Disdain Discouragement Deuteronomy 1:21 Deuteronomy 31:8 Joshua 1:8-9 Joshua 8:1 1 Chronicles 22:12-13 Psalms 27:14 John 10:10 Romans 15:13 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 Psalms 91:14-16 09.30.16

            DISDAIN DISCOURAGEMENT

BREAD

21 “See, the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your fathers, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”   Deuteronomy 1:21 (NIV)

8 “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”   Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV)

9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”   Joshua 1:8-9 (NIV)

1 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”   Joshua 8:1 (NIV)

12 May the Lord give you discretion and understanding when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God. 13 Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.   1 Chronicles 22:12-13 (NIV)

14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.   Psalms 27:14 (NIV)

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

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.   Romans 15:13 (NIV)

16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.   2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 (NIV)

14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. 15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.”   Psalms 91:14-16 (NIV)

BUTTER

“The root of discouragement is unbelief…Discouragement is Satan’s device to thwart the work of God in our lives.  Discouragement blinds our eyes to the mercy of God and makes us perceive only the unfavorable circumstances.  There is only one way to dispel discouragement, and it is not in our own strength or ingenuity.  It is to turn in faith to God, believing that He loves us and is in control of the future.  The Bible says, ‘Wait on the Lord…and He shall strengthen your heart.’”   Billy Graham

“Discouragement is to be resisted just like sin.”   J. O. Fraser

“It is rare that Christians earnestly seek the Lord’s face when things are going swimmingly, when material blessings abound and we seem to be protected from the vicissitudes faced by others.  But in the blackness of discouragement, when we are harassed and downcast, we may indeed turn to the Lord and acknowledge our helplessness apart from his grace; we may do so knowing that God is a compassionate God and that Jesus’ compassion was particularly directed toward the harassed and the helpless.”  D A Carson

“Discouragement wars against the very trait that faith and hope in God brings: courage. In order to stand up to the trials and tribulations of a fallen world, we must turn to God for courage and make a commitment to stand strong in our faith through Jesus Christ.  God’s best for your life does not include remaining in a place devoid of hope, faith, and courage. Therefore, when facing discouragement, turn to God. He will bring the hope and courage you need to live victoriously over life's hardships.”   Michael Youssef

“We mustn’t doubt in the darkness what God has shown us in the light.”  Robert J. Morgan

“To the child of God, there is no such thing as an accident.  He travels an appointed way…..Accidents may indeed appear to befall him and misfortune stalk his way; but these evils will be so in appearance only and will seem evils only because we cannot read the secret script of God’s hidden providence.”  A.W. Tozer

“So, take a deep breath and recall this deeper secret of the Christian life:  when you are in a difficult place, realize that the Lord either placed you there or allowed you to be there, for reasons perhaps known for now only to Himself.  The same God who led you in will lead you out.”  Robert J. Morgan 

“He knows the way He taketh,” even if for the moment we do not.”  J.I. Packer

“So if you find yourself in a difficult spot, remember:  you are there by God’s appointment, in His keeping, under His training, and for His time.  And all evidence to the contrary, there’s no better place to be.”  Robert J. Morgan

HEART SAVOR

• ·       God desires for His children not to be afraid or discouraged.  Nothing is too hard for Him.
• ·       We travel an appointed way.  God is never surprised.  He Who makes known the end from the beginning is never caught off guard or taken aback.  The great promise of Scripture is that He is working all these things out – even the roughest and most miserable of circumstances - for His children’s good and His glory.  He is the Master of making beauty from our ashes.  Believe Him.
• ·       God desires for me to overflow with hope.    

