The Way Of Abundance Is To Live Given John 3:16-17 Proverbs 11:24-25 Philippians 2:14-18 Luke 6:38 1 Timothy 6:17-19 Colossians 1:24-29 2 Corinthians 6:3-10 Philippians 2:1-11 Psalms 112;5-10 08.30.19

THE WAY OF ABUNDANCE IS TO LIVE GIVEN

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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. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”  John 3:16-17 (NIV)

²⁴ One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. ²⁵ A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.  Proverbs 11:24-25 (NIV)

¹⁴ Do everything without complaining or arguing, ¹⁵ so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe ¹⁶ as you hold out the word of life--in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. ¹⁷ But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. ¹⁸ So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.  Philippians 2:14-18 (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)

¹⁷ Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. ¹⁸ Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. ¹⁹ In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.  1 Timothy 6:17-19 (NIV)

²⁴ Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. ²⁵ I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness-- ²⁶ the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. ²⁷ To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ²⁸ We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. ²⁹ To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.  Colossians 1:24-29 (NIV)  

³ We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.
⁴ Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; ⁵ in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; ⁶ in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; ⁷ in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; ⁸ through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; ⁹ known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; ¹⁰ sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything. 2 Corinthians 6:3-10 (NIV)

¹ If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ² then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. ³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. ⁴ Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵ Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: ⁶ Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, ⁷ but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! ⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  Philippians 2:1-11 (NIV)
 

⁵ Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. ⁶ Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. ⁷ He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. ⁸ His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes. ⁹ He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor. ¹⁰ The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.   Psalm 112:5-10 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Your work may burn up or cause you to burn out, but the prayers enfolded into the stacks of laundry, the soup stirred, the stairs swept — they will survive fire.  The cure to an overwhelmed life begins with a daily overdose of Scripture.  Throw more lifelines than stones. Give more grace than advice.  Hunger for integrity more than popularity, celebrity, or prosperity, — because your integrity is your only legacy.  These three are really all you can control everyday: Your grittiness, your gratefulness, and your givenness.  Every day you can choose how much grit you bring to the table.  Every day you can choose how much gratefulness you’ll offer up at the table.  Every day you can choose how much you’ll live given so more people know they belong at the table.”  Ann Voskamp

“No matter what you do, don’t ignore an open door of opportunity. Don’t let procrastination or indifference steal your time. Instead, seek God’s strength as you step forward. When you embrace your God-given opportunities in obedience, you will see God’s glory in your life and in the lives of others.”  Michael Youssef

“The marrow of life is not in our possessions or titles or degrees or anything else that will pass away with this age. The marrow is found in the man Christ Jesus and the mission he has given us. All transitory gifts God provides are for us to enjoy and for us to employ in the mission he calls us to (1 Timothy 6:17-19).  But if we look to these things for life’s marrow, we will find them hollow bones.”  Jon Bloom

“Keep sowing faithfully. God sees. He knows. In Christ, your labor will not be in vain.”  David Mathis

“God is the Great Giver and He desires for His people to be great givers as well.  In God’s perfect economy, when we walk in faithful obedience to His commands, we will discover that we NEVER out give Him.  What meager sacrifice on behalf of His children we perhaps make reaps a sure harvest even though it be extraordinarily hard.  We live our lives for an audience of One to please Him not men.  Never let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.”   BHY

“I can hear the cutlery in the kitchen, and he’s putting away clean dishes and I smile in the bedroom and I feel serenaded by the spooning of spoons and love isn’t so much about what you give — but that you live given.”   Ann Voskamp

“The action of those whose lives are given to the Spirit has in it something of the leisure of Eternity; and because of this, they achieve far more than those whose lives are enslaved by the rush and hurry, the unceasing tick-tock of the world.”   Evelyn Underhill

“Possessing power and luxury only becomes problematic when possessing power and luxury begins to possess us. Success in the world’s eyes—wealth, fame, power, beauty, love and romance, comfort, popularity, health, and so on—can be something to celebrate and enjoy with thanksgiving. But this is true only long as we don’t turn this kind of success into our lifeline, our source for significance, our basis for meaning, our true north.  It’s simple math, really.  Everything minus Jesus equals nothing.  And Jesus plus nothing equals everything.  With Jesus, every other person, place, or thing we are given to enjoy is bonus—not something to plug our emotional umbilical cords into, but rather something to offer thanks for to God. As the poor cottage woman in Spurgeon’s The Treasury of David said as she broke a piece of bread and filled a glass with cold water, ‘What, all this, and Jesus Christ, too?’”  Scott Sauls

HEART SAVOR

·         Those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

·         No one ever out gives God.

