We can’t do everything but friends, we must not do nothing!
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“Pride says, ‘don’t just stand there, say something!’ Wisdom says, ‘Don’t just say something, stand there!’” – Bob Gass
“When God brings the blank space, see that you do not [try to] fill it, but wait… Never run before God’s guidance. If there is the slightest doubt, then He is not guiding. Whenever there is doubt – don’t… Wait for God’s time to bring it round and He will do it without any heartbreak or disappointment. When it is a question of the providential will of God, wait for God to move.”
Oswald Chambers
Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest, (2000 edition), Worcester: Oswald Chambers Publications, p.10
“True humility is not an abject, grovelling, self-despising spirit, it is but a right estimate of ourselves as God sees us.”
Tyron Edwards (1804-1894), U.S. Theologian
“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not – nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not – unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not – the world is full of educated failures. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”
Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933), 30th President of the USA
Can a Christian ever lose their salvation? The answer to that is an emphatic NO, not if they are truly Christian. How do we know? Because God can’t lie! 2 Corinthians 5:17 says: ‘If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!’ – We don’t become a Christian and then suddenly become a paragon of virtue overnight, but the manifest change in our disposition and attitude can’t be denied: the old has gone, the new has come! A Christian is someone who, by faith, has received and is trusting in Jesus for forgiveness and to be made right with God. They have turned from living life their way, and now seek to live life His way. Of course, a true Christian can still mess up, backslide, or wander away from God – for which there are always consequences – but a Christian can never lose their salvation. Once saved always saved – check out these Scriptures:
- In John 6v39-40, Jesus said: “This is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.”
- John 10v27-29: “My sheep listen to my voice: I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no-one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”
- Romans 11v29: God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.
A mirror gives us a double message: it tells us both what we are and therefore what we should be. The mirror says, “You’ve got a dirty smudge on your right cheek, so you’d better go and wipe it off.” Whenever we look at ourselves in the mirror, we have to act on what we see. Just so, as we gaze intently into the mirror of God’s Word, it tells us what we are and what we should be.
John Stott
John Stott, Through The Bible Through The Year, 2006, Abingdon Oxford, Candle Books, p.394
“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant.”
Robert Louis Stevenson
“Stay committed to your decisions but stay flexible in your approach.”
Anthony Robbins
When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look, and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Charitie Lees Bancroft (1841-?) (From hymn, ‘Before The Throne Of God’.))
“Three good meals a day is bad living… To lengthen thy life lessen thy meals.”
Benjamin Franklin (American statesman, scientist and author)
Every cup will be full in heaven, but some cups will be larger than others.
Sometimes the best way to offer a person a helping help is to simply give them a good strong push in the right direction!
“Endure all… because after the winter summer comes, after night returns the day and after the storm a great calm.”
Thomas à Kempis
“I always wanted to be a procrastinator… just never got around to it.”
Anon.
“Life is not easy for any of us, but what of that? We must have perseverance and above all, confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.”
Marie Curry, two-times Nobel Peace Prize winner.
It’s as if God says to us: ‘Your gift to me is availability. My gift to you is ability… You go first!’
W Y S I W Y G (pronounced ‘wiz-ee-wig’) = What You See Is What You Get.
We need to kneel down
We need to stand up
We need to step out.
I love the way Pastor Tony Evans described the unity of marriage: ‘When Adam woke up, all of him was not there. A rib was missing. And when Eve woke up, all of her was not brand-new, because she had something that once belonged to Adam. So what God did in marriage was give Adam back what he had lost and gave Eve the rest of what she needed.’
Tony Evans, Time To Get Serious, 1995, Illinois: Crossway Books, p.70
Men and women are limited not by the place of their birth, not by the colour of their skin, but by the size of their hope. – John Johnson, publisher and magazine owner.
At the end of the day – on judgment day – all sin has to be paid for. But God in His wonderful grace and mercy has provided us with a way out; a choice: We can accept Jesus’ offer and He pays for our sin for us, for free, or people can reject Jesus and pay for their sin themselves… but then they’ll have hell to pay for it!
