Scandalizingly Extravagant

"The longer I walk with the Lord, the more I become aware of the unfathomable depth of His grace and mercy in our lives. God’s grace really is amazing. His love is scandalizingly extravagant."
~ Tennent

Character

"Oh, young man, character is worth more than money..." ~ Dwight Lyman Moody

Common Ground

"You will never develop common ground with your teammates unless you share common experiences. Time together while working as a team is essential, but so is spending time together outside that setting. Work to make connections with teammates. Do things socially. Spend time with the families. Find ways to share your life." ~ John C. Maxwell

Evidence?

‎"Let us beware of repentance without evidence." ~ J.C. Ryle

How Does Revival Start?

"God's program for reviving His people is definite and clear. First Elijah repaired the altar of Jehovah that was thrown down. That is the place to begin. All the ruin that sin has wrought must be cleared away by confession. Things must be made right with God; restitution must be made where it is due. Unless this is done definitely and thoroughly, prayer for reviving is vain. Too many are praying today without repairing the altar by confession of sin, without digging a trench of separation from the world and without a surrender that is even unto death. No wonder such prayer is fruitless." ~ Andrew Gih

Deathbed

"Soon you will read in the newspaper that I am dead. Don't believe it for a moment. I will be more alive than ever before...Earth recedes...Heaven opens before me." ~ D.L. Moody (on his deathbed)

Obedience

"Greatness in the kingdom of God is measured in terms of obedience." ~ Stott

Death Explained

"Death is like a great ocean, and we are on this shore seeing people depart. But every ocean has two shores, and every person we see depart is seen as arriving on that other shore. Death is not the end.

Just as birth was our ticket to this world, so death is our ticket to the next. It is less of an end than a beginning. If I told you today I would move you from the slums to a beautiful country estate, you would not focus on the life you were ending but the life you were beginning."

~ Randy Alcorn (Death: Signing and Framing Your Life's Portrait)

All the Good Things

“All the good things of life are less than nothing when compared with his love . . . All the treasures of a million worlds could not make me richer, happier, more contented, for his unsearchable riches are mine.” ~ Valley of Vision (as quoted by Nancy Leigh DeMoss)

You Must Change

“God will not compromise and He need not be coaxed. He cannot be persuaded to alter His Word nor talked into answering selfish prayer. In all our efforts to find God, to please Him, to commune with Him, we should remember that all change must be on our part.” ~ A.W.Tozer

The Church Must Care...

"The church is called to do many things, but if the church does not take care of its own people, it is not functioning as the church of Jesus Christ. The church is the body of Christ, and the members of the body must care for each other. That doesn’t mean that the church should ignore needs outside of the body. The church should reach out to all people with the love of Christ, but if the church does not take care of its own, it has ceased to function as the church." ~ Ray Fowler

Pray and Act

‎"When people are sick ~ keep praying, but come over and sweep too!" ~ Wise words from my Grampa September 2011.

Only Him

"Nothing short of God can satisfy your soul. Therefore, fix on Him in all, through all, and above all." ~ J. Wesley

Nothing Is Impossible for...

"Nothing is impossible for the People of God who trust in the power of God to accomplish the will of God." ~ David Platt

The Harm of Wealth

‎"Probably the greatest harm done by vast wealth is the harm that we of moderate means do ourselves when we let the vices of envy and hatred enter deep into our own hearts." ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Respect Your Elders

“Young men, do not be too confident in your own judgment. Stop being so sure that you are always right, and others wrong. Don’t trust your own opinion, when you find it contrary to that of older men, and especially to that of your own parents. Age gives experience, and therefore deserves respect.” ~ J.C. Ryle

Sanctification

"When does inward sanctification begin? In the moment a man is justified. Yet sin remains in him, yea the seed of all sin, till he is sanctified throughout." ~ John Wesley Wesley (A Plain Account of Christian Perfection)

