Forgiveness

I found this quote on Jen's blog and had to borrow it :)

"It is hard for me to forgive someone who has really offended me, especially when it happens more than once. I begin to doubt the sincerity of the one who asks forgiveness for a second, third, or fourth time. But God does not keep count. God just waits for our return, without resentment or desire for revenge."

~Henri Nouwen (The Road to Daybreak)

Why do you do what you do?

It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, but why he does it.
~ A.W. Tozer

Who Should I Look at?

"If I look at myself, I am depressed. If I look at those around me, I am often disappointed. If I look at my circumstances, I am discouraged. But if I look at Jesus, I am constantly, consistently, and eternally fulfilled!"
~Anonymous

Praise the Lord

Praise the Lord, all you nations. Praise him, all you people of the earth. For he loves us with unfailing love; the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever. Praise the Lord! ~ Psalm 117:1-2

Busy? Where Can a Mother Sacrifice?

If you must sacrifice somewhere, let it be in simpler meals, clothes, and yes, even in frequency of cleaning, if you must, but don’t neglect your lived ones’ souls and minds and habits. That means prayer must be a priority for the family, not an afterthought. ~ Family Life

(taken from Ron DiCianni's book - The Heart of a Mother)

Who did Christ Appoint?

"...Christ did not appoint professors, but followers. If Christianity ... is not reduplicated in the life of the person expounding it, then he does not expound Christianity, for Christianity is a message about living and can only be expounded by being realized in men's lives."

~ Soren Kierkegaard

Why not sin?

"The reason for not going out and sinning all you like is the same as the reason for not going out and putting your nose in a slicing machine: its dumb, stupid, and no fun. Some individual sins may have pleasure stillattached to them because of the residual goodness of the realities they are abusing: adultery can indeed be pleasant and tying one on can amuse. But betrayal, jealousy, love grown cold, and the gray dawn of the morning after are nobody's idea of a good time."
~ Robert Farrer Capon

What drives you?

Holiness has never been the driving force of the majority. It is, however, mandatory for anyone who wants to enter the kingdom.

~ Elisabeth Elliot

Well Done...

Live in such a way as to hear your Lord say to you one day, "Well done." Get on the right side of the universe's moral system. Honor God by living in sexual purity. If you do, you'll experience his blessing and rewards not only today, tomorrow, and ten years from now, but throughout eternity.

~ Randy Alcorn (Guidelines for Sexual Purity)

God is Worthy of My Trust

God is God. Because He is God, He is worthy of my trust and obedience. I will find rest nowhere but in His holy will, a will that is unspeakably beyond my largest notions of what He is up to.

~ Elisabeth Elliot

He Is Risen!

"Come, see the place where the Lord lay," with joy and gladness. He does not lie there now. Weep, when ye see the tomb of Christ, but rejoice because it is empty. Thy sin slew him, but his divinity raised him up. Thy guilt hath murdered him, but his righteousness hath restored him. Oh! he hath burst the bonds of death, he hath ungirt the cerements of the tomb, and hath come out more than conqueror, crushing death beneath his feet. Rejoice, O Christian, for he is not there—he is risen.

~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Alleluia! He is Risen!

Christ, the Lord, is risen today, Alleluia!
Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth, reply, Alleluia!

Love's redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Lo! the Sun's eclipse is over, Alleluia!
Lo! He sets in blood no more, Alleluia!

Vain the stone, the watch, the seal, Alleluia!
Christ hath burst the gates of hell, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids His rise, Alleluia!
Christ hath opened Paradise, Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!

Soar we now where Christ hath led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

Hail, the Lord of earth and heaven, Alleluia!
Praise to Thee by both be given, Alleluia!
Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia!
Hail, the resurrection day, Alleluia!

King of glory, Soul of bliss, Alleluia!
Everlasting life is this, Alleluia!
Thee to know, Thy power to prove, Alleluia!
Thus to sing and thus to love, Alleluia!

Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!
Unto Christ, our heavenly King, Alleluia!
Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!
Sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia!

But the pains that He endured, Alleluia!
Our salvation have procured, Alleluia!
Now above the sky He's King, Alleluia!
Where the angels ever sing. Alleluia!

Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!
Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!
Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!

~ Charles Wesley

He is RISEN!

"Today is the day of salvation for the world... Christ is risen from the dead: arise with him. Christ returns to himself: you also must return to him. Christ has come forth from the tomb: free yourselves from the fetters of evil. The gates of hell are open and the power of death is destroyed. The old Adam is superseded, the new perfected. In Christ a new creation is coming to birth: renew yourselves."

~ Gregory Nazianzen

How do we KNOW God LOVES us?

Does God really love us? I say look to the crucified Jesus. Look to the old rugged cross. By every thorn that punctured His brow. By every mark of the back lacerating scourge. By every hair of his beard plucked from his cheeks by cruel fingers. By every bruise which heavy fists made upon His head. God said, "I love you!" By all the spit that landed on his face. By every drop of sinless blood that fell to the ground. By every breath of pain which Jesus drew upon the cross. By every beat of His loving heart. God said, I love you.

~ Billy Lobbs

Shortcut to happiness...

“If anyone would tell you the shortest, surest way to all happiness and all perfection, he must tell you to make it a rule to yourself to thank and praise God for everything that happens to you. For it is certain that whatever seeming calamity happens to you, if you thank and praise God for it, you turn it into a blessing."

~ William Law (1686-1761)

Holy Spirit = Power and Purity

"Many want the Spirit's power but not the Spirit’s purity. The Holy Spirit does not rent out His attributes. His power is never separated from His glorious Self." ~ James A. Stewart

The miracle of holiness...

The greatest miracle that God can do today is to take an unholy man out of an unholy world and make that man holy and put him back into that unholy world and keep him holy in it. ~ Leonard Ravenhill

How does holiness come to be?

"Holiness is inwrought by the Holy Spirit, not because we have suffered, but because we have surrendered."

~ Richard Shelley Taylor

How Does Heaven Affect You?

"Heaven should affect our activities and ambitions, our recreations and friendships, and the way we spend our money and time. If I believe I'll spend eternity in a world of unending beauty and adventure, will I be content to spend all my evenings playing video games or staring at games shows, sitcoms, and ball games? Even if I keep my eyes away from impurities, how much time will I want to invest in what ultimately doesn't matter?"

~ Randy Alcorn (taken from his book 50 Days of Heaven)

Live Love

"Are the people you respect and admire loving or rude? Are they impulsive or thoughtful? How would your interactions with others be different if you truly practiced slowing down and meditating on God’s Word every day? Love is the glue that holds relationships together. And love is lived out in qualities like kindness, forgiveness, and patience. Think of someone you love, and as the Lord to help you live out your love toward them today. Thank the Lord for all He is doing in their lives and ask Him to help you slow down to be more present when you are with them, so they can tell how much you love them."

~taken from Be Still and Know that I am God, Compiled by Amy and Judge Reinhold

It's Not about You!

I have a new blogging friend, Carol and I'm borrowing a quote from one of her entries because I also read and enjoyed the book, The Power to Be Free by Dr. Frank Moore.

"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, Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, 2005, p. 190)

Escalation of Expectations

"If people work to attain a certain level of prosperity, thinking they will be happy when they reach it, they quickly become accustomed to their prosperity, grow discontent, and start striving for the next level. The bar indicating what it will take to make us happy is continually raised as our expectations escalate."

~ David Jeremiah (taken from his book - Signs of Life)

How Can We Serve?

"There is an infinite number of ways for us to serve as our Savior served. Some of the ways we can plan, and those are the “easy” opportunities. More challenging are those situations for which we don’t plan – those divine appointment that we find God has arranged... In such situation we find people desperately longing for someone to help them, to serve them, like Jesus would. In those situations we find the world hungry not for religion or Christianity, but for Jesus Himself." (emphasis mine)

~ David Jeremiah (taken from his book - Signs of Life)

When a Christian...

When a Christian shuns fellowship with other Christians, the devil smiles. When he stops studying the Bible, the devil laughs. When he stops praying, the devil shouts for joy.

~ Corrie Ten Boom