Made Beautiful By Gentleness 1 Peter 3:3-4 1 Timothy 3:1-5 Proverbs 15:1 Colossians 3:12-14 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Matthew 21:1-5 Matthew 11:28-30 Matthew 5:5 Ephesians 4:1-3 1 Peter 3:13-17 Philippians 4:4-5 02.26.21

MADE BEAUTIFUL BY GENTLENESS

BREAD

³ Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. ⁴ Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.  1 Peter 3:3-4 (NIV)

 

¹ Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. ² Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, ³ not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. ⁴ He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. ⁵ (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?)  1 Timothy 3:1-5 (NIV)

 

¹ A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.  Prov 15:1 (NIV)

 

¹² Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.  Colossians 3:12-14 (NIV)

 

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸ Love never fails.  1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV)

 

¹ As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” ⁴ This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: ⁵ “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”  Matthew 21:1-5 (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)

 

⁵ “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”   Matthew 5:5 (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)

 

¹³ Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? ¹⁴ But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear ; do not be frightened.” ¹⁵ But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶ keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. ¹⁷ It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.   1 Peter 3:13-17 (NIV)

 

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  Philippians 4:4-5 (NIV)

 

BUTTER

 

“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

“Conquer evil men by your gentle kindness.”   Isaac of Syria

“Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength.”   Francis de Sales

“In our walk with God we are told explicitly by Christ Himself that it would be His Spirit who would be sent to guide us and to lead us into all truth (John 16:13).  This same gracious Spirit takes the truth of God, the Word of God, and makes it plain to our hearts and minds and spiritual understanding.  It is He who gently, tenderly, but persistently says to us, ‘This is the way – walk in it.’  And as we comply and cooperate with His gentle promptings a sense of safety, comfort and well-being envelops us.”   Phillip Keller

“Jesus, the Blessed One, is gentle. Even though he speaks with great fervor and biting criticism against all forms of hypocrisy and is not afraid to attack deception, vanity, manipulation and oppression, his heart is a gentle heart. He won't break the crushed reed or snuff the faltering wick (see Matthew 12:20). He responds to people's suffering, heals their wounds, and offers courage to the fainthearted. Jesus came to bring good news to the poor, sight to the blind, and freedom to prisoners (see Luke 4:18-19) in all he says, and thus he reveals God's immense compassion. As his followers, we are called to that same gentleness.”   Henri Nouwen

“Once, as I rode out into the woods for my health, in 1737, having alighted from my horse in a retired place, as my manner commonly has been, to walk for divine contemplation and prayer, I had a view that for me was extraordinary, of the glory of the Son of God, as Mediator between God and man, and his wonderful, great, full, pure and sweet grace and love, and meek and gentle condescension. This grace that appeared so calm and sweet, appeared also great above the heavens. The person of Christ appeared ineffably excellent with an excellency great enough to swallow up all thought and conception … which continued as near as I can judge, about an hour; which kept me the greater part of the time in a flood of tears, and weeping aloud. I felt an ardency of soul to be, what I know not otherwise how to express, emptied and annihilated; to lie in the dust, and to be full of Christ alone; to love him with a holy and pure love; to trust in him; to live upon him; to serve and follow him; and to be perfectly sanctified and made pure, with a divine and heavenly purity. I have, several other times, had views very much of the same nature, and which have had the same effects.”  Jonathan Edwards

“His nearness really is our greatest good.”  Jon Bloom

“A contentious people will be a miserable people…avoid all bitterness towards others.  However wrong you may think others have been, maintain with great diligence and watchfulness a Christian meekness and gentleness of spirit; and labour, in this respect, to excel those who are a contrary part.  And this will be the best victory, for ‘he that rules his spirit, is better than he that takes a city’.”     Jonathan Edwards

