Quotes - God's Word, The Bible

The Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible.
- D.L. Moody

This weapon is good at all points, good for defence and for attack, to guard our whole person or to strike through the joints and marrow of the foe. Like the seraph’s sword at Eden’s gate, it turns every way. You cannot be in a condition that the Word of God has not provided. The Word has as many faces and eyes as providence itself. You will find it unfailing in all periods of your life, in all circumstances, in all companies, in all trials, and under all difficulties. Were it fallible, it would be useless in emergencies, but its unerring truth renders it precious beyond all price to the soldiers of the cross.
- C.H. Spurgeon

In opposition…to all the suggestions of the devil, the sole, simple, and sufficient answer is the word of God. This puts to flight all the powers of darkness. The Christian finds this to be true in his individual experience. It dissipates his doubts; it drives away his fears; it delivers him from the power of Satan.
- Charles Hodge

When you have read the Bible, you will know it is the word of God, because you have found it the key to your own heart, your own happiness and your own duty.
- Woodrow Wilson

We must allow the Word of God to confront us, to disturb our security, to undermine our complacency and to overthrow our patterns of thought and behaviour.
- John R.W. Stott

The soul can do without everything except the word of God, without which none at all of its wants are provided for.
- Martin Luther

The Word of God well understood and religiously obeyed is the shortest route to spiritual perfection. And we must not select a few favourite passages to the exclusion of others. Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian.
- A. W. Tozer

I cannot choose but adhere to the word of God, which has possession of my conscience; nor can I possibly, nor will I even make any recantation, since it is neither safe nor honest to act contrary to conscience! Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God! Amen.
- Martin Luther

A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.
- Theodore Roosevelt

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Matthew 4:4

Quotes on serving God:

Trying to do the Lord's work in your own strength is the most confusing, exhausting, and tedious of all work. But when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, then the ministry of Jesus just flows out of you.

- Corrie ten Boom

It is possible to be so active in the service of Christ as to forget to love Him.

- P.T. Forsyth

True saints do what they do because they are drawn by love. True Christians find that the love of God in Christ is so attractive, so beautiful, that they cannot help wanting to serve Him. There is a splendour, a beauty, about God and His ways that lures humans beings to Him.

- Gerald McDermott

Don’t assume you have to be extraordinary to be used by God. You don’t have to have exceptional gifts, talents, abilities, or connections. God specializes in using ordinary people whose limitations and weaknesses make them ideal showcases for His greatness and glory (1 Cor. 1:26-29).

- Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Through prayer and meditation on the Word, become willing to let God have all the glory if any good is accomplished by your service. If you desire honour for yourself, the Lord must put you aside as a vessel unfit for the Master’s use. One of the greatest qualifications for usefulness in the service of the Lord is a heart that truly desires to honour Him.

- George Muller

If we give God service it must be because He gives us grace. We work for Him because He works in us.

- C.H. Spurgeon

I used to ask God to help me. Then I asked if I might help Him. I ended up by asking Him to do His work through me.

- Hudson Taylor

A good many are kept out of the service of Christ, deprived of the luxury of working for God, because they are trying to do some great thing. Let us be willing to do little things. And let us remember that nothing is small in which God is the source.

- D.L. Moody

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Colossians 3:17 (KJV)

Quotes on God's Word, the Bible:

The true Christian was intended by Christ to prove all things by the Word of God, all churches, all ministers, all teaching, all preaching, all doctrines, all sermons, all writings, all opinions, all practices. These are his marching orders. Prove all by the Word of God; measure all by the measure of the Bible; compare all with the standard of the Bible; weigh all in the balances of the Bible; examine all by the light of the Bible; test all in the crucible of the Bible. That which cannot abide the fire of the Bible, reject, refuse, repudiate, and cast away. This is the flag which He nailed to the mast. May it never be lowered!

- John Wycliffe

When the Word of God is not set up as the supreme authority, division is inevitable. Such happens even in evangelical churches, when pastors and other leaders begin substituting their own ideas for the truths of Scripture. The substitution is seldom intentional, but it will always happen when the Bible is neglected. A Bible that is not studied carefully cannot be followed carefully. And where it is not followed there will be division, because there will be no common ground for beliefs and practices. When the truth of Scripture is not the sole authority, men's varied opinions become the authority.

- John MacArthur

The authority of Scripture is greater than the comprehension of the whole of man's reason.

- Martin Luther

If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.

- Augustine

The amazing thing is that everyone who reads the Bible has the same joyful thing to say about it. In every land, in every language, it is the same tale: where that Book is read, not with the eyes only, but with the mind and heart, the life is changed. Sorrowful people are comforted, sinful people are transformed, peoples who were in the dark walk in the light. Is it not wonderful to think that this Book, which is such a mighty power if it gets a chance to work in an honest heart, is in our hands today?

- Amy Carmichael

The Scriptures were not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives.

