“O Lord, by these things men live; and in all these things is the life of my spirit.” Isaiah 38:16

When Hezekiah said, “By these things men live,” he meant that by these trials and deliverances, by these sinkings and risings, strippings and clothings, emptyings and fillings, “by these things men,” that is, spiritual men, “live.” It is a mystery, but a great truth, that just in proportion as we die to the world, to self, to sense, to nature, and to false religion, the more the life of God is strengthened in our conscience. The Lord, perhaps, has taught some of you this truth through great afflictions. But when these trials came upon you at the first, it seemed as though they would entirely overwhelm you; they took away your standing, and it appeared as though they had destroyed your faith and hope.

But though these floods of temptation passed over the soul, they swept away nothing but rubbish, which until then was mistaken for the inward teachings of God the Spirit. So far then from these afflictions overwhelming your faith, you found that faith was secretly strengthened by the very flood that threatened at first to drown it. True faith is no more destroyed by sharp trials, than the oak is destroyed by cutting away the ivy, or by a storm blowing down some of its rotten branches. And thus, as the oak, the more the winds blow upon it, takes a firmer root in the soil; so the storms and tempests that blow upon the soul, only cause it to take a firmer hold of the truth, and to strike its fibers more deeply into the Person, love, work, and blood of Jesus. So that, “by these things men live,” for through them, the life of God is maintained and kept up in the soul, the Holy Spirit secretly strengthening it by the very things that seemed to threaten it with destruction

“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.” Ephesians 4:31-32

Dispositional sins are fully as injurious to the Christian cause
as the more overt acts of wickedness. These sins are as many
as the various facets of human nature. Just so there may be
no misunderstanding, let us list a few of them: sensitiveness,
irritability, churlishness, faultfinding, peevishness, temper,
resentfulness, cruelty, uncharitable attitudes; and of course
there are many more. These kill the spirit of the church and
mar the witness of the church in the community. Many unsaved
people have been turned away and embittered by manifestations
of ugly dispositional flaws in the lives of the very people who
were trying to win them.

Unsaintly saints are the tragedy of Christianity! (A.W. Tozer)

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness temperance—–.” Gal. 5:22-23

Who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. –2 Corinthians 1:4

There’s a story of a lady who kept an ordinary cardboard box sitting on a bookcase in her home. The box was filled with notes, cards, and letters, offering love and encouragement at a time when her life was filled with sadness.

She was housebound for several years caring for her husband who had Alzheimer’s disease. As each card arrived, it provided her and her husband with a cheerful message telling of the sender’s prayers, love, and support. The words on the cards were often exactly what she needed to make it through the day.

When her husband passed away, and she moved to rebuild her life without him, she began sending cards to others who were experiencing the same kind of pain, remembering how much they helped her.

It doesn’t take long to send a simple note saying, “I’m praying for you” or “You are in my thoughts today.” With the technological advances of our world today, it’s easy to send someone a quick e-mail of encouragement, but there is still nothing like holding a card in your hand, knowing that the sender took time to think of you and your situation.

George William Childs, American publisher who lived from 1829-1894, once said, “Do not keep the alabaster box of your love and friendship sealed up until your friends are dead. Fill their lives with sweetness. Speak approving, cheering words while their ears can hear them and while their hearts can be thrilled and made happier. The kind things you mean to say when they are gone, say before they go.”  Ask God to make you a blessing today in someone’s life who may need a note of encouragement and love. Continually pray that His presence will surround those in your life who are going through difficult times.   (from Senior Living)