·         We are to be conduits of His love and  goodness.

Count Blessings Not Troubles John 1:16 1 Peter 1:3-6 Ephesians 1:3 Romans 12:12 Philippians 4:4-9 Philippians 3:12-14 Isaiah 62:3-5 Psalms 16:11 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Romans 15:13 Philippians 4:8-9 2 Corinthians 4:18 08.28.19

COUNT BLESSINGS NOT TROUBLES

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¹⁶  From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.  John 1:16 (NIV)

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  1 Peter 1:3-6 (NIV)

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  Ephesians 1:3 (NIV)

¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Romans 12:12 (NIV)

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV)

¹² Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³ Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV)

³ You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. ⁴ No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married. ⁵ As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.  Isaiah 62:3-5 (NIV)

¹¹ You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.  Psalm 16:11 (NIV)

¹⁶ Be joyful always; ¹⁷ pray continually; ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (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)

⁸ Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.  Philippians 4:8-9 (NIV)

¹⁸ So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.  2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)
 

BUTTER

“To please God . . . to be a real ingredient in the divine happiness . . . to be loved by God, not merely pitied, but delighted in as an artist delights in his work or a father in a son — it seems impossible, a weight or burden of glory which our thoughts can hardly sustain. But so it is.”  C. S. Lewis

“The Christian is suspended between blessings received and blessings hoped for, so he should always give thanks.”   M. R. Vincent

“Just as a Momma rushes to the side of her wailing child, the Lord ever harkens His ear to His lamenting ‘sheep’.  He is a ‘with us’ God, staying by our side as we walk through our valleys of Baca (tears) and never leaves us nor forsakes us.  He will either change our circumstances or change us in our circumstances – either way the blessings He bestows as we call out to Him are totally other worldly.  He is the Ultimate Healer of the broken and contrite heart.”   BHY 

“The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.”  Eric Hoffer

“Never undertake anything for which you wouldn’t have the courage to ask the blessings of heaven.”    George C. Lichtenberg

“The height of joy isn’t simply to be blessed — but to become the blessing. The height of joy isn’t to have blessings actualized — but to become the actual blessing. Not to be blessed with stuff — but to become the blessing in service.”   Ann Voskamp

“He who takes a review of his blessings, looks upon himself as a person engaged for God… He dedicates Himself to God.”    Thomas Watson

“You don’t miss a beat when thankfulness is the beat of your heart.”  Ann Voskamp

“God has a multitude of reasons for allowing our troubling situations.  Perhaps He is working on some of the people in our lives.  Maybe He is working out His timing to reap the maximum harvest when His solution comes in the end.  Or He could be proving a point to His enemy about His glory, as He did with Job – and your reaction is the key.  Maybe He is even working on us – our character flaws, personality issues, or spiritual growth.  Unpruned trees bear less fruit, so He must shape us differently.  But we’re surprised – and angry – when His pruning hand is not as gentle as we’d like.  The question we need to settle in our hearts is whether we believe God is good.  It isn’t hard to hold such a belief when His blessings seem bountiful.  But the blessing of hardship?  We wonder where His favor has gone.  We grow distant, resentful, and bitter over the harshness of His loving hand.  Like a child who has just been spanked – or simply told ‘no’ – we pout.  God just doesn’t seem fair.”   Chris Tiegreen  
   

“God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm.  Deep in unfathomable mines of never-failing skill He treasures up His bright designs and works His sovereign will.  You fearful saints, fresh courage take; the clouds you so much dread are big with mercy and shall break in blessings on your head.  Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust Him for His grace; behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.  His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour; the bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower.  Blind unbelief is sure to err and scan His work in vain; God is His own interpreter, and He will make it plain.”  William Cowper

“It’s never the wasting of time that hurts so much as the wasting of our intentions.”  Ann Voskamp

“If the worst things work for good to a believer, what shall the best things?  Nothing hurts the godly…all things…shall co-operate for their good, that their crosses shall be turned into blessings.”   Puritan Thomas Watson

“All the flowers in God’s garden are double.”   John Bunyan

HEART SAVOR

·         If we dwell on our blessings it will elevate our thoughts and increase our joy.

