Monday, March 31, 2014

Antidote for Fear

Oswald Chambers said, "The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else."

"This is a wise, sane Christian faith: that a man commit himself, his life, and his hopes to God; that God undertakes the special protection of that man; that therefore that man ought not to be afraid of anything." (George MacDonald)

F. B. Meyer said, "God incarnate is the end of fear; and the heart that realizes that he is in the midst... will be quiet in the midst of alarm."

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Where do you invest your time?

Jesus... set time aside for the training of the twelve. With a world of millions to reach, Jesus budgeted the majority of His time to be with just a few simple men.

Prime time was invested in taking them through the Scriptures and sharing His heavenly insights. Key moments were spent sharing ministry with individuals and permitting them to watch every action and hear every word. Special days were set aside to explain to them the deeper meanings of His talks to the crowds. And valuable hours were seized in order to debrief them when they returned from assignments, to rebuke them when they failed, and to affirm them when they succeeded.

We might have been tempted to ask more than once why Jesus was spending so much valuable time with a group of simple-minded men when He could have taught men who could have intellectually appreciated His theological expertise. But Jesus was aware of where true importance lies, where the priorities are. And where your priorities are, there your time will be. (pp. 71-12) -- Ordering Your Private World, Gordon MacDonald

Inestimable Blessing

"A tender conscience is an inestimable blessing; that is, a conscience not only quick to discern what is evil, but instantly to shun it, as the yield closes itself against the mote." (Pastor Nehemiah Adams, 1806-1878)