is listening for God's orders.Billy Graham

The Difference between discouragement and encouragement is who you listen to. God or Man.David Ibiyeomie

The first step toward success is the willingness to listen.Mike Murdock

Most people approach a discussion pre-occupied by the arguments that support their position that they are unable to listen!Rick Godwin

Because He bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!Marcus Lamb

As long as your heart is beating, there is a God who is listening to the cry of your heart. I can’t say how things will work out for you, but I can say this with confidence.

Ron M. Phillips

Prayer is communication. You talk, God listens. You listen when God talks.Omoakhuana Anthonia

(week of October 30th) (you belong to God)

20) For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.1 Corinthians 6:20 (KJV)

Introduction

God’s ownership of his saints is one of the most awe-inspiring truths of Christianity, and I’ve found it especially helpful to continually remind myself every day that I belong to God.

If you have believed on Jesus Christ by faith, repented of your sins, and confessed him as Lord of your life then both your body and spirit belong to God. (Rom 10:9-10, Gal. 3:26, Gal. 4:6-7, 1 Cor. 3:23, 1 Pet. 2:9)

In fact, the Bible teaches that, “now are we the sons of God.” (1 Jn. 3:2)“God’s ownership of his saints is one of the most awe-inspiring truths of Christianity.”

Believers do not have to wait for heaven to be God’s. They are already his here and now in this life.

What is it specifically though that makes God’s possession of us such a powerful part of our Christian life?

In today’s devotional, we’re going to briefly look at what it means for believers to know that they belong to God. Lets jump in!

First, belonging to God brings us confidence during seasons of doubt.

When sin, life or the enemy flood our thoughts with lies about our holy standing with God we need only to rest on what God has told us and done for us in salvation.

God the Father has given us to Jesus and we are held forever tightly in both of their hands and sealed by the Holy Spirit. (Jn. 10:28-29, Eph. 1:13)

You are his and he won’t ever let you go! The confidence that overflows from this ought to compel us forward on our pilgrimage through this life and into eternity.

There is nothing you or anyone can do to change that. (Rom. 8:35) Your standing with God, your salvation and his love and possession of you are guaranteed.

Remember, in times of spiritual uncertainty God gently says, “You are mine.” (Ps. 100:3)

Second, belonging to God comforts us in times of apparent loneliness.

When we feel forsaken by the world, friends or loved ones, God says “You are mine, I’m here and I love you.”

Notice also, that the converse is also true. If we are God’s, then God is ours.

He is the eternal friend who never deserts, always listens and who we continue to know more and more about for all time.

There is no end to the depth of the Christian’s relationship with his God.

There is no where we can go where God isn’t. Moreover, God not only goes with us wherever we go, he goes before us! (Deut. 31:8)

God is always present in our lives because we belong to him. Just like a father he wants to always know what we are feeling, what we are up against and where we are.

This is our comfort in times of loneliness, isolation and solitude.

Such truth continually refreshes us and makes us ready to serve God.

Third, belonging to God makes us thankful, even when everything in life seems to be against us.

Why does our belonging to God make us thankful? Because of God’s love for us. This in fact is the reason why he keeps us as his. (Jn. 3:16)

This is also why Paul for example could glory in his infirmities and revel in the fact that nothing could separate him from God. (2 Cor. 11:30, Rom. 8:39)

“The love that God bestows on us is greater than all else; it is a love that is more profound than any human conception of love, its a pure, everlasting and steadfast love.”

As Christians we know that we do not deserve to belong to God.

However, the love that God bestows on us is greater than all else; it is a love that is more profound than any human conception of love, its a pure, everlasting and steadfast love. (1 Jn. 4:10,1 Jn. 3:1, Jer. 31:3, Ps. 103:17)

If that doesn’t make you thankful then nothing else can or will.

It is the gratitude we have then for belonging to God which strengths our Christian witness, and that helps us press on in life in service to God.

Conclusion

In today’s devotional we briefly looked at what it means for believers to know that they belong to God.

We learned that knowing that we are God’s and that he is ours compels us with confidence, uplifts us with comfort and strengthens us with gratitude.

Therefore, when people ask you why Jesus means so much to you, tell them that you belong to the God of universe, and that they can too!

I am His by purchase and I am His by conquest; I am His by donation and I am His by election; I am His by covenant and I am His by marriage; I am wholly His; I am peculiarly His; I am universally His; I am eternally His.

— Thomas Brooks

(week  of October 23) (training)

No amount of training in leadership skills, courses in management methods, power titles, promotions, or associations can substitute for the right attitudes.

Every time you speak right, you are training yourself to think right and act right.

Training is the most difficult seed to sow.

Every time you speak right, you are training yourself to think right and act right.

Whatever you are holding onto in this life, hold it loosely so it won't hurt when the Lord has to pry your fingers open to take it away.

(week of Oct. 16th) (blemish)

(week of Oct 9th) (one mind; unity)

Unity Is The Strength Of God's People

"The strength of God’s people lies in their union with Him through His only-begotten Son, and their union with one another." The Review and Herald, July 4, 1899 [I am not negating our need to be in union with Christ, but we often forget that union with each other is also necessary!!! However, union with each other is not possible unless we are in union with Christ. The unity that comes is a unity in diversity, where the branches attaching to the same vine, have the same values, the same interests, the same goal. Let's seek such unity!]

Come Together Instead Of Criticizing 

Psalms 133:1 (NKJV) "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil upon the head,
Running down on the beard,
The beard of Aaron,
Running down on the edge of his garments.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
Descending upon the mountains of Zion;
For there the LORD commanded the blessing—
Life forevermore."

"Self-love, self-esteem lead professed Christians to measure themselves by themselves. They take for granted that all their surmisings and suspicions of others are correct. But it is because of suspicions and judging of one another that there is discord, strife, and an unhealthy condition of the church. {Ms24-1892.1} If brethren would meet together once or twice a week, and with humble minds, feeling their weakness and realizing their defects, then would ask the Lord to enlighten their understanding and fill their hearts with His love, examining not one another, but the Scriptures, Satan would be defeated. Many imaginary difficulties, mere mole hills that have been magnified into mountains and have made barriers between brethren, would vanish, and love, compassion, and respect would take the place of jangling and accusation. When you begin to judge your brethren, you are doing a work God has not given you to do. You are not working with Christ. God did not place you upon the judgment seat to measure and pronounce sentence upon your brethren." {Ms24-1892.2}

Unity is Needed

John 17:21-23 (NKJV) "That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me."

