Not Part But All Luke 9:23-25 Matthew 19:27-30 Hebrews 6:10-12 Deuteronomy 26:16-19 Joshua 24:14-15 Ruth 1:15-16 1 Kings 18:21 1 Chronicles 28:9-10 03.30.20

****NOTE:  In an effort to bring encouragement to others during these uncertain times I have recorded (albeit lamely!) some Scripture recitation.  If you are interested in viewing this they are on the links below or you can go to Beth Yoe at Instagram.****     

NOT PART BUT ALL

BREAD

²³ Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. ²⁴ For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. ²⁵ What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?”  Luke 9:23-25 (NIV)

²⁷ Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” ²⁸ Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. ³⁰ But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.  Matthew 19:27-30 (NIV)

¹⁰ God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. ¹¹ We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. ¹² We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.  Hebrews 6:10-12 (NIV)

¹⁶ The LORD your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. ¹⁷ You have declared this day that the LORD is your God and that you will walk in his ways, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws, and that you will obey him. ¹⁸ And the LORD has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands. ¹⁹ He has declared that he will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the LORD your God, as he promised.   Deuteronomy 26:16-19 (NIV)

¹⁴ “Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. ¹⁵ But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”  Joshua 24:14-15 (NIV)

¹⁵ “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.”  ¹⁶ But Ruth replied, “Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.   Ruth 1:15-16 (NIV)

²¹ Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”  But the people said nothing.  1 Kings 18:21 (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)

BUTTER

“The least good that is done by the weakest saint will be highly regarded and rewarded.”  Thomas Brooks

“They that deny themselves for Christ shall enjoy themselves in Christ.”  John Mason

“My heaven is to please God and glorify Him, and to give all to Him, and to be wholly devoted to His glory.  That is the heaven I long for.”      David Brainerd

“This knowledge [of our own sinfulness], though it strikes man with terror and overwhelms him with despair, is nevertheless necessary for us in order that, stripped of our own righteousness, cast down from confidence in our own power, deprived of all expectation of life, we may learn through the knowledge of our own poverty, misery and disgrace to prostrate ourselves before the Lord, and by the awareness of our own wickedness, powerlessness, and ruin may give all credit for holiness, power and salvation to him.”  John Calvin

“Be not discouraged, weak Christians, if you meet with hardship from the world, and find reproaches for your services; the Lord will reward you.  He will not despise the day of small things.”  Thomas Brooks

“Where is the folly of true religion? Is it a folly to be providing for the world to come? ‘Oh, no.’ Is it a folly to make the Author of your being its first end? ‘No, no.’ Is it altogether a folly to believe that there is such a thing as justice? I think not. And that, if there be such a thing as justice, it involves punishment? There is no great folly there. Well, then, is it any folly to perceive that there is no way of escaping from the effects of our offences except justice be satisfied? Is that folly?  And if it be the fact that Christ has satisfied justice for all who trust in him, is it folly to trust him? If it be a folly to escape from the flames of hell, then let us be fools. If it be folly to lay hold of him who gives us eternal life—oh, blessed folly! Let us be more foolish still. Let us take deep dives into the depths of this foolishness. God forbid that we should do anything else but glory in being such fools as this for Christ’s sake! What, sirs, is your wisdom? Your wisdom dwells in denying what your eyes can see—a God; in denying what your consciences tell you—that you are guilty; in denying what should be your best hope, what your spirit really craves after—redemption in Christ Jesus. Your folly lies in following a perverted nature, instead of obeying the dictates of one who points you to the right path. You are wise and you drink poison; we are fools and we take the antidote. You are wise and you hunt the shadow; we are fools and we grasp the substance. You are wise, and you labour and put your money into a bag which is full of holes, and spend it for that which is not bread, and which never gives you satisfaction; and we are fools enough to be satisfied, to be happy, to be perfectly content with heaven and God.”  Charles H. Spurgeon

“The real tragedy is the person who has lived a lifetime in fantasy, trying to deny weakness, and is left with nothing because he or she failed to become weighty of soul.”   Jamin Goggin and Kyle Strobel

“If your graces are weaker, your temptations also shall be fewer, and your afflictions lighter.  This is evident in Scripture:  the strongest in grace have been the most tempted, afflicted, and distressed.  Abraham excelled in faith, and God tried the strength of his faith to the uttermost.  Moses excelled others in meekness and had to deal with a murmuring generation.  Job carried the day with patience, and he was exercised with great afflictions.  So God, in much wisdom and love, will suit your burdens to you backs.  He will fit all your afflictions to your strength.”  Thomas Brooks