Our Giving Father John 3:16 2 Corinthians 9:15 John 4:10 Luke 11:9-13 2 Corinthians 9:7-9 Ephesians 2:8-9 James 1:17 1 Peter 4:10 Luke 6:38 09.28.16

OUR GIVING FATHER

BREAD

16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   John 3:16 (NIV)

15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!  2 Corinthians 9:15 (NIV)

10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”   John 4:10 (NIV)

9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”    Luke 11:9-13 (NIV)

8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written: “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”   2 Corinthians 9:7-9 (NIV)

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.  Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  James 1:17 (NIV)

10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.   1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)

38 “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”   Luke 6:38 (NIV)

BUTTER

“(Why does God) bother to speak to us?  The truly staggering answer that the Bible gives to this question is that God’s purpose in revelation is to make friends with us.  It was to this end that he created us rational beings, bearing his image, able to think and hear and speak and love; he wanted there to be genuine personal affection and friendship, two-sided, between himself and us—a relation, not like that between a man and his dog, but like that of a father to his child, or a husband to his wife.  Loving friendship between two persons has no ulterior motive; it is an end in itself. And this is God’s end in revelation. He speaks to us simply to fulfill the purpose for which we were made; that is, to bring into being a relationship in which he is a friend to us, and we to him, he finding his joy in giving us gifts and we finding ours in giving him thanks”.  J I Packer

“The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, the Helper, the Guide, the very presence of God living in you. The great promise of God in prayer is this: We ask God for the gift- He gives us the Giver. We ask God for the supply and He gives us the Source. We ask God for the money and He doesn't give us cash; instead, so to speak, He gives us the bank...He delights in giving us Himself....The resources of heaven are ready and waiting for the people of God who desire to make much of him in this world.”  David Platt

“God’s gifts put man’s best dreams to shame.”   Elizabeth Barrett Browning

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

“Faith is extending an empty hand to God to receive His gift of grace.”   A. W. Pink

“Use your gifts faithfully, and they shall be enlarged.”   Matthew Arnold

“God’s greatest gifts come through travail.”   F. B. Meyer

“Martin Luther wrote in his book, Table Talk:  ‘The greater God’s gifts and works, the less they are regarded.’  We tend to exhibit a degree of thanksgiving in reverse proportion to the amount of blessings we’ve received.  A hungry man is more thankful for his morsel than a rich man for his heavily-laden table.  A lonely woman in a nursing home will appreciate a visit more than a popular woman with a party thrown in her honor.  If the birds only burst into song once a year, we’d all pay close attention.  But because they are singing every morning, we scarcely bother to listen.”    Robert J. Morgan

HEART SAVOR

• ·       All God’s gifts are good and perfect.
• ·       God’s greatest gift is Him.
• ·       God gives gifts and I give thanks.

There Is None Like You Lord Psalms 36:5-9 Psalms 71:19 Psalms 89:8 Psalms 89:11 Psalms 89:14-17 Isaiah 40:13-14 Isaiah 40:25-28 Romans 11:33-36 09.26.16

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU LORD

BREAD

5 Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. 6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O Lord, you preserve both man and beast. 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.   Psalms 36:5-9 (NIV)

19 Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you who have done great things. Who, O God, is like you?   Psalms 71:19 (NIV)

8 O Lord God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O Lord, and your faithfulness surrounds you.   Psalms 89:8 (NIV)

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

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

13 Who has understood the mind of the Lord, or instructed him as his counselor? 14 Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?   Isaiah 40:13-14 (NIV)

25 “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. 26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. 27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”? 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.   Isaiah 40:25-28 (NIV)

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

BUTTER

“God is indeed the Sovereign of all things, the One to whom all creatures are accountable and whom all should glorify. He is under no obligation to repay anyone, for no one has ever given Him anything. Paul concluded, For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. God is the first Cause, the effective Cause, and the final Cause of everything. His deep ways are beyond man's discovering; beyond man's knowing, beyond man's counseling, and beyond man's giving. “All things” come from Him and by means of Him and are for Him and His glory. Therefore, To Him be the glory forever! Amen. God is the only proper One to magnify. The all-sovereign God deserves the praise of all His creatures.”    Bible Knowledge Commentary

“Where does your security lie? Is God your refuge, your hiding place, your stronghold, your shepherd, your counselor, your friend, your redeemer, your saviour, your guide? If He is, you don't need to search any further for security.”   Elisabeth Elliot

