Encouraging the End of Suffering – SAY SOMETHING – Purity 1656
Purity 1656 05/12/2025 Purity 1656 Audio Podcast
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Good morning,
Today’s photo of the sunrising over two cross-like utility poles, my canine pal, Harley, and the black asphalt curve of Waite Road comes to us from yours truly as I captured this scene yesterday morning while our walking in Easton.
Well, it’s Monday, and after a Mother’s Day feast celebration, its time to repent in dust and ashes and to begin another work week remembering the costs for a lack of self control, My mother, father, and brothers have gotten older over the years and while our Mother’s Day lunch was a joyous occasion of laughter and familial harmony, there were more than one admission of “pain” as quite a few of us have aches and pains that come from aging and, let’s keep it real, from not being good stewards to the temple of the Holy Spirit, our bodies. While I thankfully wasn’t one of those complaining about aches and pains, I wasn’t by any means responsible in terms of healthy eating as I gave myself license to enthusiastically eat things that I know aren’t good for me, and while I am not going to beat myself up about it, I am going to take corrective action with new vigor because of the suffering I saw displayed in my loved ones.
While I didn’t preach or have anything to say about the items on the menu of our Mother’s Day lunch, when the conversation hovered around physical health and physical fitness, I did say something about what had worked for me and was specific to name it – V-Shred. While I know that any exercise program would probably help to get you into shape, I did Vshred so I said so. But I also know from doing V-Shred with limited results for a time – that it was only after I seriously monitored what I ate that the Vshred workouts were most effective. It’s diet and exercise , not one or the other, that makes the change happen and I said something about that too.
When we see people suffering, we want to help them. So when I heard about aches and pains that might be coming from carrying too much weight, I felt compelled to speak encouragement to try to help.
Speaking of trying to help our fellow man, the Turing Point with Dr, David Jeremiah devotion for today talks about the impact we can have when we speak about God and how He can use our small efforts to make a major change in people’s lives. So I am sharing it on the blog today to encourage us all to SAY SOMETHING, that God may use to help those who need it.
“FINGERS IN THE DUST
The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. – Acts 16:14, NIV
Leading someone to Jesus is the most wonderful thing in the world, but we do less than one-half of one percent of the work. Others have almost certainly come before us, planting the seed. That’s the other one-half percent. Ninety-nine percent belongs to the Lord, who opens the heart of the one who responds. Obviously, of course, He does the whole work; though, thankfully, He uses us along the way. As Paul said, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6).
As we share God’s Word with others, we need to remember that God is the One who will work in their hearts. Our responsibility is to make sure that we are actively sharing. We want to present the Gospel as best we can, but it doesn’t depend on our knowledge or powers of persuasion. People can find Christ from as little as a verse written by a truck driver’s finger on the dust of his or her eighteen-wheeler if that’s the means God chooses to use.
Simply say a word to someone today on behalf of our Lord! “ – David Jeremiah
[Lydia] did not open her own heart…. Paul did not do it. the Lord Himself must open the heart…. We can get at human brains, but God alone can arouse human affections. – Charles Spurgeon
Amen. This morning I was torn between which of two devotionals I should share from. So I am sharing a link to the second one, In Touch with Dr. Stanley, that touches on understanding God’s word on the blog (https://www.intouch.org/read/daily-devotions ) because it holds a key to our growth as Christians.
But I chose to share David Jeremiah’s message to remind us all of our blessed state (regardless of our maturity) and the evangelistic responsibility and privilege we have in Christ.
While we can’t save anyone, God can use our meager efforts to bring people to life and all we have to do to participate in this blessing is to SAY SOMETHING – with our words or our lifestyle – that could be used by the Lord to open the eyes of the blind and give them a new life of hope.
I have often said that my ministry of encouragement is merely an appropriate response to the HUGE gift that I have been given. Even though I am not always sure what I am going to write about each day – the Holy Spirit within me and my desire to share the gift that I have been given compels we to SAY SOMETHING.
Often I am in a rush and I misspell (ironically that word was auto corrected! ) things or I realize too late that I made other grammatical mistakes – and my messages aren’t always the quality that the Lord deserves, but I put messages out their anyway – as a form of worship and with the hope that God could use it to encourage or save somebody.
In light of this awesome potential, I have no choice but to speak, however imperfectly that may be.
So don’t worry about being perfect. , If you know Jesus, He has given you His perfection, and all you need to do is to speak about and represent Him the best you can. Walking and talking in His ways blesses our lives, but beyond this blessing, we can possibly be used by God to set the captives free. So don’t focus on yourself, focus on Him and SAY SOMETHING today.
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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/.
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Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.
(While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling By John G. Kruis on Amazon )
This morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Marriage, Husband/Wife Relationships.
Proverbs 31:10–31
Proverbs 31:10–11 (NKJV) Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain.
Today’s verses fall under the fourteenth point of our counseling reference guide resource section on Marriage, Husband/Wife Relationships.
14. The Bible gives a description of a wife of noble character, who uses her gifts faithfully.
Today’s Bible verse speaks of the immense value that a virtuous wife brings to a husband’s life.
The Bible has a lot to say about human relationships and while it may seem natural to see messages praising virtue women, like in today’s verse, the opposite is also true as several other verses in the book of proverbs and throughout the Bible warn men of the dangers of angry or licentious women.
Just to be clear, God doesn’t hate women, or men. He hates sin and He warns all of us, men and women, to avoid those who deviate from His ways. All of us have encountered unvirtuous people in our lives and many of us have suffered from being in close personal relationships with such people and so when we are blessed with a virtuous spouse we should be sure to thank God for their place in our lives and be sure to give them the proper love, respect, and devotion they deserve, for their value is far more than rubies.
Having someone who is faithful to walk in righteousness that you can safely put your trust in and be blessed to call your spouse is the blessing that keeps on giving. With a virtuous spouse, you lack no good thing.
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.com where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from “Day by Day Along the Way” By Jay E. Adams.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Adams’ books for your own private study and to support the late author’s work. This resource is available online for less than $20 at many sites.
Day 155
Master, we’re going to die! – Luke 8:24
When seasoned fishermen speak like that, you know the storm is fierce. Yet, completely composed, after strenuous work, Jesus was asleep. Awakened, He asked, “Where is your faith?” Did they have no faith or was Jesus asking “where” is it—did they need to exercise what faith they had? Throughout this section Jesus is confronting lack of faith—in the lost and the saved alike. He teaches us an important fact in this incident: when Jesus is in our boat we will not sink. When we travel with Him along life’s road, rather than on some wayward path, we can be sure that nothing wrong can happen, even if we die. He demonstrated by stilling the sea that He is in absolute control of the situation. That is what your faith must grasp and hold on to. He cares for His own—even in the severe storms of life. Indeed, storms give opportunity for you, like the disciples, to discover just Who Jesus is and to let Him know that you believe.[1]
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[1] Jay E. Adams, Day by Day along the Way (Cordova, TN: Institute for Nouthetic Studies, 2020), 163.
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