Do Not Forget Deuteronomy 6:4-12 Deuteronomy 4:23-24 Psalms 50:16-23 Psalms 103:1-5 James 1:22-25 Psalms 119:93 Proverbs 4:5-9 2 Peter 3:8-9 04.29.20

****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 these they are on the links below or you can go to Beth Yoe at Instagram.  I will be changing out these links each Monday (Lord willing!) ****     

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B-xtpI9Bj8X/?igshid=uh57rjvsia12

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B-yGRAuhdlZ/?igshid=zf12bqfoxd7u

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B--kJCuhjfe/?igshid=1ejcvzjbvpf5q

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B--kP9SBZ5r/?igshid=kh5o143jxw8b

DO NOT FORGET

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. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. ¹⁰ When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you--a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, ¹¹ houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant--then when you eat and are satisfied, ¹² be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.  Deuteronomy 6:4-12 (NIV)

²³ Be careful not to forget the covenant of the LORD your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the LORD your God has forbidden. ²⁴ For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.  Deuteronomy 4:23-24 (NIV)

¹⁶ But to the wicked, God says: “What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips? ¹⁷ You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you. ¹⁸ When you see a thief, you join with him; you throw in your lot with adulterers. ¹⁹ You use your mouth for evil and harness your tongue to deceit. ²⁰ You speak continually against your brother and slander your own mother’s son. ²¹ These things you have done and I kept silent; you thought I was altogether like you. But I will rebuke you and accuse you to your face. ²² Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue: ²³ He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.”  Psalms 50:16-23 (NIV)

¹ Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. ² Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits--³ who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, ⁴ who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, ⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.  Psalms 103:1-5 (NIV)

²² Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³ Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴ and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵ But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does.  James 1:22-25 (NIV)

⁹³ I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life. Psalms 119:93 (NIV)

⁵ Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. ⁶ Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. ⁷ Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. ⁸ Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. ⁹ She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendor.  Proverbs 4:5-9 (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.  2 Peter 3:8-9 (NIV)

BUTTER

“We are often guilty of spiritual amnesia, Amen?  When things are going swimmingly well our focus tends towards our circumstances and comforts finding our joy and satisfaction in them rather than in the One Who bestowed them.  Sadly, it often takes crisis to shake us up, get our attention and help us to refocus on what is truly best rather than a mere worldly substitute.  All good things come from God’s hand and we are to be thankful for them but they are to be held loosely.  No tight grip for the child of the King unless it is to His Hand.”  BHY 

“Thus does the world forget You, its Creator, and falls in love with what You have created.”    Augustine

“A true Christian is a man who never for a moment forgets what God has done for him in Christ.”   John Baillie

“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

“The seed of unnecessary fear in the heart of a Christian is forgetfulness — an inability to remember and trust what the God of the universe has said and done. No one has ever had any grounds to accuse God of not following through on his word. Not even one phrase in any sentence in any statement He has ever made has failed (Joshua 21:45). We will only be truly content with what we have when we know that we have Him. And we will remember that we have him when we hear and believe his voice.”  Marshall Segal  

“If we stop fighting and embrace the gospel story God is weaving in our lives, we discover joy. If we pursue love directly, it slips from our grasp. But if we begin with Jesus and learn to love, we end up with joy. We can never forget that God is God. Ultimately, it's His story not ours.”   Paul Miller

“Let us never forget that the message of the Bible is addressed primarily to the mind, to the understanding.”    Martyn Lloyd Jones 

“There is a danger of forgetting that the Bible reveals not first the love of God, but the intense, blazing holiness of God.”   Oswald Chambers

“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 

“Get busy, get distracted, and you can forget God. Forget God and you lose your mind and your peace. Forget God, and all you remember is the anxiety. Anxiety can give you God-Alzheimer's. Forget the face of God and you forget your own name is Beloved. Beloved, you are the remembering people.”   Ann Voskamp