“Consider God in your own experiences of Him.  There is a taste and sight of His goodness.  This surpasses the greatest capacity of mere natural understanding.  Have not many of you found the delightful, gentle moving of God into your souls, sprinkled with His inward blessings as you seek Him?  Have you not sensed His gentle rebuke in your conscience when you are slipping away from Him?  Have you not found sometimes an invisible hand raising you up when you were dejected, or some unexpected providence stepping in for your relief?  Our hearts can easily realize that it was not a work of chance.   You have found that He is indeed a ‘rewarder of those who seek Him’, and you can set your seal that He is what He has declared Himself to be in His Word.”   Stephen Charnock

“God is the kindest person in existence, and the most severe. In Christ, he is ‘gentle and lowly’ (Matthew 11:29), and he is ‘the Almighty’ whose wrath is terrifying (Revelation 1:8; 6:15-17). He is ‘a friend of . . . sinners’ (Luke 7:34), but only to ‘those who fear him’ (Psalms 25:14).”  Jon Bloom

 

HEART SAVOR

 

• ·         Our gentleness should be evident to all.
• ·         A gentle and quiet spirit is precious in God’s sight.
• ·         We are to be completely humble and gentle, patiently bearing with one another in love.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Ingratitude Is Intolerable 1 Corinthians 4:6-7 Jeremiah 29:11-13 John 14:26-27 Colossians 3:15-17 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Job 1:20-22 Colossians 1:9-14 Psalms 105:1-4 Psalms 100:1-5 Psalms 106:2 02.24.21

 

INGRATITUDE IS INTOLERABLE

BREAD

⁷ For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?   1 Corinthians 4:6-7 (NIV)

 

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)

 

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 14:26-27 (NIV)

¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.  Colossians 3:15-17 (NIV)

 

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

 

²⁰ At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship ²¹ and said:  “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart.  The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.”  ²² In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.  Job 1:20-22 (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)

 

¹ Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. ² Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. ³ Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. ⁴ Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.  Psalms 105:1-4 (NIV)

 

¹ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. ² Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. ³ Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. ⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. ⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.  Psalms 100:1-5

(NIV)

 

² Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the LORD or fully declare his praise?   Psalms 106:2 (NIV)

 

BUTTER

 

“When life is moving placidly along, when the diagnosis is negative and the mortgage is paid, we are easily lulled into habits of self-reliance and self-congratulations. Without clouds in the sky, we are given to forgetting that every ray of sun, every hint of spring is a gift from the Creator and Sustainer God.”  Jen Pollock Michel

 

Fret not.

Rejoice always.

Do not be anxious.

In everything give thanks.

Serve the Lord with gladness.

Be strong and of good courage.

Come before Him with thanksgiving.

Rest in the lord, and wait patiently on Him.

Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 

The Bible  (from The Promise – Robert Morgan)

 

“It is so easy to give thanks for what one naturally chooses, but that does not cover the ‘everything’ of the text...One morning lately, in speaking of some small trouble, I quoted ‘In everything give thanks,’ and at once someone answered ‘But I cannot give thanks for everything.’ Now if our God tells us to do a thing and we say cannot, there is something wrong somewhere, for we all know the words ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me’ - that is, all things commanded. It is treason to say ‘I cannot.’ But first we should make sure that we are commanded to do this.  The text says give thanks IN everything, not FOR everything. All God’s biddings are enablings. We can do that. We will do that.”   Amy Carmichael

“Whenever you react with praise and thanksgiving for an opportunity to grow more like Jesus in your way of reacting to things, instead of grumbling or feeling self-pity, you will find that that whole situation will be changed into a great blessing.”    Hannah Hurnard

 

“Joy is the realest reality, the fullest life, and joy is always given, never grasped. God gives gifts and I give thanks and I unwrap the gift given: joy. Gratitude for the seemingly insignificant - a seed - this plants the giant miracle. The miracle of eucharisto. Do not disdain the small. The whole of the life - even the hard - is made up of the minute parts, and if I miss the infinitesimals, I miss the whole...There is a way to live the big of giving thanks in all things. It is this: to give thanks in this one small thing. The moments will add up.”    Ann Voskamp