"We are ever to seek for unity. Discord and strife cannot possibly glorify God. We are to seek to harmonize. All envy, all strife, all ambition is to be put away. We are to encourage humility. God has promised to keep us away from evil, and we cannot cherish evil thinking and envy and at the same time keep our souls unspotted. We are bidden to pray, “Deliver us from evil.” [Matthew 6:13.] We are to act in harmony with this prayer, and not enter into evil." {Ms149-1905.10}

Unity Like Christ And His Father Needed!

John 17:22 "And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:"

"The divine imprint is not on any man’s work who does not exercise every faculty God has given him to answer the prayer of Christ for complete unity." {1888 1142.2}

"From eternity there was a complete unity between the Father and the Son. They were two, yet little short of being identical; two in individuality, yet one in spirit, and heart, and character." {YI December 16, 1897, par. 5}

"Love is not a mere simple regard, but a living principle; not a temporary emotion, but a permanent power. We drink it in fresh from the fountain of love that flows from the cross of Calvary. We are quickened by this love. “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them as thou hast loved me.” Quickened by this love, the power of the Holy Spirit, we learn to love one another in and through Christ Jesus truly, sincerely, unaffectedly." {1888 1141.2}

Perfect Oneness Will Bring Success!

"That they all may be one!"

"Let us make Christ’s prayer the rule of our life, that we may form characters that will reveal to the world the power of the grace of God. Let there be less talk about petty differences, and a more diligent study of what the prayer of Christ means to those who believe on his name. We are to pray for union, and then live in such a way that God can answer our prayers. {RH January 27, 1903, Art. A, par. 14} Perfect oneness,—a union as close as the union existing between the Father and the Son,—this is what will give success to the efforts of God’s workers. “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me,” to bring about this union, this sanctified harmony. “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” It is this union that convinces the world that God has indeed sent his Son to save sinners. Christ gives to his true disciples the glory of his character, that his prayer may be answered. Through the impartation of his Spirit, he appears in their lives." {RH January 27, 1903, Art. A, par. 15}

Put Away All Disunion

“God has a work for his people to do for the world, and if they will work in harmony with one another and with heaven, he will demonstrate his power in their behalf as he did for his first disciples on the day of Pentecost. Those days in which the disciples prepared themselves by prayer and putting away of all disunion, brought them into such close relation to God that he could work for them and through them in a marvelous manner. Today God desires to accomplish great things through the faith and works of his believing people. But we need to stand in right relation to God, that we may understand his voice when he speaks to us." {RH January 13, 1910, par. 17}

Unity Is Essential!

John 17:21 "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:"

"[C]annot we pray over this matter more earnestly, that the Holy Spirit of God may quicken the discernment of His people to see that by putting away envy, evil-surmising, jealousy, they may answer the prayer of Christ, that His disciples might be one, as He is one with the Father? Is it so, that the sensibilities of those who claim to believe the truth are paralyzed? Do they not see that they deny Christ, scatter from Him, in acting as though it was a light matter to disagree and engage in controversies? Brother looks coldly upon brother, minister mistrusts minister. The church seems to have lost the blending attributes of love, and its members unite no better than ropes of sand. And yet the great crisis of the day of God is at hand. {Lt15-1892.28} What is the reason of all this selfishness, this bigotry? What means this self-satisfaction, this disposition to tear down, and not build up? The truth is not sanctifying the soul, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Many cling to their independence, choosing their own way, but not the way and will of God. The truth believed in theory, but not received in the love of it, leaves the heart as cold as an iron wedge. Those who are sanctified through the truth will be one in Christ Jesus. The cleansing blood of the Lamb of God cements their hearts together. The branches are united with the Vine. {Lt15-1892.29} Trials are to come upon God’s people; the tares will be separated from the wheat. But let not Ephraim envy Judah any more, and Judah shall no more vex Ephraim. Kind, tender, compassionate words will flow from sanctified hearts and lips. We must make it appear essential to be united, not that we are to require others to come to our ideas; but if all are seeking the meekness and lowliness of Christ, they will have the mind of Christ; then there will be unity of spirit." {Lt15-1892.30}

Unity Comes In Being Grafted Into A Common Root

Philippians 2:2 "Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind."

"Where is the strength of God’s people? It is in their union with Him through His only begotten Son, and their union with each other. There are no two leaves of a tree precisely alike; neither do all minds run in the same groove. But in diversity there may be unity. Christ is our Root, and all who are grafted into this root will bear the fruit which Christ bore. They will reveal the fragrance of His character in the talent of speech, in the cultivation of kindness, of hospitality, of Christian courtesy, and true heavenly politeness. We are not all fitted to do the same kind of work, but each man’s work is designed by God to help make up His plan. Look at the flowers in a carpet, and notice the different colored threads. All are not pink, all are not green, all are not blue. A variety of colors are woven together to perfect a design. So it is in the plan of God. He has a purpose in placing us where we must learn to live as individuals." {Ms14-1899.1}

Love Is Proof Of Our Discipleship

John 13:35 "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."

"The whole work of grace is one continual service of love, of self-denying, self-sacrificing effort. During every hour of Christ’s sojourn upon the earth, the love of God was flowing from Him in irrepressible streams. All who are imbued with His Spirit will love as He loved. The very principle that actuated Christ will actuate them in all their dealing one with another. {DA 677.2} This love is the evidence of their discipleship. “By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples,” said Jesus, “if ye have love one to another.” When men are bound together, not by force or self-interest, but by love, they show the working of an influence that is above every human influence. Where this oneness exists, it is evidence that the image of God is being restored in humanity, that a new principle of life has been implanted. It shows that there is power in the divine nature to withstand the supernatural agencies of evil, and that the grace of God subdues the selfishness inherent in the natural heart." {DA 678.1}

See How Closely You Can Come Together!

Galatians 5:13-15 (KJV) 13 "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another."

