How a Broken Heart Brings Blessing ..... Streams in the Desert

How a Broken Heart Brings Blessing 

Streams in the Desert

Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. Acts 14:22

The best things of life come out of wounding. Wheat is crushed before it becomes bread. Incense must be cast upon the fire before its odors are set free. The ground must be broken with the sharp plough before it is ready to receive the seed. It is the broken heart that pleases God.

The sweetest joys in life are the fruits of sorrow. Human nature seems to need suffering to fit it for being a blessing to the world.

Beside my cottage door it grows,
The loveliest, daintiest flower that blows,
A sweetbriar rose.

At dewy morn or twilight's close,
The rarest perfume from it flows,
This strange wild rose.

"But when the rain-drops on it beat,
Ah, then, its odors grow more sweet,
About my feet.
Ofttimes with loving tenderness,
Its soft green leaves I gently press,
In sweet caress.

A still more wondrous fragrance flows
The more my fingers close
And crush the rose.

Dear Lord, oh, let my life be so
Its perfume when tempests blow,
The sweeter flow.

And should it be Thy blessed will,
With crushing grief my soul to fill,
Press harder still.

And while its dying fragrance flows
I'll whisper low, "He loves and knows
His crushed briar rose."

If you aspire to be a son of consolation; if you would partake of the priestly gift of sympathy; if you would pour something beyond commonplace consolation into a tempted heart; if you would pass through the intercourse of daily life with the delicate tact that never inflicts pain; you must be content to pay the price of a costly education--like Him, you must suffer.
--F. W. Robertson

The Rewards of Patience..... Dr. Charles Stanley

The Rewards of Patience

Dr. Charles Stanley

Psalms 40

The Scriptures contain many stories of people who waited years or even decades before the Lord's promises came to pass. What modern believers can learn from the patience of biblical saints like Abraham, Joseph, David, and Paul is that waiting upon the Lord has eternal rewards.

Today let's look at Israel's most memorable monarch. David was the chosen heir to Israel's throne, but he spent years dodging King Saul's wrathful pursuit. Despite having two different opportunities for vengeance, David resisted the temptation and spared Saul's life. He chose to adhere to God's timetable for his coronation instead of dishonoring the Lord by killing the divinely anointed king. David's psalms reveal his intimate awareness of Yahweh's work in his life. The shepherd king not only achieved his objective through patience; he also observed that God's way was always best.

David left behind an incredible testimony of God's faithfulness for each of us to read and meditate upon. He was committed to waiting upon the Lord, and as a result, he had the Father's approval and blessing. We cannot underestimate the reward of living in divine favor. That isn't a special state reserved for "giants of the faith" like David. All who obediently endure until the Lord acts on their behalf abide in His favor.

David didn't receive his blessings because he was special; he was honored among men because he honored the Lord above all. And since he trusted in God's faithfulness, he endured hardship with patience. We, too, can expect to be blessed when we wait upon the Lord.

It Looked Better in My Head..... by John UpChurch

It Looked Better in My Head
by John UpChurch

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” - Philippians 2:3-4 

Your calling looks better in your head than in real life. Inside, safely tucked away in your synapses, the visions of what God wants to do through you come with puppies, double rainbows, and guilt-free cheesecake. It’s amazing how perfectly our brains can sand down the obstacles ahead, plaster over the voices of dissent, and generally build a future much like the highlights from someone else’s life.

With such a build-up, it’s easy to see why we get disappointed. After all, stories like these are all over:

• The country preacher has a vision to reach rural America with the gospel, to burn so brightly that a whole community is changed. But the church never grows. He sees nothing dramatic happen and finally moves on.
• A woman faithfully loves and serves her unsaved coworkers for years. She pours hours of prayer into the thing, hoping that at least one will really absorb what she’s been sharing with them. But all she seems to take with her when she retires are the pictures from her cubicle.
• A Christian missionary community, after years of serving the poorest in their adopted country, finally has a breakthrough when a local leader professes faith in Jesus. Days later, militants attack the area and murder the new convert, his family, and many of the missionaries.

And maybe something like that has hijacked your calling, too. You started out strong, pushing forward even when turbulence hit. You just knew God would work all things together for your good, and you had that verse, Romans 8:28, firmly planted in your noggin (and maybe scribbled on a Post-It Note on your mirror—just to be sure).

But along the way, the future you had imagined became more and more distant from the slog-it-out reality. You doubt that God was ever really in the thing to begin with, and, so, you try to forget that something ever happened, that something got you excited and charged up in the first place.

Don’t write off your calling just yet.

