Daily book quote - from "Jars of Clay"

    "As we are being transformed we turn our focus away from ourselves and focus on the Potter. He tells us “Don’t worry about what you can’t do, concentrate on what you can do. Don’t worry about whether it is as good as someone else can do it, do the best you can do.” What if only very best tennis player would enter the contest. What if no one else would come to Wimbledon because they knew they were not the top seed? What if only the best preachers preached? What if only the best singer sang? What if only the wealthiest person gave? What if only the best teacher taught? We are to be full of confidence, because God has made us and has called us to serve him. There is no one else like you in the world — God has seen to that."

Daily book quote - from "Jars of Clay"

    “God has something good for each of us here in this story of the potter. Every turning of the wheel and every touch of His hand has been to make us according to the Divine pattern. God wants to make the very best he can of each of us. Whether He is making a water pot, a crock pot, or crystal vase, He wants it to be the best! As someone has said; “God don’t make no junk!”

    It doesn’t happen suddenly, or by coincidence, or destiny, or fate, it happens by the power of His Holy Spirit, the dove working in us and through us.
    We need to realize that no human effort of self-improvement, no self-help book in the world can bring about the change we need. We must enter the potter’s house, let him place us back on the wheel, and slowly - ever so gently- re-shape and restore us.
    We have all made mistakes. We have all had some cracks and brokenness in our lives, but regardless of your past, regardless of your age, God wants to change your future! He wants you to become a willing vessel he can use for His glory!”

 

Daily book quote - from "Jars of Clay"

    “You see, our lives are not in the hands of “blind luck” or “fate” or “circumstances” but in the hands of Almighty God! And, though we may feel cracked and broken; though our lives may be divided; even if we have become hardened over the years; God, the potter, wants to redeem us; repair us or restore us; and most of all, He wants to refill us!

    When everyone else says that you are worthless, God says you are worth everything. He wants to take the broken pieces of your life and remake them into something new. He can take the worst of homes, and make them peaceful and loving. He can make the worst of addicts, clean. He can take a wrecked marriage and put it back together again. He can still make people into new creatures in Christ Jesus! “He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, more than we could ever ask or think”!

Daily book quote - from "Show and Tell"

    “Let me ask you this question; “Do you believe Christianity is true because it works?” Or, “Do you believe Christianity works because it is true?” If your answer is “yes” to either question, if you believe it either way, you need to share it and help someone find the light switch!

    We are called to be witnesses, however, we can only witness as to what we have experienced personally. Everything else is just learned knowledge or hearsay. It is not admissible, and I'm not interested in how much you know about the Bible; tell me how it has affected your life!”

 

Daily book quote - from "Show and Tell"

    "When it comes to planting seeds and reaping a harvest, we must always be sensitive to the Spirit of God within us, and the needs of those around us. God will always bring the two together at the right time. 

    It is the Spirit of God who prepares the soil through “conviction of the guilt of sin and judgment.” (John 16:8) He prepares the soil to receive the seeds that produce the fruit, which eventually become ripe unto harvest. So, if you make a comparison to gardening; if the soil is unprepared - there will be no harvest; if the seeds are planted at the wrong time - there will be no harvest; and, if we try to reap before the fruit is ripe - there will be no harvest.

    The point is that we need to be sensitive to God’s Spirit and God’s timing that “a way may be opened up” for us to reach our family, friends, and neighbors with the good news of the Gospel…and be ready and prepared to do it!"

Daily book quote - from "Show and Tell"

    “As Christians, we often come together like a bunch of marbles; all banging and grinding together with exteriors as hard as rocks. We ought to be more like grapes; all part of the same vine, and when one gets squished, it bleeds all over the rest of the cluster. This is why there are so many “one another’s” in the Bible. They all point us to - and show us how to - live according to Jesus command to “love one another.”

    Jesus was, and is, passionately addicted to people. Having come from eternity past, and on his way to eternity future, he was well aware that the only thing of any worth or value on this earth is people. The early disciples had to make a decision; would it be a life consumed with piles of fish, or a life that touches people with the transforming power and liberating work of Christ? The cause is all about seeing everything and everyone with eternal eyes.”

