—-If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me! Matthew 16:24
—–we have left all, and have followed thee. Mark 10:28

As we face a new day, this one or any other, it is good to begin by remembering what our Lord requires. In a message called “Help for the Day”, J. R. Miller wrote:

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand!” John 10:27-28

“Happy is the man that feareth alway”—–Proverbs 28:14

 The fear of the LORD is the beginning and the foundation of all true religion. Without a solemn awe and reverence of God there is no foothold for the more brilliant virtues. He whose soul does not worship will never live in holiness. He is happy who feels a jealous fear of doing wrong. Holy fear looks not only before it leaps, but even before it moves. It is afraid of error, afraid of neglecting duty, afraid of committing sin. It fears ill company, loose talk, and questionable policy, This does not make a man wretched, but it brings him happiness. The watchful sentinel is happier than the soldier who sleeps at his post. He who foreseeth evil and escapes it is happier than he who walks carelessly on and is destroyed. Fear of God is a quiet grace which leads a man along a choice road, of which it is written, “No lion shall be there, neither shall any ravenous beast go up thereon.” Fear of the very appearance of evil is a purifying principle, which enables a man, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to keep his garments unspotted from the world. Solomon had tried both worldliness and holy fear: in the one he found vanity, in the other happiness. Let us not repeat his trial but abide by his verdict.–Charles Spurgeon

—-I have called you friends—- John 15:15

Henry Clay Trumbull, an influential nineteenth-century Christian worker, used all his influence to promote the cause of Sunday school and the message of the victorious Christian life. He was a man with a great capacity for work and also for friendship. In 1891 he wrote a book about friendship, and his premise was: Friendship is a matter of loving, not of being loved. “Friendship is love with the selfish element eliminated,” he said. “It is an out-going and an on-going affection. No love in any relation of life can be at its best if the element of friendship be lacking.”

It’s startling to think about our friends this way. We usually want to be with them because of what they do for us — they make us feel comfortable; they’re fun to be with; they support us; they affirm us. But what if none of those things happened? What if we derived little benefit from being their friend? Would we be friendly anyway?

It’s not what we get but what we  give  that makes us a friend.(Turning Point)

Friendship consists in being a friend, not in having a friend; in giving one’s affection unselfishly and unswervingly to another.
Henry Clay Trumbull

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God—Matthew 4:4

Although it seems strange to me that it is needed, I’ve noticed that many of my articles have to do with encouraging folks to read and study the Bible. Since it is only natural that a hungry man wants to eat and a tired man wants to rest, it seems to me that a Christian would never need to be urged to read God’s Word. But we all know that’s not the case. Some people neglect even the most important things in life. So,here’s another word of encouragement– this one from the daily devotional “A Good Thing”:

We have to eat to live. Yet, Jesus reminds us (and Satan), food is not all that is needed. You could have all the food in the world and yet remain empty and lifeless.

The one thing that truly energizes and fills and sustains is the Word of God. With God’s Word as your constant companion and sustenance, you can be content even when other food is withheld, just like Jesus was after fasting for 40 days.

But notice that we are to live by every word that proceeds from God’s mouth, not just our pet passages or favorite verses. There is not a word in God’s Word that we do not need, that we cannot profit from. God’s Word is a well-rounded meal and we are not meant to leave any part of it out.

Do you agree with Jesus? Do you see that consuming everything this world has to offer would still leave you empty, and yet each word of God is able to build you up and strengthen you for life’s journey?

If you agree with Jesus, do you live like Jesus? Do you forgo Satan’s temptation to find fulfillment in earth-bound pleasures, in order to enjoy the far greater pleasure of communion with God? Are you living on bread alone, or by every word of God’s Word?