The thing about God is that He’s big, really big. And He sees much farther, clearer, and better than us. From our perspective, we can’t always see progress. But usually that’s because we’re trying to see the land ahead from a valley.

Intersecting Faith & Life: The truth is that we may not see progress in the short-term, maybe not even in our lifetime. But we’ve been called to faithfully serve where Christ puts us. We get bogged down when we imagine that all our service and work should produce results that we can experience. Our joy comes from seeing things happen, and not so much the serving.

But God never promises that we’ll see what He’s up to—at least, not while we’re camping here on earth. He’s called us to look out “for the interest of others,” both believers and the unchurched. Whether we see something happen or not.

For Further Reading
1 Corinthians 12
Ephesians 4

Bible Verses that Undeniably Describe the Trinity..... by Jennifer Waddle

Bible Verses that Undeniably Describe the Trinity
by Jennifer Waddle

If ever there was doubt about the deity of Jesus, John 1 sets the record straight. From the beginning, Jesus existed. He was with God, and He was God. In fact, the book of Hebrews records Jesus as the Creator of all things.

“You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.” Hebrews 1:10

Skeptics will point out that the word “trinity” isn’t in the Bible. That is true. However, the Scriptures clearly identify the trinity as One God, complete in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Here are 4 verses that undeniably describe the Trinity:

1. For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 NKJV

It is nothing short of amazing that Isaiah prophesied about Jesus hundreds of years before His birth. He identifies the Son as Mighty God and Everlasting Father. In fact, the book of Isaiah is full of revelation about the deity of Christ. (see Isaiah 7:14, 12:2-3, 42:8, 44:6)

2. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 NIV

Trying to understand Jesus as fully God and fully man is sometimes difficult. Our minds cannot comprehend the Creator of the universe stepping down from heaven and dwelling among us. In fact, that was a huge stumbling block to the Jewish nation, who had their hopes set on a Messiah who would come to rule and reign.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us…1 John 1:1-2

3. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily…Colossians 2:9 NKJV

Perhaps you’ve seen the object lesson of an ice cube being heated in a pan. The solid cube represents the Father, the steam rising symbolizes the Holy Spirit, and the water that remains refers to Jesus. From one piece, three elements are displayed. This tiny example may not fully explain the mystery of the Trinity, but it offers insight into three distinct parts demonstrated from one whole.

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. Hebrews 1:3 NIV

Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 2 Corinthians 3:17

4. For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. 1 John 5:7 NKJV

This verse leaves no room for doubt that God exists as the Trinity. The Father, the Word, and the Spirit each have their specific role within the Godhead. We do not worship, as some false religions would say, a “three-headed” god. We worship the one true God of the Bible.

Perhaps, our finite minds will never fully understand the miracle of the Trinity. However, the working of the Father through the righteousness of His Son and the power of His Spirit, is a magnificent truth that cannot be denied.

A Prayer for Ceaseless Love..... By Dr. Charles Stanley

A Prayer for Ceaseless Love
By Dr. Charles Stanley

“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 8:39

As Jesus was praying in the garden of Gethsemane on the night before His crucifixion, Judas Iscariot approached him with a band of men. The betrayer stepped forward and kissed the Lord’s cheek. And what was Jesus’ response? According to another disciple, Matthew, He called the man “Friend” (Matt. 26:50).

Judas expected Jesus to establish His kingdom on earth and drive the Romans out of Israel—anyone who could calm a storm at sea could easily remove an oppressive government! But Judas’s interest in Jesus was more personal and political than spiritual. In fact, John reported that his fellow disciple stole from the money box (12:6). Today the man’s name is synonymous with those who betray others for personal gain.

In spite of Judas’ greed, blind ambition, and betrayal, Jesus never stopped loving him; He still used the word “friend” to address the one-time disciple. The Lord does not place conditions on His love or reject people who fail to meet certain standards. He simply cares for us as we are.

People cannot earn Jesus Christ’s love and friendship. He takes the initiative, reaches out, and draws into fellowship those who are willing. We are not worthy, but we are privileged to live in His love anyway. In the Lord, we find a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Prov. 18:24).

Heavenly Lord, we will never be able to earn the love you have so lavished upon us. Instead, let us contemplate your grace and be humbled by it. There is no way we can comprehend your love. Even when we sin against you, you wait for us to return with open arms. Thank you that even though we are sinners, you've forgiven us through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. I pray that your ceaseless love would pour into my heart, and that I would be changed into someone who also offers ceaseless love to others. Thank you for the grace you give us to start each day with new mercy over us. In your name we pray, Amen.