“My worth is what I am worth to God; and that is a marvelous great deal, for Christ died for me. Thus, incidentally, what gives to each of us His highest worth gives the same worth to everyone; in all that matters most are we equal.”
William Temple
“Rich and poor have this in common:
The Lord is the Maker of them all.”
Proverbs 22:2
“For God does not show favoritism.”
Romans 2:11
“One who has been touched by grace will no longer look on those who stray as ‘those evil people’ or ‘those poor people who need our help.’ Nor must we search for signs of ‘loveworthiness.’ Grace teaches us that God loves because of who God is, not because of who we are.”
Phillips Brooks
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
Colossians 3:12-13
“Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
Mark 11:23-25
When I was young in my faith, verses like these seemed like such an exciting promise. I actually wondered, So I can really ask for whatever I want and I’ll get it? Looking back, the way I’ve learned to understand the verse has had a direct connection to my spiritual maturity at any given time.
Phase one was a solely Self-centered view. I made the verse all about me – deciding on, asking for and expecting something that I want. Then, it was up to me to believe enough for it to come to me. (You can imagine how well that went…)
The next phase was a time of questioning. The failures and disappointments of my Phase One approach left me confused. So, I headed back to the verse to make sure I read it right. Turns out I did. By God’s grace, I started to think that it might be me that wasn’t right. (If I’m honest, that part took me a while…)
Finally, I began to realize my desires and motivations were not always in line with what I was learning in Scripture. And that admission made the verse come into clear focus. Jesus wasn’t promising me all the things I wanted unless they were things on God’s own heart. (Quite a radical idea for me at the time…)
I was led soon after to James 4:2-3, which confirmed the meaning for me: “you do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives…” I’m not perfect in this area by a long shot. But I’m glad to experience the blessings of seeking God with a heart that’s in synch with His.
Click here for more info about Heather and Worship Walk Ministries. Check in there for new devotionals, too!
“I shall pass through this world but once. Any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer it or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”
Henry Drummond
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”
Romans 12:1
“Faith and works are bound up in the same bundle. He that obeys God trusts God; and he that trusts God obeys God. He that is without faith is without works; and he that is without works is without faith.”
Charles Spurgeon
“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.”
James 2:14-18
“True contentment is a thing as active as agriculture. It is the power of getting out of any situation all that there is in it. It is arduous and it is rare.”
G.K. Chesterton
“A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.”
Proverbs 14:30
“The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.”
Proverbs 19:23
“The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things.”
Henry Ward Beecher
“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.”
1 Timothy 6:6-8
“Faith expects from God what is beyond all expectation.”
Andrew Murray
“Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matthew 17:20
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
Mark 11:24
“Faith deals with the invisible things of God. It refuses to be ruled by the physical senses. Faith is able to say, ‘You can do what you like, because I know God is going to take care of me. He has promised to bless me wherever he leads me.’ Remember that even when every demon in hell stands against us, the God of Abraham remains faithful to all his promises. Jesus Christ can do anything but fail his own people who trust him.”
Jim Cymbala
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Hebrews 11:6
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Hebrews 13:8
“This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
‘In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.’ “
Isaiah 30:15
When I read this verse, I think two things: First, how sad it is that God’s people missed out on such a sweet promise; Second, how often I do the same thing.
Many times, God’s way of saving and growing us up has seemed too passive on my end. So I’m supposed to just let God do all the work? Well, yes, actually. But I’m wrong if I believe our part is to simply ‘wait around’ for Him. Because even in the waiting, we are to be active and expectant.
God offers us the gifts of salvation and strength, in His timing and His way. The four qualities He mentions in Isaiah hint at His process.
Repentance – seeking God’s forgiveness and leading
Rest – letting God change me instead of trying to fix myself
Quietness – finding a calmness in God’s presence
Trust – belief in God’s provision and grace
Like the Israelites, my challenge is to acknowledge His lordship. For, it’s in the surrender where I’ll find peace.
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