·         If we focus on our problems it paralyzes us.

·         God is the Giver of every good and perfect gift – everything that comes to us is from His loving hand is intended for our ultimate good – whether we perceive this or not.  We can trust Him with our lives.     

 

Be An Overcomer 1 John 5:2-5 1 John 2:15-17 John 16:33 Luke 10:17-20 Romans 12:21 1 John 4:1-4 Revelation 2:7 Revelation 3:19-22 08.26.19

BE AN OVERCOMER

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² This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. ³ This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, ⁴ for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. ⁵ Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.  1 John 5:2-5 (NIV)

¹⁵ Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷ The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.  1 John 2:15-17 (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)

¹⁷ The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” ¹⁸ He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹ I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. ²⁰ However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”    Luke 10:17-20 (NIV)

²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.  Romans 12:21 (NIV)

¹ Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. ⁴ You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.  1 John 4:1-4 (NIV)

⁷  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.  Revelation 2:7 (NIV)

²¹ “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. ²² He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”  Revelation 3:21-22 (NIV)

BUTTER

“God wants us to be victors, not victims;….to overcome, not to be overwhelmed.”   William Arthur Word

“No sea is deeper than the ocean of His love.  There is no army stronger than His hosts, no force greater than His throne of grace, no enemy who can overcome His direct and indirect work in our lives.”  Robert J. Morgan

“There are such difficulties in the way of our salvation as could never be overcome but by that grace of God which is almighty.  ‘What is impossible with men is possible with God.’ His grace can work on the soul, so as to alter the bent and bias of it, and give it a contrary leaning.”    Matthew Henry

“We shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul.  If we would at once overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by ‘looking unto Jesus’.  Keep thine eye simply on Him; let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession, be fresh upon thy mind; when thou wakest in the morning look to Him; when thou liest down at night look to Him.  Oh!  Let not thy hopes or fears come between thee and Jesus; follow hard after Him, and He will never fail thee.”     C. H. Spurgeon

 “No one overcomes the corruptions of his heart except by the enabling strength of the Spirit of God.”   Jerry Bridges

“Are you fighting with the adversary today?  Are Satan, the world, and the flesh, all against you?  Be not discouraged nor dismayed.  Fight on!  For God Himself is with you; Jehovah Nissi is your banner, and Jehovah Rophi is the healer of your wounds.  Fear not, you shall overcome, for who can defeat Omnipotence?  Fight on, ‘looking unto Jesus;’ and though long and stern be the conflict, sweet will be the victory, and glorious the promised reward.”   Charles H. Spurgeon

“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

“We all know the value of joy.  It alone is the proof that what we have really satisfies the heart.  Just this makes gladness such a mighty element in the Christian character:  there is no proof of the reality of God’s love and the blessing He bestows, which men so soon feel the force of, as when the joy of God overcomes all the trials of life.  And for the Christian’s own welfare, joy is no less indispensable:  the joy of the Lord is his strength; confidence, and courage, and patience finds their inspiration in joy.  With a heart full of joy no work can weary, and no burden can depress; God Himself is strength and song.”   Andrew Murray 

  

“God wants us to trust Him daily with our needs. This trust does not make us poor planners or careless with our futures, unprepared to face what may come. Rather, it keeps our relationship with the Lord in its proper perspective as He reminds us daily of our dependence upon Him. God is aware of what tomorrow will bring and how we should prepare for it. He knows the problems we will face, and He has already made provision for us to overcome them. He asks us to trust in Him daily. Our faith in Him today cannot substitute for our trust in Him tomorrow. If we will walk with Him closely today, we will be in the center of His will tomorrow.”  Henry Blackaby, Richard Blackaby