Home is a Sacred Place

‎"Home is among the holiest of words. A true home is one of the most sacred of places. It is a sanctuary into which men flee from the world’s perils and alarms. It is a resting-place to which at close of day the weary retire to gather new strength for the battle and toils of tomorrow. It is the place where love learns its lessons, where life is schooled into discipline and strength, where character is molded. Out of the homes of a community comes the life of the community, as a river from the thousand springs that gush out on the hillsides." ~ JR Miller

Take Them to the Gospel

"While a Christian family should maintain high moral standards, many fail to recognize that such standards are insufficient. They are not inherently life-changing for children. We must always take our children back to the cross, to the gospel and grace of Christ." ~ Randy Alcorn

Different Set of Ambitions

‎"[Christ] is my model. This means a different set of ambitions, a different definition of happiness, a different standard of judgment altogether. Behavior will change, and very likely it will change enough to make me appear rather odd--but then my Master was thought very odd." -from Keep a Quiet Heart

No Pain = No Pleasure?

"It’s the sorrow you feel that allows you to crave love. Without that suffering, there would be no true pleasure. Without tears, no joy. Without deficiency, no longing. This is the secret of the human heart." ~ Ted Dekker (from his book Forbidden)

Fathers: God-Given Responsibility

"I believe fathers have a God-given responsibility to see to it that their daughters marry well and that their sons become worthy husbands. As such, I believe it is necessary for fathers to model biblical manhood, teach biblical manhood, and hunt for biblical manhood on behalf of their daughters. Similarly, I believe fathers with sons have a responsibility to prepare their sons for marriage." ~ Voddie Baaucham, Jr. (What He Must Be...if he wants to Marry my daughter)

Don't Major in the Minors

"Most of us are experts at "majoring in the minors" while failing to do the really important things God demands of us." ~ Hamilton

Perfect Trust

"O Christ Jesus, when... I feel my weakness and helplessness, give me the sense of your... love, and your strength. Help me to have perfect trust in your protecting love and strengthening power, so that nothing may frighten or worry us; for in living close to you I shall see your hand, your purpose, your will through all things."

~ St. Ignatius of Loyola

Let God's Love Be a Pattern

"Father, let your love to me be the pattern of my love to my neighbor. You spared no expense to rescue me from the misery of my sinful past, so let me offer the benefit of the doubt to all those I know and love. May they, too, become your faithful servants, and may all Christians everywhere live up to the religion they profess. Amen." ~ John Wesley

Tool or Idol?

"Everything material we have, including money, is either a tool or an idol. If we fail to use it as a tool for God’s intended purposes, it mutates into an idol. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” ~ Randy Alcorn(1 Timothy 6:10). (from Money, Possessions, and Eternity

Coming to Terms...

"The life you long for is not about you! It's about Christ and His example. The aim and focus is on others and the ways you can serve them in His name. It's not about finding yourself; it's about losing yourself. It's not about becoming strong; it's about coming to terms with your own weakness and finding your strength in Him. It's not about what you become; it's about what He becomes through you."

~ Frank Moore (The Power to Be Free: Discovering Life in the Spirit of Christ)

Ladies: Find Security Only in God

"Your future depends on God, not on a fallen man. Your security rests with your caring Creator's providence, not with your husband's paycheck. Your acceptance as a person became secure when God adopted you, not when your husband proposed to you. If you truly want to love, motivate, and influence your husband, your first step must be to connect - and to stay connected - with God. Find your refuge, security, comfort, strength and hope in him." ~ Gary Thomas (Sacred Influence)

What Do You Want?

“Most people, if they had really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that they do want, and want acutely, something that cannot be had in this world. There are all sorts of things in this world that offer to give it to you, but they never quite keep their promise." ~ C. S. Lewis

Not Equal

God and Satan are not equal opposites. Likewise, Hell is not Heaven’s equal opposite. Just as God has no equal as a person, Heaven has no equal as a place. ~ Randy Alcorn “Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high?” (Psalm 113:5).

Looking for a Spouse?

