Grace Gems for March, 2020
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Hitherto!
(Charles Spurgeon)
"Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying: "Hitherto has the Lord helped us." 1 Samuel 7:12
The word "hitherto" seems like a hand pointing in the direction of the past.
Twenty years or seventy, and yet, "hitherto the Lord has helped us!"
Through poverty and through wealth,
through sickness and through health,
at home and abroad,
on the land and on the sea,
in honor and in dishonor,
in perplexity and in joy,
in trial and in triumph,
in prayer and in temptation,
"Hitherto has the Lord helped us!"
We delight to look down a long avenue of trees. It is delightful to gaze from end to end of the long vista, a sort of verdant temple, with its branching pillars and its arches of leaves.
In the same way, look down the long aisles of your years, at the green boughs of mercy overhead, and the strong pillars of loving-kindness and faithfulness which bear up your joys. Are there no birds in yonder branches singing? Surely there must be many, and they all sing of mercy received "hitherto."
But the word hitherto also points forward. For when a man gets up to a certain mark and writes "hitherto," he is not yet at the end, there is still a distance to be traversed.
More trials and more joys;
more temptations and more triumphs;
more prayers and more answers;
more toils and more strength;
more fights and more victories;
and then come sickness, old age, disease and death!
Is it over now?
No! there is more yet:
awakening in Jesus' likeness,
glorious thrones,
heavenly harps and songs,
white clothing,
the face of Jesus,
the society of saints,
the glory of God,
the fullness of eternity,
the infinity of bliss!
O be of good courage, believer, and with grateful confidence raise your "Ebenezer," for He who has helped you hitherto-will help you all your journey through! When read in Heaven's light, how glorious and marvelous a prospect will your "hitherto" unfold to your grateful eye!~ ~ ~ ~
The Scriptural view of sin!
ALLEINE: O miserable man, what a deformed monster has sin made you! God made you "little lower than the angels"-but sin has made you little better than the devils!
BEART: There is a certain infiniteness in sin, because it is against an infinite God, which therefore brings a punishment of infinite duration, because it cannot be atoned for by finite creatures.
BROOKS: Did God leave us to act according to our sinful natures-we would all be incarnate devils, and this world would be an absolute Hell!
There is no little sin-because there is no little God to sin against.
EDWARDS: You contribute nothing to your salvation-but the sin which made it necessary!
Never did God so manifest His hatred of sin, as in the death and suffering of His only begotten Son.
FLAVEL: Christ is not sweet-until sin is made bitter to us!
If God should damn you to all eternity-your eternal sufferings could not satisfy for the evil that is in one vain thought! O the depth of the evil of sin!
HODGE: Original sin is the only rational solution of the undeniable fact of the deep, universal and early manifested sinfulness of men in all ages, of every class, and in every part of the world.
JAMES: The torments of the bottomless pit are not so dreadful a demonstration of God's hatred of sin, as the agonies of the cross!
LOVE: Sin is worse than Hell, because sin made Hell to be Hell.
MANTON: Sin is sweet in commission, but bitter in its wages!
The more affected we are with our sinful misery-the fitter we are for Christ's marvelous mercy.
MASON: Sin digs graves for bodies, and kindles Hell for souls!
A man can never leave sin thoroughly, until he loathes it heartily.
Go to Golgotha and see what sin did there!
Christ did not die for sin, that we might live in sin.
The sins of the wicked anger Christ, the sins of His people grieve Him.
NEWTON: The more vile we are in our own eyes-the more precious Christ will be to us!
Sin cannot be hated for itself-until we have seen the malignity of it in Christ's sufferings!
OWEN: The seed of every sin-is in every heart!
Christ's blood is the great sovereign remedy for sin-sick souls!
I do not understand how a man can be a true believer-in whom sin is not the greatest burden, sorrow and trouble!
PRICE: We drown our sins in the Red Sea of Christ's blood!
RYLE: Christ is never fully valued, until sin is clearly seen.
SIBBES: The depths of our misery-can never fall below the depths of God's mercy!
Sin is not so sweet in the committing of it-as it is bitter in the reckoning of it.
It is evident that our conversion is sound-when we loathe and hate sin from the heart.
SPURGEON: If Christ has died for me-then I cannot trifle with the sin which killed my best Friend!
What sin is worth being damned for?
If you have lived like the wicked-then you will die like the wicked, and be damned like the wicked!
Look to the cross, and hate your sin-for sin nailed your Well-Beloved to the cruel tree!
Sin is self-damnation!
As salt tinges every drop in the ocean-so does sin affect every atom of man's nature!
There is no cure for the love of sin-like the blood of Christ!
WATSON: Sin has the devil for its father, shame for its companion, and death and damnation for its wages!~ ~ ~ ~
Walking in the truth
(Charles Spurgeon)
"For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, even as you walk in the truth." 3 John 3
The truth was in Gaius-and Gaius walked in the truth.
If the first had not been the case-the second could never have occurred.
If the second could not be said of him-the first would have been a mere pretense.
Truth must enter into the soul, penetrate and saturate it-or else it is of no value. Doctrines held as a matter of mere creed-are like bread in the hand, which ministers no nourishment to the body. But doctrine accepted by the heart, is as food digested, which, by assimilation, sustains and builds up the body.
Truth must be a living force in us, an active energy, an indwelling reality, a part of the warp and woof of our being.
It is a rule of nature-that the inward affects the outward, as light shines from the center of the lantern through the glass. When, therefore, the truth is kindled within-its brightness soon beams forth in the outward life and conduct.
It is said that the food of certain silkworms, colors the cocoons of silk which they spin. In the same way, the nutriment upon which a man's inward nature lives-gives a tinge to every word and deed proceeding from him.
