Classic Christian Quotes from Classic Ministers 2

Classic Christian Quotes from Classic Ministers 2

BIBLE MEDITATION: Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance. 1 Peter 1:13-14 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: “Gird up your loins” is a figure of speech found in the Bible several times. The phrase we use today is: roll up your sleeves. It means “Get serious about what you’re doing.” We need to get serious about being a Christian and living for God. One aspect of that is to have “a single mind.” God values singlemindedness when you are single-minded about Him. You need a laser-like focus in your desire to live for Him—to have your life bring Him glory. You’ve heard people say, “Don't put all your eggs in one basket.” But I believe Peter would tell us to do just that. He’d label that basket, “Jesus is coming back!” We need to be single-minded, living with a passionate, burning focus upon His return. ACTION POINT: What are you doing today in anticipation of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ? Are you living with the understanding that Christ could return at any moment? ~Adrian Rogers~ _________________________ Brokenness: The Plan 1 Thessalonians 5:21-23 Humans are born “bent away” from the Lord. Our natural inclination is to please and serve self, which is the opposite of a God-honoring lifestyle. When we become believers, our Father begins to bend our will and ways back towards Him. But we must cooperate and yield to the process; otherwise, we are of little use to the kingdom. The Lord wants to eradicate every thought pattern and activity promoting dependency on anything other than Him. This means that relying on oneself for security, salvation, or physical and emotional comfort are outside His will. Actions that advance a person at the expense of others are also ungodly. In areas where we resist bending toward the Lord, He may break us by allowing pain into our life. As a result, we are driven to Him in surrender. To break a person may sound harsh, but God does this work in love. He sees beyond the hurt to the outcome—we will be more mature and faithful servants for having walked through trial (Rom. 8:28). And our loving Father takes each hard step with us, offering guidance and comfort. Seeing the benefits He has brought about through my own hardships, I can honestly thank Him for every period of brokenness I’ve experienced. The truth is that we all have areas of self-focus that need to be bent or broken by God’s hand. When we honestly look inward to discover wrong habits and thought patterns, our heavenly Father will bring them to our mind. Then, we must surrender to His work in our lives so we can become wise and useful servants. ~Dr. Charles F. Stanley~ __________________________ A True Servant John 13:1-15 Do you equate success with wealth, acclaim, and power? If we measured by these standards, then Jesus, who was rejected by His community and didn't even have a house of His own, was a failure. But, of course, we know that's not the case. So God must use something other than these worldly goals to define success. In fact, Scripture is clear that Jesus Christ is our example--we should strive to be like Him. So, what exactly was our Savior's mission? In today's passage, we see the answer through His actions: He came to serve. The disciples, wanting recognition and reward, were arguing about who'd be the greatest in heaven. In contrast, Jesus took off His outer garment and performed the task of the lowliest servant: He washed the dirty feet of His followers. The next day, Almighty God was crucified by His own creation. In allowing this, He offered salvation to all--even those who nailed Him to a cross. Jesus deserved glory but chose sacrifice and pain. And He asks that we follow His example of service. With the exception of Judas, His disciples obeyed. In fact, they all faced great difficulty and most died brutal deaths because of their faith. But they willingly walked the path of humility because of what Jesus had taught them: "The last shall be first, and the first last" (Matt. 20:16). How do you spend your resources and time? And which topics dominate your thoughts and conversation? These are a few indicators of the driving goals in your life. You may long for worldly recognition, but God has a higher calling for His children. Ask Him to foster a servant's attitude in your heart. ~Dr. Charles F. Stanley~ _________________________ Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens. (Hebrews 12:26 ESV) Everything is going to be shaken in earth and in heaven, with a view to finding out just how much there is of Christ living in it. These Jewish believers were going to see the temple and the whole temple system wrecked, and then they would discover just how much they had got of Christ, or how much of their life was bound up with earthly things. They would see what was left when that was all gone. God is not only going to shake Judaism, but this heavenly thing. He will shake heaven and earth, and we shall find out by that shaking what we have left when the earthly system passes, when even the representation of heavenly things in Christianity is tested (for Christianity has developed a representation of heavenly things, just as Judaism has). Men have made an earthly representation of the New Testament revelation of the church, and ministry, and priesthood. It is all going to be tested. For many it is now in the melting pot. The issue is the shaking of heaven and earth. What have we got left? The issue is Christ. Whether you like all that we have said, or agree with it or not, does not worry me; but I am concerned that we have come to Christ, to show that Christ in heaven is our Life, Christ in heaven is our All, and appointed to be so by God, and nothing here can take the place of Christ. God will bring everything to an end that takes the place of Christ. He has determined from eternity that in all things Christ should have the preeminence, and have the fullness, and that nothing shall glory before Him or take His place. The Lord bring us into a larger measure of Christ, and a larger measure of Christ into us. ~T. Austin-Sparks~