- D.L. Moody

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart

Hebrews 4:12

Link - Love, the Law, and Your Music Collection

There is a great article HERE that deals with your MP3 collection, how you got it, and whether you should keep it. Please apply this advice to the movie collection on your hard drive as well!

Quote - The Absolute Standard!

"The church at Ephesus faced a culture characterized by immorality.  We too, live in a culture tolerant of sexual immorality.  It is popular to be open-minded to many types of sin, calling them personal choices or alternative lifestyles. But when the body of believers begins to tolerate sin in the church, it is lowering the church's standards and compromising its witness.  Remember that God's approval is infinitely more important than the world's.  Use God's Word, not what people around you are willing to accept, to set the standards for what is right or wrong."
- Bruce Barton

Amazing Grace!

Possibly the most well know of all Christian hymns is “Amazing Grace”! It is instantly recognized by people the world over and even many secular, non-Christians can sing it with ease. This is due in no small part to the fact that it has been popularised by many well known singers like Elvis Presley, Joan Baez, The Byrds, Judy Collins, Willie Nelson, Aretha Franklin and Rod Stewart. The song appears in many movies, from Star Trek to The Coal Miners Daughter. It was even sung at the first Wood Stock concert in 1969 by Arlo Guthrie!

But despite it’s widespread popularity it’s origins are not so well known. It was composed by a man named John Newton between 1760 and 1770 and was originally just a poem, and it although it wasn’t sung, it was chanted by church goers in England during services.

Since then it was put to many different tunes but in 1885 it was sung to the tune of a melody called “New Britain” which is the version we know and love so much today.

I think what has made this song so popular for so long is that it really highlights the fact that there is redemptive hope for all mankind through the grace of God. It speaks to peoples hearts and lets them know that no matter what state their soul is in right now, they have a way forward, a way out of their seemingly hopeless situation! And in these very difficult times, who doesn’t need a message like that?

Here are the original lyrics from the 1779 edition of “Olney Hymns” printed in England:

Amazing Grace
Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)
That sav’d a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev’d;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believ’d!

Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promis’d good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call’d me here below,
Will be forever mine.

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye,
always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:”
2 Corinthians 9:8 (KJV)

Romans 8:28

One of my favourite verses in the entire Bible is Romans 8:28: ”And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Whenever I am going through a difficult time and I cannot see any part of God’s plan for my life, when all seems dark and without hope when I am at the end of my rope, then I can look at this verse and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God will turn that thing, that situation, around and make it work together for my good!

The first thing I noticed about this verse is the word “know”. This indicates to me that it is beyond doubts; it is a confirmed, known fact and will definitely come to pass.

The second is the word “all”. Note that this does not say “some things”, or “good things”, or “inspiring things”, but instead: ALL things. Whether it seems to be good, bad or indifferent in our own eyes has no bearing on the outcome that God can bring from this testing trial that is besetting us right now, God can and will work it together for our good!

The next are the words “work together for good”. When a carpenter works a piece of wood he carves, bends, sands and chisels it until it becomes what he wants it to become. The block of wood goes through a trial at the time and the “working” is not pleasant at all, but when it has become a beautiful oak cabinet the results of all that work are obvious for all to see! In the same way God is shaping us into the vessels He wants us to be. Like Paul we need to look forward at the end result. (James 1:12)

And then lastly comes the condition, “to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” There is always a condition to receiving God’s blessing and miraculous provision. From having Naaman wash in the Jordan (2Kings 5:10), to the blind man washing the mud off his eyes (John 9:6&7), God always has a condition for us to fulfil.

So the good news is this, when we are at our lowest point, when we feel like we cannot go on, consol yourself with the fact that God is busy working in your life, you are not a completed work yet, then you can also: “… count it all joy when you fall into various trials,” (James 1:2 LITV) even if we have to grit our teeth and “count it all joy” despite our tears!

Happy are those who remain faithful under trials, because when they succeed in passing such a test, they will receive as their reward the life which God has promised to those who love him.
James 1:12 (GNB)

Why the world is a mess

Watching the news these days I cannot but come to the conclusion that Jesus was right when He laid out the condition of the world just before His return, go and read it for yourself in Matthew 24. What with wars, earthquakes, riots, tsunamis, destructive cults, false prophets, rampant sexual immorality, (and the list goes on) we are, I believe, certain to see the return of Christ in our generation.

However, whether He returns or not I think it is imperative that we live each day as if He is coming back in, umm, about 5 minutes!

If you had only five minutes to live what would you do with your time? I know what I would do! I would speak to all my loved ones and tell them that I love them, and then I would contact as many people that I may have wronged and apologise, from the heart. I would give my wife a rose, look her in the eye and give her a kiss. Hugs all around, a simple prayer and then just bask in the love. (It would need to be quite a long five minutes!) I know this sounds quite corny, but when all is said and done it all comes down to love, without it nothing really seems worth while.

