Wholeheartedly Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Matthew 22:36-40 John 15:9-14 Numbers 32:10-13 1 Chronicles 28:9-10 1 Kings 8:22-24 1 Chronicles 29:14-19 Ephesians 6:7-8 Colossians 3:23-25 02.28.20

WHOLEHEARTEDLY

BREAD

⁴ Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. ⁵ Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (NIV)

³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”  ³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  Matthew 22:36-40 (NIV)

⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command.  John 15:9-14 (NIV)

¹⁰ The LORD’s anger was aroused that day and he swore this oath: ¹¹ ‘Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, not one of the men twenty years old or more who came up out of Egypt will see the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob-- ¹² not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the LORD wholeheartedly.’ ¹³ The LORD’s anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the desert forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone. Numbers 32:10-13 (NIV)

⁹ “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. ¹⁰ Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a temple as a sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.”  1 Chronicles 28:9-10 (NIV)

²² Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven ²³ and said: “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below--you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. ²⁴ You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it--as it is today.”  1 Kings 8:22-24 (NIV)

¹⁴ “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. ¹⁵ We are aliens and strangers in your sight, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. ¹⁶ O LORD our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you. ¹⁷ I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. ¹⁸ O LORD, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you. ¹⁹ And give my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion to keep your commands, requirements and decrees and to do everything to build the palatial structure for which I have provided.”  1 Chronicles 29:14-19 (NIV)

⁷ Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, ⁸ because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. Ephesians 6:7-8 (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)

BUTTER

“No one has ever lost out by excessive devotion to Christ.”   H. A. Ironside

“Spiritual work is taxing work. We sometimes become lax in our praying, and do not realize the peril until the damage has been done. Hasty devotions make weak faith, feeble convictions, and questionable piety. To be little with God is to be little for God. To cut the praying short makes the whole Christian character short, miserable and careless.”   E.M. Bounds

“Acts 1:11 says, ‘This same Jesus, . . . will come back.’ What a motivation! The one who loves us is coming back. Perhaps He will look you in the face and ask, ‘How did you use the opportunities I gave you to witness for Me? Did you keep quiet with your coworkers, neighbors, and friends, or did you tell them about My salvation for you—for all people?’  While we wait for the Lord, we are to work diligently and wholeheartedly for the Great Commission, the mission of God, and our very purpose. God will bring the harvest as we are faithful.”   Michael Youssef

“All work is sacred work for the child of the King.  There is to be no difference between the secular and the sacred.  The believer brings the glory of God and the sweet aroma of Jesus to every job – every encounter - working wholeheartedly as unto the Lord – not for man - through the achieving power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.  All jobs from motherhood to medical to janitorial to legal to businessman to student to server to whatever – makes no difference the “what” rather the motivation behind why we do what we do which is to bring God all glory.  It is His desire for us to work and take care of His world – just as He told Adam before the fall – and bring the Good News to others in our spheres through both our actions and words.  This is for our ultimate good btw, satisfying both heart and soul.  We live our lives for an audience of One and our goal is to hear a ‘well done good and faithful servant.’”  BHY

“The spirit of devotion removes religion from being a thin veneer and puts it into our souls. With devotion in our soul, religion stops merely doing a work and becomes a heart, beating with the pulsations of vigorous and radiant life. Dear Lord God, through a spirit of devotion I can bring glory to Your name. Please grant me a heart beating with vigor for You. Amen.” E.M. Bounds

“No one who really wants to count for God can afford to play at Christianity.  He must make it the great business of his life.  Whether he is set apart for special ministry – as a missionary who is going to a foreign land, a laborer in the gospel in home fields, or whether he remains in business (or home) and seeks to witness for Christ there – he needs to give himself entirely to a life of devotion to the Lord.”  H. A. Ironside

“It is one thing to love the ways of the Lord when all is fair, and quite another to hold to them in the face of discouragements and difficulties. The kiss of outward profession is very cheap and easy, but the practical clinging to the Lord, which must show itself in holy devotion to truth and holiness, is no small matter.”   Alistair Begg