“‘I am the Alpha and the Omega’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty (Revelation 1:8).’  The opening lines of the book of Revelation declare to us a God unlimited by time, so much so that he determines its beginning and its end. His eternal nature is written large and often across the pages of Scripture. The Bible begins with a time stamp, "in the beginning," and then spends 66 books describing the God who decrees seasons and times but is not bound by them in the least. Free to act within time as he wills, he exists outside of it. He is simultaneously the God of the past, present and future, ending time to his perfect will, unfettered by its constraints. The past holds for him no missed opportunity. The present holds for him no anxiety. The future holds for him no uncertainty. He was, and is, and is to come.”  Jen Wilkin

Romans 1:21-23 puts it this way:  “What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand.” The Message

“God says, ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways’ (Isaiah 55:8). We live on promises, not on explanations. We shouldn't spend too much time asking why.”   Greg Laurie

“When ours are interrupted, his are not. His plans are proceeding exactly as scheduled, moving us always (including those minutes or hours or years which seem most useless or wasted or unendurable).”  Elisabeth Elliot

“Number One: Fall in love with the One who is The Way — and the way you’re supposed to go will follow…. as you follow Him.  You’ve got to want to be one with Him — more than you want to be a Someone.  You’ve got to want to serve more than you want to be seen, you’ve got to care more than you want to be comfortable, you’ve got to want to give more than you want to get.  You’ve got to want His approval more than all the other things that will prove to be worthless.”   Ann Voskamp 

HEART SAVOR

• ·       When I consider your works and your ways Lord, what is man that you are even mindful of him?
• ·       Amazing love how can it be that thou my Christ should die for me?
• ·       For God so loved the world that He gave.  My humble adoration is the only proper response.

Test Yourself 2 Corinthians 13:5-6 1 Corinthians 9:25-27 1 Corinthians 11:28-32 Lamentations 3:40 Romans 8:5-9 Jeremiah 6:16-17 Psalms 26:2-3 Psalms 139:23-24 09.23.16

TEST YOURSELF

BREAD

5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test? 6 And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test.   2 Corinthians 13:5-6 (NIV)

25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:25-27 (NIV)

28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. 32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.  1 Corinthians 11:28-32 (NIV)

40 Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.  Lamentations 3:40 (NIV)

5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. 9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.  Romans 8:5-9 (NIV)

16 This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ 17 I appointed watchmen over you and said, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But you said, ‘We will not listen.’”   Jeremiah 6:16-17 (NIV)

2 Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; 3 for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.   Psalms 26:2-3 (NIV)

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.   Psalms 139:23-24 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Their fear set them a praying, and that was a good effect of it.  God brings us into straits that He may bring us to our knees.”  Matthew Henry

“A broken and contrite heart has no room for frivolity and trifling.  A broken heart is serious, and solemn, and in earnest.  A broken heart never tries to play any tricks with God, and never shuffles texts as though even Scripture itself were meant only to be an opportunity for testing our wit.”  C. H. Spurgeon

“The Word of God well understood and religiously obeyed is the shortest route to spiritual perfection.  And we must not select a few favorite passages to the exclusion of others.
Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian.”   A.W. Tozer

“God often uses our circumstances to awaken us to our need for change.  We do get so comfortable in our ways don’t we?  By neglecting to grow and be more conformed to the image of His Son, we shun God’s best for our lives.  God is all about this conformity and we should be as well.”  BHY  

  

“Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance.  We know Your Word says, ‘Woe to those who call evil good,’ but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!”  Billy Graham

“The believer is in spiritual danger if he allows himself to go for any length of time without tasting the love of Christ and savoring the felt comforts of a Savior’s presence. When Christ ceases to fill the heart with satisfaction, our souls will go in silent search of other lovers… By the enjoyment of the love of Christ in the heart of a believer, we mean an experience of the “love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us” (Rom. 5:5)… because the Lord has made himself accessible to us in the means of grace, it is our duty and privilege to seek this experience from Him in these means till we are made the joyful partakers of it.”  John Flavel