Daily book quote - from "Show and Tell"

"I don’t know if kids still play follow the leader, but we played it a lot in my neighborhood growing up. An interesting thing is that everyone wanted to be the leader. The leader always looked good; the leader could do whatever they wanted; and everyone else had to follow, imitate, and stumble along, trying to keep up with the leader. In order to be a good follower, you had to keep your eyes on the leader. You had to keep up with the leader. If you lagged behind, you couldn’t see what the leader was doing.

    It seems to me that although we are grown up, the game hasn’t changed much. The rules are the same, but the stakes are much higher. All of life, the true quality of life, as well as the outcome of life, depend on whether or not we choose to be the leader of our own destiny, or we choose to follow someone much wiser and fit to lead. In the case of a Christian, that leader would be Christ, and we better keep our eyes on him and not lag behind, lest we not follow properly and miss his direction."

Daily book quote -
From "Show and Tell"

"Philippians 2:13 tells us “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Rather than explain this in detail, let me just say that God’s purpose for each one of us has to do with five things:

1.) Our knowledge

2.) Our gifts
3.) Our talents
4.) Our learned skills or abilities
5.) Our passion
In other words, everything in life that has shaped us into who we are. Whatever our purpose, God will “shape” us or “conform” us and enable us to fulfill that purpose.  He will also give us the abilities and the passion or desire to do what we have been “called” to do."

Daily book quote - from "Show and Tell"

    "We are not called to live on the same level as the world. Christians are called to live on a level that is not only higher, but impossible. He is asking us to do things that in our own strength we cannot do. The only possible way to truly love our enemies is to live by the power of God. He is calling us to submit our weaknesses to him, and allow Him to pour His strength into us. When we are weak, He is strong! My friend, God does not call us to go down to the world’s level, but to bring the world up to ours!"

Daily book quote - from Show and Tell;

    “God’s Word is not merely for our information, it is for our transformation! It brings about a transformation that is not about trying to improve the old self; it is not about “cleaning up our act” so to speak; it is about a relationship that brings a change of direction, a change of attitude, a change of behavior, a whole new life and lifestyle. Knowledge that does not change a person’s life serves little purpose. God is not looking for a cleaned up version of the old self.

    It is really plain and simple; the more we know, the more it should show! The more we grow in our knowledge of God and His Word, the more the image of God should show in our attitudes and our thinking and be reflected in what we say and what we do.”

 

Daily book quote - from In It For Life;
Chapter 6
"Be Filled"...

    Let’s begin with this quote from Charles Stanley on the spirit filled life; “Far too many believers think the Christian life boils down to “do’in the best they can.” But if that were true, then there was no need for God to send the Holy Spirit. Jesus said in John 16 - “But it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you, but if I go, I will send Him to you.” ( NKJV) If we don’t need any help; if the Christian life is just a matter of  do’in the best we can, then why send a “Helper”?  This was Jesus way of tipping us off to a pro-found truth about the Christian life…Guess what, It’s impossible to attempt to live it in our pow-er and will. The kind of life and lifestyle God has called us to as Christians, is impossible to attain apart from divine intervention. And, let me take that a step further; I don’t believe God intended nor does He expect us to live it without His help. This is why Jesus said in John 15:5 “apart from me, you can do nothing.”

Daily book quote - from In It For Life;

Chapter 5 -

"The church as we know it today is characterized by denominations; a variety of ethnic backgrounds; different social standing; diversity of ideas; distrust; disagreement; and yes, division. Yet, there is a call for unity. What does love require in a pluralistic church where we are required to “Love the Lord our God, and our neighbor as ourselves?” How should we handle differences in the church? Different opinions; different ideas; and even different beliefs? On one side are the conservatives, on the other are the liberals, and everything in between!  I mean, how should Christians handle theological, ethical, moral, and even economical controversy and diversity in the church?

