It is true that "calm seas never made a sailor." It is through tribulation that we develop patience. It is through pressure that we are enlarged.Even men of the world have realized that difficulties have educative and broadening values. Charles Kettering once said, "Problems are the price of progress. Don't bring me anything but problems. Good news weakens me."But especially from the Christian world come testimonies to the profit derived from trials.We read, for instance, "To suffer passes, but to have suffered endures for eternity."The poet adds this confirmation:And many a rapturous minstrel among those sons of lightWill say of his sweetest music, "I learnt it in the night;"And many a rolling anthem that fills the Father's homeSobbed out its first rehearsal in the shade of a darkened room.Spurgeon wrote, in his inimitable way:"I am afraid that all the grace I have got out of my comfortable and easy times and happy hours might almost lie on a penny. But the good I have received from my sorrows and pains and griefs is altogether incalculable. What do I not owe to the hammer and the file? Affliction is the best bit of furniture in my house."And yet why should we be surprised? Does not the unnamed writer to the Hebrews tell us, "Now obviously no 'chastening' seems pleasant at the time: it is in fact most unpleasant. Yet when it is all over we can see that it has quietly produced the fruit of real goodness in the character of those who have accepted it" (Hebrews 12:11, Phillips).

With reverence, humor and skill, William MacDonald wove a daily devotional tapestry that challenges the reader to think deeply and Biblically, and apply God's Word to their lives.

Truths to Live By - One Day at a Time

"In pressure thou hast enlarged me." (Psalms 4:1 Darby)

The Bible is full of paradoxes, that is, truths that seem contrary to what we would normally suppose or truths that seem to contradict one another. G. K. Chesterton maintained that paradox is truth standing on its head to attract attention. Here are a few of the paradoxes trying to attract our attention.We save our lives by losing them; we lose our lives by loving them (Mark 8:35).We are strong when we are weak (2 Corinthians 12:10), and powerless in our own strength (John 15:5).We find perfect freedom in being Christ's slave, and bondage when we are free from His yoke (Romans 6:17-20).We find more joy in sharing what we have than we do in getting more. Or, in the words of our Lord, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35).We increase what we have through scattering it, and experience poverty through hoarding it (Proverbs 11:24).We have a new nature that cannot sin (1 John 3:9), yet everything we do is stained by sin (1 John 1:8).We conquer by yielding (Genesis 32:24-28) and experience defeat by fighting (1 Peter 5:5 c).We are abased when we exalt ourselves, but He exalts us when we abase ourselves (Lu. 14:11).We are enlarged by pressure (Psalms 4:1 JND) and shrunk by prosperity (Jeremiah 48:11).We can possess all things, yet have nothing; we can be poor, yet make many rich (2 Corinthians 6:10).When we are wise (in man's view) then we are fools (in God's sight), but when we are fools for Christ's sake, then we are truly wise (1 Corinthians 1:20-21).The life of faith brings freedom from care and anxiety; the life of sight brings fear of loss through moths, rust and thieves (Matthew 6:19).The poet sees the Christian life as paradox from start to finish:How strange is the course that a person must steer,How perplexed is the path he must tread;The hope of his happiness rises from fear,And his life he receives from the dead.His fairest pretensions must wholly be waived,And his best resolutions be crossed;Nor can he expect to be perfectly savedTill he finds himself utterly lost.When all this is done, and his heart is assuredOf the total remission of sins;When his pardon is signed and his peace is procured,From that moment his conflict begins. (Selected).

"…as dying, and, behold, we live." (2 Corinthians 6:9)

God, who… made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6 NIV)

We stand by revelation, "God 
who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God 
in the face of Jesus Christ." "God... called me through grace to reveal His Son
in me." - Gal. 1:16. How are we going to be made to stand, to be 
established? How is this endurance going to be put in us? By knowing the Lord 
Jesus in this inward way, by revelation. The people who are going to stand are 
those in whom this thing has become a living revelation; "God hath shined in our 
hearts," this is one side. The other is, "pressed on every side, perplexed, 
pursued, smitten down... yet not unto despair" - 2 Cor. 4:6-10. We are troubled 
and pressed down... why? "That the LIFE of JESUS might be made manifest 
in our mortal bodies" - 2 Cor. 4:11.
Is not that endurance? Pressed 
on every side yet not strangled! "In pressure Thou hast enlarged me" - Ps. 4:1. 
What was meant to be "pressed down," God has made for enlargement. Cast down, 
yet a wonderful rising up. Why? How? It is "God who hath shined in our hearts... 
in the face of Jesus Christ," therefore you can go through and survive. 
Nothing can carry us through but the revelation of the Lord Jesus by the Holy 
Spirit in our hearts; an inside knowledge of Him - not mental assent to a creed 
or a doctrine, but a living, vital reality in our very being.