“We’re pilgrims on the journey Of the narrow road And those who've gone before us line the way Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary Their lives a stirring testament to God’s sustaining grace.  Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses Let us run the race not only for the prize But as those who’ve gone before us Let us leave to those behind us The heritage of  faithfulness passed on through godly lives.  After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone And our children sift through all we've left behind May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find.  Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful  May the fire of our devotion light their way  May the footprints that we leave  Lead them to believe  And the lives we live inspire them to obey  Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful.”  Steve Green

“Grant this one prayer more, O Lord, that You would give us all that is lacking in us; intensify our hunger and fire our devotion; take the indifference from our spirits; and have within us Your wonderful way and perfect will, O God, we pray.  Amen.”   Frances J. Roberts

HEART SAVOR

• ·         God seeks wholehearted devotion and a willing and from His children.
• ·         We are called to love the Lord with all our heart and soul and strength.
• ·         We are the ultimate losers when we forsake the high calling of being wholeheartedly   devoted to the Lord.
  
  

Stoop To Rise 1 Peter 5:6-7 Proverbs 3:34 Psalms 18:27 Isaiah 66:2 James 4:6-10 Matthew 20:25-28 Mark 9:35 Mark 10:42-45 2 Chronicles 7:14-16 Luke 14:11 02.26.20

STOOP TO RISE

BREAD

⁶ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. ⁷ Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.   1 Peter 5:6-7 (NIV)

³⁴ He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble.  Proverbs 3:34 (NIV)

²⁷ You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty. Psalms 18:27 (NIV)

² “Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the LORD. “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.”  Isaiah 66:2 (NIV)

⁶ But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” ⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:6-10 (NIV)

²⁵ Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ²⁶ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-- ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Matthew 20:25-28 (NIV)

³⁵ Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.”   Mark 9:35 (NIV)

⁴² Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ⁴³ Not so with you.  Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Mark 10:42-45 (NIV)

¹⁴ If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. ¹⁵ Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. ¹⁶ I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.  2 Chronicles 7:14-16 (NIV)

¹¹ “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”   Luke 14:11 (NIV)

BUTTER

“God gives grace to the humble. To those who humbly trust him with all their heart, he gives the grace of guidance. To those who humbly refuse to be wise in their own eyes, he gives the grace of refreshing peace. To those who humble themselves under his hand, he will give the grace of exaltation. And to those who humbly cast their cares on him, he gives the grace of carrying their cares.”  Jon Bloom

“The best of men are conscious above all others that they are men at best.  Empty boats float high, but heavily laden vessels are low in the water; mere professors can boast, but true children of God cry for mercy upon their unprofitableness.”  C. H. Spurgeon revised by Alistair Begg

“The path to deep, refreshing peace from God is living humbly before God.”  Jon Bloom

“Christ is with the humble, not with those who set themselves up over His flock.”  Clement of Rome

“Guidance in life and soul-restoration are both graces God gives to the humble.”  Jon Bloom

“In the Kingdom, there are no great men of God, just humble men whom God has chosen to use greatly.  How do we know when we are humble?  When God speaks, we tremble.  God is looking for a man who trembles at His word.  Such a man will find the Spirit of God resting upon him; he will become a dwelling place for the Almighty.  God asks for nothing but ourselves.”   Francis Frangipane

“The truly meek man is humble, gentle, patient, forgiving, and contented; the very opposite of the man who is proud, harsh, angry, revengeful, and ambitious. It is only the grace of God, as it works in us by the Holy Spirit, that can make us thus meek.”   Charles H. Spurgeon

“Humble yourself, and cease to care what men think.”   A. W. Tozer

“And if you don’t lie prostrate on the ground before that cross, you have never seen it:  if you are not humbled in the presence of Jesus, you don’t know Him.  You were so lost that nothing could save you but the sacrifice of God’s only begotten.  Think of that, and as Jesus lowered Himself for you, bow yourself in lowliness at His feet.  A sense of Christ’s amazing love to us has a greater tendency to humble us than even the conscious awareness of our own guilt……Pride cannot live beneath the cross.”   Charles H. Spurgeon