“Christian thanksgiving is the life of Christ in the heart — transforming the disposition and the whole character.  Thanksgiving must be wrought into the life as a habit—before it can become a fixed and permanent quality.  An occasional burst of praise, in the midst of years of complaining, is not what is required. Songs on rare, sunshiny days; and no songs when skies are cloudy—will not make a life of gratitude. The heart must learn to sing always.  This lesson is learned only when it becomes a habit which nothing can weaken.  We must persist in being thankful.  When we can see no reason for praise—we must believe in the divine love and goodness, and sing in the darkness.  Thanksgiving has attained its rightful place in us, only when it is part of all our days and dominates all our experiences.”   J. R. Miller

“He who can give thanks for a little will always find he has enough.”   Anonymous

“But the Bible does not say give thanks to the Lord because you feel good. Rather, it says, ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!’”   Greg Laurie

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 

“Gratitude is what we experience when we perceive that what we have received is an undeserved gift of God’s grace. It is a fruit of humility; it’s inherently unselfish. We don’t feel true gratitude toward ourselves, but only towards someone else who treats us better than we deserve.”  Jon Bloom

“God requires nothing greater from us than giving thanks.  Giving thanks is a more acceptable service than all sacrifices.  God is continually heaping innumerable benefits…Ingratitude, therefore, is intolerable.”  John Calvin

HEART SAVOR

 

·         Create in me a clean heart oh Lord and renew and steadfast and thankful spirit within me.

·         What do I have that I did not receive?  The answer would be nothing.

·         God loves a thankful heart.  In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

 

None Like You Genesis 18:14 Psalms 89:6-8 Exodus 15:11 Psalms 89:11 Isaiah 40:18-31 Isaiah 46:8-10 Psalms 89:14-17 Romans 11:38-36 02.22.21

NONE LIKE YOU

BREAD

¹⁴ Is anything too hard for the LORD?  Genesis 18:14 (NIV)

 

⁶ For who in the skies above can compare with the LORD?  Who is like the LORD among the heavenly beings? ⁷ In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him. ⁸ O LORD God Almighty, who is like you?  You are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you.  Psalms 89:6-8 (NIV)

 

¹¹ “Who among the gods is like you, O LORD?  Who is like you--majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?”   Exodus 15:11 (NIV)

 

¹¹ The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it.   Psalms 89:11 (NIV)

 

¹⁸ To whom, then, will you compare God?  What image will you compare him to?  ¹⁹ As for an idol, a craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it. ²⁰ A man too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot.  He looks for a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not topple.  ²¹ Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning?  Have you not understood since the earth was founded?  ²² He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers.    He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. ²³ He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.  ²⁴ No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.  ²⁵ “To whom will you compare me?  Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. ²⁶ Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name.  Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.  ²⁷ Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God”?  ²⁸ Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.  ²⁹ He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  ³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; ³¹ but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.   Isaiah 40:18-31 (NIV)

 

⁸ “Remember this, fix it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels.  ⁹ Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.  ¹⁰ I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.  I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.”   Isaiah 46:8-10 (NIV)

 

¹⁴ Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. ¹⁵ Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD.  ¹⁶ They rejoice in your name all day long; they exult in your righteousness. ¹⁷ For you are their glory and strength, and by your favor you exalt our horn.   Psalms 89:14-17 (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)

 

BUTTER

“Most (if not all) encounters in Scripture with God (or even His angels) and man have left men jaw dropping and prostrate.  When sinful flesh encounters total purity the normal cry is ‘Woe, Woe, Woe is me’ as Isaiah stated.  God is so totally other.  There is none like Him.  None to compare.  None.  He is not our buddy, our pal, or our Santa Clause or magic Genie for that matter.  He does not exist to do our bidding – indeed, that is what we exist for – to do His.  We have flipped this to our own destruction and harm.  He is loving and good but as C. S. Lewis writes, ‘He is not safe’ when we willingly choose to walk in disobedience to His ways.  We are in dire need of a proper view of God as demonstrated perfectly in His Word.  Never neglect it.”  BHY       