“Praising God lifts us above our trials and reminds us of how He overcomes them….Our praise reminds us of Who God is.  As we worship Him, the threats and burdens that weigh us down grow smaller and He grows bigger.  The thought of an exalted God Who is entirely on our side is an awesome inspiration….Praise is based on Who He is.  And He is Who He is all the time.”   Chris Tiegreen

“Faith doesn't erase insecurity, doubt, suffering or fear, but literally, daily, overcomes them.”   Jen Hatmaker

“As God pursues us with His wonderful grace, something magnificent takes place in our lives. Before God's grace was extended to us, we were dead in our sins and powerless to overcome them. We were in bondage to the enemy, and the future never looked so dim. But then, God entered the scene and demonstrated the power of His grace. After Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, the Bible begins to tell the unfolding tale of God's pursuit of the human heart through the goodness of His grace. And each time God catches us and reveals the power of His grace, our once-dead souls become alive! Instead of being unable to fight sin's strongholds, God's grace gives us the power to overcome them through the Holy Spirit.”   Michael Youssef

“I don’t know about you, but if I’m picking what is good for my life, then it’s probably going to feel good, look good, taste good, smell good, and be visibly good to anyone who sees it.  But the truth is, even some of the things that have looked ‘bad’ from the outside have turned out to be good for me.  Because, while the currency of God’s goodness looks different from my own, it is infinitely more valuable.  Hard things make us dig deep within ourselves to find strength we didn’t know we had.  Loss teaches us to appreciate blessings that surround us.  And while I don’t want to minimize the depth of any pain and the years it can take to overcome the brokenness we experience in this life, there is good to be found, even in the hard and even through the bad.  As we embrace a curious faith, we exchange the currency of our control for the wealth of God’s possibility.”   Logan Wolfram

HEART SAVOR

·         It is only through the power of the Spirit that we can be overcomers.

·         The One that is in us is greater than the one that is in the world.

·         He who overcomes receives the right to eat from the tree of life.

The God Who Avenges Psalms 18:46-50 Psalms 94:1-2 Deuteronomy 32:35 Deuteronomy 33:43 Romans 12:17-19 Hebrews 10:30-31 Nahum 1:2-3 1 Peter 4:15-18 2 Peter 3:8-10 Revelation 6:9-11 08.23.19

THE GOD WHO AVENGES

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⁴⁶ The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior! ⁴⁷ He is the God who avenges me, who subdues nations under me, ⁴⁸ who saves me from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from violent men you rescued me. ⁴⁹ Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD; I will sing praises to your name. ⁵⁰ He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.   Psalm 18:46-50 (NIV)

¹ O LORD, the God who avenges, O God who avenges, shine forth. ² Rise up, O Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve.   Psalm 94:1-2 (NIV)

³⁵ “It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.” Deuteronomy 32:35 (NIV)  

⁴³ Rejoice, O nations, with his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants; he will take vengeance on his enemies and make atonement for his land and people.  Deuteronomy 32:43 (NIV)

¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.
¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.  Romans 12:17-19 (NIV)

³⁰ For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”  ³¹ It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.  Hebrews 10:30-31 (NIV)

² The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies. ³ The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet. Nahum 1:2-3 (NIV)

¹⁵  If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. ¹⁶  However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. ¹⁷  For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? ¹⁸  And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”  1 Peter 4:15-18 (NIV)

⁸ But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.  2 Peter 3:8-10 (NIV)

⁹ When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. ¹⁰ They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” ¹¹ Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.  Revelation 6:9-11 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Whether the offenses against us are titanic or trifling, God’s judgment frees us to exchange bitterness for patience, retribution for mercy. The very word judgment brings to mind our own offenses against God, offenses that cried out for our blood until Jesus shed his own. It reminds us that our offender, if outside of Christ, deserves our pity and, if inside Christ, needs our brotherly love. It removes all self-righteousness from our mouths and replaces it with the Christlike plea of ‘Lord, forgive them.’ It beckons us to release our ‘right’ to get even, and to hand over our cause to him who judges justly.”  Scott Hubbard