SIN is like saying Shove off God, I’m in charge, No to your rules.
Voltaire, the eighteenth-century critic of Christianity, wrote that within one hundred years the Bible would be obsolete and would have gone out of circulation all together. Within one hundred years of his death, his own Parisian residence had been converted into a Bible depot, publishing Bibles by the hour.
Source: Nicky Gumbel, 1997, The Heart of Revival, Eastbourne: Kingsway Publications, p.27
Wherever God puts a full stop Satan puts a question mark.
God is a missionary, and He chooses to use us in His work of salvation, to seek and save the lost. It is sometimes said that witnessing is the gospel without words but evangelism is a conversation. That may be splitting hairs, but the message of the gospel needs to be clear and people need to understand that through Jesus the bad news has become good news. Evangelism is the proclamation of the message of Jesus. It is not something we do to people it is something we do for people, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
– R. Ian Seymour
“O Jesus, if You don’t come today for Your waiting church, come in Spirit to my sighing heart and make it sing for joy.”
Charles H. Spurgeon
“A true friend is one who hears and understands when you share your deepest feelings. He supports you when you are struggling; corrects you gently and with love when you err; forgives you when you fail; prods you to personal growth and stretches you to your full potential. And most amazing of all, he celebrates your successes as if they were his own.”
Richard Exley, pastor and author
“To be so much in contact with God that you never need to ask Him to show you His will, is to be nearing the final stage of your discipline in the life of faith. When you are rightly related to God, it is a life of freedom and liberty and delight, you are God’s will, and all your common sense decisions are His will for you unless He checks. You decide things in perfect delightful friendship with God, knowing that if your decisions are wrong He will always check; when He checks, stop at once.”
Oswald Chambers
Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest, (2000 edition), Worcester: Oswald Chambers Publications, p.86
C. S. Lewis once saw this epitaph on a tombstone: “Here lies an atheist, all dressed up but with nowhere to go.” Lewis added his own comment, “I bet he wishes that were so.”
Source: Simon Guillbaud, For What It’s Worth, 2006, Oxford: Monarch Books, p.127
Soren Kierkegaard wrote: ‘A man prayed, and at first he thought prayer was talking. But then he became more and more quiet until in the end he realised that prayer is listening.’ – Interesting that the same letters that make the word ‘silent’ also make the word ‘listen’.
William Arthur Ward said of the church and his own Christian faith:
“I will do more than belong; I will participate.
I will do more than care; I will help.
I will do more than believe; I will practice.
I will do more than be fair; I will be kind.
I will do more than forgive; I will forget.
I will do more than dream; I will work.
I will do more than teach; I will inspire.
I will do more than learn; I will enrich.
I will do more than give; I will serve.
I will do more than live; I will grow.
I will do more than suffer; I will triumph.”
Source: The UCB Word For Today, 28/4/2013
“Just as old soldiers compare stories and scars, when we arrive at our heavenly home we’ll tell of the faithfulness of God who brought us through. I wouldn’t like to be pointed out as the only one who never experienced sorrow or feel like a stranger in the midst of that sacred fellowship. Therefore, be content to share in the battle, for soon we will wear the crown.”
Charles Spurgeon
Remorse is not the same as repentance. – To be remorseful is to be sorry, but to repent is more than just being sorry: to repent is to confess and seek God’s forgiveness.
God will always work in you before He works through you.
Are you a thermostat or a thermometer? You are one or the other. A thermometer registers the temperature. It simply reflects its environment, whether it’s hot or cold. A thermostat, on the other hand, controls the temperature. It influences its environment; it sets the standard. Which are you – a thermometer or a thermostat?
Rick Warren
Rick Warren, God’s Power To Change Your Life, 2006, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, p.152
God has bestowed on us the gift of freewill – the ability to choose – and He will not force salvation upon us; He will not force us to accept Jesus as Lord. In fact, in the whole of creation Jesus’ authority is only ever resisted by the wills of human beings.