    Before we can focus on these “one another” scriptures, we need to settle our thinking about diversity; of which there are two kinds: One is the diversity of belief as it concerns “issues”.  This surfaces in differences of theological, ethical, moral, and political opinion. In our world in which we live today, Christians are either soldiers or they are casualties in the fight over abortion, homosexuality, inerrancy of scripture, speaking in tongues, baptism, civil and social rights, and the list goes on! 
    The second kind of diversity is not about issues as much as it is about “style”. These are the little things that frustrate and irritate us in and about the church. Things like; style of music, style of worship, how to spend money; what to do about the kids in the church, who should or should not be in areas of leadership, and for that matter, who should or should not be welcomed as a member! 
    Listen, quantity and quality of love are not the issue. The real issue is our “selectivity”. We think we have the right and duty to decide who to love and how to love them! But, the Bible does not give us that right! It COMMANDS us to love one another and attaches no conditions whatsoever to the command!"

Daily book quote - from In It For Life;
Chapter 5
    “There is a difference between thinking about, pondering over, or forming an opinion about something without facts or experience and seeking. Webster’s Desk Dictionary defines seeking as “to try to find, discover, or obtain truth.” One seeks by study, teaching, reading, prayer, interrogation, personal experience, digging in depth, searching for clues, and making use of all senses—sight, smell, sound, touch, and yes, even taste. Psalm 34:8 says, “Taste and see if the Lord is good!” The question becomes this: how many of these ways have you honestly sought truth?

    In my opinion, the reason people who question the Bible can so easily fall for the simplicity of a wooden idol, fat statue, or religion that does not require personal sacrifice of self, time, and money is because they are too lazy to really seek!  It is much easier to say, “I just don’t believe it.” But that’s what faith is all about, isn’t it? By the way, they are not questioning the Bible as much as they are really questioning God. The old saying is really true: if you don’t believe in something, you will fall for anything! I would add that if what you believe in is not truth, then you will just fall!”

Daily book quote - from In It For Life;
Chapter 5

"In my early childhood, I had a teacher who seemed to have the ability to discern and value the personality of each individual child. She communicated a spirit of acceptance and genuine care about the future of each one. She never showed preference of “bright” over “slow”; “coy over assertive”; or “serious” over “silly”; and consequently, she was able to relate to each child. This is the manner in which we are to relate to one another in love. Every child was special in her eyes, and she saw great possibilities in every one. The same is true of God! And, the same should be true for us!

  
     Acceptance requires grace; a lot of grace; simply because some people can be obnoxious! They test our limits. The word “patience” also comes to mind. If there was ever anyone who gave people room to be themselves, it was Jesus. He knew that the “puny” faith of the disciples would one day grow and make them into spiritual giants!  What he did for them, he still does for us now. He sees who we are and how we behave, and he loves us anyway! Why? Because he knows our potential."

Daily book quote - from In It For Life;
Chapter 4 - part 2

    “The intake of God’s Word really involves more than we think. It involves the five disciplines of “hearing”; “reading”; “study”; “meditation”; and “prayer”.
    Paul, once again in 1^st Timothy 4:13 instructs Timothy to “devote himself to the public reading of scripture, and to preaching and teaching” Why? To insure that the people would at least hear the Word of God, and that by hearing they might have faith.
    In those days the people were actually encouraged not to read the scriptures. The Pharisees and other religious leaders felt the common person could not understand, and there were no book stores! The Scriptures were not as readily available as we have today. The Pharisees, as Jesus pointed out to them, had a “do as I say and not as I do” religion.
    It is proven that we retain very little of what we hear! And, like those in the Parable of the Sower, Satan quickly snatches away what may have been sown, and we soon forget. Need proof? How many of you heard the preacher’s message two weeks ago? Or better yet, how many heard the preacher’s message last week? And, how much do you remember?  You see, “hearing” alone will not promote spiritual growth. It will and does “encourage our faith”, but hearing alone will not promote the kind of growth we need for “life”.

 

Daily book quote - from In It For Life;

    "In 1^st. Timothy 4:7  it is explained very clearly. “Discipline yourselves for the purpose of godliness. For physical training is of some value, but godliness” - or Christ-likeness – “has value for both this life and the life to come.”

    I am talking about the disciplines in life that promote spiritual growth. They are what I would call the “habits” of devotion that have been practiced by people of God for over 2000 years. We can think of it this way; there is little value in practicing chords on the guitar apart from the purpose of playing music. There is also little value in practicing Christianity apart from the purpose of Christ-likeness."

Daily book quote - from In It For Life;
Chapter 2 - part 2
"Understanding wisdom.."