“Humble yourself under God’s mighty hand that He may lift you up.  Cast all your cares on Him for He cares for you and He will never, never let the righteous fall.  The way up is always down.  Be willing to honestly search your own heart.  Be willing to deny self and follow Him – for your good, for His glory.  Be willing to walk in a manner worthy of the precious Gospel of Christ again, always through His power, for His glory, for our good.  We simply can’t muster up enough good intentions in our flesh it will fail us every time – it is always through the indwelling power of the Spirit in the saint that we are enabled to walk as Jesus walked.  The flesh, the world screams loud, vies for all of our attention and leads to our downfall.  We are not God – we are the created not the Creator.  Listen for His still small voice.  He knows what is best for our lives – always.  Indeed His plan for each of His children is good pleasing and perfect albeit extremely hard.  Each child of the King should hear Jesus asking the same questions to them as He did when He reinstated Peter – do we truly love Him more than all and are we willing to follow:  ¹⁵ When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” ¹⁶ Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” ¹⁷ The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. ¹⁸ I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹ Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” John 21:15-19 (NIV).  BHY

HEART SAVOR

·         Jesus wants our all – not simply part of us.  Whatever we cling to fiercely controls us and costs us dearly.  We are to open those tight fisted hands.

·         There is freedom in giving Him our all.

·         Jesus has acquired us and preserved us for our ultimate purpose to be conformed into His perfect image through His power for His glory.

       

He Is Our Shelter Psalms 17:6-8 Psalms 27:5 Psalms 31:19-20 Psalms 61:1-4 Psalms 91:1-4 Exodus 19:3-6 Ruth 2:11-12 Luke 13:34-35 03.27.20

HE IS OUR SHELTER

BREAD

⁶ I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer. ⁷ Show the wonder of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes. ⁸ Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.  Psalms 17:6-8 (NIV)

⁵ For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.  Psalms 27:5 (NIV)

¹⁹ How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you. ²⁰ In the shelter of your presence you hide them from the intrigues of men; in your dwelling you keep them safe from accusing tongues.   Psalms 31:19-20 (NIV)

¹ Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.  ² From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. ³ For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.  ⁴ I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. Selah  Psalms 61:1-4 (NIV)

¹ He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. ² I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”  ³ Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. ⁴ He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.  Psalms 91:1-4 (NIV)

³ Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ⁴ ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. ⁵ Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, ⁶ you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”  Exodus 19:3-6 (NIV)

¹¹ Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband--how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. ¹² May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”  Ruth 2:11-12 (NIV)

³⁴ “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! ³⁵ Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”   Luke 13:34-35 (NIV)

BUTTER

“He is near to the broken, He is close to the weary of heart.  In His Name is a refuge, Safety for the weak and discarded.  There is help for the hopeless, For the wounded in need.  In the presence of Jesus, There is power unleashed.  Call upon the Name of the Lord, He’s our Defender, our Deliverer.  A Shelter in the midst of the storm, Jesus, our Savior, He is King over all the earth.  I will sing of my Redeemer, Testify to the touch of His hand, Lifted me from disaster, Set my feet on a solid rock to stand.  God is our Refuge, our Strength and Salvation, A Mighty Fortress is the Lord Almighty.  There is no equal, no power beside Him.  Forever our Champion is the Lord our God.  Our Savior, He is King over all the earth.”    Lyrics to Defender (Call Upon The Name Of The Lord)

“Let no agitation distress you; don't be unsettled by fear of evil. Whatever happens on the earth, the believer is sheltered beneath the broad wings of Jehovah and shall be secure. Take your stand upon His promise; rest in His faithfulness, and boldly face the darkest future, for there is nothing in it harmful for you. Your sole concern should be to display to the world the blessedness of taking heed to the voice of wisdom.”  C. H. Spurgeon revised by Alistair Begg

“Strive believer not to seek refuge in anything or anyone besides the Lord our God.  All else will surely be found wanting.  It is He Who is the Rock that is greater than all. It is He Who is sufficient to meet our every need.  It is He Who gives our feet a firm place to stand when the winds of life blow hard.  Look to Jesus alone – all else is fleeting.  Why go to the paste gem when the diamond is so readily offered?”   BHY

“What we feed our minds and hearts on will determine whether we live a life of faith or a life of fear. …The more time we spend with God and His Word, the more our faith develops and our fear diminishes….Faith in God conquers fear every time. The God who has redeemed us and cares for us is trustworthy. Our Creator God will never abandon us, and He has our best interests at heart. ‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging’(Psalm 46:1-3).”   Michael Youssef

“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

“Now, Lord, not my will, but Yours be done. I don’t know what to do; I am brought to extremities, but I will wait until You shall halt the floods, or drive back my foes.  I will wait, if You keep me many a day, for my heart is fixed upon You alone, O God, and my spirit waits for You in the full conviction that You will yet be my joy and my salvation, my refuge and my strong tower.”   Charles H. Spurgeon

“I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine and take it. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance inflict and pollute others and so cause their death as a result of my negligence. If God should wish to take me, he will surely find me and I have done what he has expected of me and so I am not responsible for either my own death or the death of others. If my neighbor needs me however I shall not avoid place or person but will go freely as stated above. See this is such a God-fearing faith because it is neither brash nor foolhardy and does not tempt God."  Martin Luther

“May God bring home to you a sense of your safety in Christ Jesus! May He assure you that your name is graven on His hand and whisper in your ear the promise, ‘Fear not, for I am with you.’”  Charles H. Spurgeon

HEART SAVOR

·         Our God is our Rock, our Fortress, and our Deliverer in Whom we take refuge.

