Said the Robin to the Sparrow:
“Child of My love, lean hard,
“How can we have rain without clouds? Our troubles have always brought us blessings, and they always will. They are the dark chariots of bright grace. These clouds will empty themselves before long, and every tender herb will be gladder for the shower. Our God may drench us with grief, but He will refresh us with mercy. Our Lord’s love-letters often come to us in black-edged envelopes. His wagons rumble, but they are loaded with benefits. His rod blossoms with sweet flowers and nourishing fruits. Let us not worry about the clouds, but sing because May flowers are brought to us through the April clouds and showers.
“O Lord, the clouds are the dust of Thy feet! How near Thou art in the cloudy and dark day! Love beholds Thee, and is glad. Faith sees the clouds emptying themselves and making the little hills rejoice on every side.” —Charles Spurgeon (emphasis added)
Have you come to the Red Sea place in your life,
“What does ‘every need of yours’ mean in view of Philippians 4:19? It means ‘all that you need for God-glorifying contentment.’ Paul’s love for the Philippians flowed from his contentment in God, and his contentment flowed from his faith in the future grace of God’s infallible provision.” —John Piper
“Sometimes we get into the habit of shutting our eyes to difficulty; that will not do: faith is not a fool, faith does not shut her eyes to difficulty, and then run head-foremost against a brick wall—never. Faith sees the difficulty, surveys it all, and then she says, ‘By my God will I leap over a wall’; and over the wall she goes.” —Charles Spurgeon
Here is a good way to stop the spread of pornography, child exploitation, and the sex slave trade: Be aware of what companies are on the Dirty Dozen List (these are companies that profit off of porn).
In light of the recent Supreme Court decisions (and some more on the way), Rev. Tim Dilena has a dead-on-target word for our judges.
I love the infographics and study tips that The Overview Bible Project prepares. Here is the latest one on Hosea. Do yourself a favor: go to Overview and subscribe!
[VIDEO] John Piper reminds us of the importance of getting into our Bibles—
“I sometimes pray ‘Lord give me no more and no less self-knowledge than I can at this moment make a good use of.’” —C.S. Lewis
“Be of good courage, and wait on the Lord, setting this constantly in your minds that He has not promised to keep you from trouble, but to preserve you in it.” —Charles Spurgeon
“‘Did you win?’ A far better question to ask (the student, the athlete, the salesperson, the programmer…) is, ‘what did you learn?’ Learning compounds. Usually more reliably than winning does.” —Seth Godin
Well, look at that: The federal government now says monogamy and abstinence is the most reliable way to protect against sexually-transmitted diseases.
This is a good list: 7 secrets you should never keep from your doctor.
In light of Tullian Tchividjian’s resignation, Rob Hoskins shares a timely word from his Mom: The Christian Response.
[VIDEO] Whether or not you are a church history buff, this is some interesting information on the Nicene Creed—
[VIDEO] I loved watching Stuart Scott on ESPN SportsCenter. This video is a great tribute to his life.
“When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live.” —Stuart Scott
“Hang this text up in your house; read it every day; take it before God in prayer every time you bend the knee, and you shall find it to be like the widow’s cruse, which failed not, and like her handful of meal, which wasted not: it shall be unto you till the last of December what now it is when we begin to feed upon it in January.” —Charles Spurgeon, commenting on Hebrews 2:18
“This verse is full of encouragement for imperfect sinners like us, and full of motivation for holiness. It means that you can have assurance that you stand perfected and completed in the eyes of your heavenly Father not because you are perfect now, but precisely because you are not perfect now but are ‘being sanctified,’ ‘being made holy’—that, by faith in God’s promises, you are moving away from your lingering imperfection toward more and more holiness.” —John Piper, commenting on Hebrews 10:14
Seth Godin has a great way to help anyone gain a huge advantage over his/her peers in his post Doing Calculus With Roman Numerals.
Some great reading from this weekend…
“Are you a Christian? Then there’s something dreadfully wrong with you. You’re unthinking; you’re unscientific; you can’t see how badly Christianity botches morality. You represent a deeply defective culture that’s been getting all the most important things wrong for a hundred generations.” Read more from Tom Gilson in Skeptics Dehumanizing Christianity.
“No one can know truth except the one who obeys truth. You think you know truth. People memorize the Scriptures by the yard, but that is not a guarantee of knowing the truth. Truth is not a text. Truth is in the text, but it takes the text plus the Holy Spirit to bring truth to a human soul.” —A.W. Tozer
Important news for pregnant women: Take care of your teeth. “The results reinforce data suggesting a link between periodontal disease in the mother and the risk of preterm birth.” Read more in Bacteria Found In Healthy Placentas.
“Many contemporary critics of the faith charge that Christianity is a barrier to progress. … But the overwhelming weight of good is undeniable—and indispensable to civilization.” Read more in The ABCs Of Christian Civilization.
[VIDEO] Rep. Trey Gowdy asks “Did the media ever pursue these big questions on Benghazi?”
“Biblical hope is not wishful thinking or an optimistic outlook; rather, it is a confident expectation based on the certainty of God’s Word that as He has anchored us in the past, so He will in the future.” —David Wilkerson
“You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another, everybody wins.” —Jim Stovall
“The Bible was not given to replace the miraculous but to correct abuses.” —Martyn Lloyd-Jones
These are links to articles and quotes I found interesting today.
“Obedience brings a blessing on all the provisions which our industry earns for us. … If we live born hand to mouth, getting each day’s supply in the day, we are as well off as Israel; for when the Lord entertained His favored people He only gave them a day’s manna at a time. What more did they need? What more do we need? But if we have a store, how much we need the Lord to bless it! For there is the care of getting, the care of keeping, the care of managing, the care of using; and, unless the Lord bless it, these cares will eat into our hearts till our goods become our gods and our cares prove cankers. O Lord, bless our substance. Enable us to use it for Thy glory. Help us to keep worldly things in their proper places, and never may our savings endanger the saving of our souls.” —Charles Spurgeon
“You will never find Jesus so precious as when the world is one vast howling wilderness. Then He is like a rose blooming in the midst of desolation, a rock rising above the storm.” —Robert Murray McCheyne
“May God give you the desires of your heart and make all your plans succeed.” (Psalm 20:4)
How confident David is! How bold! And yet through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, David says exactly what Our Lord taught—
If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you. (John 15:7)
I tell you the truth, My Father will give you whatever you ask in My name. (John 16:23)
This assurance to ask largely of our loving Heavenly Father looks to His provision alone. It believes and it asks. It knows that God can answer—“now I know” (Psalm 20:6)—and that He does answer—“You have granted all the desires of his heart and have not withheld the request of his lips” (Psalm 21:2).
Oh, for faith to believe You and ask You for more!
How would your prayers change if you had the confident assurance of David?