Studies confirm that our seven greatest areas of fear are these: (1) finances, (2) health, (3) career concerns, (4) parenting struggles, (5) family relationships, (6) accomplishing personal goals, and (7) death. Are you fearful and anxious in any of those areas? Fear can be a destructive force in your life. (…) Fear attacks us and takes us captive.
So what’s the answer? Faith in God! Fear weakens, but faith strengthens. Fear imprisons, but faith liberates. Fear paralyses, but faith empowers. Fear disheartens, but faith encourages. Fear sickens, but faith heals. It’s been said that the words ‘fear not’ are recorded in Scripture 366 different times. If that’s so, God has given us a ‘fear not’ for every day of the year – and one for leap year! And here’s one of them: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine’ (Isaiah 43:1 NKJV). Today God is with you and he promises to strengthen and guide you in every situation you face.
UCB Word for Today, 16/03/2021
“I believe that anyone can conquer fear by first doing three things: Do it once to prove to yourself that you can do it. Do it a second time to see whether or not you like it. And then do it again to see whether or not you want to keep on doing it. By the time you have accomplished the third step you will have at least conquered the fear.”
Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)
“When you look at a bright light and then close your eyes, what do you see? You see the same light even with your eyes closed. Keep your eyes closed and that light will slowly fade away. It is the same with gratitude.”
Paul J. Meyer, author
God, please do not give us what we deserve – judgment. Instead, please do give us what we do not deserve – mercy. (The best definition of ‘mercy’ I’ve ever come across is this: Mercy is an unearned blessing bestowed by God on an unworthy recipient.)
Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.
Dale Carnegie
We can have absolute assurance that on the Day of Judgment God will judge justly; He will judge depending on what people know, not on what people don’t know. So those who live in deepest, darkest Africa; people who have never heard about Jesus; or the mentally handicapped; people who don’t have the ability to understand the gospel message; or babies who have tragically died without ever hearing about Jesus… God will judge people on what they know, not on what they don’t know. – In Genesis 18:25 we read: ‘Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?’
The only reason that Christ has not yet returned can only be that there are still more people who are yet to be saved. – I can’t think of any other reason from the scriptures to explain why Jesus has not yet come back. Can you?
The return of Christ is one day closer today than it was yesterday. Of course, no one knows when Jesus will return but one thing is for certain: He is coming: you can count your life on it and you bank your eternity on it! ‘The second coming of Christ is mentioned over 300 times in the New Testament… that’s an average of once in every thirteen verses!’ Jesus is coming: His return is more certain than the sun rise tomorrow morning!
Cited by Vaughan Roberts, Turning Points, Authentic Lifestyle: Cumbria (2003) p133
It has been said that other people see only a hopeless end, but the Christian rejoices in an endless hope.
William Barclay wrote, ‘There is nothing more dangerous than the repeated experience of a fine emotion with no attempt to put it into action. It is a fact that every time a man feels a noble impulse without taking action, he becomes less likely ever to take action.’
“Cream always rises to the top. Why? Because it is in the nature of cream to rise.”
Colin Turner
“What really matters most, is what happens in us not to us.”
John Mason (writer)
Was Jesus betrayed and deserted by his friends? It was fulfilment of Psalm 41:9: “Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” Was he was painfully oppressed and repudiated? It was in fulfilment of Isaiah 53:3: “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.” Did he maintain a dignified silence before his judges? It was in fulfilment of Isaiah 53:7: “He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” Was he flogged, punched, slapped, and spat on? It was in fulfilment of Isaiah 50:6: “I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.”
‘You and I can live in a way, today, that causes the Creator of everything, the Sustainer of the cosmos, to say: ‘Look at that – I’m really pleased. Oh, the way he has just obeyed me… the way she has just resisted that sin – gives me such pleasure.’ What a wonderful thought! What a supreme motivation to obey God! We do not obey to merit God’s love or earn his approval or become his children – he already loves and approves of us as his children, in Christ. We obey to bring pleasure to our heavenly Father.’
