 “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24) We have experienced disappointments, a friend might have let us down, or plans might have fallen through, but Jesus has proven to be a faithful friend. “There were two brothers of the name of Forsythe; one of them fell prostrate on the earth, and would have laid there and died, but his brother, though barely able to drag his own limbs across the white desert, took him on his back, and carried him along, and as others fell one by one, this brave, true-hearted brother carried his loved one on his back, until at last he himself fell down overcome with fatigue, and died. His brother, however, had received warmth from his brother’s body so that he safely reached the end of his journey and lived. Here we have an instance of one brother sacrificing his life for another. I hope there are some brothers or sisters here who would be prepared to do the same if they ever face the same challenge, ‘a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.’” Hence, Jesus is the friend that sticks closer than a brother. Even after all the things that we have done, for he knew about it before we did it and still befriended us. He has never abandoned us but loved us anyway, going so far as to die for us while we chose to do what we wanted to do, rather than receive Him as our Lord and Savior. (Romans 5:6) Yes, that is the kind of friend that sticks closer than any brother. GiGi❤️
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 ”And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True.” (Revelation 19:11) Our Lord and Savior is our example of what faithfulness and truth look like. Faithfulness and truth are partners that travel together. They manifest as trust and dependability, no ambiguity, no beating around the bush, no if, but, or maybe. We know that the Lord is going to show up. How many times must we show up with doubt and worry, only to be reminded again and again that he is faithful. We have no business trying to figure it out or work it out. We are to just TRUST. For, the God that we serve, “His name is faithfulness, and I know it, for He has never forsaken me though my troubles have multiplied upon me.” Dear Lord, May we “Openly declare, ‘I will be faithful.’ “ Help us Lord to “Will to be faithful.” GiGi❤️ 
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18) An emotional loop can be a pattern of behavior or thinking that is on repeat. It produces thoughts, feelings, and beliefs that enforce the ideas we have about ourselves, our experiences, our story. For some, that emotional loop can be negative and self defeating. It can cause us to be unteachable, resistant to change, get in the way of progress and leave us feeling stuck. And yes, even the child of God can experience a negative emotional loop. We can address negative patterns of thinking by increasing self-awareness, practice acceptance, and interrupt the loop with thoughts based on evidence, truths, and not emotions. Our biblical forefathers were not emotional thinkers. Yet, they were also imperfect. Therefore, when there was a slip up it was their humility and ties to the truth that led them to correction. Abraham was chosen by God because he was found to be faithful (Nehemiah 9:7-8). Faithful is defined as loyalty but also means accurate, dependable. They were able to break those emotional loops because they “held firm to the pattern of sound teaching,” and to “faith and a good conscience.” That’s why David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). The Lord said of Abraham, “I bestowed greatness upon Abraham and he said to Me: ‘But I am but dust and ashes’ (Genesis 18:27). Upon Moses and Aaron and they said: ‘For who are we?’(Exodus 16:7).” Dear Lord, open our eyes and unstop our ears so that we can see and hear the truth and be no longer led by our emotions. Bless us to be faithful like Abraham and teachable like David. GiGi❤️  “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” (Matthew 25:23) The closer Moses got to God the more humble he became and the more his perspective mirrored that of His Father. For, “A genuine experience of God shrivels the ego.” Our perception of what is great and what is small does not match God’s perception because even the smallest of service is great in His eyes. It is possible to pretend to care by committing great acts, but faithfulness requires one to do the right thing at the right time, particularly when no one is watching. “A man may preach admirably, and he may work marvels in the church, and yet not be a partaker of saving grace. Hence, when the disciples came back from preaching, and said, "Lord, even the devils are subject to us through thy name," the Lord said, "Nevertheless, in this rejoice not, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven." Judas was amongst them; Judas cast out devils; Judas preached the gospel; and yet Judas was a son of perdition, and is lost forever. Because you cannot do much you must not think that you are not saved; for if you were to be among the chief of Christian workers it would not prove that you were certainly a child of God. Do not fret, then, because you are not able to participate in street witnessing, or stand in the pulpit to teach or preach; for, as long as your name is written in heaven, and your heart truly follows after the Lord, you shall have an abundant recompense at the last great day, even though here you might just be the keeper of the door.” Charles Spurgeon Dear Lord, help us to remember that you are looking for faithfulness, not greatness. Therefore, remind us daily that if we are “faithful in a very little we are also faithful in much.” (Luke 16:10) GiGi❤️ 
“What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?” (Psalm 116:12) Just when the complaint is about to leave our mouth, we are so quickly reminded of the goodness of the Lord. The murmur turns into praise and gratitude. Just when we think we cannot go on another minute, let alone another day, our tears turn into joy and praise. When we think the night lasts for an eternity, soon the sun comes out and a new day begins. That’s the kind of God we serve. “‘What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?’ Suppose, dear friend, you had been the woman bowed with an infirmity for so many years, and Christ had loosed you, and you had stood upright to-night; what would you render? Suppose you had been poor blind Bartimeus sitting by the wayside begging, born blind, and you had your sight given you to-night; what would you render? But you have had such a gift bestowed on you. You were in spiritual blindness, worse than that which is only natural, and Christ has opened your eyes; what will you render? Suppose you had been Lazarus, and had been in the grave so long that you began to be corrupt, and Christ had raised you to life, what would you render? Well, you have been quickened when you were dead in sin. You were corrupt; you were buried in darkness and in sin; but you can say with the psalmist, ‘O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave.’ Now, what will you render to him?” Dear Lord, bless us to “consecrate part of our substance to you, Oh God, tomorrow and the next day, and the next. While we are at work, whether if we drive a bus, or use a hammer, or stand at a counter, or in the fields, or in the streets, we will ask that our thoughts be on YOU, that we may be kept from sin,” and that, by our example and the word of our testimony others might come to know you. Use us Lord! GiGi❤️ 
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! (Psalm 34:8) We experience the goodness of the Lord through our senses. It may be challenging to describe it to someone else, after all, we just want them to experience our reality, that the Lord our God is so so good. Perhaps it was while sitting in church and being moved by the exaltation from the preacher, or being ministered to from the words and melody to a song, “Oh, taste and see.” Perhaps, it was witnessing transformation in an individual, “once they were blind but now they see.” Or, having someone take the time to extend an act of love and compassion toward us, out of nowhere, when we least expected it, “Oh, taste and see.” Perhaps, it was that hug, oh yes, that hug that someone sustained when they held onto us tightly until whatever invisible thing that had us entangled broke and we wept, “Oh, taste and see.” There was a little boy who was given his first piece of candy at school. It was the most delightfully sweet candy he had ever tasted. He went home and described the experience to his father. His father said, “Was it as sweet as such a fruit?” “It was far sweeter than that.” “Was it as sweet as such and such a food?” “It was much sweeter than that. But daddy,” said the little boy, “I cannot describe it well enough.” So he rushed back to school and begged for another piece for his father. He brought it back, and said, “Daddy, taste and see, and then you will know how sweet it is.” Dear Lord, if it is so that we have tasted of your goodness, surely you have become our hearts’ desire. May we run to you for more and more so that we can share your goodness with others. GiGi❤️  “But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. (1 Samuel 30:6b) Let us not deny ourselves the opportunity to enter into the presence of God daily by reading His Word, meditating and praying. Let us take time to sit under good teaching and hear the preacher. The very words that we read or hear will surely bring us comfort in our time of need. That is the power of the Word of God, the power to heal, deliver, and comfort. The day will arise when there is no one else around that can comfort us. If we have stored up during our time of plenty then we can be fed during the famine. “Admire, too, the comfort that you often see in the case of David. His was a troubled life, but he stayed himself upon his God. As one remarkable instance of this, think of the time when he came back from the Philistines and found Ziklag burned. All who were left in it were carried away captive and ‘the people’—his own followers—‘spoke of stoning him—but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.’ All through the Psalms you get beautiful pictures of the comfort that David enjoyed even in his times of trouble. ‘Why are you cast down, O my Soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope you in God, for I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance and my God.’ Thus he talked to himself and admonished himself—and even when he sank in deep waters, he still cried unto the Lord and still hoped in His mercy. What a sweet song of hope he sings in the 23rd Psalm! ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.’” C. Spurgeon Dear Lord, help us to be mindful of the importance of spending precious time with you. Help us to make You a priority for you are the source of our hope, our peace, and our comfort. GiGi❤️  “He who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:22) It is a show of good character to finish what we started. Experience teaches us that it is better not to make promises if we cannot keep them and better not to begin a project if we know that we cannot finish it. But what about the times when we have been charged by God to do difficult things? Joyce Meyers stated, “There’s nothing better than having the peace, righteousness, joy and satisfaction of knowing you’ve finished what God has given you to do. The reward is so much greater than whatever price you have to pay. It may not feel good while you’re going through the process of getting there, but when it’s over, you have that satisfying feeling of knowing you did what God put in your heart to do. You can sit back, relax and watch God move!” Yes, it is hard. It is difficult. Yet, we experience peace and a sense of satisfaction when we cross the finish line. We don’t have to be first, it doesn’t have to be perfect, we just have to be able to say we did what God required us to do. “There are the spectators, and there are the runners. What strong men! What magnificent muscles! But at the end of the course is the finish line, and there at that point is where I must judge who the winner is, not here, at the starting line, for “In a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?” [1 Corinthians 9:24] I may select this one, or that other person, as likely to win, but I cannot be absolutely sure until the race is over. There they fly! see how they press forward; but one has tripped, another faints, a third is out of breath, and others are far behind. One only wins — and who is he? Why, he who continues to the end.” Charles Spurgeon Dear Lord, give us the strength and courage to finish or complete what you have given us to do. GiGi❤️  “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.” (Jeremiah 17:7) If we are going to trust God we must jump in with both feet. We must untie the boat from the pier. We must jump from the airplane without a parachute. Yes, this is a faith walk, “There ain’t no half steppin’.” The word, TRUST rings loud with synonyms: faith, confidence, and reliability. There is little more frustrating than having someone ask you to do something and when you don’t perform it fast enough, and just the way they imagined, they snatch it back from you, “Let me have it, I’ll do it.” That’s a sign of control, the inability to let go and trust. This is similar to what we do with our Lord and Savior. We can be impatient and impertinent. “True trust in Christ is an entire reliance upon him. This day, if you trust Christ, you rest the whole weight and stress of your soul’s affairs upon him. Looking at your sin and your sinfulness, looking at the past, the present, and the future, looking at death and at judgment, you deliberately believe that Christ is equal to every emergency, and you just cast yourself entirely and without reserve upon him to save you, and to keep you saved forever. No other trust is worth a pin except this. It must be an absolute severance from all reliance upon your past merit, or upon your present resolutions, or upon your future expectations of what you shall be or shall do. You must have done with all other trust if Christ is your confidence. Your motto must be, ‘Jesus only.’” Charles Spurgeon I pray that today is the day that we stop living life on the shore, we set sail, and we jump. If we give it to God, we have to trust Him. We cannot snatch it back because He’s not moving fast enough or it does not look the way we wanted it to. It’s time to let go and TRUST in the Lord. GiGi❤️  ”If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?” (Hebrews 12:7) We charge God foolishly when we imagine that he is unjust. “Ah!” said one, “when I was in the worId I prospered; but ever since I have been a Christian I have endured no end of losses and troubles.” Do you mean to insinuate that the Lord does not treat you justly? Think a minute, and stand corrected. If the Lord were to deal with you according to strict justice, where would you be? If he were now to call you to account for your sins, and lay bare the naked sword of justice, what would become of you? You would be at once in despair, and very soon in hell. Never charge upon the Lord a failure of justice, for this is to sin with a vengeance. Some, however, will bring foolish charges against his love. “How can he be a God of love if he permits me to suffer so?” You forget that word— “As many as I tenderly love” (for that is the Greek word), “I rebuke and chasten.” The more the Lord loves you, the more surely he will rebuke any and every evil that he sees in you. You are so precious to him, that he desires to make you perfect in every good work to do his will. Charles Spurgeon GiGi❤️ |
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