"When differences arise among brethren as to the understanding of any point of truth, there is one Bible rule to follow. In the spirit of meekness and love for God and one another, let brethren come together, and after earnest prayer, with sincere desire to know God’s will, study the Bible with the spirit of a little child, to see how closely they can draw together, and not sacrifice anything but their selfish dignity. They should regard themselves as in the presence of the whole universe of God, who are watching with intense interest as brother tries to see eye to eye with brother, to understand the words of Christ, that they may be doers of the word. When you recall the prayer of Christ, that his disciples may be one as he was one with the Father, can you not see how intently all heaven is beholding the spirit you manifest toward one another? Are those who claim to be saved by the righteousness of Christ, seeking with all their entrusted capabilities to answer the Saviour’s prayer? Will they grieve the Holy Spirit of God by indulging their own unconsecrated feelings, struggling for the supremacy, and standing as far apart as possible?" {1888 1008.3} ... "The Lord Jesus is dishonored whenever brethren of the same faith accuse another and lessen the influence of one of God’s delegated messengers. The enemies of truth will make the very most of the least item by which they can excite suspicion of the men through whom God is giving light to the people. To place any obstruction in the way of this light coming to the people, will be registered as a grievous sin in the sight of God. Better lose the right arm or the right eye than to be found in this kind of work. “It must needs be that offenses come; but woe unto that man by whom the offense cometh.” Let not the influence graciously given you of God to save souls from ruin be employed in weakening the influence of others whom the Lord is using." {1888 1009.2}

The Whole Body Is To Work Harmoniously

Romans 15:6 "That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

"All in church capacity are to work, beseeching men and women to be reconciled unto God. In this way all may show that they are favored to serve. They possess the grace of the ministry of reconciliation. If one errs, if from any cause there is disagreement, do not let time pass, but go to work at once to settle variances and come into unity. Those who are thus tried are to work according to God’s plan and are to settle the matter of disagreement between themselves. “If two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” [Matthew 18:19, 20.] {Lt183-1901.16}
This is God’s ordained plan, to pray and converse with one another; and in the place of recrimination try to break down the existing barriers, that heart may be cemented to heart, that self-will and selfishness should die; for in the work of reclaiming, the statement is made, “The fervent, effectual prayer of every one of faith availeth much.” [James 5:16.] {Lt183-1901.17}
God calls for all to act in concert. Union is strength; variance is weakness and sin. There is to be no counter-influence in the church. The whole body is to work harmoniously, as members of one body. Will all who are connected in the solemn pledge-covenant bear in mind that the union of action of every member of the body—each acting the part God has appointed him, each at his post—all acting in concert, the whole working agency, in the accomplishment of sacred duties, for the strengthening and establishment of a church, [is] to exhibit God’s miracle-working power, as a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men?" {Lt183-1901.18}

Go Elsewhere If You Work In Lines Of Faultfinding

"I ask, in the name of the Lord, that those who have certainly been at work in lines of faultfinding and accusing be converted, or go to some other locality as soon as they can. If they have educated themselves to spend little time in searching their own hearts with true contrition, but feel it a duty to prove and test their brethren by their measuring rod, let them go where less harm will be done by this kind of work. In unity there is strength; in disunion there is weakness. No one who has engaged in the work of criticizing should locate here, because education in this line is not to be given. Those who are loyal and steadfast to principle are the men and women that are wanted." {Ms40-1896.10} [This was written regarding Cooranbong, Australia, where the denomination's school was located.]

We Dishonor Our Maker When We Are At Variance One With Another

Colossians 1:18 "And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence."

Ephesians 4:13 "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."

"The church of Christ is to be in the world, but not of the world. In calling His people together in church capacity, God designs that they shall form one Christian family, and daily be fitting for membership [in] the family above. God thus forms the believers in His Word in one body, that their influence may be a blessing to one another and to the world. Each member converted reveals a transformation of character, and he is strengthened and sustained by the courage and faith of the whole. The weakest saint, if he believes in Christ, is a member of Christ’s body; and if he lives in humble dependence upon God, he will become strong; for he has a right to all the privileges of a child of God. {Ms157-1899.2} Christ, as the head of the church, calls His people to work together in unity and faith and love. His people dishonor their Maker when they are at variance one with another. The influence for good which we might have on one another has been perverted by sin, making man a power to destroy, rather than to save; but under the reign of Christ an altogether different state of things may exist. Christ uses the unity and co-operation of His people in the salvation of man. They receive Christ’s divine power, and impart the same to their fellow men. Then a unity of action is seen. All their capabilities are called into the work of bringing those who have been under Satan’s rule back to their loyalty to God." {Ms157-1899.3}

Soldiers of Christ Must Work in Unity

Ps. 133:1 "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"

"Soldiers of Christ must work in concert. Each soldier must act in relation to his comrades, else there will be a mere concourse of independent atoms. Instead of strength being carefully treasured to meet one great purpose at any moment, and concentrated on one great point, it would be wasted in disconcerted, meaningless efforts. Union is strength. A few men and women who counsel together and pray together, having the glory of God in view and acting for one purpose, will be growing in strength and wisdom and will gain victories. A good soldier will not move independently of his brethren. There is much hard work to be done for the Master. Much wisdom must be brought into this work. It is the unconquerable perseverance, the never-failing endurance which will bring the desired victory." {Ms37-1886.13}

The Spirit Of Jesus In My Heart Recognizes Jesus In Other Hearts

John 17:20-21 (NKJV) 20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me."

"The love of Jesus is the golden chain that binds our hearts in tenderest sympathy with humanity and in complete unity with every soul that believes. The Spirit of Jesus in my heart will recognize Jesus in the hearts of my brethren and sisters. Our prayers and hopes are one. The power of an ever-abiding Saviour is greater than ever before, because the emergencies are greater." {Ms16-1890.92}

There Should Be The Most Perfect Unity

1 Cor. 1:1 Corinthians 1:10 (NKJV) 10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

"We are to be brought into a sacred nearness with the world’s Redeemer. We are to be one with Christ, as he is one with the Father. What a wonderful change the people of God experience in coming into unity with the Son of God! We are to have our tastes, inclinations, ambitions, and passions all subdued, and brought into harmony with the mind and spirit of Christ. This is the very work that the Lord is willing to do for those who believe in him. Our life and deportment are to have a molding power in the world. The spirit of Christ is to have a controlling influence over the life of his followers, so that they will speak and act like Jesus. Christ says, “The glory which thou gavest me I have given them.” {RH July 2, 1889, par. 3}  The mighty cleaver of truth has taken a people out of the world, and the rough, coarse material is to be hewed and squared and polished for the heavenly building. Those who profess to follow Christ should not be in the same condition in which they were before they made this profession. The grace of Christ is to work a wonderful transformation in the life and character of its receiver; and if we are truly the disciples of Christ, the world will see that divine power has done something for us; for while we are in the world, we shall not be of it. We are to bring our life up to the great moral standard of God. The moral law is to judge us in the last day. How unbecoming it is for us to criticize others, when God must work so great a work upon us before we can be fitted for the kingdom of heaven! Is there any of the glory of Christ in suspicion and evil surmising, in criticism and condemnation of our brethren? We should pray for those who are in error. We should present before them the perfection of Christ, but we should not accuse and condemn our brethren and friends." {RH July 2, 1889, par. 4}

