He will never discourage us!

[Vine Abider]

 

I found this below devotional a great reminder that what the Lord does, or how we follow Him, should never be a discouragement to us! He is the God of ALL ENCOURAGEMENT and tells us that His yoke is easy and carrying His burden is a light one, not heavy and chaffing or foreboding and miserable.  Those negative feelings are the work of our enemy and we must repudiate them, for the simplicity in following Christ.  As Jesus says in Matthew 25, our role is just to be faithful to Him in a few things.   My yoke is easy, and My burden is light. (Matthew 11:30) Dear friends, if any truth has the effect of turning you in upon yourself, making you introspective, self-occupied in a spiritual way, that truth has been wrongly apprehended. You may assume the position of the most spiritual, but you are all wrong in your apprehension. This great work which Christ did in His Cross was never intended to make anybody miserable. Of course, that goes without saying; yet there are multitudes who are miserable after trusting the Lord, miserable over the sin question in their lives; and the number, I am afraid, is increasing. Always keep a very distinct and broad line between fuller revelation, deeper truth (whatever you may term it – all that going-on-to-full-growth realm of things) and this whole matter of introspection. Some people seem to think that to become more spiritual we must become more intense and tied-up and occupied with this whole matter of the spiritual life, and really they are the most unbearable people, the joy has gone out of them. I am certain of this, that nothing will ever come to you, however deep, however mighty, however tremendous, by revelation of the Holy Spirit, that will make you miserable. The revelation of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit – and there is no other revelation – will never make a soul miserable. There is something wrong if a Christian is miserable on spiritual matters, and it is either failure to apprehend the one great, absolute reality that the victory was God’s and that He won it in Christ, fully and finally, and we are not called to share at all in that battle; or the truth which has come subsequently has been misapprehended and has become something that is a burden grievous to be borne. The Lord Jesus said, “My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matt. 11:30). By T. Austin-Sparks from: The Battle Which is Not Yours

[Neighbor]

4 hours ago, Vine Abider said:

As Jesus says in Matthew 25, our role is just to be faithful to Him in a few things.

Hi, Just? I sure disagree if that is intended to project a casual attitude toward doing as the Master tells the servant is his task.

‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things." 

To my way  of reading and understanding, Jesus is NOT saying be faithful in just a few things. What is being stated is that being given responsibility  for a few things by the master and handling them well  gains the servant the reward of being entrusted to having yet more to tend to for the master and His house.

Failing has it's consequence, that of having  that which was entrusted to  the servant taken away, and given to another that does tend very well to the trust extended by the master.

The yoke may be light but it is not optional.

 

[Neighbor]

As to discouraging, of course God will discourage  his own. He will severely punish his own. 

..."For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.  You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.  And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:

“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
 For whom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”

 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?  But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.  Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.  Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."

[Vine Abider]

15 minutes ago, Neighbor said:

As to discouraging, of course God will discourage  his own. He will severely punish his own. 

..."For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.  You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.  And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:

“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
 For whom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”

 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?  But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.  Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.  Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."

Discipline is different from discouragement.  Discipline may not feel good, but He still loves and encourages us.

[Vine Abider]

23 minutes ago, Neighbor said:

Hi, Just? I sure disagree if that is intended to project a casual attitude toward doing as the Master tells the servant is his task.

‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things." 

To my way  of reading and understanding, Jesus is NOT saying be faithful in just a few things. What is being stated is that being given responsibility  for a few things by the master and handling them well  gains the servant the reward of being entrusted to having yet more to tend to for the master and His house.

Failing has it's consequence, that of having  that which was entrusted to  the servant taken away, and given to another that does tend very well to the trust extended by the master.

The yoke may be light but it is not optional.

 

Casual attitude?  I don't think so.  And I'm certainly not saying it is "optional," by any means. 

The Lord didn't have to add the word "few" in there.

[farouk]

Here's a good verse:

"And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God." (1 Samuel 30.6)

[Neighbor]

Hi, I do think that God is very exacting. He does discourage, and even gets discouraged himself, enough so as to set aside some humans to their own vileness as is explained to us at Romans 1.

God does however also encourage, and will receive any that repent of their vileness, their sin against Him it seems. And yet,  are we not told God actually prevented Pharoah from any lasting or real repentance in order to bring about His own will for His people, giving Pharoah no option but to serve out the purpose for which he was created by God?

 

[Mr. M]

6 hours ago, Vine Abider said:

 

I found this below devotional a great reminder that what the Lord does, or how we follow Him, should never be a discouragement to us! He is the God of ALL ENCOURAGEMENT and tells us that His yoke is easy and carrying His burden is a light one, not heavy and chaffing or foreboding and miserable.  Those negative feelings are the work of our enemy and we must repudiate them, for the simplicity in following Christ.  As Jesus says in Matthew 25, our role is just to be faithful to Him in a few things.   My yoke is easy, and My burden is light. (Matthew 11:30) Dear friends, if any truth has the effect of turning you in upon yourself, making you introspective, self-occupied in a spiritual way, that truth has been wrongly apprehended. You may assume the position of the most spiritual, but you are all wrong in your apprehension. This great work which Christ did in His Cross was never intended to make anybody miserable. Of course, that goes without saying; yet there are multitudes who are miserable after trusting the Lord, miserable over the sin question in their lives; and the number, I am afraid, is increasing. Always keep a very distinct and broad line between fuller revelation, deeper truth (whatever you may term it – all that going-on-to-full-growth realm of things) and this whole matter of introspection. Some people seem to think that to become more spiritual we must become more intense and tied-up and occupied with this whole matter of the spiritual life, and really they are the most unbearable people, the joy has gone out of them. I am certain of this, that nothing will ever come to you, however deep, however mighty, however tremendous, by revelation of the Holy Spirit, that will make you miserable. The revelation of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit – and there is no other revelation – will never make a soul miserable. There is something wrong if a Christian is miserable on spiritual matters, and it is either failure to apprehend the one great, absolute reality that the victory was God’s and that He won it in Christ, fully and finally, and we are not called to share at all in that battle; or the truth which has come subsequently has been misapprehended and has become something that is a burden grievous to be borne. The Lord Jesus said, “My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matt. 11:30). By T. Austin-Sparks from: The Battle Which is Not Yours

The point of interest and concern for the parable should be

for the one who had received one talent and did nothing with it.

Matthew 25:30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: 

there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

While it is encouraging to know that there is a reward for the servant

who was faithful over "few things" we are taught:

Romans 11:22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God:

on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if

you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.

[Marilyn C]

I believe the enemy`s biggest weapon is DISCOURAGEMENT. For from that one just looks back and gets weaker and weaker in the spiritual sense. It also affects the physical life and shows in - worry, fear, anxiety, despondency, etc.

That is why the Lord gives us the `lettuces.` 

`Let us draw near....

Let us hold fast....

Let us consider one another ....

....exhorting (warning and encouraging) one another and all the MORE as you see the Day approaching.` (Heb. 10: 22 - 25)

[Vine Abider]

3 hours ago, Mr. M said:

The point of interest and concern for the parable should be

for the one who had received one talent and did nothing with it.

Matthew 25:30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: 

there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

While it is encouraging to know that there is a reward for the servant

who was faithful over "few things" we are taught:

Romans 11:22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God:

on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if

you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.

If I'm following you correctly (and perhaps I'm not), I believe righteous judgement is not the same as discouragement.