Singles who want an enriching marriage: Don’t choose someone thinking, “I’m going to make my fiancé more like me.” Marry someone for whom you can say, “I want to be more like him/her”
~ Gary Thomas

Read the Bible

"The man who has the Bible, and the Holy Spirit in his heart, has everything which is absolutely needful to make him spiritually wise and mature. He needs no priest to break the bread of life for him. He needs no ancient traditions, no writings of the Fathers, no voice of the Church to guide him into all truth. He has the well of truth open before him and what more can he want? Yes! though he is shut up alone in a prison, or cast on a desert island, though he never see a church, or minister, or sacrament again–if he has but the Bible, he has got the infallible guide, and needs no other. If he has but the will to read that Bible rightly, it will certainly teach him the road that leads to Heaven. It is here alone that infallibility resides. It is not in any church. It is not in the Councils. It is not in ministers. It is only in the written Word." ~ J.C. Ryle

Be Still...

"Be still, and in the quiet moments, listen to the voice of your heavenly Father. His words can renew your spirit. No one knows you and your needs like He does." ~ Janet L. Weaver

Do NOT Judge

1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. ~ Jesus from Matthew 7:1-5 (NIV 1984)

May Love Abound

"Where love abounds in a fellowship of Christians, many small offenses, and even some large ones, are readily overlooked and forgotten. But where love is lacking, every word is viewed with suspicion, every action is liable to misunderstanding, and conflicts abound - to Satan's perverse delight." ~ Wayne Grudem

Do NOT Worry (part 2)

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Sin Is Sin

“Vice does not lose its character by becoming fashionable.” ~ John Wesley

Divorce Practice

"Modern American dating is no more than glorified divorce practice. Young people are learning how to give themselves away in exclusive, romantic, highly committed (at times sexual) relationships, only to break up and do it all over again. God never intended for His kids to live like this. And instead of stepping in and doing something, many Christian parents simply view these types of relationships as a normal and necessary part of growing up. Unless your child is wiser than Solomon, stronger than Samson, and more godly than David (all of whom sinned sexually), they are susceptible to sexual sin, and these premature relationships serve as open invitations." ~ Voddie Baucham

Do NOT Worry

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? ~ Jesus from Matthew 6:25-27 (NIV 1984)

Duties of Parents

‎"You will see many in this day who allow their children to choose and think for themselves long before they are able, and even make excuses for their disobedience, as if it were a thing not to be blamed. To my eyes, a parent always yielding, and a child always having its own way, are a most painful sight – painful, because I see God’s appointed order of things inverted and turned upside down – painful, because I feel sure the consequence to that child’s character in the end will be self-will, pride, and self-conceit. You must not wonder that men refuse to obey their Father which is in heaven, if you allow them, when children, to disobey their father who is upon earth." ~ J.C. Ryle (The Duties of Parents)

Choose Your Master

“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. ~ Jesus from Matthew 6:24 (NIV 1984)

Rise and Work

‎"Today, let us rise and go to our work. Tomorrow, we shall rise and go to our reward." ~ Richard Fuller

Work for What Endures

Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” ~ Jesus from John 6:27 (ESV)

Shake the Gates of Hell

“Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on Earth.” ~ John Wesley

Don't Quit Praying

‎"Too many people grow weary and quit praying. If we want to see God’s miracles come true in our lives, church, and world, we need to persist in prayer, even when we grow tired, feel foolish, and think the situation is hopeless. We need to pray hard and pray through." ~ Mark Batterson (The Circle Maker)

How Will This Affect Their Souls?

“This is the thought that should be uppermost on your mind in all that you do for your children. In every step you take about them, in every plan, and scheme, and arrangement that concerns them, do not leave out that mighty question, ‘How will this affect their souls?’" ~ J.C. Ryle

Store Your Treasures Safely

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ~ Jesus from Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV 1984)

Minister to Your Family

‎"Never discount the value of ministering within the context of your own family. It's there that we're daily challenged to die to ourselves, serve others, and in so doing, become more like Jesus." ~ Candace Watters

When You Fast

16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ~ Jesus from Matthew 6:16-18 (NIV 1984)

Risen to Life

"...His resurrection means for us that we are raised to His risen life, not to our old life." ~ Oswald Chambers

Evidence!