Explore
Explore Bible notes 19/8/2015
On 6th June 1944 – D-Day – Allied troops landed in northern France to begin the liberation of occupied Europe. It was a re-invasion, and the German armies were forced to retreat until their final defeat almost a year later. In AD 0(ish!), another re-invasion of this world began… the first Christmas Day.
Explore Bible notes 1/6/2012
There is good evidence that God exists. Here are seven pointers or facts:
- The fact of the world.
- The fact of design.
- The fact of personality.
- The fact of morals and values.
- The fact of the human conscience.
- The fact of religion.
- The most powerful pointer to God’s reality is Jesus Christ
Source: Michael Green, After Alpha, p.37-40
“Do not be tempted to give up on God on the pretext that he has apparently given up on you. Beware of satanic trickery. Remember God is faithful.”
Bay Warburton
A rut is like a grave with both ends missing. You can’t get out of it by standing still or by running in either direction – forwards or backwards. The only way of escape is to climb out and get over it.
“Wouldn’t our enemies rub their hands with glee if they knew that our hate for them was exhausting us, making us tired and nervous, ruining our looks, giving us heart trouble, and probably shortening our lives?”
– Dale Carnegie, author of How To Stop Worrying and Start Living
Carpenter from Nazareth seeks joiners!
It’s never crowded when you go the extra mile.
“All paths to achievement lead through the land of failure.”
John Maxwell
“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get back up that counts.”
Vincent T. Lombardi (1913-1970), American professional football coach.
“Failure can paralyse us to impotence or propel us to performance.”
Phil Wall, charity worker and motivational speaker
“Ninety percent of all those who fail are not actually defeated. They simply quit.”
Paul J. Meyer
Faith is like a muscle; it grows stronger with frequent exercise.
“We shall not flag or fail. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”
Winston Churchill (1874-1965), from his speech to the British Nation in June 1940
“The most called upon prerequisite of a friend is an accessible ear.”
Maya Angelou, American poet, playwright and composer
God knows we can’t all give the same amount. Jesus honoured a widow for giving her last two coins, saying: ‘Everyone else gave what they didn’t need. But she… gave everything she had’ (Mark 12:44 CEV). On the other hand, businessman Barnabas ‘sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet’ (Acts 4:37 NIV). The more God blesses you with, the more he holds you accountable for. Jesus said, ‘Much is required from those to whom much is given’ (Luke 12:48 TLB). At offering time, a pastor told his congregation to reach out and grab the wallet or purse of the person sitting in front of them. ‘Now,’ he said, ‘open it up and give as much as you’ve always wanted to give but felt you couldn’t afford!’ The truth is, we’re not all called to give equally but we’re all called to sacrifice equally. That levels the playing field. – Bob Gass
Source: The UCB Word For Today, 13/2/2018
“You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” – Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931), artist, poet and philosopher
Set your goals in concrete but your plans in sand.
“Asking God what to do in every little detail is not faith at all – it’s immaturity, evidence that a person would rather be told what to do than to take responsibility for his or her own actions.”
Paul J. Meyer
Paul J. Meyer, Unlocking Your Legacy, 2002, Chicago Illinois, Moody Press, p.254
“Our children were intrigued to see waiters and waitresses approaching a door to the kitchen at the top of the restaurant and, as they got to within about three feet of the door, the door opened by itself and let them through. Often as we seek the will of God, and truly yield our will to His will, He opens doors just like that. At other times, He closes the door and it is obvious that we should not try to open it.”
Maurice Wood (former Bishop of Norwich)
excerpt from the booklet How Can I Know The Guidance Of God
Happiness is a state of mind; it comes from within, not from without. Many people erroneously think that happiness is derived from outside sources, such as a larger home, a better job, more satisfying relationships or more money. What such people fail to understand is that happiness is an internal attitude. You, as an individual, choose whether or not to be happy.
Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper.