¹⁸ “‘Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. ¹⁹ See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.’ Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)  We are to live into this Truth.  Just because I do not see something happening out of my poor visibility due to my human earth-bound eye, does not mean it is not happening.  Just because I cannot see God’s work does not mean He is not working – God is always at work.  I am to sign all my prayers with anticipatory thanksgiving – thanking Him in advance and closing with ‘I am very truly yours, always’ is a constant reminder to me of Whom I belong to.  It is God alone.  It is He Who sends the great “showers of blessings”.”  BHY 

HEART SAVOR

• ·         Keep remembering all He has done for you so you will not forget.
• ·         Remember His faithfulness in the “little” things as well as the “big”.  He cares for you – down to the smallest detail of your life.
• ·         Do not forget God – the Maker of all creation and the Giver of every good and perfect gift.

Now No Condemnation Romans 8:1-4 2 Corinthians 5:14-6:2 Isaiah 53:2-6 Colossians 2:13-15 Romans 6:23 04.27.20

****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 these they are on the links below or you can go to Beth Yoe at Instagram.  I will be changing out these links each Monday (Lord willing!) ****     

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B-xtpI9Bj8X/?igshid=uh57rjvsia12

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B-yGRAuhdlZ/?igshid=zf12bqfoxd7u

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B--kJCuhjfe/?igshid=1ejcvzjbvpf5q

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B--kP9SBZ5r/?igshid=kh5o143jxw8b

NOW NO CONDEMNATION

BREAD

¹ Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ² because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. ³ For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, ⁴ in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:1-4 (NIV)

¹⁴ For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. ¹⁵ And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. ¹⁶ So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! ¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. ¹ As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. ² For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.”  I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 5:14-6:2 (NIV)

² He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. ³ He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. ⁴ Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. ⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.   Isaiah 53:2-6 (NIV)

¹³ When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ¹⁴ having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.  Colossians 2:13-15 (NIV)

²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NIV)

BUTTER

“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, King’s Cross

“When suffering floods us — the question that often rises is WHY?  Why would a loving God allow this crisis, this grief, this heartbreak, this suffering?  Why does suffering happen in a world held by a Wounded God?  And when suffering surrounds, the Wounded God with the nail scars, He does not ask us to deny it, or turn a blind eye to it, or beautify it. He ask us to hold space for it, to collect it, to gather it, like the questioning mystery of manna, and cup it in hand and believe that something in the suffering offers sustenance for the soul. In every hard thing that happens — God is happening to work a million things for good.  The Wounded God does not say, ‘Do not fear, I will give you all the answers.’  He does not say, ‘Do not fear, I will take away all your pain.’  He does not say, ‘Do not fear, I will do whatever you all think.’  The Wounded God who is the one High, Almighty Wise God, who says it like a wide open embrace:  ‘Do not fear — for I am here.’  What if instead of wanting good things for us — we wanted a good God with us?  The problem of evil is answered by the presence of Emmanuel: God is with us.  There are always arms under you carrying you, there are always hands carved with your name holding yours, there is always a waiting embrace Who is your safe place. You will never be abandoned — because He will never abandon you, Love will never abandon you, Hope will never abandon you, Grace will never abandon you.  With-ness breaks brokenness and He who is with you is larger than any suffering around you.”  Ann Voskamp

“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

“Consider Christ. He was of a meek and quiet spirit, and of a most long-suffering behavior…He was very much the object of bitter contempt and reproach, and slights and despised as of but little account. Though he as the Lord of glory, yet he was set at naught, and rejected…He was the object of the spit and malice and bitter reviling of the very ones he came to save…He was called a deceiver of people, and oftentimes he was said to be mad, and possessed with the devil…He was charged with being a wicked blasphemer, and one that deserved death on that account. They hated him with morbid hatred, and wished he was dead, and from time to time tried to murder him…His life was an annoyance to them, and they hated him so they could not bear that he should live… Yet Christ meekly bored all these injuries without resentment or one word of reproach, and with heavenly quietness of spirit pass through them all…On the contrary, he prayed for his murderers, that they might be forgiven, even when they were nailing him to the cross; and not only prayed for them, but pleaded in their behalf with His Father, that they knew not what they were doing.”  Jonathan Edwards

“Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to thy Cross I cling.”   Augustus Toplady

“Many people have difficulty believing God is a God of love….If you really want to know the reality of God’s love, look at the Cross….It was love that restrained Him when He was falsely accused of blasphemy and led to Golgotha to die with common thieves.  He raised not a hand against His enemies.  It was love that kept Him from calling legions of angels to come to His defense.  It was love that made Him, in a moment of agonizing pain, pause and give hope to a repentant sinner who cried, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom’ (Luke 23:42)….Does God love us?  Yes….and the proof is the Cross.”   Billy Graham  

“Don't sit in the shadow of the broom tree saying, ‘It is enough!’ Instead, sit in the shadow of the cross and say, ‘It is finished!’”  Paige Benton Brown

“How deep the Father’s love for us, how vast beyond all measure that He should give His only Son to make a wretch His treasure.  How great the pain of searing loss, the Father turns His face away As wounds which mar the chosen One, bring many sons to glory.  Behold the Man upon a cross, my sin upon His shoulders ashamed I hear my mocking voice, call out among the scoffers.  It was my sin that held Him there until it was accomplished His dying breath has brought me life I know that it is finished.  I will not boast in anything no gifts, no power, no wisdom but I will boast in Jesus Christ His death and resurrection.  Why should I gain from His reward?  I cannot give an answer but this I know with all my heart His wounds have paid my ransom.”  Stuart Townend

“See the cross. See who was hanging there, why he had to die, and why he couldn’t stay dead. Sin is worse than we think. The good news is better than you imagine. Jesus lived. Jesus died. Jesus lives again. Christ arose. Christ reigns. Christ will return. We have sinned. We will die. We can live again. Let us not tire of singing the same old songs. Let us not be bored in preaching the same good news. And let us never grow weary of the old rugged cross.”  Kevin DeYoung

“When Jesus is Lord of a life there is a deep and reverential awareness of accountability to Him coupled with a strong affection to please Him in all that we say and do.  It really does matter how we live our lives.  It will be either for Him Who spoke the world into being as well as died for our sins on the cross or we live for ourselves.  We will either serve the Creator or the created.  “Lord” rightly means owner, master, might and power.”  BHY

“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

HEART SAVOR

·         In Christ, there is now no condemnation.

·         Jesus took away my sins by nailing them to the cross.

·         He rescued me “from this body of death”.

Be Completely Humble Philippians 2:1-11 1 Peter 5:5-7 Ephesians 5:21 Galatians 5:13-16 James 4:7-10 Matthew 11:28-30 Ephesians 4:1-3 04.24.20

****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 these they are on the links below or you can go to Beth Yoe at Instagram.  I will be changing out these links each Monday (Lord willing!) ****     

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B-XqgNuB3GS/?igshid=pxubiwavl43w

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B-QfYJih5b0/?igshid=186tplj1k8eai

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B-QF88IBpSB/?igshid=1l6e5s3sxws0m

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-QFbcaB0am/?igshid=t1hmr1d9hd3y

BE COMPLETELY HUMBLE

BREAD

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 Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 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 5:5-7 (NIV)

²¹ Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.  Ephesians 5:21 (NIV)

¹³ You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. ¹⁴ The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁵ If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. ¹⁶ So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.   Galatians 5:13-16 (NIV)

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 4:7-10 (NIV)

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”   Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

¹ As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. ² Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ³ Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.  Ephesians 4:1-3 (NIV)