The Church Is Made Up Of Perfectly Fitted Living Stones

"His church on earth is to assume divine proportions before the world as a temple built of living stones, each one reflecting light. It is to be the light of the world as a city set on a hill, which cannot be hid. It is built of stones laid close together, stone fitting to stone, making a firm, solid building. Not all the stones are of the same form or shape. Some are large, some are small; but each has its own place to fill. And the value of each stone is determined by the light that it reflects. This is God’s plan. He desires all His workers to fill their appointed places in the work for this time." {8T 173.2}

Perfect Unity Comes From Wearing Christ's Yoke Of Restraint And Obedience

"In the church below there is to be the most perfect unity, and this can only be by all wearing Christ’s yoke of restraint and obedience." {Ms165-1907.5}

We Must Not Be Separate Independent Movements

John 17:21 (KJV) 21 "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me."

"In the carrying forward of God’s work, we shall not be as separate, independent agents. The unity of God’s people is to be to the world a convincing argument that God sent his Son to save the world. Christ prayed for his disciples, “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” {RH August 15, 1907, Art. A, par. 15}  Such is the unity for which we are to seek,—such unity as exists between the Father and the Son. If we find ourselves inclined to separate from our brethren if they do not do exactly as we think best, this is an evidence that we are not genuine Bible Christians. We need to study the relation of Christ to his Father, and we need to understand his love for the world." {RH August 15, 1907, Art. A, par. 16}

We Cannot Love God And Not Love Our Brethren

John 13:34-35 (KJV) 34 "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."

Discord Is The Result Of Walking Apart From Christ

"What is it that causes dissension and discord? It is the result of walking apart from Christ. At a distance from Him, we lose our love for Him, and grow cold toward His followers. The farther the beams of light recede from their center, the wider separated they become. Each believer is as a beam of light from Christ the Sun of righteousness. The more closely we walk with Christ, the center of all love and light, the greater will be our affection for His light-bearers. When the saints are drawn close to Christ, they must of necessity be drawn close to each other, for the sanctifying grace of Christ will bind their hearts together. You cannot love God and yet fail to love your brethren." – {1888 1048}

We All Have One Head

"The vine has many branches, but though all the branches are different, they do not quarrel. In diversity there is unity. All the branches obtain their nourishment from one source. This is an illustration of the unity that is to exist among Christ's followers. In their different lines of work they all have but one Head. The same Spirit, in different ways, works through them. There is harmonious action, though the gifts differ. . . . God calls for each one ... to do his appointed work according to the ability which has been given him."  {AG 211.5}

Mutual Dependence On The Vine Makes Us One

"By the figure of the vine and the branches, Christ illustrated not only the relation that should exist between him and his followers, but also the union between every believer and his fellow believer. The branches of the vine are related to each other; but they are not alike. Each has its own individuality, which cannot be merged into that of another, but all have a special connection with each other. The root that supplies nourishment to one branch supplies nourishment to every other branch. Each must depend alike on the vine for sustenance; all must be joined to the parent stalk. The life and growth and fruitfulness of each depend alike on the parent vine. In obedience to the laws of nature, their common hold of the true vine make them one; in their diversity there is unity."  {SpM 404.1}

Everything That Causes Division Must Be Put Away

"One was in our meetings, beholding the assembly, and that One of authority said, “Now is the time, at the very beginning of your influence in this place, to put away everything that shall tend to division, because the spirit of unity and love, which has been so scarcely cherished, should now multiply daily, fitting you for the mansions Christ is preparing for all who love Him and keep His commandments. There is to be no strife. Let every soul follow the requirements and commands of God. Jesus’ prayer to His Father is a lesson to be practiced just now. Humble your own souls before God. Confess your own sins and forsake everything that will mar the unity that Christ requires.” {Ms172-1905.12} 

Every Individual Has A Place

"Unity in diversity is God’s plan. Among the followers of Christ there is to be the blending of diverse elements, one adapted to the other, and each to do its special work for God. Every individual has his place in the filling up of one great plan bearing the stamp of Christ’s image.... One is fitted to do a certain work, another has a different work for which he is adapted, another has a still different line; but each is to be the complement of the others. The Spirit of God, working in and through the diverse elements, will produce harmony of action.... There is to be only one master spirit—the Spirit of Him who is infinite in wisdom, and in whom all the diverse elements meet in beautiful, matchless unity."—Letter 78, 1894.

Love In Spite Of Differences Is The Greatest Testimony

"We seldom find two persons exactly alike. Among human beings as well as among the things of the natural world, there is diversity. Unity in diversity among God’s children—the manifestation of love and forbearance in spite of difference of disposition—this is the testimony that God sent His Son into the world to save sinners." {OFC 36.2}

Nothing Offends God More Than A Disunited Church

“Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid.” The aggressive power of the gospel is in proportion to the genuine faith and piety and example of the believers. The church is to be the Lord’s light bearer to shine amid the moral darkness of a corrupt and sinful generation. There can be nothing in the world that is so dear to God as His church. Nothing is guarded by Him with such jealous care. Nothing offends God more than for the church to be in a disunited state, because it bears to the world a very bad testimony and example." {Ms176-1902.1}

Quarreling Churches Will Not Experience Revival

1 Corinthians 1:10 "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you."

 "A sleepy, Christless church, quarreling and surmising evil, will have no reward, and need look for no revival, unless its members repent, and do the first works." {RH June 26, 1888, par. 9}

(week of Oct 2nd) (the worlds a stage)

(week of Sept 27th) (Truth)

(week of Sept 18th) (bad company)

(week of Sept 11th) (His way)

“Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.” Abraham Lincoln

 “God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.” – Martin Luther

“Atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning.” C. S. Lewis

“Once more, Never think that you can live to God by your own power or strength; but always look to and rely on him for assistance, yea, for all strength and grace.” – David Brainerd

“There are three of you. There is the person you think you are. There is the person others think you are. There is the person God knows you are and can be through Christ.” Billy Graham

(week of Sept. 4th) (labor)

One day of favor is worth a thousand days of labor.

Mike Murdock

Beloved, God is faithful, who will not suffer you to fail. Live for Him one day at a time. He will prosper the labour of your hands.

