THE
PRESENT OF THE PRESENT
BREAD
24 This
is the day the Lord has made; let
us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalms
118:24 (NIV)
7 How
priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in
the shadow of your wings. 8 They feast on the abundance of your house; you give
them drink from your river of delights. 9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we
see light. 10 Continue
your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart. Psalms 36:7-10 (NIV)
1 The
Lord is my shepherd, I shall not
be in want….5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely
goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in
the house of the Lord forever. Psalms 23:1, 5-6 (NIV)
11 For
the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. 12 O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you. Psalms 84:11-12 (NIV)
18 Then I
realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find
satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life
God has given him--for this is his lot. 19 Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and
possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in
his work--this is a gift of God. 20 He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because
God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart. Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 (NIV)
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you
will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more
important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look
at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and
yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28 And
why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do
not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even
Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If
that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and
tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little
faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall
we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear? 32 For the pagans run after all
these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But
seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be
given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about
tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of
its own.” Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV)
BUTTER
“Do
not question and do not doubt. Each day
holds some small joy that shall escape you if you are preoccupied with
tomorrow. Nothing daunts your
Father. Nothing can restore the past and
nothing can bind the future, but today you may live in the full blessing of the
Father’s smile. Hold to His words, for
they are like a nail driven into solid wood.
All else may seem shifting and transitory, but His Word is firm. It is a rock that shall not be moved. It is a firm place to stand.” Frances J. Roberts
“No
joy can excel that of the soldier of Christ:
Jesus reveals Himself so graciously, and gives such sweet refreshment,
that the warrior feels more calm and peace in his daily strife than others in
their hours of rest.” Charles H. Spurgeon
“We have every reason to hold on
firmly to the faith we profess, for He who has called us is faithful! It is Jesus who saves us, lives to intercede
for us, allows us to approach the throne of grace with confidence, and grants
us abundant grace, mercy, and peace.”
BHY
“We came into this world wretched,
miserable, and undone creatures, in cruel bondage to sin and Satan, under guilt
and under wrath, hostile toward God—the fountain of blessedness—and in a state
of condemnation leading to everlasting destruction. But when a man is
converted, he is brought out of that state of woe and misery into a sure title
to glory, honor, and peace forever. When once a man is converted, all this
blessedness that we have heard of is his; he has an absolute right to it. God’s
work is accomplished for it; His faithful promise is given.” Jonathan Edwards
“I shall not lack for temporal
things. Does He not feed the ravens, and
cause the lilies to grow? How, then, can
He leave his children to starve? I shall
not want for spirituals, I know that his grace will be sufficient for me. Resting in Him He will say to me, ‘As thy day
so shall thy strength be’ (Deuteronomy 33:25).
I may not possess all that I wish for, but ‘I shall not want’”. Charles
H. Spurgeon
“We will each of us endure moments, perhaps
years, when we are tempted to doubt whether the promises were true after all.
Joseph in prison. David in the cave. JESUS IN THE GRAVE. Such moments form the
crucible where faith is forged. He cannot lie. He will do what He said.” Ronnie Collier Stevens
HEART SAVOR
- · I am to rejoice and be glad over God’s perfect provision for the day. He is a good and faithful God withholding nothing from His children that is not for their ultimate good and His glory – never one surpassing the other.
- · I am not to worry but I am to be “joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (Romans 12:12).
- · It is God Who will keep me occupied with gladness of heart as I trust in Him.
