This and That from My Journal

I journal. Stashed away are years and years of my journals and in the next few days I will be filling in the last page of yet another. This one I began in May 2007. Today, I'm scanning through it, reading personal notes, thoughts only meant for God, comments on scripture, and quotes I've reaped from great books and great men of God. Here are a few of the tidbits, unrelated to one another, but worth munching on again.

"Behind virtually every case of marital dissatisfaction lies unrepented sin. Couples don't fall out of love so much as they fall out of repentance." (from Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas.)

"Our tendancy to avoid suffering is a grave spiritual failing that can and often does keep us in Christian infancy." (Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas)

The spirit of offense is as the spirit of unforgiveness and comes on you when you fail to quickly forgive. (my thought)

The unbeliever is judged for his sins; the believer is judged for his works. Thus we are given (or not given) rewards. We already have salvation.(From Pastor Brent's sunday sermon)

To be mature is to know how to speak truth in love.

From Andrew Murray's Humility: How do I know if I have humility? By looking at how I bear injuries, distresses, reproof or reproach.

God wants us to seek his face more than his hand. It is possible that some seek only his hand and not his face. This is not the way to salvation. We must seek HIM in addition to his hand to be saved.

I am comforted that a loving God watches over me and confirms his love to me whan I come to sit at his feet.

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins. (I Pet. 4:8)

God loves us to respond outwardly to his love. He loves our joyful response!

John the Baptist is an example of a child of God who is flourishing. He flourished because he was walking in God's purpose, he was not conformed to the world, he was confident of who he was and what he was to be doing. He had a message and he gave it with boldness, directness and feared no man. John flourished and rebuked others who pretended they flourished but did not. The only way to flourish in God is to be open, repentant and willing to be changed.

On difficult people, the Lord said to me -- You will always have them with you. Learn to deal with them the way I would deal with them! They are not going to go away!