This devotional contains short daily portions from a selection of Mr. Austin-Sparks' messages. In his own words, “Perhaps this is just like a window opened into heaven. If you get the right window you can see quite a lot. You can see great things and you can see far things. But the best that I can hope is that this has just opened a window, and that as you look through it you are seeing one thing - how superior is Jesus Christ to all else, and how superior is the dispensation into which we have come, and how superior are all the resources at our disposal to all that ever was before!” Open Windows messages have been selected and compiled by Austin-Sparks.Net from the works of T. Austin-Sparks. In some cases they appear in abridged form. The introductory verse and its associated Bible version have been selected by the editor and did not always appear within the original message.

Open Windows

The Cross and the City of God - Chapter 4

 A Vital Reality 

Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. § I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears … They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support. He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me. I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears  … Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Daily Light on the Daily Path or Daily Light is a Christian daily devotional scripture reading published by Bagster & Sons about 1875. It has been reprinted continually since then. It consists of brief groupings of scripture passages which speak to prominent Biblical themes—two themes (morning and evening) for each day of the year. It appends no commentary, but simply allows scripture to speak for itself.

Evening Daily Light

 David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. 

<blockquote>
Tribulation worketh patience" (<a id="verse_1632878015313548" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Romans/5/3">Rom. 5:3</a>).
</blockquote>The source of our Christian life is a Person, and the growth of that life in us is a gradual process - comparable to a grain of wheat, or a branch in the vine."A person whose ancestors for three or four generations have all been Christians, may inherit their virtues; but although affecting his life for good, they do not count before God as righteousness, for they are not the fruit of the directly imparted divine life. A believer may thus inherit patience, and although he may be but a babe in Christ, he is seen to be more stable than a more advanced believer, because whatever goes wrong he stands unruffled."To empty him, the Father puts him in circumstances where his natural patience' fails. After repeated failures of his natural virtue of patience, he realizes that it is not enough to meet all trials, and carry him triumphantly through them all. Then he turns to the Father to give him His own unfailing patience." -E.R."Spiritual growth is from stage to stage. There are great days, days of decisive battles, days of crisis in spiritual history, days of triumph in Christian service, days of the right hand of the Father upon us. But there are also idle days, days of apparent uselessness, when even prayer and service seem a burden. Are we, in any sense, renewed in these days? Yes, for any experience which makes us more aware of our need of the Father must contribute to spiritual progress, unless we deny the Lord who bought us." -W.G.S."It is not a man's thanksgiving that he has been set free from suffering; it is to be thanksgiving that he has been set free through suffering. Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress' (<a id="verse_1632878015629915" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Psalm/4/1">Ps. 4:1</a>).""For you surely know that what is genuine in your faith produces the patient mind that endures" (<a id="verse_1632878015980133" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/James/1/3">James 1:3</a>, Wms.).

A 365 day devotional that will help you in your Christian growth and walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.  This devotional is a collection of quotes from some of the best authors in the realm of Christian growth that has been organized by Miles J Stanford.  This devotional study is divided into 12 sections each containing 31 daily portions.

None but the Hungry Heart

 His Patience 

<h3>Psalm 4 </h3><h3>For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David.</h3>4 <poetry>Answer me when I call to you, <indent>my righteous God.</indent> Give me relief from my distress; <indent>have mercy on me and hear my prayer. </indent></poetry>

Psalm 4:1

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David.

Answer me<cr>1</cr> when I call to you, <indent>my righteous God.</indent> Give me relief from my distress;<cr>2</cr> <indent>have mercy<cr>3</cr> on me and hear my prayer.<cr>4</cr> </indent><pb/>

 1 Answer me   when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress;   have mercy   on me and hear my prayer.   

From Wikipedia: 

The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1978 by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). The NIV was published to meet the need for a modern translation done by Bible scholars using the earliest, highest quality manuscripts available. Of equal importance was that the Bible be expressed in broadly understood modern English.

The NIV is published by Zondervan in the United States and Hodder & Stoughton in the UK. The NIV was updated in 1984 and 2011 and has become one of the most popular and best-selling modern translations.

OT: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia; additional sources;
NT: UBS Greek New Testament; Novum Testamentum Graece; additional sources;

New International Version

<poetry>Answer me when I call to you, <indent>my righteous God.</indent> Give me relief from my distress; <indent>have mercy on me and hear my prayer. </indent></poetry>

 Answer me   when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress;   have mercy   on me and hear my prayer.   

Bible Verse of the Day

September 3, 2016

Psalm 4:1 NIV

Verse by Verse Bible Study

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