BITTER
TO SWEET
BREAD
1 The
Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on
me, because the Lord has anointed
me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the
brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness
for the prisoners, 2 to
proclaim the year of the Lord's
favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who
grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil
of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of
despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. Isaiah 61:1-3 (NIV)
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have
peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the
world.” John 16:33 (NIV)
5 Blessed
are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the Valley
of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with
pools. 7 They
go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. 8 Hear my prayer, O Lord God Almighty; listen to me, O God
of Jacob. Psalms 84:5-8 (NIV)
28 And we
know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have
been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be
conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many
brothers. 30 And
those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those
he justified, he also glorified. 31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God
is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for
us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:28-32 (NIV)
21 But
now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the
Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in
Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the
redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans
3:21-24 (NIV)
22 But
now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present
you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation-- 23 if you continue in your faith,
established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is
the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under
heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. Colossians 1:22-23 (NIV)
7 But we
have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is
from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed;
perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not
destroyed. 10 We
always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus
may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to
death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 2 Corinthians 4:7-11 (NIV)
1 Therefore,
since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off
everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run
with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus,
the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured
the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of
God. 3 Consider
him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow
weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3
(NIV)
24 To him
who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious
presence without fault and with great joy-- 25 to the only God our Savior be
glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all
ages, now and forevermore! Amen. Jude
1:24-25 (NIV)
BUTTER
“As
a general principle, if we would exercise our memories more wisely, we might,
in our very darkest distress, strike a match that would instantaneously kindle
the lamp of comfort. There is no need
for God to create a new thing upon the earth in order to restore believers’ joy;
if they would prayerfully rake the ashes of the past, they would find light for
the present; and if they would turn to the book of truth and the throne of
grace, their candle would soon shine as before.
Let us then remember the loving-kindness of the Lord and rehearse His
deeds of grace. Let us open the volume
of recollection, which so richly illuminated with memories of His mercy, and we
will soon be happy. When the Divine
Comforter bends memory to His service, it is then the greatest earthly comfort
we can know.” C. H. Spurgeon
“Blessed
storm that wrecks you on the rock of ages! Glorious billow that washes you upon
this heavenly shore! And now you have nothing but your God to trust to, what
are you going to do? To fret? To whine? O, I pray you, do not thus dishonour
your Lord and Master! Now, play the man, play the man of God. Show the world
that your God is worth ten thousand worlds to you.” Charles
H. Spurgeon
“As we call out to dry
bones Come alive, come alive We call out to dead hearts Come alive, come alive Up
out of the ashes Let us see an army rise We call out to dry bones come alive,
yeah We call out to dry bones, come alive Oh come alive.” Lauren Daigle
“The
Spirit brings order out of chaos and beauty out of ugliness. He can transform a sin-blistered man into a
paragon of virtue. The Spirit changes people. The Author of life is also the Transformer of
life.” R. C. Sproul
“Though
we now see but a poor reflection as in a mirror, we hold the certainty of the
hope of glory in our hearts. And what
does that entail? As believers, we are
presently objects of Divine approval and blessedness because of the blood of
Jesus and His righteousness and we presently possess this glory in spirit by
the Holy Spirit. One day – either upon
Jesus’ return or our death – we will be transformed outwardly as well into this
glorified beautiful condition. It is a
state into which one is accorded the fullest enjoyment of the admiration of God
as objects of His highest regard and praise and further the enjoyment of
fullness, satisfaction, joy, righteousness and ceaseless delight. It encompasses outward splendor, grandeur,
pomp, elegance, magnificence, beauty, excellence of appearance, impressiveness,
brilliance, illustriousness and eminence (Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible – New
Testament Lexical Aids). Therefore,
encourage one another with these words!”
BHY
“The
Potter’s plan is to display His artistry, but if a piece of clay isn’t allowing
His craftsmanship, He’ll contrive some pretty drastic measures. He’ll press it into a ball and start over. He’ll take the same clay and use a different
approach. His goal is beauty, and He
will stop at nothings to achieve it…Consider the heart of the Potter – His
ultimate goal, His tender care, His exquisite artistry. Then apply His heart to your present
circumstances.” Chris Tiegreen
HEART SAVOR
·
God can make
beauty out of any of our ashes. He is the
Master at it.
·
The hardest
circumstances bring about the sweetest fruit for both His glory and our good.
· God can be trusted
in the hard. Always look up, keep doing
the next right thing, be thankful in all circumstances and rest in Him. “Let the beloved of the Lord
rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders.” Deuteronomy 33:12 (NIV)