“Isaiah's words remind me that God is God and I am not. He has no rivals and there is none like Him. He is the One who is utterly holy; the One who reigns and rules; who sees the beginning from the end; who knows me inside and out, yet still chooses to love me unconditionally. As I meditate on God's immeasurable attributes I am forced to ask, ‘How should the knowledge that God is _________ change the way I live today?’”  Donna Evans  

“He shall lead you on with courage, and bring you off with honour.  He lived and died for you.  For mercy and tenderness to His soldiers, there is none like Him.”  William Gurnall

“He know my strengths, so He can use me for His purpose.  He knows my weaknesses, so He can perfect what concerns me.  He know my anxieties, so He can reassure me with His promises.  He knows my hurts, so He can apply His salve.  He knows my sins, so He can cleanse my soul.  He knows my failures, so He can work all things for my good.  He knows my past, so He can lead me toward maturity.  And He knows my future, so He can lead me all the way.”  Robert Morgan

“Our future-tense faith is a function of God’s past-tense faithfulness.”  Mark Batterson

“If you put God’s infinitely pure, transcendent being on the balance of a scale on one side, and all other being in the universe — all the waters of the oceans, the sand of the deserts, the rocks of the mountains, and all the nations of man, and all the galaxies of the universe, and all the demons of hell, and all the angels of heaven — on the other side of the scale, all other being goes up like air, because God’s holiness — his holy name — is the supreme and absolute Treasure in the universe and over the universe. All other treasures are as nothing by comparison.”  John Piper

“Fewer doctrines of the Christian faith are more comforting than the sovereignty of God. It humbles you in good seasons, provides hope in hard seasons, and gives joy in all seasons. The doctrine of God's sovereignty is a constant nourishment for the soul. The sovereignty of God is a sweet pillow that you can lay your head on at night. It is a beautiful truth not only that God is in control over all, but is also working everything out- the good and the bad--for your good and for His glory. This sweet doctrine is medicine for the soul that you can take in any season of life.”  David Qaoud 

“From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea  Creation revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring  Every creature unique in the song that it sings  All exclaiming:  Indescribable, uncontainable, You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name. You are amazing God  All powerful, untameable, Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim You are amazing God.  Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go  Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow  Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light  Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night  None can fathom:  Indescribable, uncontainable, You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.  You are amazing God  All powerful, untameable, Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim  You are amazing God  You are amazing God.  You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same.  You are amazing God.  You are amazing God.”  Chris Tomlin -  Laura Story

“Our God is an awesome God, He reigns from heaven above in wisdom, power and love.  Our God is an awesome God.”  Michael W. Smith 

“Let every kindred, every tribe on this terrestrial ball, to Him all majesty ascribe, and crown Him Lord of all.”  Edward Perronet

HEART SAVOR

• ·         There is none like You Lord.
• ·         All honor and glory is due your Name.
• ·         You are Lord of all.  

 

  

Be Faith Filled Hebrews 11:1-2 Matthew 21:21-22 Ephesians 2:8-10 Luke 8:47-48 Hebrews 11:6 Mark 9:14-24 Mark 11:22-25 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 Hebrews 4:14-16 Lamentations 3:21-24 02.19.21

 

BE FAITH FILLED  

BREAD

¹ Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. ² This is what the ancients were commended for.  Hebrews 11:1-2 (NIV)

 

²¹ Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. ²² If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."  Matthew 21:21-22 (NIV)

 

⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. 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 2:8-10 (NIV)

 

⁴⁷ Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. ⁴⁸ Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”  Luke 8:47-48 (NIV)

 

⁶ And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.   Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

 

¹⁴ When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. ¹⁵ As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him. ¹⁶ “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked. ¹⁷ A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. ¹⁸ Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”  ¹⁹ “O unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you?  How long shall I put up with you?  Bring the boy to me.”  ²⁰ So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. ²¹ Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”  “From childhood,” he answered. ²² “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him.  But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”  ²³ “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.”  ²⁴ Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”  Mark 9:14-24 (NIV)

 

²² “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. ²³ “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. ²⁴ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. ²⁵ And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”  Mark 11:22-25 (NIV)

 

⁷ To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NIV)