“Those who know God will be humble.  Those who know themselves cannot be proud.”   John Trapp

“It is a contradiction to be a true Christian and not to be humble.”   Richard Baxter

“To the humble He reveals His secrets, and sweetly draws nigh and invites him unto Himself.”   Thomas a Kempis

“The King of Glory enters Jerusalem seated on a donkey's colt. Majesty is never so majestic as when it is clothed with humility. There never was one so majestic as this Jesus, none so humble. Nor shall there ever be.”   Ronnie Collier Stevens

“Stoop if you want to climb to heaven. Is it not said of Jesus, ‘He who descended is the one who also ascended’?  So must you. You must grow downwards, that you may grow upwards; for the sweetest fellowship with heaven will be enjoyed by humble souls and by them alone. God will deny no blessing to a thoroughly humbled spirit. ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,’ with all its riches and treasures. All of God’s resources will be made available to the soul that is humble enough to be able to receive them without growing proud because of it.  When a man is sincerely humble and never tries to take the credit or the praise, there is scarcely any limit to what God will do for him. Humility makes us ready to be blessed by the God of all grace and equips us to deal efficiently with our fellows. True humility is a flower that will adorn any garden. This is a sauce that will season every dish of life and improve it in every case. Whether in prayer or praise, whether in work or suffering, the genuine salt of humility cannot be used in excess.”  C. H. Spurgeon revised by Alistair Begg

HEART SAVOR

·         We humble, God exalts.

·         Pride cannot live before the cross.

·         God opposes the proud but bestows grace giving way to grace giving way to grace to the humble of heart.

Do Not Let Your Heart Be Troubled Psalms 46:1-3 Lamentations 3:19-24 Mark 6:45-51 John 14:1-4 John 14:25-27 John 16:33 Philippians 4:5-7 02.24.20

DO NOT LET YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED

BREAD

¹ God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. ² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, ³ though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.  Selah  Psalms 46:1-3 (NIV)

¹⁹ I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. ²⁰ I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. 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.”  Lamentations 3:19-24 (NIV)

⁴⁵ Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. ⁴⁶ After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray. ⁴⁷ When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. ⁴⁸ He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, ⁴⁹ but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, ⁵⁰ because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.” ⁵¹ Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed.  Mark 6:45-51 (NIV)

¹ “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. ² In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴ You know the way to the place where I am going.”   John 14:1-4 (NIV)

²⁵ “All this I have spoken while still with you. ²⁶ But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. ²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”  John 14:25-27 (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)

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 4:5-7 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Anticipation of trouble makes trifles appear unduly large, and the troubles that never come make up an imagined burden that will crush the spirit.  They are haunting specters, as unsubstantial as a bad dream, and we spend the strength that should be expended in constructive work and services in fighting problems that do not even exist.”  Billy Graham

“A fixed, constant attention to the promises, and a firm belief in them, would prevent solicitude and anxiety about the concerns of this life. It would keep the mind quiet and composed in every change, and support and keep up our sinking spirits under the several troubles of life….Christians deprive themselves of their most solid comforts by their unbelief and forgetfulness of God’s promises.  For there is no extremity so great but there are promises suitable to it, and abundantly sufficient for our relief in it.”   Samuel Clarke

 

“This God is no stranger to the hard road. This God walked the hardest road for us. And whatever road we’re walking on now—then somehow, someway—that road is good. There’s not just breadcrumbs of good for you on it; the road itself is good… In this hard, He is doing something holy. He is doing something transformative. Even as our hearts rage. Even as they break….This upside down road, where His power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians), where troubles are an opportunity for great joy (James 1:2) because troubles usher us into His presence, and in His presence, there is fullness of joy. (Psalms 16:11).  This is Who.  A God who does not forsake. A God who is not cruel. A God who is not stingy with grace.  Not a sparrow falls outside of His care.  When we find ourselves walking through a dry and weary land where there is no water, shaking our fists at why…Fix the eyes on this God.  Remember and rest in Who.  Maybe comfort isn’t found so much when we ask ‘Why is this all unfolding here and now?’ — Maybe comfort is found more when we rest in Who is enfolding us all here and now.”  Katie Ganshert 

