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May God in His mercy lead us through these times; but above all, may He lead us to Himself.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (2001). “Letters and Papers from Prison”, p.137, Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd

Many Christians estimate difficulties in the light of their own resources, & thus attempt little and often fail in the little they attempt. All God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on His power and presence with them. —Hudson Taylor

"It is a mercy that our lives are not left for us to plan, but that our Father chooses for us; else might we sometimes turn away from our best blessings, and put from us the choicest and loveliest gifts of His providence."

Susie Spurgeon

As Susie(Spurgeon) reflected on her life and ministry, she praised God:

" How inexpressibly thankful do I feel now for the sustaining grace which upheld me, and enabled me to testify to them [pastors who received books from her] from my own experience, that every promise of God holds true, and that even in the depths of sorrow and darkness, His light shines round about those who put their trust in Him!"

"According to the world, we love in order to be loved. According to the Word, we love because God first loved us. Whereas the world falls in love, God’s people are established in love. The love that we possess, however, is not a fleeting whim that comes and goes with every mood and circumstance; rather, it is a love that is beyond ourselves. Our love, true love, has meaning, meaning that cannot be stripped away by any thing, any one, or any feeling. Our love cannot be shaken because it is grounded not in self but in sacrifice." - Burk Parsons

Love is NOT:

1. Something you “fall into” – a black hole.

2. Infatuation. Emotional loss of control. “Flipped out…” “Couldn’t help myself.” Romanticism and sentimentalism. “Puppy love.” Boy-crazy; girl-crazy.

3. Evaluating another by external criteria. “She’s a #10.”

4. Selfish. Interested in “getting” to satisfy my needs.

5. Taking advantage of another (age, height, weight, looks, intellect, emotional maturity, spiritual maturity, social standings, social skills, psychological understanding, place of authority, financial superiority, etc.).

6. Improper need fulfillment. Need for love, acceptance, relating, bonding, belonging, to be valued, affirmed, excitement, identity, etc.

7. Lust. Hormones. Lasciviousness, sensuality. “Let’s get physical.”

8. Sex. “Making love.”

9. Idolatry. “……is my life.” Totally preoccupied in attention and time.

James Fowler

Photo by Anna/Unsplash

Matthew 24:27

For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Men that have their spirits heated and enraged and rising in bitter resentment when they are injured act as if they thought some strange thing had happened to them. Whereas they are very foolish in so thinking for it is no strange thing at all but only what was to be expected in a world like this. They therefore do not act wisely that allow their spirits to be ruffled by the injuries they suffer.

Jonathan Edwards

"Our minds are mental greenhouses where unlawful thoughts, once planted, are nurtured and watered before being transplanted into the real world of unlawful actions… These actions are savored in the mind long before they are enjoyed in reality. The thought life, then, is our first line of defense in the battle of self-control."

- Jerry Bridges

"A man’s greatest care should be for that place where he dwelleth longest; therefore eternity should be in his scope."

Thomas Manton

10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

Proverbs 31

The disciplined Christian will be very careful what sort of counsel he seeks from others. Counsel that contradicts the written Word is ungodly counsel. Blessed is the man that walketh not in that.

Elisabeth Elliot

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What the Bible Says About Joy: 1. Jesus’ aim in all He taught was the joy of His people (Jn. 15:11). 2. Joy is what God fills us with when we trust in Christ (Rom. 15:13). 3. The kingdom of God is joy (Rom. 14:17). 4. Joy is the fruit of God’s Spirit within us (Gal. 5:22). 5. Joy is the aim of everything the apostles did and wrote (2 Cor. 1:24). 6. Becoming a Christian is finding a joy that makes you willing to forsake everything (Mat. 13:44). 7. Joy is nourished and sustained by the word of God in the Bible (Psm. 19:8). 8. Joy will overtake all sorrow for those who trust Christ (Psm. 126:5; 30:5) 9. God Himself is our joy (Psm. 43:4; 16:11). 10. Joy in God outstrips all earthly joy (Psm. 4:7) 11. If your joy is in God, no one can take your joy from you (Jn. 16:22). 12. God calls all nations and peoples to join in the joy He offers to all who believe. No racism. No ethnocentrism (Psm. 67:4; Psm. 66:1). 13. The whole Christian message from beginning to end is good news of great joy (Lk. 2:10; Isa. 51:11). 14. When we meet Christ at His second coming we will enter into his indestructible joy (Mt. 25:23).

John Piper

#Joy

Hope can see heaven through the thickest clouds.

Thomas Brooks

#Hope #Christian

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