Our precious trophies won't last forever, but the precious gift from The Lord will never perish.
PRECIOUS TRIALS: The trials of life often bring us closer to God.
1 Peter 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
PRECIOUS BLOOD---the price of redemption, proof of God's love for us, and the only substance known to God or man that can cleanse aways our sins.
PRECIOUS SAVIOR---Christ cares about us, understands our needs, and is always near. He paid the ultimate price to save us.
PRECIOUS FAITH: It's free, open to all, complete, and totally the work of God. Faith is foolproof and eternal.
PRECIOUS PROMISES: We stand on the promises of God's love, His presence, His provision, His grace, and His Heaven.
No matter how hard the winds blow, God is Ruler of the winds. No matter how rough the sea becomes, He is still the Master of the sea.
Remember this when you pray, and if he doesn't answer you right away, keep praying. God didn't answer Job until the end of the book (Job 4:1-17). In His time and in his own way.The Lord will answer your prayer and lift your burden. It's part of His molding process.
In the meantime, while you're waiting, God wants you to come to a place that even when you don't understand, trust Him. Praise Him
Psalm 71:8 Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.
In your bitterness of sorrow, you may not feel like praising God, but praise Him anyway for all He has done for you. Your feelings will quickly change.
Put it all in God's hands.
At my weakest point of breast cancer, when I needed Him most, God hugged me. Really, I could almost feel his arms around me. He assured me that He would get me through it. The precious spiritual and peaceful experience got me through it.
Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not: for i am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
When you're weak, I'll be strong. When you let go, I'll hold on
When you need to cry, I swear that I'll be there to dry your eyes.
When you feel lost and scared to death, like you can't take one more step
Just take my hand, together we can do it. I'm gonna love you through it.
Sonya Isaacs, Jimmy Yeary, Ben Hayslip
At the point of faith in The Lord Jesus Christ, God declares us righteous through justification, canceling our sin-guilt by His grace. From that point it becomes a settled "past" experience. This is the foundation of our faith.
JUSTIFICATION--the grace of the cross . . . saved from the penalty of sin.
SANCTIFICATION--the gift of the cross . . . saved from the power of sin.
GLORIFICATION--the guarantee of the cross . . . saved from the presence of sin.
Justification is a divine pronouncement.
Sanctification is an on-going process.
Glorification is a certain promise.
At some point in the "future" God will glorify every believer. We will be like Him. This is the foundation of our future.
Hebrews 12:1-2 Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross despising the shame . . .
This world is not my home, there's a better place awaitin'.
Revelation 21:1,4 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea . . . . And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away.
Believers cling to that hope? Can you imagine the conversations we'll have with Peter, Paul, David, Daniel, and John and more? I want to sit down with Jesus and ask Him all my unanswered questions or will it even matter there?
*******
I said, "Tell me old man, where's your home and what's it like?"
He said, "Oh, ain't nothin' 'round here that compares.
You see, a King had it built and gave the deed to me,
And all my family's already there."
Terry Toler
When we take God seriously, we immediately realize that His Word is not only something to be studied, but is powerful and works in us and through us.
The Word of God scrutinizes our thoughts, desires, intentions, emotions, and intellect. It exposes our hearts.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
In the Word we see God, and we also see how God sees us. We see ourselves as we really are. This enables us to be honest with Him, to trust His will, and promises, and to obey Him.
The Bible contains powerful books (Genesis, John, Romans, Revelation) and powerful chapters (Genesis 1, Psalm 23, Isaiah 53, and my favorite--Romans 8 ). Some single verses are so powerful, clear and complete that they can support a message.
For the past several years, I've read at least a chapter every morning, beginning in Genesis and on to Revelation, then repeat it again and again. It never gets old.
John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
When we truly worship, our entire being gives honor, adoration and glory to all that God is.
A man named William Temple describes "Worship" this way:
Worship is the submission of all of our nature to God.
---To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God.
---To feed the mind with the truth of God.
---To purge the imagination by the beauty of God.
---To open the heart to the love of God.
---To devote the will to the purpose of God.
And all this gathered up in adoration is the greatest of human expression of which we are capable.