·         He covers us with His feathers and under His wings we find refuge.

·         His faithfulness is our shield and rampart.

  

For Us Not Against Us Romans 8:28-32 Deuteronomy 20:4 Deuteronomy 33:12 Jeremiah 31:3 Hebrews 13:5-6 Isaiah 41:10 Isaiah 41:13-14 Isaiah 50:7 Romans 11:33-36 1 John 3:1-3 03.25.20

FOR US NOT AGAINST US

BREAD

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)

⁴ “For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”   Deuteronomy 20:4 (NIV)

“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)

³ The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”  Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV)

God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”  ⁶ So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me?”  Hebrews 13:5-6 (NIV)

¹⁰ So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

¹³ “For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.  ¹⁴ Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself will help you,” declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.  Isaiah 41:13-14 (NIV)

⁷ Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.   Isaiah 50:7 (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)

¹ How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. ² Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. ³ Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.  1 John 3:1-3 (NIV)

BUTTER

“If the Sovereign, Omnipotent, Omniscient God is on our side, as His child, seriously, what do we have to fear?  He, Who loves us with an everlasting love, Who ever has His eye upon us, Who never leaves us nor forsakes us, Who not only died to save us but has also given us the Grand Deposit of the precious Holy Spirit to empower us to walk in a manner worthy of our high calling all the way Home – this God, this very God is for us and not against us.  No matter what the circumstances of your life may be bellowing out.  The world shouts fear while God whispers peace.  He will never let the righteous fall and we can trust Him with our lives and with the lives of all we love and hold dear.”  BHY        

“It is well to be poor, when the knowledge of our poverty serves but to unfold to us the exhaustless riches of divine grace. That grace can never suffer any one to go away empty. It can never tell anyone that he is too poor. It can meet the very deepest human need; and not only so, but it is glorified in meeting it. This holds good in every case. It is true of every individual sinner…Grace is the grand and only resource for us all.  It is the basis of our salvation; the basis of a life of practical godliness; and the basis of those imperishable hopes which animate us amid the trials and conflicts of this sin-stricken world. May we cherish a deeper sense of grace, and more ardent desire for glory!”   C H MacIntosh

“The supreme happiness of life,” Victor Hugo said, “is the conviction that we are loved”….Unfortunately, many people go through life feeling unloved – and unlovable…No matter the reason, your feelings aren’t telling you the truth!  God loves you, and if you begin to see yourself the way God sees you, your attitudes will begin to change.  If He didn’t love you, would Christ have been willing to die for you?  But He did!  The Bible says, “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us” (1 John 3:16).  God loves you.  Hammer that truth into your head and mind every day.  It will make all the difference.”    Billy Graham

“Faith raises the soul above the difficulty, straight to God Himself, and enables one to stand still.  We gain nothing by our restless and anxious efforts….It is therefore true wisdom, in all times of difficulty and perplexity, to stand still – to wait only upon God, and He will assuredly open a way for us.”  C.H. Mackintosh 

“As our Great Shepherd, He leads and directs His children in the way they should go.  This is profitable for us, though often extraordinarily difficult, yet always for our ultimate good and His Glory – never one surpassing the other.  Our lives are not our own.  We have been bought with a high price and we are to honor God with our bodies.  We are not to run ahead doing our own things, going our own ways, giving no thought to His perfect and pleasing will – which, BTW, is always for our best.  This path will always lead to ultimate ruin.  It matters greatly how we live our lives.  Nothing done in the flesh sans His power is eternal.  God will not own what mere flesh can accomplish.  It will all be burned up.  Seek to follow hard after the One who loves you with an everlasting love and rejoices over you with singing.  You will not be disappointed.”  BHY

“An inheritance is not only kept for us, but we are kept for it.”   Richard Sibbes

“If the Father has the kingdom ready for us, He will take care of us on the way.”   Andrew Bonar

“If we will look back upon the past, many of us will find that the very time our heavenly Father has chosen to do the kindest things for us, and given us the richest blessing, has been the time we were strained and shut in on every side.  God’s jewels are often sent us in rough packages and by dark liveried servants, but within we find the very treasures of the King’s palace and the Bridegroom’s love.”    A. B. Simpson

HEART SAVOR

•    If God is for us, who can be against us?
•    God will uphold us with His righteous right hand.
•   We are not to fear though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the sea – our     God is ever on His throne.

