PURPOSE
BREAD
11 “For
I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and
not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then
you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You
will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV)
10 For
we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
1 But
now, this is what the LORD says-- he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed
you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name;
you are mine. 2 When
you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the
rivers, they will not sweep over you. When
you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you
ablaze. 3 For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your
Savior. Isaiah 43:1-3 (NIV)
7 everyone
who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and
made. Isaiah 43:7 (NIV)
13 For
you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I
praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are
wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My
frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of
the earth, 16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in
your book before one of them came to be. 17 How
precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Psalms 139:13-17 (NIV)
27 Whatever
happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then,
whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know
that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the
gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who
oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you
will be saved--and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not
only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since
you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I
still have. Philippians 1:27-30 (NIV)
22 But
now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost;
only the ship will be destroyed. 23 Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I
serve stood beside me 24 and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand
trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail
with you.’ 25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God
that it will happen just as he told me.
Acts 27:22-25 (NIV)
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all
these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry
about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:32-34
(NIV)
19 Do
you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom
you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you
were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 (NIV)
24 Do
you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?
Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone
who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown
that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore
I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating
the air. 27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after
I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the
prize. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NIV)
BUTTER
“Godliness, of all man’s works, is of the greatest importance,
and the one thing truly necessary.
Earthly business, honours, pleasures, or whatsoever, are but trifles and
baubles compared to this.” George Swinnock
“Knowing that we
are fulfilling God’s purpose is the only thing that really gives rest to the
restless human heart.” Chuck
Colson
“How shall we get a good conscience? Take heed of every sin, and do not count any
small. Renew repentance every day, being
serious and frequent in heart examinations.
Live as under God’s eye. All
things are bare before Him. Be much in
secret prayer. Consider every action as
a part of your life purpose. Enjoy
Christ more and entertain good thoughts of God.
Whatever you do, do it out of love for God.” Samuel Annesley
“Our Lord never worried and
was never anxious, because His
purpose was never to accomplish His own plans but to fulfill God’s plans. Fretting is wickedness for a child of
God.” Oswald Chambers
“Excellence
is not gained without industry.” George
Swinnock
“It
is Satan’s constant business to hinder godliness. When he is cast out he will rage. With what force and fury he pursued Israel to
bring them back to their former bondage.”
George Swinnock
“The
true Christian cannot be hid, he cannot escape notice. A man truly living and functioning as a
Christian will stand out. He will be
like salt; he will be like a city set on a hill, a candle set upon a
candlestick. But we can also add this further word. The true Christian does not
even desire to hide his light. He sees
how ridiculous it is to claim to be a Christian and yet deliberately to try to
hide the fact. A
man who truly realizes what it means to be a Christian, who realizes all that
the grace of God has meant to him and done for him, and understands that,
ultimately, God has done this in order that he may influence others, is a man
who cannot conceal it. Not only that; he
does not desire to conceal it, because he argues thus, ‘Ultimately the object
and purpose of it all is that I might be functioning in this way’.” Martin
Lloyd-Jones
“A little light
dispels a lot of darkness.” BHY
“We will never put God in a nice little convenient proverbial
box of our own makings and imaginations.
He is so totally other – His thoughts are not our thoughts neither His
ways our ways. His paths for us are
always perfect and pleasing and have our best interest at heart though most
often unimaginatively hard. His ways may
not lead us into comfort and painlessness.
Indeed, His children should not expect to be carried into heaven on a
bed of down though He can do so if He so desires. More often than not, His ways lead us into
circumstances ‘far beyond our ability to endure’ to demonstrate to the
unbelieving world (and to ourselves for that matter) His power in our lives
whether it be by miraculously changing our circumstances or just as miraculously (or even more so), by changing
our hearts through the circumstances. His good ways will always lead us on
paths of conformation to the fullness of His precious Son – that’s the
purpose. He wants us to be like Jesus –
whatever it takes - and we want that too.
That is the abundant life.” BHY
“It’s an ethos and
conviction underscored by so many I’ve met since being here -- men and women
placed by God in the portals of power. In education, government, the military
or entertainment, they’re there, holding sway and affecting for good. I keep
meeting them -- nuclear physicists, university presidents, business moguls;
social entrepreneurs. Others are
advisors, entertainers, journalists, and yes, even politicians. From across the
globe, they are power-holders and influencers; living for God, risking all,
spicing our world with His precepts, His standards, and with His grace, Amazing
Grace. These invigorating experiences
have so broadened my perspective of God and the canny, brilliant ways He works.
His people are everywhere -- His ‘sent ones’ who wear not the vestments of
religion nor hoist the banner of traditional ‘missionary’. Yet they are equally dedicated to the
purposes of Jesus -- to the death if need be. Paula Kirby
HEART SAVOR
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God has a plan for each life and He is desirous for us
to walk in it. We are the ultimate
losers if we do not. Seek Him and He
will show you. 1 Therefore,
I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living
sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not
conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's
will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)
- ·
We were created to do good works
which has God prepared in advance for us to do.
- ·
Just as Jesus came to do the will of
His Father, so too are we.