“Every sermon, every Bible lesson, every word of testimony, and every verse of Scripture is a warning, calling us to repentance and revival.  Our God is a consuming fire, and a day of judgment is coming.  We must not neglect the warning, and today’s church must not forget that our message includes the ministry of warning.”   Robert J. Morgan

“Nothing has contributed more powerfully to wean me from all that held me down to earth than the thought….of death and the last judgment.”   Augustine

“When Jesus started to cry out [on the cross], he didn’t say, ‘My friends, my friends’ ‘My head, my head!’ ‘My hands, my hands!’ He said, ‘My God, my God.’ On the cross, Jesus was forsaken by God.  He said, ‘My God’. That’s the language of intimacy… Jesus the Maker of the world was being unmade. Why? Jesus was experiencing our judgment day. ‘My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?’ It wasn’t a rhetorical question. And the answer is: For you, for me, for us. Jesus was forsaken by God the Father so that we would never have to be. The judgment that should have fallen on us fell instead on Jesus.”  Dr. Tim Keller

“The thunders of the law and the terrors of judgment are all used to bring us to Christ; but the final victory is effected by loving-kindness.  The prodigal set out to his father’s house from a sense of need.  However, his father saw him a great way off and ran to meet him, so that the last steps he took towards his father’s house were with the kiss still warm upon his cheek and the welcome still musical in his ears…What Moses with the tablets of stone could never do, Christ does with His pierced hand.  Such is the doctrine of effectual calling.  Do I understand it experimentally?  Can I say, ‘He drew me, and I followed on, glad to confess the voice divine?’  If so, may He continue to draw me, until at last I shall sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb.”   Charles H. Spurgeon

“God is relentless in His hatred of evil.  We may think He tolerates it awfully well to let the world go on as it has for century upon century.  But He hates it.  He has demonstrated at every turn His opposition to anything that conflicts with His character and corrupts His work.  His judgments are certain.  God and evil will not forever co-exist.”   Chris Tiegreen

“Just as there are always blessings to obedience, conversely there will always be consequences to sin.  Every sin carries with it a death sentence – death to trust, death to relationship, death to freedom, etc. etc.  We do not sin merely as unto ourselves either, sin’s tentacles are far reaching and devastating – like a ripple in the water when you cast in a stone.  We get to choose to sin or not but God chooses the consequence.  Just read about what happened to King David after his encounter with Bathsheba and how it affected the rest of his life.  God is severe in His judgments because He knows what sin does to a life and the lives of others.  This is not a winking, joking matter with Him.  It cost Him the life of His Son.  He doesn’t want us to go there (to say the least) – He has far greater, pleasing and perfect plans for us than that.  Also, it is all too important to note, that while a believer in Jesus is forgiven for sin that does not mean there will not be consequences.  Just saying….”  BHY

“The vicissitudes of life are a part of God's constant care, yet from a human perspective discipline is always ‘hard.’  In 1Peter 4:15-18, Peter is not teaching that salvation is earned through personal trials or works, but simply that those who are saved are not exempt from temporal disciplinary judgments which are the natural consequences of sin.”  The Bible Knowledge Commentary

“The fundamental problem in the evangelical world is not inadequate technique, insufficient organization or antiquated music, and those who want to squander the Church’s resources bandaging these scratches will do nothing to stanch the flow of blood spilling from its true wounds. The fundamental problem in the evangelical world today is that God rests too inconsequentially upon the Church.  His truth is too distant, His grace is too ordinary, His judgment is too benign, His Gospel is too easy and His Christ is too common.”  David Wells

“He (Paul) must confront men with the truth about God – Creator, Provider, Lord of history, Judge of all – and His command to repent.  He must confront them with the truth about man, and his moral bankruptcy in the sight of God.  And above all he must confront them with Jesus Christ in His resurrection power, His authority to execute judgment, and His redeeming love by which He delivers men and women from their estrangement and rebellion, and creates them anew in the knowledge of their creator.”  F. F. Bruce

“Revenge is the most worthless weapon in the world.”   David Augsburger

HEART SAVOR

·         It is God’s to avenge, He will repay.

·         Revenge is worthless.

·         There will come a day when God will right all wrongs.