-  Romans 12:10

- Paul Washer

- Oswald J. Smith, in “The Man God Uses” (via wearevessels)

- James 3:17

- John 1:16

Pray. →

christoforchuk:

Seriously. Battles are won on your knees in prayer. Not on Tumblr. There is no excuse. The ability to speak with our Creator is an absolute blessing and joy, not a chore. Make time for prayer. 

“ ¹⁴ And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. ¹⁵ See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. ¹⁶  Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ”

1 Thessalonians 5:14-18

“Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” (Luke 18:1).

expectations. →

definedbyyou:

an issue on my mind tonight: expectations.

something you learn time and time again in life, is that people let you down. this realization can be good, or bad, depending on where it’s coming from, and what you do with it. when someone lets you down, it hurts. hurt often leads to anger or sadness. either of which, if they take root… can lead to bitterness. bitterness is poison that will kill you from the inside out.

so, what do you do with this reality that people will let you down? first and foremost, i think it is essential to continually remind yourself that there is one who will never let you down, and his name is Jesus. the second thing i believe that is extremely beneficial in dealing with the sad reality that people will fail you time and time again, is a lesson that God taught me a few years ago: lowered expectations, increased grace. the key with that strategy though, is to not allow the lowered expectations to come from a place of cynicism. cynicism is a symptom of bitterness.

or maybe that should be modified, not necessarily lowered expectations, but realistic ones. how often do our disappointments (or other’s “failures”) come from a place of us holding them to expectations that they were never meant to live up to? 

…he isn’t meant to complete you.

…..she isn’t meant to fill that void created by the loneliness you feel.

“there is a strain of loneliness infecting many Christians, which only the presence of God can cure.”

[a.w.tozer]

people will let you down. and they will fail you.

you will let people down. and you will fail them.

but collectively, we all have One who will never fail us.

don’t forget that. keep it in the forefront of your mind, especially when people fail you. fix your eyes on Him. and pray that the same grace that He displays towards you, daily, would flow from you, to others.

it’s most definitely not easy. but it’s possible.

i forget this, and fail often… but His grace covers me.

every. single. time.

“My grace is sufficient for you; My power is made perfect in your weakness.”

[2corinthians.twelve.nine]

All of this. Yes.

subtle substitutions. →

definedbyyou:

how often do you listen to sermons,

so you don’t have to take the time to listen for and hear My voice for yourself?

how often do you read books,

so you don’t have to take the effort to dig into My word which is of so much more value?

how often do you play worship music,

so you don’t have to sing the words that are in your heart?

none of those mediums are necessary to access Me,

in fact, they often just get in the way.

some use drugs, alcohol, sex, money or status symbols as cheap substitutes for the Life that I offer. others simply trade it for the tiny glimpses of that life that they can catch through a sermon, book, or worship song. both are trading away the Abundant Life that I’m offering… one is just more subtle than the other.

listen for My voice.

read My word.

sing/speak/write from your heart.

simply be in My presence.

live out of the abundance of life that I will pour into you as you do these.

- Matt Chandler

Perfect joy is Jesus.

alightforrevelation:

crucifying the American Dream
and surrendering everything my life is
for the sake of skilled missions and the gospel of Jesus Christ;

it has never before seemed quite as profitable and appealing as it does now. :)

- Tim Keller (via blakebaggott)

Unpopular Opinion: Mornings with Jesus. →

skeuos:

I chose the title of this post because many Christians today do not practice what this post entails. Myself included on too many occasions.

Spend the first waking moment of your day with Jesus. I mean that. It will make a world of difference in how your day unfolds. Don’t get breakfast, don’t get caffeine, don’t do anything except reach for your Bible, and/or talk to Him. Thank Him for the dawning of the sun, welcoming you to a new day. Thank Him for another chance. The tenfold chance. Thank Him for the bed in which you lie, and the room in which you dwell. Thank Him for He has blessed you with much. So much.

Express your heart to Him. Let Him know what concerns you as of late. Anxiety? Depression? Disaapointment? Give it to Him. Give it to Jesus. For those burdens do not, and often cannot, be borne alone. Offer your heart up as a sacrifice to Him.

Repent of your doubts. People shy away from repentance, lest it be legalism. But to hoard no deceit in your heart from the King of Kings—your mourning will turn to dancing. Your tears of shame to tears of thankfulness. Your ashes into beauty. Seek forgiveness for your worries. Sufficient is the next hour. Today is what you’ve been granted. Not tomorrow, not a week, not ten years. Feel your soul become warm with His joy.

I’m not saying that this will make your circumstances disappear. This is not an eraser of tribulations or pain. But this is what will define your source of peace and unquenchable joy. Your first few thoughts in the morning are possibly the most important passerby of all. It has often been mentioned that the last thought that you have before slipping into slumber, and the first thought you bring forth in the morning is where your heart lies. Let it be nothing else but Jesus. This world shall pass away, this foundation will be washed out of existence. But not Jesus. He is constant. He is unchanging. He is the sure foundation.

Go spend your first moments of the day with Him. Is He not worthy of that?

This is how I start every day. He is completely worth it. :) It changes your whole day. It makes such a difference.

I love talking about God with people. It’s my favorite.

Dei Gratia: Dear future husband, →

sketchmedesire:

Hi. Hello. Howdy.

I’m not one to post things like this publicly, but I was clicking through a bunch of tags here on Tumblr and I eventually came to the “Dear future husband” tag. Out of curiosity (and boredom), I read on.

About fifty posts later, I came to realize that the content of most of these “letters” consisted of crass, self-righteous content that, to be honest, made me feel a little queasy. 

   “If you don’t propose to me a super fantastic and creative way then I might say no. gotta impress.”

   “I hope the ring is decent looking…You know? Big? Lots of diamonds? otherwise there will be trouble. what can i say? i’m classy. :)”

   “I’ll let you know now, my favourite restaurant is super fancy so I   expect nothing but your most expensive duds.”

Those are real. Uh-huh. I just copied and pasted each one from actual posts. 

Maybe I’m being melodramatic, but reading all of that made me want to let you know that I’m not expecting ridiculous things like that from you. It doesn’t take much to impress me. In fact, I don’t think any of that stuff matters, it’s all superficial junk. Just be a man after God’s own heart. That’s enough for me. 

I had the same reaction. I have wanted to write a note like this and I’m glad she did so I can just say: I couldn’t agree more. Especially with the last two sentences.