    "We often have the tendency to question God’s wisdom when we ask questions like; “How could a God, who is love, allow this to happen?” In effect, we may think we are questioning His motives, but, we are really questioning His wisdom. This is because many misunderstand the Bible when it says “God is Love”. They think that if God is love, then He intends a trouble free life. So, anything upsetting such as; accident, illness, or suffering of any kind, indicates that the Bible is wrong or that somehow, God’s power and wisdom have broken down. But, God’s wis-dom and power is not, and never was, pledged to keep a fallen world happy! Nor, is it meant to make ungodliness comfortable! Not even to Christians does God promise a trouble-free life. In fact, His Word tells us just the opposite. Happiness and pure joy, and an absolute trouble-free life is God’s reward of heaven - not earth."

   

Daily book quote - From In It For Life;
Chapter 3 - Part 1
"Growing in knowledge.."

    "The subject of God is so vast that our thoughts often get lost in its immensity; it is so deep that our finite minds drown in its infinity. The wonderful thing about a study of God is that we tend not to become the wiser, but to be humbled. Yet, while it may humble the mind, at the same time it also expands the mind. If we disregard the study of God and knowing God better, we stumble through life “blindfolded” so to speak, with no sense of direction or understanding of what life is  all about. Man basically has three questions that need to be answered: (1) “Where did I come from?”  (2) “Why am I here?”  (3) “Where am I going?” Our knowledge of God can answer all three."

Daily book quote - from In It For Life;
Chapter 2 - Part 4
"I can do all things through Christ..."

"You see, (and this is worth highlighting) our potential as Christians; our potential as a church; is only limited by what we believe we cannot do!  A man named Paul Hovey once said: "A Blind man’s world is bound by the limits of his touch; an ignorant man’s world is bound by the limits of his knowledge; a great man’s world is bound by the limits of his vision."  If our vision is limited to only this world - what we can see, feel, touch, hear, or smell - then we will be limited to that vision. And, we will never go beyond its boundaries. It’s only when we begin to see and believe in the eternal realm - in, around, above, and beyond this world - that we begin to expand the boundaries of our thinking and our potential. In other words, we need to believe that God Is; that God Can do; that I Am who He says I am; and that I Can do all things with God by my side and Jesus Christ in my life!  Amen?"

Daily book quote - from In It For Life;
Chapter 2 -part 3
"I am who God says I am..."

    "Ladies, you will never be, nor were you meant to be Raquel Welsh or Brittany Spears! You were formed to be YOU!  I am not nor was I ever meant to be Elvis or Billy Graham, God form-ed me to be ME!  So, when we come to grips with that wonderful fact, that I am who God says I am and made me to be, we can stop trying to be like everybody else!  We can stop trying to please everyone else. We can stop trying to remake ourselves into the image of what the world describes as perfection and realize that we are already perfect! Look in the mirror and say to yourself; “I’m perfect just the way I am, because God made me, and I am who God says I am!”

    "Listen, an accurate view of yourself comes from an understanding of God’s view of who you are. If your feelings of self-worth are based on how you see your-self, or how others see you, then you are hooked to the wrong star."

Daily book quote - from In It For Life;
Chapter 2 - part 2
"God can do what He says He can do!"

    How often do we pray for something, while deep down inside, or way in the back of our minds, we don’t really think God will do it? That’s doubt. Not that we don’t believe God is able to do it, but, that somehow, for whatever reason that He won’t. Maybe because we have been brought up closer to the “cessationism” group, the “things like that don’t happen any more” group, then we like to think.  Listen, if we believe He is able, we must also believe He will! 
    Do you remember the statement I gave “A faith unchallenged is a faith unchanged?” For some people, their faith and their belief system hasn’t changed in so long, they have spiritual cobwebs.  Galations 5:25 says: “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” What does that mean?  It means that we need to keep up with what the Spirit is doing culturally and genera-tionally in and through the church. For some, it means that we need to broaden our biblical concepts of who God is and what He can do. 

Daily book quote - from In It For Life;
Chapter 2 - Part 1

"Let me begin with this statement: The most powerful, driving force of the Christian faith, is the certainty that God is who he says he is! This is where it has to begin, but this is only the beginning. Unless we get the first button in the right buttonhole, nothing else in life will line up."
    It is difficult for our finite minds to comprehend the eternal nature of God. Until we ourselves are ushered into eternity, we must be content in accepting God’s explanation of Himself as given to Moses, in Exodus 3:14, "I am who I am".  God is who He says he is!" 