BUTTER

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

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

“God only despises those who are arrogant and haughty -- those who are proud and are never willing to humble themselves and confess their sins. Those who have made a habit of rationalizing their sin, of explaining away their sin, of justifying their sin, will not experience restoration.  But God loves to forgive and restore a repentant sinner. God loves to use those who are truly brokenhearted and contrite. God loves to use them in a unique way.”   Michael Youssef

“May Your Spirit remind us of Your Presence in all of our lives- all of the time.  Guide us.  Let our thoughts and words and attitudes be pleasing to You.  Let us imitate Christ.  Give us His mind and His attitude.  Strip us of our pride and self-sufficiency and may we be humble as Jesus showed  Humility.  In the Name of Jesus, Who humbled Himself to death, even death on the Cross, for us, we pray.”   Roger Killian

“The more humble a man is in himself, and the more obedient toward God, the wiser will he be in all things, and the more shall his soul be at peace.”   Thomas a Kempis

“Let’s be careful to remember that God has not chiefly called us to be awesome or to be ‘winners.’ Rather, he has called us to live humble, faithful, forgiven, and free. For that, in truth, is where all the true power is.”   Scott Sauls

“When tempests arise, woe to the mariners that have not strengthened their mast, nor cast their anchor, nor sought the haven. If we suffer the good to grow weaker, the evil will surely gather strength and struggle desperately for the mastery over us; and as a result a painful desolation and a lamentable disgrace may follow. Let us draw near to the footstool of divine mercy in humble entreaty, and we shall realize the fulfillment of the promise, ‘They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength.’”   C. H. Spurgeon

“God knew when He made us that we’d never find contentment outside of His perfection.  Only Jesus can satisfy our hearts’ longing for perfection. But it takes a humility that is willing to forsake our pride and its many manifestations. We need a new paradigm for humility. Thankfully, we have one in Jesus.  So, in humility and love, Jesus submitted to history’s greatest injustice when He humbled Himself ‘by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross’ (Philippians 2:8).  Letting go of the ambitions, expectations, and standards my pride had erected hasn’t been easy. The serpent’s hiss is ever present, tempting me to doubt, become discontent, and believe the lie that God is not enough.  While my daily battle with perfectionism seems as far from Eden as my messy bedroom is from Paradise, it’s the very same temptation. Will I trust God and His promises, power, wisdom, and love, or will I proudly turn to my own resources to manage my life? Will I believe He is enough?”   Kim Hyland

“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

·         In God’s kingdom. We stoop to rise.  Humility precedes honor.

·         The humble person truly knows himself.

·         If Christ humbled Himself, how much more so should we?

Our Refuge In Storms 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 2 Corinthians 1:8-11 1 Peter 2:19-23 1 Peter 4:12-13 2 Corinthians 11:23-29 Psalms 91:1-16 1 Peter 4:19 04.22.20

****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 these they are on the links below or you can go to Beth Yoe at Instagram.  I will be changing out these links each Monday (Lord willing!) ****     

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B-XqgNuB3GS/?igshid=pxubiwavl43w

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B-QfYJih5b0/?igshid=186tplj1k8eai

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B-QF88IBpSB/?igshid=1l6e5s3sxws0m

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-QFbcaB0am/?igshid=t1hmr1d9hd3y

OUR REFUGE IN STORMS

BREAD

¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 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 4:16-18 (NIV)

⁸ We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. ⁹ Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. ¹⁰ He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, ¹¹ as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.   2 Cor 1:8-11 (NIV)

¹⁹ For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. ²⁰ But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. ²¹ To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. ²² “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” ²³ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.  1 Peter 2:19-23 (NIV)

¹² Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³ But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.  1 Peter 4:12-13 (NIV)

²³ Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. ²⁴ Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, ²⁶ I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. ²⁷ I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. ²⁸ Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. ²⁹ Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?  2 Corinthians 11:23-29 (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. ⁵ You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, ⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. ⁷ A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. ⁸ You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. ⁹ If you make the Most High your dwelling-- even the LORD, who is my refuge-- ¹⁰ then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. ¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; ¹² they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. ¹³ You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. ¹⁴ “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. ¹⁵ He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. ¹⁶ With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.”   Psalms 91:1-16 (NIV)