“‘Dost thou want nothing, O poor soul?  Hast thou nothing to ask?  Oh yes!  You say, a great deal.  Well then, draw near to thy gracious King and Bridegroom without fear.  Lo!  He holds out His golden scepter to thee, saying, ‘Only ask:  not the half, but the whole of My kingdom shall be granted; nay, I will give myself unto thee!’  O dear soul, pray, and tell Him everything that is wanting, be it ever so great or ever so small.  His loving-kindness will hear even the least petition; nay, He will seem to be ignorant of what thou dost not tell Him.  But whatever is poured out before Him is actually addressed and lodged in its proper place, and does not lie upon thy heart any longer, but upon His heart, which cannot rest till you are relieved.  And if you have experienced His help aforetime in great or small things, you may depend on His readiness to help you out of troubles hereafter; only be earnest in prayer for His help.  We often imagine we were willing and drawing near to Him, but He was unwilling, and refused our request; but it is not so:  He rather draws us, and desires our relief more than we do; for it is He that works even this willing mind.”     K.H. Von Bogatzky

“Worry isn’t productive. In fact, worry is a failure to trust God. It’s interesting that the word ‘worry’ comes from an old German term that means ‘to strangle.’ That’s what worry does: it chokes you. It’s been said that worry is the advanced interest you pay on troubles that seldom come.”   Greg Laurie

“On Him then reckon, to Him look, on Him depend:  and be assured that if you walk with Him, look to Him and expect help from Him, He will never fail you.  An older brother, who has known the Lord for forty-four years, who writes this, says for your encouragement that He has never failed him.  In the greatest difficulties, in the heaviest trials, in the deepest poverty and necessities, He has never failed me; but because I was enabled by His grace to trust in Him, He has always appeared for my help.  I delight in speaking well of His Name.”   George Mueller

“Lean hard upon Me, for I bring you through to new victories, and restoration shall follow what seems now to be a wind of destruction.  Hold fast to My hand, and rest in My love, for of this you may be very certain:  My love is unaltered; yes, I have you in My own intensive care.  My concern for you is deeper now than when things are normal.  Draw upon the resources of My grace, and so shall you be equipped to communicate peace and confidence to your dear ones.  Heaven rejoices when you go through trials with a singing spirit.  Your Father’s heart is cheered when you endure the test and do not question His mercy.  Be like a beacon light.  His own glorious radiance shall shine through you, and Christ Himself will be revealed.”   Frances J. Roberts

“Nowhere does the Bible teach that Christians are exempt from tribulation and natural disaster…But the Bible does teach that we can face trials with a power others do not have – the power of God.  As we trust Him, God helps us endure, and even discern His purposes in the midst of suffering…The eagle has the unique ability to lock its joints and soar effortlessly on an updraft, instead of flapping its wings.  As we wait on God, He helps us use the winds of adversity to soar above our problems.  As the Bible says, ‘Those who wait on the Lord…shall mount up with wings like eagles’ (Isaiah 40:31).”   Billy Graham

“The presence of God in the darkness of our trials is a small foretaste of the presence of God that we will know in the eternal light of his glory. It is in the absence of God's gifts that I learn the Giver himself is the greatest gift of all.”   Betsy Childs Howard

“Do not think when we are suffering in the fiery furnace He does not care.  Do not think that He sits lofty in the heavenlies paying us no mind.  Our Master knows the intensity of the heat and the exact longevity of all our trials and tribulations designed to bring about His divine purposes of unmingled good and blessedness for every heir of mercy.  Our Savior suffered with a magnitude we know nothing of so that heaven’s doors would be open to us.  If on our way to our true home we undergo the arrows of Satan’s quiver, take heart my friend and do not lose your hope or joy.  Many have traversed this same path and received the warmest of welcomes home.   Weeping may endure for the night but joy, yes joy, comes in the morning.”  BHY

HEART SAVOR

·         God is our strength and help in all our trials and tribulations.