"The evidence for our Lord's resurrection is not merely the New Testament account of it. The best evidence for the resurrection is that there is a New Testament, that there was a community to produce it, that there was a faith to produce the community and men and women to preach that faith." ~ Maurice

Secret Prayer

5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’ ~ Jesus from Matthew 6:5-13 (NIV 1984)

My Savior

"A Savior who has looked suffering in the face, who has settled down into death for three days, who has experienced betrayal and loss and undeniable cruelty—this is a Savior who will not shy away from our pain but who can also help make a way through it." ~ D. Shroyer

Love Your Enemies

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[h] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies[i] and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. ~ Jesus from Matthew 5:43-48 (NIV 1984)

Obsessed with Beauty?

‎"The world is obsessed with beauty, but we are to be possessed by the beauty of Christ." ~ Bonnie Keene (shared by Kristen Feola)

Travel the World

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Model for Our Unanswered Prayer

"The cross is the model for our unanswered prayer. Somehow, our sense of being forsaken by God in our hour of greatest need can be united by God with Christ's sufferings on the cross - suffering that resulted in the conquest of death and the sending of the Holy Spirit. Can we have the courage to offer our sense of being forsaken up with that of Christ? Can our suffering, united with that of Christ, also lead to the salvation of many?" ~ Glen Argan

Do Not Commit Adultery

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. ~ Jesus from Matthew 5:27-30 (NIV 1984)

Gossip ~ Flattery

"Gossip is saying behind a person’s back what you would never say to his or her face; flattery is saying to a person’s face what you would never say behind his or her back." ~ Kent Hughes

Reconcile First...

23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. ~ Jesus from Matthew 5:23-24 (NIV 1984)

God's Power

‎"We’re so accustomed to operating in the realm of our natural gifts and strengths that we seldom prove how great God is." ~ Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Who Do You Belong To?

‎"When I was growing up and my parents made unpopular decisions for our family, we’d sometimes protest, 'But everyone else does it.' My parents would invariably respond, 'You don’t belong to everyone else; you belong to God.' . . . To be set apart isn’t a punishment. It’s a chance to be in an intimate relationship with God Himself." ~ Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Light of the World

14 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. ~ Jesus from Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV 1984)

In God's Power and Plan

“Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? O be not weary of well doing!” ~ John Wesley

Don't Neglect Private Prayer

‎"What is the cause of most backslidings? I believe, as a general rule, one of the chief causes is neglect of private prayer. You may be very sure people fall in private long before they fall in public. They are backsliders on their knees long before they backslide openly in the eyes of the world." ~ J.C. Ryle

The Beatitudes

1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. ~ Jesus (from Matthew 5:1-12 NIV 1984)

Who's There?

John Wesley tells of a dream he had. In the dream, he was ushered to the gates of Hell. There he asked, "Are there any Presbyterians here?" "Yes!", came the answer. Then he asked, "Are there any Baptists? Any Episcopalians? Any Methodists?" The answer was Yes! each time. Much distressed, Wesley was then ushered to the gates of Heaven. There he asked the same question, and the answer was No! "No?" To this, Wesley asked, "Who then is inside?" The answer came back, "There are only Christians here." (1 Cor. 1:10-17) ~ John Wesley

In the Name of Jesus

"And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father." ~ Jesus of Nazareth ~ John 14:13 (NIV 1984)

Do Good

“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.” ~ John Wesley

The Cost

It costs something to be a true Christian. Let that never be forgotten. To be a mere nominal Christian, and go to church, is cheap and easy work. But to hear Christ’s voice, follow Christ, believe in Christ, and confess Christ, requires much self-denial. It will cost us our sins, our self-righteousness, our ease, and our worldliness. All- all must be given up. We must fight an enemy who comes against us with thousands of followers. We must build a tower in troubled times. Our Lord Jesus Christ would have us thoroughly understand this. He bids us “count the cost.” ~ J.C. Ryle

Repent

From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” ~ Matthew 4:17 (NIV 1984)