Benson Andrew Idahosa

(week of August 28th) (forgiveness)

(week of August 21st) (do not be afraid)

you can feel afraid , but not be afraid

There is no attribute more comforting to His children than that of God’s sovereignty. Under the most adverse circumstances, in the most severe trials, they believe that Sovereignty has ordained their afflictions, that Sovereignty overrules them, and that Sovereignty will sanctify them. Charles Spurgeon

(week of August 14th) (Crown)

(week of August 7th) (gossip)

(week of July 31th) (false prophets)

“You can believe in whatsoever you like, but the truth remains the truth, no matter how sweet the lie may taste.”
― Michael Bassey Johnson

“Atheists are not the enemy; the real enemy knows Jesus Christ. Satan and all false prophets know very well that Jesus came from heaven, but still reject him. Matthew 10:36”
― Felix Wantang

“A spirit ushered by false teachings is like a body nourished by sweets. The adult, as opposed to the child, will come to understand reasons one cannot live a healthy existence on nothing but candy; so likewise, the Christian must come to understand that one cannot know and love the will of God under false doctrine.”
― Criss Jami

(week of July 11th)

The devil is not fighting religion. He's too smart for that. He is producing a counterfeit Christianity, so much like the real one that good Christians are afraid to speak out against it. We are plainly told in the Scriptures that in the last days men will not endure sound doctrine and will depart from the faith and heap to themselves teachers to tickle their ears. We live in an epidemic of this itch, and popular preachers have developed “ear-tickling” into a fine art.

Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received - only what you have given: a full heart, enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage.

 "The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.” CS Lewis

(week of July 24th) (if)

Ah! If our likeness to God does not show itself in trifles, what is there left for it to show itself in? For our lives are all made up of trifles. The great things come three or four of them in the seventy years; the little ones every time the clock ticks.

     Alexander MacLaren

If we walk in righteousness He will carry us through.

 A.B. Simpson

Justification is away beyond anything that a human court of justice ever realizes. It is putting the sinner in the condition before God as if he had never sinned at all. It is giving him a standing in the merit of Jesus Christ of absolute innocency before God.

    A.C. Dixon

If I am afraid to speak the truth lest I lose affection, or lest the one concerned should say, "You do not understand", or because I fear to lose my reputation for kindness; if I put my own good name before the other's highest good, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

  Amy Carmichael

If you live in such a manner as to stand the test of the last judgment, you can depend upon it that the world will not speak well of you.

  Alistair Begg

Anyone who proposes to do good must not expect people to roll stones out of his way, but must accept his lot calmly, even if they roll a few stones upon it.

    Author: Albert Schweitzer

If God would have painted a yellow stripe on the backs of the elect I would go around lifting shirts. But since He didn't I must preach "whosoever will" and when "whatsoever" believes I know that he is one of the elect.

   Charles Spurgeon

I have been all things unholy. If God can work through me, he can work through anyone.

  Francis of Assisi

(week of July 17th) (one accord)

(week of July 10th) (be secure)

(week of July 2nd) (freedom)

(week of June 26th) (supplication)

Supplication comes from a place of intrinsic desperation resulting from a broken and contrite heart.Robin M. Bertram

We pray not to inform God or instruct Him but to beseech Him closely, to be made intimate with Him, by continuance in supplication; to be humbled; to be reminded of our sins. Saint John Chrysostom

(week of June 19th) (Jabez)

(1 Chronicles 4:9-11

⁹ Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez,^[a] saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” ¹⁰ Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.)

Listen, my friend! Your helplessness is your best prayer. It calls from your heart to the heart of God with greater effect than all your uttered pleas. He hears it from the very moment that you are seized with helplessness, and He becomes actively engaged at once in hearing and answering the prayer of your helplessness.

Ole Hallesby

The greatest tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayerF.B. Meyer

Our prayers are heard by God not according to what we try to be when we pray, but who we are when we are not praying

Joyce Meyer

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?

Corrie Ten Boom

Who rises from prayer a better man, his prayer is answered.

George Meredith

The reason why we obtain no more in prayer is because we expect no more. God usually answers us according to our own hearts.

Richard Alleine

(week of June 12) (committed)

(week of June 5th) (ungratefulness)

 “God says to give thanks in everything. That doesn’t mean you need to give thanks FOR everything. You don’t need to give thanks FOR that bad day. Or FOR that bad relationship. Or being passed over at work. Financial hardship. Whatever it is – you are not to give thanks FOR the difficulties, but rather IN the difficulties. That is a very important distinction, and one I think we often miss. Giving thanks IN everything shows a heart of faith that God is bigger than the difficulties and that He can use them, if you approach Him with the right heart and spirit, for your good and His glory.” –Tony Evans

 “God has promised to supply all our needs. What we don’t have now, we don’t need now.” –Elizabeth Elliot

 “It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.” –Charles Spurgeon

 “In happy moments, PRAISE GOD. In difficult moments, SEEK GOD. In quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD. In painful moments, TRUST GOD. Every moment, THANK GOD.” –Rick Warren

 “Gratitude is an offering precious in the sight of God, and it is one that the poorest of us can make and be not poorer but richer for having made it.” –A.W. Tozer

 “It’s one thing to be grateful. It’s another to give thanks. Gratitude is what you feel. Thanksgiving is what you do.” –Tim Keller

 "To be grateful is to recognize the love of God in everything He has given us -- and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him." –Thomas Merton

(week of May 29th) (good cheer [optimism, confidence])

(week of May 22nd) (song)

The good and the beautiful is not forgotten; it lives in legend and in song. — Hans Christian Andersen

(week of May 15th) (Intercessory Prayer of Jesus)

Intercessory prayer is an act of communion with Christ, for Jesus pleads for the sons of men. Charles Spurgeon

Intercession is the truly universal work for the Christian. No place is closed to intercessory prayer: no continent, no nation, no city, no organization, no office. No power on earth can keep intercession out. Richard Halverson

We never know how God will answer our prayers, but we can expect that He will get us involved in His plan for the answer. If we are true intercessors, we must be ready to take part in God’s work on behalf of the people for whom we pray. Corrie Ten Boom

The real business of your life as a saved soul is intercessory prayer. Oswald Chambers

It is in the field of prayer that life's critical battles are lost or won...In prayer we bring our spiritual enemies into the Presence of God and we fight them there. John Henry Jowett

Intercessory prayer is exceedingly prevalent. What wonders it has wrought! The Word of God teems with its marvelous deeds. Believer, thou hast a mighty engine in thy hand, use it well, use it constantly, use it with faith, and thou shalt surely be a benefactor to thy brethren. Charles Spurgeon

God's hearing of our prayers doth not depend upon sanctification, but upon Christ's intercession; not upon what we are in ourselves, but what' we are in the Lord Jesus; both our persons and our prayers are acceptable in the beloved [Eph 1.6]. Thomas Brooks

(week of May 8th) (it's not a given)

 I wouldn't trust the best fifteen minutes I ever lived to get me into heaven.- Adrian Rogers

The kingdom of God is no place for a man with his face pointed one way and his feet the other. God is not talking people to Heaven backwards. – Vance Havner

Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. – D. L. Moody

There will be no crown wearers in Heaven who were not first cross bearers while on earth. – Charles Spurgeon

 God never said that the journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worthwhile.- Max Lucado

(week of May 1st) (the Heart)

(week of April 24th) (Born Again)

God has no grandchildren. He has only children, so being a born-again Christian is not an automatic thing.

