You are Not Able, but He Is

 Have you ever thought, "There is no way I can accomplish this", or "There is no way I can endure this"? Oh, but yes you can. Not in your own strength, but with God. He will make and show you the way. He is a loving Father who guides us through all that He requires and asks. And He will give you all that you need to accomplish the tasks and endure the sorrows He sets before you. You most certainly are not able, but He is more than enough.

 "The duties God requires of us are not in proportion to the  strength we possess in ourselves. Rather, they are proportional to the resources available to us in Christ. We do not have the ability in ourselves to accomplish the least of God's tasks. This is the law of grace. When we recognize it is impossible for us to perform a duty in our own strength, we will discover the secret of its accomplishment." ~ John Owen

Puritan John Owen and his wife had 11 children, and 10 died in infancy. Can you imagine? I certainly cannot. But God grew him into a great servant of His. May we learn to trust our heavenly Father, like the greats of the faith have.

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”  ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9

  Know that “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” ~ Isaiah 40:29

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." ~ Romans 8:38-39 

 

Be of Good Cheer...You are His!

 Are there people in this world whom have hurt you? Do they sometimes trouble your spirit to the core? Do not give in to despair. Do not let them define you. God is in charge of all His elect. He has, and always will, have your back. He has made you for HIS purposes. Hold onto that thought, and onto Christ, and keep living for, and serving Him.

 “But now, this is what the Lord says – he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.'” ~ Isaiah 43:1 (oh how I love knowing He summoned ME!)

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.” ~ 2 Timothy 1:7

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.”  ~ John 15:18-19 

"Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand." - Romans 14:4  

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” ~ Romans 8:1 

"The person who understands the evil in his own heart is the only person who is useful, fruitful, and solid in his beliefs and obedience. Others only delude themselves and thus upset families, churches, and all other relationships. In their self-pride and judgment of others, they show great inconsistency." ~ John Owen 

Go in peace, knowing you are His. 

Above All, Love One Another

“If I’m not showing grace . . . have I forgotten the grace I’ve been shown?“ - John MacArthur

“Hang that question up in your houses, ‘What would Jesus do?’ and then think of another, ‘How would Jesus do it?’ for what he would do, and how he would do it, may always stand as the best guide to us." ~ Charles Spurgeon

“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” -Romans 12:3

Be Patient with Your Fellow Brethren

Never forget that we are saved by Grace alone, by Faith alone, and by Christ alone. 

 "The growth of trees and plants takes place so slowly that it is not easily seen. Daily we notice little change. But, in course of time, we see that a great change has taken place. So it is with grace. Sanctification is a progressive, lifelong work (Prov 4:18). It is an amazing work of God's grace and it is a work to be prayed for (Rom 8:27)." ~ John Owen

 "If I belittle those whom I am called to serve, talk of their weak points in contrast perhaps with what I think of as my strong points; if I adopt a superior attitude, forgetting "Who made thee to differ? and what hast thou that thou hast not received?" then I know nothing of Calvary love." ~ Amy Carmichael

^"He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: ^'Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’  But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” 

-Luke 18:9-14

 "Be of good cheer, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole." 

~ John Bunyan