Just remember that “God is love” 1John 4:8.

So really, when we boil it down to the basics, why do we have all these problems in the world today? Well, when speaking about the tragedy’s that occurred in his country during the communist revolution Alexander Solzhenitsyn said: “If I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible that main cause of the ruinous revolution that swallowed up some 60 million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: 'Men had forgotten God; that is why all this has happened.'"

In 1Timothy 4:1 it says: “But the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and teachings of demons” and 2Thessalonians 2:3 agrees and says: “for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first”.

So my conclusion is simple, the world is the mess it is in today because people have stepped away from God and do not want to acknowledge His existence because it is inconvenient to their lifestyle choices. But there is a price to pay, because people that are not ruled by love (God) will ultimately be ruled by sin and as the Bible points out: “And because iniquity (sin) shall abound, the love of many will become cold.” Matthew 24:12

Because of sin man is rapidly forgetting how to love, and the root of this is that man has decided to try and live life without God. But a life lived close to the source of all love, God, revealed in His Son Jesus Christ will be a life of love and joy despite the circumstances that surround us. And while we may not be able to change the entire world, we can change the world around us by simply showing love to the people around us.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone who loves has been born of God, and knows God.
1John 4:7

Quotes - My Top Ten Quotes from Jesus Christ

1) The Most Important Commandment
“Master, which is the great commandment in the Law? Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it, You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:36-40)

2) Love Your Enemies!
“You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy." But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you, so that you may become sons of your Father in Heaven. For He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same?” (Matthew 5:43-47)

3) Don't Worry About the Future
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow; for tomorrow shall be anxious for its own things. Sufficient to the day is the evil of it.” (Matthew 6:34)

4) How to Treat Others
“Therefore all things, whatever you desire that men should do to you, do even so to them; for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)

5) How to Achieve Greatness
“But Jesus called them and said to them, You know that they who are accounted rulers over the nations exercise lordship over them. And their great ones exercise authority on them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever desires to be great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever of you desires to become first, he shall be servant of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:42-45)

6) The Cost of Gaining the World
“And calling near the crowd with His disciples, He said to them, Whoever will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever will save his life shall lose it; but whoever shall lose his life for My sake and the gospel's, he shall save it. For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Therefore whoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My Words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man shall also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:34-38)

7) God Loves Everyone
 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.” (John 3:16-17)

8) If You Sincerely Seek an Answer You will find it!
“And I say to you, Ask and it shall be given you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives. And he who seeks finds. And to him who knocks it shall be opened.” (Luke 11:9-10)

9) The Only Way to God
“Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me.” (John 14:6) 

10) Jesus Claim to Be God
“Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Before Abraham came into being, I AM!” (John 8:58)
“But Jesus was silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, I adjure you by the living God that you tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus said to him, You said it. I tell you more. From this time you shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of the heavens.” (Matthew 26:63-64)

The Love of God!

I think one of the more misunderstood aspects of God in the world today is how much He loves us.

There is no limit to the depth, length, and scope of the love that He has for us, and if people would only come to realise this simple fact then they would have a totally different relationship with Him! Instead, a lot of people see God as being angry and waiting with a big stick for us to step out of line and do something wrong simply so that He can have the pleasure of punishing us, but nothing could be further from the truth.

In Revelations 22:7 Jesus says: “Behold, I come quickly.” and it’s been 2000 years. And in Psalm 103:8 it says that God is slow to anger. So if God’s quick is 2000 years then how slow is His slow? I put it to you that you cannot live long enough to make God angry with you!

God says in Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you… thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” or as the old saying goes: God is good ALL the time!

More quotes on the Love of God:
God did not demand that we first demonstrate our allegiance to Him before Christ would agree to die in our place. To demand that we somehow show ourselves deserving of forgiveness in order to regain our status as His children would have been futile. What can ungodly, rebellious sinners offer God that would move the holy Creator of the universe to sacrifice His only Son on their behalf? So God acted first, motivated solely by his own sovereign love, to grant mercy to His people as the ultimate expression of His grace (Ex. 33:19; Isa. 63:7; Rom. 9:15-18; Eph. 2:4; Titus 3:5; 1 Pet. 1:3). Christ died for us because the Father and the Son loved the unlovable.
- Scott Hafemann

Nothing binds me to my Lord like a strong belief in His changeless love.
- C.H. Spurgeon

Christian, believe this, and think about it: you will be eternally embraced in the arms of the love which was from everlasting, and will extend to everlasting – of the love which brought the Son of God’s love from heaven to earth, from earth to the cross, from the cross to the grave, from the grave to glory – that love which was weary, hungry, tempted, scorned, scourged, buffeted, spat upon, crucified, pierced – which fasted, prayed, taught, healed, wept, sweated, bled, died.  That love will eternally embrace you.
- Richard Baxter

God loves each one of us as if there were only one of us to love.
- Augustine

...that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:17-19