Reinhard Bonnke

(week of April 17th) (a Touch)

I long to see Jesus face to face, to hear his voice and touch him. In the day I go be with Him, there will be no unfulfilled longings, or disappointments. He will welcome me into His mansion, answer my questions, and teach me the wisdom of the ages. Billy Graham

• "Although not everyone is blessed with a healing touch, our touch can be a source of healing and blessing for others, especially when accompanied by a brief prayer."— Tom Cowan
• 
  
• "Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts."
  — Charles Dickens
• 
  
• "Too often we underestimate the power of touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around."
  — Leo Buscaglia
• 
  
• We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls.

  Mother Teresa

• 
  

(week of April 10th) (Resurrection)

“We live and die; Christ died and lived!”

Charles Spurgeon:“The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is one of the best attested facts on record. There were so many witnesses to behold it, that if we do in the least degree receive the credibility of men’s testimonies, we cannot and we dare not doubt that Jesus rose from the dead.”

The first fact in the history of Christendom is a number of people who say they have seen the Resurrection. If they had died without making anyone else believe this 'gospel' no gospels would ever have been written.” C.S. Lewis

(week of April 3rd) (fool)

(week of March 27th) (darkness)

Jesus didn't come to make us safe. He came to make us dangerous to the kingdom of darkness.

Christine Caine

It is through prayer that we destroy the kingdom of Darkness and enforce the judgment written that the Gates of Hell shall not prevail - Prayer Moves God.

Nicholas Duncan Williams

(week of March 20th) (fear not)

(week of March 13th) (your tongue)

(week of March 6th) (therefore)

The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature. Marcus Aurelius

I shall pass through this world but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer it or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again. Stephen Grellet

Man cannot live without joy; therefore when he is deprived of true spiritual joys it is necessary that he become addicted to carnal pleasures. Thomas Aquinas

In the same way the sun never grows weary of shining, nor a stream of flowing, it is God's nature to keep His promises. Therefore, go immediately to His throne and say, 'Do as You promised.' Charles Spurgeon

If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning. C. S. Lewis

I reflected much on that vain desire, which had pursued me for so many years, of being in solitude in order to be a Christian. I have now, thought I, solitude enough; but am I therefore the nearer being a Christian? Not if Jesus Christ be the model of Christianity. John Wesley

(week of Feb 27th) (kindness)

(week of Feb 20) (freedom)

There are two freedoms – the false, where a man is free to do what he likes; the true, where he is free to do what he ought.

Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.   – Ronald Reagan

(week of Feb 6) (knowledge)

(week of Feb 6) (Proverbs/Love)

 You can always give without loving, but you can never love without giving.- Amy Carmichael

What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.- Augustine

 The world does not understand theology or dogma, but it understands love and sympathy.- Dwight L. Moody

Learning to love unselfishly is not an easy task. It runs counter to our self-centered nature.- Rick Warren

 Love is the doorway through which the human soul passes from selfishness to service.- Jack Hyles

”Intense love does not measure, it just gives.” – Mother Teresa

 “The measure of love is to love without measuring.” – Saint Augustine

 “Being loved is life’s second greatest blessing; loving is the greatest.” – Jack Hyles

Love is not only something you feel, it is something you do.- David Wilkerson

Do not waste time bothering whether you "love" your neighbor; act as if you did.- C.S. Lewis

(week of Jan 3oth) (a new name)

 The God who made us also can remake us.- Woodrow Kroll

(week of Jan 23rd) (Nature)

Miracles are not contrary to nature, but only contrary to what we know about nature.- Augustine

(week of Jan 16) (Gifts)

Use me, God. Show me how to take who I am, who I want to be, and what I can do, and use it for a purpose greater than myself.

(week of Jan 2) (rest)

(week of Dec 26th) (renewed)

The God who made us also can remake us.  Woodrow Kroll

(week of Dec 19th) (Joseph listens)

“Joseph did not do extraordinary things, but rather by the constant practice of ordinary and common virtues, he attained that sanctity which elevates him...”Joseph Marello

“Let us love Jesus above all, but then, how could we keep from loving Joseph, who was so intimately united to both Jesus and Mary? And how can we honor him better than by imitating his virtues? Now, what else did he do in all his life but contemplate, study, and adore Jesus, even in the midst of his daily labors? Behold, therefore, our model.” Madeleine Sophie Barat

“Truly, I doubt not that the angels, wondering and adoring, came thronging in countless multitudes to that poor workshop to admire the humility of him who guarded that dear and divine child, and labored at his carpenter’s trade to support the son and the mother who were committed to his care.” Francis de Sales

(week of Dec 12th) (Trinity)

Vernon Grounds

Explain the Trinity? We can’t even begin. We can only accept it—a mystery, disclosed in Scripture. It should be no surprise that the triune Being of God baffles our finite minds. We should be surprised, rather, if we could understand the nature of our Creator. He would be a two-bit deity, not the fathomless Source of all reality.

Ignatius

There is then one God the Father, and not two or three; one who is; and there is no other beside Him, the only true God. ‘hath not one God created us? Have we not all one Father?’ And there is only one Son, God the Word, ‘The only-begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father.’ And again, ‘One Lord Jesus Christ.’ And there is also one Paraclete. ‘For there is one Spirit since we have been called in one hope of our calling.’ And again ‘We have drunk of one Spirit.’ … And it is manifest that all these gifts possessed by believers worketh one and the self-same Spirit. There are not then either three Fathers or three Sons or three Paracletes but one Father, one Son, and one Paraclete. Wherefore also the Lord, when He sent forth the apostles to make disciples of all nations, commanded them to baptize in the ‘name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost’ (Matt. 28:19), not unto one person having three names, nor unto three persons who became incarnate, but into three possessed of equal honor.,

Darrell W. Johnson

The God who has claimed us for himself if Father, Son and Holy Spirit; not just Father, not just Son, not just Spirit. God is God FOR US – Father. God is God WITH US – Son. God is God IN US – Spirit

Eugene Peterson

It is commonly said that the Trinity is a mystery. And it certainly is … . But it is not a mystery veiled in darkness in which we can only grope and guess. It is a mystery in which we are given to understand that we will never know all there is of God … . It is not a mystery that keeps us in the dark, but a mystery in which we are taken by the hand and gradually led into the light … .