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

“If we study the lives of great men and women carefully and unemotionally we find that, invariably, greatness was developed, tested and revealed through the darker periods of their lives. One of the largest tributaries of the River of Greatness is always the Stream of Adversity.”  Cavett Robert

HEART SAVOR

• ·       I am to honestly test myself by asking God to search my heart and point out offensive ways within me.
• ·       God often uses my circumstances to make me more like His Son.  I am not to kick against them.  Why should I shun what is best for my life?
• ·       God’s Word is to be a lamp unto my feet and a light for my path.     

Rises To Show Compassion Isaiah 30:18 2 Chronicles 30:9 Psalms 103:1-5 Psalms 103 8-13 Psalms 116:5 Psalms 145:8-9 Matthew 9:35-36 Matthew 14:14 Matthew 15:32 Mark 10:48-52 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 Lamentations 3:21-26 09.21.16

RISES TO SHOW COMPASSION

BREAD

18 Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!   Isaiah 30:18 (NIV)

For the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.   2 Chronicles 30:9 (NIV)

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

8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.   Psalms 103:8-13 (NIV)

5 The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.   Psalms 116:5 (NIV)

8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. 9 The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.   Psalms 145:8-9 (NIV)

35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.   Matthew 9:35-36 (NIV)

14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Matthew14:14 (NIV)

32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”   Matthew 15:32 (NIV)

48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” 52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.   Mark 10:48-52 (NIV)

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.   2 Corinthians 1:3-5 (NIV)

21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: 22 Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” 25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; 26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.   Lamentations 3:21-26 (NIV)

BUTTER

“While I regarded God as a tyrant I thought my sin a trifle; But when I knew Him to be my Father, then I mourned that I could ever have kicked against Him.  When I thought God was hard, I found it easy to sin; but when I found God so kind, so good, so overflowing with compassion, I smote upon my breast to think that I could ever have rebelled against One who loved me so, and sought my good.”  C.H. Spurgeon

“Jesus, Thou art all compassion, pure, unbounded love Thou art.”  Charles Wesley

“It is rare that Christians earnestly seek the Lord’s face when things are going swimmingly, when material blessings abound and we seem to be protected from the vicissitudes faced by others.  But in the blackness of discouragement, when we are harassed and downcast, we may indeed turn to the Lord and acknowledge our helplessness apart from his grace; we may do so knowing that God is a compassionate God and that Jesus’ compassion was particularly directed toward the harassed and the helpless.”  D A Carson

“The Christian’s compassion must be like God’s – unceasing.”   William Barclay

“It is His love for man, His compassion for the human race, that prompts God to hate sin with such a vengeance.  He gave Heaven’s finest that we might have the best; and He loathes with a holy abhorrence anything that would hinder our being reconciled to Him.”  Billy Graham

“I love Him because He first loved me.  His goodness and mercy and compassion to me are new every day.  And my assurance is lodged in these aspects of His character.  My trust is in His love for me as His own.  My serenity has as its basis an implicit, unshakable reliance on His ability to do the right thing, the best thing in any given situation.  This to me is the supreme portrait of my Shepherd.  Continually there flows out to me His goodness and His mercy, which even though I do not deserve them, come unremittingly from their source of supply – His own great heart of love.”   Phillip Keller

“Every act of compassion done by anyone for his fellow Christian is done by Christ working in him.”   Julian of Norwich

“Happiness is a potent force. Happiness is tied to more love, better health, more generosity, increased productivity, more compassion, happier families, better workplaces, and more creativity. Our happiness doesn’t end with us. People can “catch” our mood. Grumpiness is contagious. So is happiness.”  Jennifer Dukes Lee

HEART SAVOR

• ·       God’s compassion never fails.
• ·       God crowns us with love and compassion.
• ·       “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want.”