Lord Teach Us To Pray Matthew 6:9-13 2 Chronicles 7:13-16 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 2 Kings 19:14-19 Ephesians 3:14-19 Philippians 1:9-11 Colossians 1:9-14 03.23.20

LORD TEACH US TO PRAY

BREAD

⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, ¹⁰ your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us today our daily bread. ¹² Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  ¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’”   Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV)

¹³ “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 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 7:13-16 (NIV)

⁹ Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” ¹⁰ Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory!  Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.  1 Chronicles 4:9-10 (NIV)

¹⁴ Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. ¹⁵ And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: “O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. ¹⁶ Give ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God. ¹⁷ “It is true, O LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. ¹⁸ They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by men's hands. ¹⁹ Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are God.”  2 Kings 19:14-19 (NIV)

¹⁴ For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.   Ephesians 3:14-19 (NIV)

⁹ And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, ¹⁰ so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, ¹¹ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God.  Philippians 1:9-11 (NIV)

⁹ For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. ¹⁰ And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.   Colossians 1:9-14 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, You have brought me to the valley of vision, where I live in the depths but see You in the heights; hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Your glory. Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is to possess all, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive, Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells, and the deeper the wells the brighter Your stars shine; Let me find Your light in my darkness, Your life in my death, Your joy in my sorrow, Your grace in my sin,  Your riches in my poverty, Your glory in my valley.”   From:  The Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions

“What is ‘good’?  Just as Pilate asked Jesus ‘What is Truth?’ while all the while looking straight at Truth Incarnate, we as humans often misconstrue ‘What is good?’ and end up missing out on God’s best by ‘kicking against the goads’ and not walking in His ways.  We so often buy into what the world believes as good.  Do we believe it’s all about more – More clothes in the closet?  More comforts in the den?  More money in the bank?  More health in the body?  More buildings, marquees, publications or whatever’s  bearing our names?  More children in the home?  And on and on and on it goes.  ‘Good’ is not merely ‘wants’.  ‘Good’ can be as varied as the people who populate this dusty earth.  Simply put, ‘good’ is always God’s best for a life.  The Maker of all humankind has a plan for each life and our best is always to walk in it – be it ever so hard.  His will is revealed in a myriad of ways from His Word, from the Holy Spirit’s promptings Who indwells every true believer in Christ, from prayer and petition with thanksgiving, from fellow sojourners – why God can even use a donkey or a great big fish!  And believe me, you always want to be in the center of His will as it is good and pleasing and perfect.  Don’t fight against God’s best because it is hard.  Allow Him to conform you to the image of Christ.  We are the ultimate losers if we don’t.  It is the life of true blessedness.”  BHY

“You know the value of prayer; it is precious beyond all price.  Never, never neglect it.”   Thomas Buxton  

“The church may hold its confirmations by the thousands, it may multiply its baptisms, and it may administer its sacraments innumerable times, and yet be as far from fulfilling its true mission as human conditions can make it. The principle need of the church is neither people of money nor people of intelligence, but people of prayer.”  E.M. Bounds

“Prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge to Satan.”   John Bunyan

“God shapes the world by prayer.”  E.M. Bounds

“In believing prayer, we learn to connect our present troubles to the good and perfect will of God.  We refuse to believe that chance rules our lives.  We withstand the temptation to imagine that God is capricious or malicious.  We know he has a higher purpose and that he is not dealing with us as our sins deserve.  As we bring our troubles to Jesus in prayer—asking his will to be done—we approve the will of our Father in heaven. We see our sufferings in the greater reality of his good, acceptable, and perfect will.  In prayer we “turn crisis to Christ.”  Our heart becomes tuned to his heart and we sing the song of grace.”   Ancient Prayer, John F. Smed 

“We err when we judge our prayers solely by what we can see happening around us. Prayer is a matter of faith. Prayer is taking God at His word. Prayer is understanding God's promise that if we pray, He will work. And we must keep on praying even when we cannot see what He is doing. We do not see into the world in which God lives, but He definitely sees into ours.”  David Jeremiah  

HEART SAVOR  

·         Give God the glory due His Name in prayer.  The movement of His Hand from our prayers demonstrates His power – and the One Who gives the power gets the glory.   

·         The great posture of prayer is humility.

·         Our prayers are as sweet incense to the Lord – particularly intercessory prayer for others.  They are a pleasing sacrifice, acceptable to the Lord, a fragrant aroma that reaches the Throne Room of heaven.  Never neglect it.