Richard Rohr

If the mystery of the Trinity is the template of all reality, what we have in the Trinitarian God is the perfect balance between union and differentiation, autonomy and mutuality, identity and community.

Jonathan K. Dodson

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit act as a divine community of comfort for those who are in Christ Jesus. The Trinity possesses all comfort all the time for all afflictions. The Godhead never run short and are never indisposed. They are an eternal fountain of self-giving solace for sufferers. Always available, together they provide comfort that is both portable and eternal. Nothing can hold a candle to that.

(week of Dec 5th) (Holy Spirit)

If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. If the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95 percent of what they did would stop, and everybody would know the difference.

You have a God who hears you, the power of love behind you, the Holy Spirit within you, and all of heaven ahead of you. If you have the Shepherd, you have grace for every sin, direction for every turn, a candle for every corner and an anchor for every storm. You have everything you need.

The work of the Spirit is to impart life, to implant hope, to give liberty, to testify of Christ, to guide us into all truth, to teach us all things, to comfort the believer, and to convict the world of sinDwight L. Moody

Trying to do the Lord's work in your own strength is the most confusing, exhausting, and tedious of all work. But when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, then the ministry of Jesus just flows out of you.

I don't want the world to define God for me. I want the Holy Spirit to reveal God to me.

It is futile for us to try to serve God without the power of the Holy Spirit. Talent, training, and experience cannot take the place of the power of the Spirit.

If we think of the Holy Spirit only as an impersonal power or influence, then our thought will constantly be, how can I get hold of and use the Holy Spirit; but if we think of Him in the biblical way as a divine Person, infinitely wise, infinitely holy, infinitely tender, then our thought will constantly be, 'How can the Holy Spirit get hold of and use me?'

As the sun can be seen only by its own light, so Christ can be known only by His own Spirit. - Robert Leighto

Every divine action begins from the Father, proceeds through the Son, and is completed in the Holy Spirit.

(week of Nov 28th) (Thanksgiving)

William Bradford (1590-1657)

"To all ye Pilgrims:

"In as much as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetable, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as he has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience;

"Now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November ye 29th, of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty-three, and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings. William Bradford, Ye Governor of Ye Colony."

John Calvin (1509-1564)

"The Lord has given us a table at which to feast, not an altar on which a victim is to be offered; He has not consecrated priests to make sacrifice, but servants to distribute the sacred feast."

Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)

"My fellow-citizens, no people on earth have more cause to be thankful than ours, and this is said reverently, in no spirit of boastfulness in our own strength, but with gratitude to the Giver of Good who has blessed us with the conditions which have enabled us to achieve so large a measure of well-being and happiness..."

(week of Nov 21st) (Jesus is God)

We tend to focus our attention at Christmas on the infancy of Christ. The greater truth of the holiday is His deity. More astonishing than a baby in the manger is the truth that this promised baby is the omnipotent Creator of the heavens and the earth!” John F. MacArthur

“Jesus Christ is God in human flesh, and the story of His life, death, and resurrection is the only Good News the world will ever hear.” Billy Graham

“The deity of Christ is the key doctrine of the scriptures. Reject it, and the Bible becomes a jumble of words without any unifying theme. Accept it, and the Bible becomes an intelligible and ordered revelation of God in the person of Jesus Christ.” J. Oswald Sanders

“Touching His human nature, Jesus is no longer present with us. Touching his Divine nature, He is never absent from us.” — R.C. Sproul

“To see what God is like, we must look at Jesus. He perfectly represents God to men in a form which they can see and know and understand.” — William Barclay

(week of Nov. 14th) (it's not a given)

 I wouldn't trust the best fifteen minutes I ever lived to get me into heaven.- Adrian Rogers

The kingdom of God is no place for a man with his face pointed one way and his feet the other. God is not talking people to Heaven backwards. – Vance Havner

Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. – D. L. Moody

There will be no crown wearers in Heaven who were not first cross bearers while on earth. – Charles Spurgeon

 God never said that the journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worthwhile.- Max Lucado

(week of Nov. 7th ) (lie)

All unbelief is the belief of a lie.- Horatius Bonar

 “Those who are given to white lies soon become color blind.”

 A little lie is like a little pregnancy-it doesn't take long before everyone knows.- C.S. Lewis

 If you want the truth to go round the world you must hire an express train to pull it; but if you want a lie to go round the world it will fly; it is as light as a feather, and a breath will carry it.- Charles Spurgeon

their lie far stronger- C.S. Lewis

 Whatever is only almost true is quite false, and among the most dangerous of errors, because being so near truth, it is the more likely to lead astray.- Henry Ward Beecher

Lying to ourselves is more deeply ingrained than lying to others.- Fyodor Dostoevsky 

Instead of REPENTANCE, people are getting all kinds of counterfeit spiritual experiences. There seems to be almost no discernment at all. - Andrew Strom

(week of Oct 31st) (anger)

Whatever is begun in anger, ends in shame.- Benjamin Franklin

 Wise anger is like fire from the flint; there is a great ado to bring it out; and when it does come, it is out again immediately.- Matthew Henry

 If a donkey brays at you, don't bray at him.- George Herbert

 Do not say, "I cannot help having a bad temper." Friend, you must help it. Pray to God to help you overcome it at once, for either you must kill it, or it will kill you. You cannot carry a bad temper into heaven.- Charles Spurgeon

 Hot heads and cold hearts never solved anything.- Billy Graham

 If a man has a quarrelsome temper, let him alone. The world will soon find him employment. He will soon meet with someone stronger than himself, who will repay him better than you can. A man may fight duels all his life, if he is disposed to quarrel.- Richard Cecil

(week of Oct 24th) (the past)

 A little child the was playing with a very valuable vase. He put his hand into it and could not withdraw it. His father too, tried his best to get it out, to no avail. They were thinking of breaking the vase when the father said, “Now my son, make one more try. Open your hand and hold your fingers out straight as you see me doing, and then pull.” To their astonishment the little fellow said, “Oh no, dad, I couldn’t put my fingers out like that because if I did I would drop my dime.” Billy Graham

“Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.” – C.S. Lewis.

