journey onward

"There is very little recorded of happiness or peace in the lives of the patriarchs. It is mostly trouble, friction, danger, sorrow, and the endless, restless journey onward."

"It takes suffering and adversity to bring out character."

*Note: During the month of June, the posts will be more directed towards Sisters

put God first

"In everything you do, put God first, and He will direct you and crown your efforts with success." {Proverbs 3:6}

worth-ship

"The word 'worship' is derived from 'worth-ship', which means to place worth into something."

able to do

"When we begin to know 'the love of Christ that passeth knowledge,' we shall find ourselves beginning to be able to do what he commands, even when it goes against the grain."

same

"God does not change, but is the 'same yesterday, today, and for ever': so also unrighteousness is a constant feature of this world of men, and humanity changes its dress and its vices, but not its intolerance of divine authority. Thus it follows that the servants of God in all ages will meet the same problems, find the same loving response from God, and experience the same complex of human joys and sorrows."

breakfast

"A good way to start your day: invite your Bible to breakfast."

(note: all recent pictures have been of Israel)

long-term goals

"We must come to grips with the fact that God has long-term goals with us, not short-term happiness."

realize

"Since we are so prone to cling to present things, God troubles us so we realize the vanity of all present things. Nothing helps like trouble!"

change

"God's Word exposes my motives, points out my faults, rebukes my sins, and expects me to change."

cast aside

"We tempt God when we set our judgment and opinion against His. When, instead of casting aside the deceptive reasoning of the flesh and seeking to learn from Him, we rather attempt to find something in His Word that we can interpret to justify our views and desires."

God's desire for me

"God's desire for me is to change my life, my habits, and my character to become like Christ."

contentment

"We learn contentment because God is all we need and has promised to provide for us. Our contentment must be complete abandonment to our Lord and savior. Anything less is not contentment."

I must turn away

"Brother! It is not the ship in the water,
but the water in the ship, which sinks it.
So it is not the brother in the world,
but the world in the brother,
which constitutes the danger.

Anything that dims my vision of Christ,
or takes away my taste for Bible study, or
cramps my prayer life, or makes godly
work difficult, is wrong for me, and I must,
as a brother, turn away from it!"

(Sisters, substitute "sister" for "brother")

wholly submitted & dedicated

"Jesus was a man wholly submitted to the will of God and dedicated to the service of men for their salvation; the man who laid the measurement of heaven upon earthly things. He handled and enjoyed the things of everyday and looked through them to the spiritual."

I've learned

"I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what is going to happen next."

offer up spiritual sacrifices

"Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." {I Peter 2.5}

must allow

"We must allow Yahweh to mold our characters by following His commandments and precepts then he will fashion us into vessels of honor and glory for His eternal purpose with creation."

blessed is the man who endures trial

"You know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways, will receive anything from the Lord. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. Blessed is the man who endures trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him." {James 1:3-12}

right

"It is always the right time to do the right thing."

do more

"Correction does much, but encouragement does more."

religious worship

"Religious worship should be matched by the moral quality of the worshipper's life."

loyal servants to Christ--the true perspective

"Having the right perspective and following through with that perspective are two different things, but it is the right start. The only way a perspective can succeed is for it to always be in mind. ... The true motive for getting things into the right perspective is not fear, dread or blind compulsion. It is the master principle of love... any other motive will fail and eventually the disciple becomes disgruntled and half-hearted. But when they are love-impulsed, and inspired by what the King has done for our sakes, they favor his cause gladly, happy to be his bond-servants and heavily weighted in his favor. They are not dragging themselves after him, resentful and lukewarm. They follow him with joy and give him their allegiance in the everyday things of the Truth without demur. Loyal for love's sake: this is the true perspective."

encouragement

"Encouragement gives us the strength to do what we feel we cannot do, hold on when we feel we cannot hold on, and try what we might not dare."

values and convictions

"Happiness & high performance come to you when you choose to live your life consistent with your highest values & your deepest convictions."

contrition

"Contrition, from God's point of view, is repentance, practical & intelligent- a sensible humble recognition of one's own native sinfulness & unworthiness, coupled with a careful & firm resolve to strive diligently to adjust one's ways to scriptural requirements."

pray with

"When I pray, it must be with:
uprightness, reverence, sincerity, humility, simplicity, confidence, and in the name of God's Son."