¹⁹ So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.   1 Peter 4:19 (NIV)

BUTTER

“The need of every day, for every soul, whether diseases spread, or bombs threaten, or old age beckons, is to be ready always to die. We can pass from this world in countless ways — some slower, some faster; some more painfully, others less. Calamities and pandemics present us with the opportunity to consider our end before it comes, and to put our soul affairs in order. Three final realities approach: death, judgment, and eternity. Are you ready for them?   To stay safe in light of these bids us to do more than to keep our hands clean, avoid touching our faces, distance ourselves from others, and stay at home unless necessary. To stay safe ten thousand years from now, when we will have stood before God and given an account for our lives, calls us to flee to Christ — and remain safe in Christ — from that something far more dangerous than a deadly virus and even death itself: sin.  Hear Christianity’s scandalous claim for all who can bear it: Better coronavirus and death than unrepentant sin and life. Better to meet the virus and die trusting Christ than to be enslaved to lust, or greed, or any other sin, and live a few decades longer in unbelief. We shut ourselves off from the world, but our greatest problem is quarantined with us.”  Greg Morse

“Earthly pleasures cannot free us from our cares and crosses.  In Him alone can be found true rest and satisfaction.  Let us cast our cares and burdens upon Him who has promised to sustain us.”   Ezekiel Hopkins 

“We live in the world of death and sorrow, we may therefore look for ills as well in the night watches as beneath the glare of the broiling sun.  Nor should this alarm us, for whatever the terror is, the promise is that the believer shall not be afraid…It may be night in the soul, but there is no need to be terrified, for the God of love never changes.  Children of light may walk in darkness, but they are not therefore cast away; no, they are enabled to prove their adoption by trusting in their heavenly Father as hypocrites cannot do.”  Charles H. Spurgeon      

“There is nothing that has happened that God cannot redeem.”  Amy Seiffert

“If we still have breath, the offer of forgiveness for sin and escape from terrible perishing is still offered to us — if we would repent.”  Jon Bloom

“Jesus is the Word made flesh and in Him is perfect peace – a state of untroubled, undisturbed well-being.   Therefore, as His followers we are to encourage one another, in the midst of life’s chaos and storms, with the living and powerful Word of God.  As our Lord did, He spoke the Word and calmed the sea.  Just as it was true then, it is still true today – His Word calms and He can speak it even through a donkey.  His Word is alive and active and sharper than any two-edged sword.  It is able to divide soul and spirit, joint and marrow.  It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  It is not to be merely idle words for us as Moses told the Israelites, it is to be our life.  God’s Word is a balm for every needy soul – and truly, what soul isn’t needy?”   BHY  

“When you’re in Christ, it doesn’t matter what place you’re in. Christ is a table for your days and a home for your soul, He is open arms and open door for your weary ways and He is a roof for your hounding storms and when you don’t feel shielded in a cruel world, Christ is your every- place embrace and your always safe place.”   Ann Voskamp

“Only the Word of God can sustain us under the pressures of life and protect us from the enemy.  Only the Word Of God can give us hope, joy and victory for eternity.  Are you looking for a refuge from the stresses and storms of life?  Look to God’s Word and dwell on His faithfulness.  Reflect on His character and run to the one who is your safe haven.”   Michael Youssef   

“And the one I want to leave you with is this: when your perceptions tell you something different than God’s promises, always, always, always trust God’s promises over your perceptions.”  Jon Bloom

HEART SAVOR

·         Storms are a given in this life yet in Jesus we can have peace through them – like a sleeping child in its mother’s arms, we can rest secure in Him.

·         All storms have a purpose.  God allows nothing randomly.  He has a plan and He has purpose in that plan.

·         “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your on understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”  Proverbs 3:5-6