Daily book quote- from In It For Life;
Chapter 1 - Part 7
John 3:16 - "but have eternal life..."

"In the beginning, God speaks our name, and we awaken into this life. We find ourselves in the loving arms of someone who knows our every need. When we learn to speak we call her “Mom”. The days and years go by and slowly but surely we learn the lessons of living ( good and bad )- and we make decisions and choices ( good and bad). Then one day, God speaks our name again, and we step from this life into the next, and we find ourselves in the loving care of the one who truly knows our every need because He created us! And His Word says “He will wipe every tear from our eyes. There will be no more sickness, no more death, nor crying or pain”. ( Revelation 21:4 )  My friends, there is more beyond!

Daily book quote- from In It For Life;
Chapter 1 - Part 6
"shall not perish, but have eternal life..."

"So, the truth of God's Word tells us that we can be born once and die twice, or we can be born twice and die once..." (Revelation 20:6-15)

Daily book quote- from In It For Life
Chapter 1 - Part 5
"that whosoever believes..."
 

“It is God’s will that not even one should perish, but all would come to repentance”.

    However, the Bible is also clear that the choice is up to you and me. God is willing to save, and wanting to save, and waiting to save “whosoever believes”!  Do you know that the most wonderful word in the Bible is “whosoever?” You see, God is not just the God of the Jews, He’s the God of “whosoever believes.” Jesus is not the Savior of a select few, or chosen few, He is the Savior of “whosoever believes!” The Holy Spirit is not the power behind just preachers and evangelists and a few selected and called people, the Holy Spirit is the power behind “whosoever believes!”
    In John 4:13 Jesus told the woman at the well; “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” ( KJV )
    In John 12:46 He says “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.” ( KJV )  In Acts 2:21  “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” ( KJV )  “Whosoever will”- “Whosoever believes”- Whosoever comes.” That is, anyone who chooses to come! Understand this; God cannot, and will not do anything in your life, until you choose to become a “whosoever”! Oh, He will do a lot of things to guide and change your circumstances and so on, and continuously try to bring you to a point of decision, but, it is you who must decide! 

 

Daily book quote from -
In It For Life - Chapter 1 - Part 4
"He gave His only son...."

God's gift of His son was an "Expressive" gift. It was an "Expensive" gift. It was an "Essential" gift!
God cared enough to send the very best!

In It For Life - Chapter 1 - Part 3

John 3:16 - "the world..."

"In the Bible we read; God is the creator and the sustainer and the judge of the world; Christ is the Savior of the world; the light of the world; and the reconciler of the world; And, it says that we Christians were chosen out of the world; we are sent into the world; are not to be conformed to the world; nor corrupted by the world; we are to be separate from the world; yet we are to be the salt and light of the world; and as if that isn’t confusing enough, it also says that we were once of the world, but now we are not of the world!  So, what in the world is the world?"

In It For Life - Chapter 1 Part 2
"So loved..."
The love of God is without boundaries. It is not limited in any way. In fact, John 3:16 tells us that His love is a whosoever love! It is not limited racially, nationally, politically, socially, or personally. It says that "God so loved the world..." - That's everyone! Everyone who has ever lived, is living, and ever will live! The width of God's love has no confinements."

John 3:16 - "For God...."
In It For Life - Part 1
"The words For God simply declare that He is! That is where we must start. "Those who would come to God must first believe that He exists" (Hebrews11:6) Once again, if we don't believe the first two words, then the rest of John 3:16 is useless!

Todays daily quote:
From "In It For Life" chapter one -
"Over the centuries, I think there are many people who find themselves in the same position as Nicodemus and me. They get involved in a church but not with Christ. Religion cleans them up and makes them look good, but they have never had a close encounter of the Divine kind!
Sometimes we try to reason and make sense out of God logically; we try to figure out this whole Christianity, as if it is lived according to a set of rules, regulations and traditions. We try to fashion Christians into a mold that we have created, and when we do that we not only limit our faith, we limit God."