Looking back will distract you from what is in front of you. The devil will try to remind us of our past mistakes, sins, failures, etc.

“To heal your wound you need to stop touching it.”

God never consults your past to determine your future!  Mike Francen

When you replay the past, you poison the present. Mike Murdock

Stop looking back at your past. Stop looking at who you used to be. Stop bringing up to God what is already covered by the blood. There is nothing that can disqualify you. Sing with boldness. Sing with joy. Pastor John Gray

(week of Oct 17th) (family)

Does being born into a Christian family make one a Christian? No! God has no grandchildren.

The married man and the mother of a Christian family, if they are faithful to their obligations, will fulfill a mission that is as great as it is consoling: that of bringing into the world and forming young souls capable of happiness and love, souls capable of sanctification and transformation in Christ.

Every Christian family ought to be as it were a little church.

The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.Theodore Hesburgh

We learn many virtues in our Christian families. Above all, we learn to love, asking nothing in return

Pope Francis

As the church watches from the sidelines, the ungodly elect atheists and homosexuals to school boards and legislatures to enact policies and laws that destroy our Christian children and discriminate against Christian families.

(week of Oct 10th) (Joy)

 There is no joy in the world like the joy of bringing one soul to Christ.- William Barclay

 The very nature of Joy makes nonsense of our common distinction between having and wanting.- C.S. Lewis

 The only lasting and fully satisfying joys for any man lie on the other side of a cross.- Walter J. Chantry

When our lives are filled with peace, faith and joy, people will want to know what we have.- David Jeremiah

Joy is Strength- Mother Teresa

 Joy is the serious business of Heaven.- C.S. Lewis

 If you have no joy, there’s a leak in your Christianity somewhere.- Billy Sunday

(week of October 3rd) (with you)

Even if I am that lost sheep that goes astray every day, God is willing to be that loving shepherd that looks for me in every way. – Christian.net

And if God has promised to stay present with, help and uphold those who trust in Him, do we have any real reason to fear? – John Stange

God, who foresaw your tribulations, has specially armed you to go through it, not without pain but without stain. – C.S.Lewis

God meets daily needs daily. Not weekly or annually. He will give you what you need when it is needed. -Max Lucado

Sanctification means being made one with Jesus so that the disposition that ruled Him will rule us. It will cost everything that is not of God in us.  Oswald Chambers

(week of Sept 26th) (song)

The good and the beautiful is not forgotten; it lives in legend and in song. — Hans Christian Andersen

(week of Sept 19th) (follow me)

Salvation is free, but there is a price to pay in following Jesus. It is never said in Scripture that we can have "Christ and ... ".It is always "Christ or ... ". What is your "or"? — Billy Graham

My concern is that many of our churches in America have gone from being sanctuaries to becoming stadiums. And every week all the fans come to the stadium where they cheer for Jesus but have no interest in truly following him. The biggest threat to the church today is fans who call themselves Christians but aren't actually interested in following Christ. — Kyle Idleman

We may be able to live with some pain, but when our whole self becomes more and more rotten, the cost is far greater than dealing with the problem as soon as possible. This is why I think following Jesus, though challenging, is much easier than following anything else. The world has nothing better to offer me. Jesus has come to right my wrongs and to make me refreshingly new. — Dallas Willard

But following the only true and stedfast Teacher, the Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, who did, through His transcendent love, become what we are, that He might bring us to be even what He is Himself. — Irenaeus Of Lyons

“Jesus Christ died to save us from our sins; we tend to concentrate on that merciful fact. But isn't it also true He lived to show us a lifestyle free from sin? So, wouldn't following in his footsteps be something like preventative medicine?”
― Richelle E. Goodrich,

Don't ever be ashamed of being thought of as being tied to Holy Scripture. Don't ever be ashamed of exalting Holy Scripture. You're following in the steps of Jesus who bound himself to the Word of God, and insisted by his obedience to fulfil what was written of him. — J. Alec Motyer

(week of Sept 12) (promise)

“The best praying man is the man who is most believingly familiar with the promises of God. After all, prayer is nothing but taking God’s promises to him, and saying to him, “Do as thou hast said.” Prayer is the promise utilized. A prayer which is not based on a promise has no true foundation.”― Charles Spurgeon,

God promises no easy life or days without troubles, trials, difficulties, and temptations. He never promises that life will be perfect. He does not call His children to a playground, but to a battleground. Billy Graham

No dire circumstances can nullify the power of the Word. God's Word never fails because a situation becomes hopeless. Take God at His Word and rest upon His promises. His Word will not fail you.  Pastor Mensa Otabil

The great revelation of the will of God is the Word of God. And the Word of God is packed from beginning to end with divine promises. Derek Prince

(week of Sept 5) (labor)

“The individual who says it is not possible should move out of the way of those doing it.” —Tricia Cunningham

 Rest when you’re weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work.—Ralph Marston

(week of August 29) (shadow)

"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see."

- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Nobody can rest in the coolness of their own shadow!”

“Words are shadows - their value depends on the light source.”

When we cannot see the sunshine of God's face, it is blessed to cower down beneath the shadow of his wings. 

Charles Spurgeon

"It is only through shadows that one comes to know the light."

- St. Catherine of Siena.

 "Light is the shadow of god."

- Plato.

(week of August 22) (temptation)

(week of August 15th) (Women)

“Faith does not eliminate questions. But faith knows where to take them.” – Elisabeth Elliot

“The gospel frees us from demanding our own way, because nothing we desire to obtain is worth sinning against such love and kindness.” – Elyse Fitzpatrick

(week of August 8th) (worship)

The highest form of worship is the worship of unselfish Christian service. The greatest form of praise is the sound of consecrated feet seeking out the lost and helpless. Billy Graham

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

We need worship for our spirit, fellowship for our soul and committed subservience for our body. Larry Norman

A service of worship is primarily a service to God. When we realize this and act upon it, we make it a service to men. Ralph W. Sockman

I never knew how to worship until I knew how to love. Henry Ward Beecher

(week of August 1st) (Blessed)

If there were no night, we would not appreciate the day, nor could we see the stars and the vastness of the heavens. We must partake of the bitter with the sweet. There is a divine purpose in the adversities we encounter every day. They prepare, they purge, they purify, and thus they bless. James E. Faust

Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver. Barbara De Angelis