Quotes

My sister brought this quote to my attention. What powerful truth it is!

'The gospel, applied to our hearts every day, frees us to be brutally honest with ourselves and with God., The assurance of His total forgiveness of our sins through the blood of Christ means we don't have to play defensive games anymore. We don't have to rationalize and excuse our sins. We can say we told a lie instead of exaggerated a bit. We can admit an unforgiving spirit instead of continuing to blame our parents for our emotional distress. We can call sin exactly what it is, regardless of how ugly and shameful it may be, because we know that Jesus bore that sin in His body on the cross. With the assurance of total forgiveness through Christ we have no reason to hide from our sins anymore.'
-Jerry Bridges The Discipline of Grace

Little Book, Big Message

Haggai 1:5-7,9a-11

Now therefore, thus says the LORD of Hosts: "Consider your ways! You have sown much, but harvest little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes. You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. The heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. [There is] a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors."

Now this is a depressing life! Nothing seems to get accomplished; nothing seems to go the way it is supposed to. It stinks to live like this. Why does this happen? Why do we live this way?

Haggai 1:9b

Why? declares the LORD of Hosts. Because of My house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house.

Life is depressing when I am too busy focusing on it to appreciate and glorify my Creator. When I race to do and accomplish the the things of life without regard for Him or His glory nothing is successful or gratifying. Work is laborious and vain (Ecc 2:11); food and drink just don't taste as good; the paychecks don't stretch as far; and it just seems that the harder I work the less I get done. Life stinks because nothing I try satisfies at all!

Haggai 1:13
I am with you declares the Lord!

Haggai 2:4-5
Be strong . . . work for I am with you" declares the LORD of Hosts! My Spirit remains with you. Fear not.

Matthew 6:31-34
Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil