10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does.
12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
10 For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.
11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12 Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.” 38 “I am the Lord's servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
“Every time we resist the slightest temptation, we honor God. Every time we overcome even the smallest problem by trusting and obeying our Lord Jesus, God is glorified in our lives. Whenever we choose character over convenience, faithfulness over ease, or honesty over deceit, we bring honor to the Lord Himself.” Robert J. Morgan
“Every miracle always begins with the first ordinary step of faithfulness.” Ann Voskamp
“Faithfulness rarely feels heroic; it feels much more like showing up and hanging in. It is a matter of going to our cell, whatever form that might take, and letting it teach us what it will. Availing himself (Brother Lawrence) to consistent faithfulness yielded the blessing of both proficiency and presence—the presence of God—right there in midst of the monotony of dirty pots and pans.” Margaret Guenther
“Jesus is calling us to stop and notice. To live alert. To give a special touch that may heal a heart or cheer a weary soul...I once heard it said that Jesus’ real ministry was the person He found standing in front of Him...Who is that for you today?” Karen Ehman
“To understand and embrace God's vision, we must first ask Him for it. The Bible tells us we have not because we ask not--and sometimes when we do ask, we ask with selfish rather than God-honoring motives. But God promises us, "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know" (Jeremiah 33:3). God wishes to reveal Himself to us, but we must first ask with pure motives and persistence. The word for ‘call’ in this verse means to do so continuously. We are commanded to ask continuously until God reveals His vision to us. Persistence teaches us to rely on God while He is shaping our hearts to delight in Him. God does a wonderful work in us when we seek His will. As we seek Him for His will, we learn who He is and begin to delight in Him and His will rather than our own. As He becomes the desire of our hearts, we are aligned and ready to receive His will and vision for our lives.” Michael Youssef
“The Bible teacher who becomes a substitute for diligent study on the part of those who hear him is a hindrance and not a help.” A. W. Pink
“Thou hast made me, be pleased to new-make me. I am thy work, complete me; I am thy harp, tune me; I am thy child, teach me.” Charles H. Spurgeon
“I’m seeing how robust and cogent, how versatile, sweeping and effective is the message and life of our Jesus. He fits. He is not ‘foreign’ to any person no matter their origins. His teachings work in ANY culture. His Being and Life resonates to all who hear of Him, to all who hear Him. He infuses and changes us forever.” Paula Kirby
“Jesus is the great teacher of lowliness of heart. Witness the Master taking a towel and washing His disciples' feet! Isn't it true to say that on earth He was always stripping off first one robe of honor and then another until, naked, He was fastened to the cross and emptied Himself, pouring out His lifeblood, giving it up for all of us, until they laid Him penniless in a borrowed grave?” C. H. Spurgeon
“He alone has exhibited a life in which absolutely no fault could be found; and promulgated a teaching to which absolutely no exception can be taken. Admittedly He is the One perfect Man – the ideal of humanity, His doctrine the one absolute teaching. The world has known none other, none equal.” Alfred Edersheim
“While in the Old Testament the mediating roles of prophet, priest and king were fulfilled by separate individuals, all three offices now coalesce in the One Person of Jesus. It is His glory given Him by the Father, to be in this way the all sufficient Savior. We who believe are called to understand this and to show ourselves His people by obeying Him as our King, trusting Him as our Priest and learning from Him as our Prophet and Teacher. To center on Jesus Christ in this way is the hallmark of authentic Christianity.” J.I. Packer
“What ultimately keeps our motives biblically prioritized and holy before God is the profound conviction that obeying God will merit us nothing. This is why Jesus tells us that, when we have done all that we should do, we are still unprofitable servants. Jesus does not nullify the value of duty in order to dissuade us from serving God, but to keep is from depending on duty to gain God’s acceptance. When we understand that our works in themselves earn us no merit with God, then the only reason to do those works is love for Him. Thus we learn to serve God not for personal gain but for His glory-not for love of self but for love of the Savior.” Bryan Chapell
“Though salvation is not by the works of the law, yet the blessings which are promised to obedience are not denied to the faithful servants of God. The curses our Lord took away when He was made a curse for us, but no clause of blessing has been abrogated. We are to note and listen to the revealed will of the Lord, giving our attention not to portions of it but to ‘all these words.’ There must be no picking and choosing but an impartial respect to all that God has commanded. This is the road of blessedness for the Father and for His children. The Lord’s blessing is upon His chosen to the third and fourth generation. If they walk uprightly before Him, He will make all men know that they are a seed which the Lord has blessed.” Charles H. Spurgeon