Consistent Acts 20:32-35 Romans 12:1-2 Romans 12:11-12 Hebrews 5:13-14 2 Timothy 2:15 Colossians 3:23-25 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Proverbs 6:6-11 Proverbs 23:17-19 11.22.17

CONSISTENT

BREAD

³² “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. ³³ I have not coveted anyone's silver or gold or clothing. ³⁴ You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. ³⁵ In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:32-35 (NIV)

¹ Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. ² Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.   Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)

¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.   Romans 12:11-12 (NIV)

¹³ Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. ¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.  Hebrews 5:13-14 (NIV)

¹⁵ Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.   2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV)

²³ Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,
²⁴ since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. ²⁵ Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.  Colossians 3:23-25 (NIV)

²⁴ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 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 9:24-27 (NIV)

⁶ Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! ⁷ It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, ⁸ yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.
⁹ How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep?
¹⁰ A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-- ¹¹ and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.   Proverbs 6:6-11 (NIV)

¹⁷ Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the LORD.
¹⁸ There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.   ¹⁹ Listen, my

son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path.  Proverbs 23:17-19 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Every miracle always begins with the first ordinary step of faithfulness.”   Ann Voskamp

“Faithfulness rarely feels heroic; it feels much more like showing up and hanging in. It is a matter of going to our cell, whatever form that might take, and letting it teach us what it will. Availing himself (Brother Lawrence) to consistent faithfulness yielded the blessing of both proficiency and presence—the presence of God—right there in midst of the monotony of dirty pots and pans.”   Margaret Guenther

“If we are consistent men and women who take God at His word, who believe that prayer changes things, who will pray without ceasing, who will not lose heart at our praying, who day after day will pray no matter what seems to be happening around us, who keep trusting God, then there will come a time when God will say, ‘I can answer that believer's prayer because that's a person who can handle the answer.’”   David Jeremiah 

“Be occupied with acquainting yourself with My character and My person.  Revel in My fellowship.  Your very association with Me, if sufficiently consistent, will bring about changes in your personality that will surprise you when discovered, just as you have so often experienced the joy of finding a new bloom on a cherished plant.  Turn your face toward Me, and leave to Me the responsibility of probing your soul.  I am the Master Surgeon.  I am skilled in all the cures of the soul as well as those of the body.  Let Me care for your health.  Delight yourself in Me, and I will bring about what you desire to see in your character and personality.  Feed upon My Word.  It is there you will come to a clearer understanding of my Person.  Only as you know Me can you come to be more like Me.  In association with others, people take to themselves a measure of the mannerisms and ideologies of these other persons.  So will it be for those who spend much time in My company.  Silently, and without conscious effort, you will be changed.”   Frances J. Roberts

“He makes it a habit to hope. Even in the middle, even when you have to begin again.  Change your habits and you can change anything into a possibility. The patterns of our lives reveal the form of our souls.  Read more words on papers than on screens.  A pail with a pinhole loses as much as the pail pushed right over.  A whole life can be lost in minutes wasted… in the small moments missed.  Make gratitude your attitude of habit — there’s no other way to make joy your life.   Every little day just has to be just a little bit better: Small things done consistently, consistently make the biggest change.”   Ann Voskamp

“Every time we resist the slightest temptation, we honor God.  Every time we overcome even the smallest problem by trusting and obeying our Lord Jesus, God is glorified in our lives.  Whenever we choose character over convenience, faithfulness over ease, or honesty over deceit, we bring honor to the Lord Himself.”  Robert J. Morgan

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

“I do not pray for success.  I pray for faithfulness.”    Mother Teresa

“The quality of justice is the consistent, unwavering decision to do what is right.”  Chuck Swindoll

“Though salvation is not by the works of the law, yet the blessings which are promised to obedience are not denied to the faithful servants of God.  The curses our Lord took away when He was made a curse for us, but no clause of blessing has been abrogated.  We are to note and listen to the revealed will of the Lord, giving our attention not to portions of it but to ‘all these words.’  There must be no picking and choosing but an impartial respect to all that God has commanded.  This is the road of blessedness for the Father and for His children.  The Lord’s blessing is upon His chosen to the third and fourth generation.  If they walk uprightly before Him, He will make all men know that they are a seed which the Lord has blessed.”   Charles H. Spurgeon 

“Habits are to the soul what veins are to the blood. The very course of our life depends on them. Random acts of greatness pale in comparison to habitual acts of faithfulness.”   Ann Voskamp

“The faithful person lives constantly with God.”   Clement of Alexandria

“Our significance isn’t found in fame or fortune, but in knowing that we have been links in God’s chain.  Our faithfulness to Him, even in obscurity, will yield results that can only be calculated in eternity…. Our only duty in life is to be faithful to all the work the Lord assigns.”   Robert J. Morgan

HEART SAVOR

• ·         God calls me to consistently do the next right thing – through His power for His glory.
• ·         God delights in my habitual acts of faithfulness.
• ·         I am to do my best to present myself to God as one approved.  One who does not need to be ashamed and who can correctly handle God’s Word.