 

¹⁴ Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. ¹⁶ Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.  Hebrews 4:14-16 (NIV)

 

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 3:21-24 (NIV)

 

BUTTER

“Faith draws nourishment from the root of Christ.  This taught David to fight, and Paul to preach.  Faith draws out the fullness of His grace.  Faith enables us to be as meek as Moses, patient as Job, and as zealous as David.  Comfort your soul in the Lord and seek His favor through faith.  As you grow from faith to faith, you will grow from strength to strength in His graces, till by degrees you will attain to the fullness of maturity in Christ.”  Samuel Ward

“God tries our faith so that we may try His faithfulness.”   Anonymous

“Sometimes our difficult circumstances make it seem impossible for God to fulfill His promises.  When we find God’s promises unbelievable, as did Abraham and Sarah, God has exposed the boundaries of our faith – boundaries He means to expand.  Learning to rest in the promises of God occurs in the crucible of wrestling with unbelief – seasons, sometimes long seasons, when everything hangs on believing that God ‘gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.  Abraham and Sarah ‘grew strong in (their) faith’ because God pushed them to believe more than they thought was possible.  For the sake of our joy, he does the same for you and me.”  Jon Bloom 

“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 

“Live by faith.  Rejoice through faith in the Lord.  It is the neglect of this exercise that will allow discouragement to erupt, and Satan to interrupt your happiness and spiritual cheerfulness.  It will cast you int the dumps and into mourning.  What good is faith if it is not used?  Keep your faith and it will keep your joy.  Is it not fitting for the righteous to rejoice?  What is a Christian but one who is joyful?  Men wonder to see a rich man with all of his heart’s desire in a fit of heaviness, but much more if one knows that all will work for his good, and if Christ is his Friend, and God his Shepherd.  Can you be sad when you have all the treasures in heavenly places?  Our treasures are out of the devil’s reach forever and ever.  Show me your faith by your joy.  Use your faith, and have joy; increase your faith and increase your joy.”   Samuel Ward   

“To learn strong faith is to endure great trials.  I have learned my faith by standing firm amid severe testings.”  George Mueller

“A little faith will bring your soul to heaven, but a lot of faith will bring heaven to your soul.”   D. L. Moody

“As a weak limb grows stronger by exercise, so will your faith be strengthened by the very efforts you make in stretching it out toward things unseen.”  James H. Aughey    

“Faith tackles great obstacles.  Small boats do fine in a calm, and ordinary men can stand up to a light breeze, but when a heavy tempest blows, and wave after wave crashes, nature yields, the spirit faints, a heart fails.  To stand up against such storms and to live and reign is the work of faith.  This faith has the Word as its compass, and Christ directing the helm.  The greatest adversities are but the exercise and lustre of faith.  Men glory when they can tame the tigers, but what is that compared to faith that makes shame, poverty, sickness, persecutions, banishment, yea, death itself calm and bearable?  Christians have great advantage because of their faith.  Their only error is the lack of skill or failure to use the shield of faith when a dart comes suddenly upon them.  Consider this medicine for your faith to drink in comfort:  not the slightest trouble befalls you without the overruling eye and hand of God. He is not only our wise God, but a tender Father.  He knows what you are made up and measures out exactly every cross unto us as a chemist measures grains of medicine.”     Samuel Ward

“We don’t have to let our emotions rule us. I’ve learned  the peace of God can transform our pain.  I never found relief in begging, demanding, or scolding God. I only found relief in prayers of trust.  This kind of prayer meant I had to turn over my problems to God. It was the only way to make a difference in my difficulties.  I’ve discovered that the prayer of trust is the real prayer of faith.”  Linda Evans Shepherd

“By faith we stand, by faith we fight, by faith we overcome.”  Samul Ward

HEART SAVOR

·         Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

·         God loves us and cares for us and has our best interest at heart.  We can trust Him with our lives.  It is His desire for His children to reflect the image of His Son and He uses all sorts of ways and means in this pursuit of so great an endeavor.

·         Strengthen our faith Lord.