Anon
You don’t get to heaven by chance, you get there by choice. And God will honour your choice.
You are free to choose whatever you surrender to, but you are not free from the consequences of that choice.
Bob Gass
Source: The UCB Word For Today, 27/8/2003
“The best portion of a good man’s life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love.” – William Wordsworth (1770-1850), English poet
Have you ever tried to quiet a loud room? Attempting to yell above the crowd usually doesn’t work, does it? It’s far more effective to shush the crowd with a shhh! That’s the method God employs. His whisper quiets us, calms us, stills us.
Mark Batterson
I heard of a clergyman who makes this recommendation to a couple whose marriage is in trouble: ‘Every day do ten kind things for your wife or husband. If you want to rekindle love, this is what you should do.’
Money is like manure: if you let it pile up it stinks, if you spread it around it helps things grow!
Remember, it doesn’t matter how big the rock is. If you just keep chipping away at it, in the end it’s going to break.
“Looking back, my life seems to have been one long obstacle course, with me as the chief obstacle!”
Jack Paar, US talk show host
“There has not yet been a person in history who led a life of ease whose name is worth remembering.”
Theodore Roosevelt
“When faced with a mountain, I will not quit! I will keep on striving until I climb over, find a pass through, tunnel underneath or simple stay and turn the mountain into a gold mine, with God’s help.”
Dr Robert H. Schuller, American pastor, writer and television presenter
Mohammed, Buddha, Moses, Guru Nanak, Confucius and other great founders of religions were undoubtedly amazing people. They had insight, leadership skills and brought inspiration to thousands of their followers. But none of them ever claimed to personally reveal God. None of them said, “Look at me and you will see God.” There is, however, one exception.
John Dickson
Source: John Dickson, A Sneaking Suspicion, p.77
“To know how to wait is the great secret of success.”
Joseph de Maistre (1753-1821)
Trust in God’s timing. There is not one instance in the whole of scripture where He was ever late!
“Little strokes, fell great oaks.”
Benjamin Franklin
Webster’s Dictionary of the English Language defines potential as “existing in possibility, not in act.” Potential cannot manifest without form. Like concrete it must have something to be poured into, something to give it shape and make it useful. To develop potential properly you must have a plan and pray over that plan, you must have a purpose, and you must be doing something. – Joyce Meyer
Joyce Meyer, Ending Your Day Right, daily devotional on YouVersion, day 10 of 14
Do you know that you are also chosen? You are set apart for a purpose. God has made His Holy Spirit available to you to anoint and equip you to do something specific, something special, that only you can do. – Jeannie Morgan
Jeannie Morgan, Encounter the Holy Spirit, p.32
Too often we talk to God about how big our problems are. We should be talking to our problems about how big our God is!
Joel Osteen
The fox that waited for the chickens to fall off the perch died of hunger.
Greek Proverb
We are meant to discover and engage in our Ephesians 2:10 calling; to do the good works which God prepared in advance for us to do. Our Ephesians 2:10 calling is usually consistent with a sense of passion, what it is we care about.
“Goals are what we do. Purposes are why we do what we do.”
Patrick Morley, author
“The man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder – a waif, a nothing, a no man. Have a purpose in life, and having it, throw such strength of mind and muscle into your work as God has given you.”
Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881), Scottish essayist and historian
Jesus is coming, ready or not!
“Nothing is a greater impediment to being on good terms with others than being ill at ease with yourself.” – Honore De Balzac
It is not about who we are but whose we are!
“What you think of yourself is much more important than what others think of you.”
Seneca (4BC-65AD), Roman philosopher, statesman and dramatist.
Life is like a boomerang… You always get back what you send out!
It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), American poet and essayist
Even our great adversary has a fatal weakness. He has already been defeated! Like a boxer who fights on because he will not admit he is beaten. Yet the judges have counted the scores and measured the match, and there is nothing he can do to alter the final verdict. He can still land a bruising blow – but he cannot overturn the result!
Explore Bible notes, 30/12/2007