“Faith does not shirk the fight; she longs for it, because she foresees the victory.” —Charles Spurgeon
“Faith honors Him whom it trusts with the most reverent and highest regard, since it considers Him truthful and trustworthy.” ―Martin Luther
“A rejection, or in Scripture’s strong language, a crucifixion of the natural self is the passport to everlasting life. Nothing that has not died will be resurrected.” ―C.S. Lewis
“You didn’t sign up for this crash course in single parenting or caring for a disabled spouse, did you? No, God enrolled you. Why? So you can teach others what He has taught you. Rather than say, ‘God, why?’ ask, ‘God, what?’ What can I learn from this experience? Your mess can become His message!” —Max Lucado
I have often said that low expectations can sink someone’s future. Seth Godin agrees. Check out his post The Tragedy Of Small Expectations.
[VIDEO] Pentatonix is a very talented a cappella group! Check out this mash-up of Michael Jackson hits—
“How can you know when you are trusting in man rather than in God? If you fall apart when someone else lets you down, or if the actions of others affect your walk with God, then you know you are leaning on the arm of flesh!” —David Wilkerson
“Hypocrisy turns people against God, so He has a no-tolerance policy. Let’s take hypocrisy as seriously as God does. For starters, expect no credit for good deeds. None! If no one notices, you aren’t disappointed. If someone does, you give the credit to God. If no one knew of the good you do, would you still do it? If not, you’re doing it to be seen by people.” —Max Lucado
Intersting ongoing studies about the brain development of children born before full-term pregnancy.
“Let not the fact that the answer seems farther off than ever be any discouragement to you. Remember that to trust God in the light is nothing, but to trust Him in the dark—that is faith. To rest upon God when everything witnesses with God—that is nothing; but to believe God when everything gives Him the lie—that is faith. To believe that all shall go well when outward providences blow softly is any fool’s play, but to believe that it must and shall be well when storms and tempests are round about you, and you are blown farther and farther from the harbor of your desire—this is a work of grace.” —Charles Spurgeon, commenting on Romans 4:19-20
For my pastor friends: “As a minister of the gospel, have you ever considered why you have a salary and a place to live, and so are freed from the need of holding a regular job? The reason is so that you can continue in prayer and the ministry of the Word. These will give you the necessary wisdom and anointing for your work. And that is the secret of a fruitful ministry. No wonder there are often complaints about the ineffective spiritual life of a minister and his congregation. That which is of prime importance—perseverance in prayer—does not occupy its rightful place.” —Andrew Murray
“His greatness no one can fathom” (Psalm 145:3).
God’s kingdom is everlasting and endures through all generations (v. 13). Look at all of God’s “alls”—
My only appropriate response to all God’s “alls”—I will praise Your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise You and extol Your name for ever and ever. … My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise His holy name for ever and ever (vv. 1, 2, 21).
ALL praise to God FOREVER!
Not to us, Lord, not to us but to Your name be the glory, because of Your love and faithfulness. (Psalm 115:1)
Not to me—not ever to me—be any glory, but all to You. I extol You both now and forever more. Despite my flaws, may no one ever be able to say of me that I tried to steal Your glory.
Some informative reading for today…
On May 28, 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower signed into law the Congressional Act (Joint Resolution 243), which added the words “Under God” to the pledge of allegiance. In a speech given soon after, President Eisenhower said, “In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America’s heritage and future.”
“God is concerned that His people are being shaken in their faith—that they won’t trust Him in their crisis. Beloved, our worst sin is our unwillingness to believe He will do what He promised. That offends Him more than adultery, fornication, drug and alcohol abuse or any other sin of the flesh.” —David Wilkerson
Scary, indeed: 8 Scary Statements Said By Abortion Activists.
“If today is the day I will be born into heaven—I sure want to make it worth while. If I die today, I want today to be full of the glory of God. I want everything I do today to be worthy of Jesus. If I could die any moment then let every moment count. A healthy view of dying helps us live well. Dying is the only way to live.” —Dick Brogden
We must SPEAK OUT about this: Global slavery is a big money-maker.
Mark Steyn wants to know why President Barak Obama doesn’t use his phone and his pen to help free Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag from her Sudanese prison, where she is awaiting execution for the crime of (gasp!) being a Christian.
Study: Homosexual culture will affect monogamous marriage, not the other way around. This is why we need a counter culture view—a biblical view—of sex.
Some great reading (and watching) from the past couple of days.
“This generation has yet to prove all that prayer can do for believing men and women.” —A.W. Tozer
“Come, my heart, be calm and hopeful today. Clouds together, but the Lord can blow them away. Since God will not fail me, my faith shall not fail; and as He will not forsake me, neither will I forsake Him.” —Charles Spurgeon
[VIDEO] This is priceless! Watch as a young man with Down Syndrome reads a special letter.
John Piper shares The Greatest Prayer In The World.
Tim Elmore discussing Generation Y: The Inverse Relationship Between Empathy And Narcissism.
This is why I love loving on our missionaries: Home Without A Home.
Some powerful Good Friday quotes compiled by Chilly Chilton in his post Cross Walk.
“Right now you may feel abused and unloved. The devil would have you believe that God has left you to your own devices—that you deserve to suffer, that it’s all over for you, that there is no hope. Beloved, those are lies from hell. God wants more than anything else to rid you of your perverted concept of Him.” —David Wilkerson
Some links to some interesting reading and quotes I found today.
An April Fools joke that’s not funny at all! The Joke’s On Us!
Great thoughts about church music from 97-year-old Bible professor Stanley Horton: What About Church Music?
I’m normally a University of Michigan fan, but this grotesque support of abortion is just over-the-top: University Goes Out Of Its Way To Support Abortion.
Love this from Ken Davis: This House Guest May Be Stealing Your Life.
“Unutterable mercy! There is no sinner out of hell so black but that God can wash him white. There is not out of the pit one so guilty that God is not able and willing to forgive him; for He declares the wondrous fact—‘I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions.’” —Charles Spurgeon
6 Things God Will Never Do To You (it will help if you sing Rick Astley while you read this!).
Tim Elmore shares Five Qualities Google Looks For In Hiring Employees.
“The Holy Spirit is the missing factor in our personality, and without Him we cannot be altogether as God wants us to be. An abiding gift makes an abiding change in the person to whom the gift is made.” —Thomas Selby
“Continually revise your relationship to God until the only certainty you have is not that you are faithful, but that He is.” —Oswald Chambers