·         The beloved of the Lord can rest secure in Him for He shields Him all day long.

·         His grip is secure and firm on every heir of mercy.  When Jesus is in our “boat” there is nothing to fear.  Perfect love drives out fear.

The Tongue Exposes The Heart Matthew 12:33-37 Proverbs 4:20-27 Proverbs 2:12-15 Jeremiah 17:9-10 Ephesians 4:29-32 Proverbs 10:19-21 Luke 6:43-45 02.21.20

THE TONGUE EXPOSES THE HEART

 ³³ “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. ³⁴ You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good?  For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. ³⁵ The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. ³⁶ But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. ³⁷ For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:33-37 (NIV)

²⁰ My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. ²¹ Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; ²² for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body. ²³ Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. ²⁴ Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. ²⁵ Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. ²⁶ Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. ²⁷ Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.  Proverbs 4:20-27 (NIV)

¹² Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, ¹³ who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways, ¹⁴ who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, ¹⁵ whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways.  Proverbs 2:12-15 (NIV)

⁹ The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? ¹⁰ “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.”   Jeremiah 17:9-10 (NIV)

²⁹ Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:29-32 (NIV)

¹⁹ When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. ²⁰ The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value. ²¹ The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgment.  Proverbs 10:19-21 (NIV)

⁴³ “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. ⁴⁴ Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. ⁴⁵ The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”  Luke 6:43-45 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”   Mother Teresa

“Kind words also produce their image on men’s souls; and a beautiful image it is.”   Blaise Pascal

“The character we find in the beatitudes is nothing less than our Lord’s own character put into words.”   Billy Graham

“Our words have the power to speak life or death over someone.  Watch the face of the hearer.  Think before we speak.  Store up in our hearts His truth before we spout out from our lips our opinions.  Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth will speak.  Be the conduit that life flows freely through to others.  We will then leave the aroma of Christ in our circumstances not the stench of death.”   BHY

“One of the most powerful blessings you can bestow on another person is well-timed words. It is our job to declare God’s praises and pronounce God’s blessings. Life-giving words are pure oxygen.  The right words at the right time can change everything.  They can even change the direction of a life.”  Mark Batterson

“Only speak words that make souls stronger.”   Ann Voskamp

“It’s amazing what fresh insights come as we pour over the Bible for our own nourishment.  Only then will our words be fresh and hot, made from scratch and straight from the oven, ready to feed hungry hearts.”   Robert Morgan

“Before we speak we should put our words through the sieve of:  Is it true?  Is it noble?  Is it right?  Is it pure?  Is it lovely?   Is it admirable?  Is it excellent?  Is it praiseworthy?  Is it necessary????”  BHY 
  
“Words and ideology on a page are cheap. Grace and incarnating the love of Christ isn’t.”  Ann Voskamp

“The most important thing in life isn’t what we think about ourselves or what others think about us, but what God thinks about us. He is the final Judge. When He examines and evaluates our motives, words, and actions, are we commended, as was Abel, or are we condemned, as was his brother Cain? ‘The Lord does not look at the things man looks at,’ God told the prophet Samuel. ‘Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart’ (1 Sam. 16:7).   Warren Wiersbe

“No matter how just your words may be, you ruin everything when you speak in anger.”    John Chrysostom

“Our words and works are always an overflow of what is in our  hearts and thoughts.  If you desire right speech and actions, work on your heart and mind.”  BHY

HEART SAVOR

·        Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks – make sure your hearts are filled with Jesus!

·        Do not let any unwholesome words proceed from your mouth – only speak words of life not death.

·       When we mindlessly wag our tongues, sin is not absent.