To walk in the truth, imports a life of integrity, holiness, faithfulness, and simplicity-the natural product of those principles of truth which the gospel teaches, and which the Spirit of God enables us to receive. We may judge of the secrets of the soul-by their manifestation in the man's life.
Be it ours today, O gracious Spirit, to be ruled and governed by Your divine authority, so that nothing false or sinful may reign in our hearts, lest it extend its malignant influence to our daily walk among men.~ ~ ~ ~
The life-buoy!
(Charles Spurgeon, "Christ Is All")
Whatever trials you have, my dear brother, Christ is all in all to meet them.
Are you poor? He will make you rich in your poverty by His consoling presence.
Are you sick? He will make your bed in your sickness, and so will make your sick-bed better than the walks of health.
Are you persecuted? If it is for His sake, you may even leap for joy.
Are you oppressed? Remember how He also was oppressed and afflicted; and you will have fellowship with Him in his sufferings.
Amidst all the vicissitudes of this present life, Christ is all that the believer needs to bear him up, and bear him through. No wave can sink the man who clings to this life-buoy; he shall swim to glory on it!
Jesus is all I need! Jesus is . . .
the living water to quench my thirst,
the heavenly bread to satisfy my hunger,
the snow-white robe to cover me,
the sure refuge in times of trouble,
the happy home of my soul,
my food and my medicine,
my solace and my song,
my light and my delight.
The believer can say, "Christ is mine!" No emperor is half as rich as the beggar that has Christ! He who has Christ, being a pauper, has all things. And he who has not Christ, possessing a thousand worlds, possesses nothing for real happiness and joy!
Oh, the blessedness of the man who can say, "Christ is mine!"
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These Canaanites!
(Thomas Reade, "Christian Meditations")
"They could not drive out the Canaanites who continued to live there." Joshua 17:12
Sin is ever abhorrent to a holy God, and distressing to a renewed mind. Can the believer, then, derive any benefit from the indwelling sin which he hates, and against which he hourly combats?
These Canaanites in the land, though grievous to the spirit of a true Israelite, as thorns are to his flesh-may be overruled by Infinite Love to teach him many lessons.
These Canaanites remind him of his former condition, of the rock from where he was hewn, and of the hole of the pit from where he was dug; of his natural depravity, wretchedness, and misery, so that he may loathe himself in his own sight.
These Canaanites constrain him to acknowledge the grace of God in saving him, when he had nothing to expect but fiery indignation and judgment without mercy.
These Canaanites make him distrust himself, through the constant experience of his own weakness in resisting the world, the flesh, and the devil.
These Canaanites cause him to trust altogether in the divine power of his Savior, from the repeated victories which he obtains over indwelling sin, by looking with a single eye to Jesus, the Captain of his salvation.
These Canaanites bring into exercise the graces of faith and patience, courage and self-denial, watchfulness and prayer. The weapons of his warfare are not allowed to rust, having daily to fight the good fight of faith.
These Canaanites make him value the blood and righteousness of Christ, which rise in value in proportion to the knowledge which he acquires of his sinful self. Thus, the more he is convinced of his sins and imperfections, the more earnestly does he seek after a better righteousness to justify him in the sight of God-even the spotless righteousness of Jesus Christ.
These Canaanites make him long more ardently for the rest which remains for the people of God; for that pure world, where sorrow cannot enter, where indwelling sin will never harass the soul, but where he will forever behold his adorable Redeemer, and be made like Him, when he shall see Him as He is!
"They could not drive out the Canaanites who continued to live there." Joshua 17:12~ ~ ~ ~
A canker into the very core of your spirituality!
(Octavius Winslow)
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2
Heavenly-mindedness can only be maintained by the strictest vigilance. It is a delicate and fragile flower, susceptible to every variation of the spiritual atmosphere. Guard against that which checks its growth.
Many are not aware how much . . .
worldly amusements,
light conversation,
foolish jesting,
novel reading,
carnal music,
unfit the heart for communion with God, and lessen the tone of its spirituality.
Close communion with mere nominal religious professors is particularly to be avoided. Much more injury to spiritual-mindedness accrues from intimate friendship with such, than from those who assert no pretensions to a religious character; as with the one we are apt to be less on our guard than the other.
Avoid the world's amusements-they will eat as a canker into the very core of your spirituality!
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world" is a prohibition which should never be absent from the eye of a traveler to the heavenly city.
Are not heaven's attractions many and powerful?
How rich is heaven! Why, then, should not our thoughts be there? Oh! shall not our hearts be more where our most precious treasure is, where our holiest and dearest hopes center, and where we ourselves shall shortly be?
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ,
set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." Colossians 3:1-2
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Was Moses a wise man-or a fool?
(James Smith)
"Moses chose to suffer affliction along with the people of God-rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time!" Hebrews 11:25
The choice is done. Moses is determined. He has counted the cost:
instead of honor-shame;
instead of praise-blame;
instead of respect-contempt;
instead of plenty-poverty;
instead of a princely portion-a slave's lot.
Was this wise? Was Moses a wise man-or a fool? What do you think of Moses-was he right, or wrong? But if Moses was right, as I suppose you will admit, allow me to ask: Have you acted rightly? Have you made the same choice?
Have you looked at the world at its best-and at true religion at its worst; and have you seriously, deliberately, and prayerfully decided to renounce the world, and embrace the despised religion of Christ, with all the scorn, contempt, and sufferings to which it may expose you?
Moses made his choice between the children of God and their sufferings-and the Egyptians and their pleasures. And you must make your choice between . . .
Christ-or the world,
holiness-or sin,
the narrow path to Heaven-or the broad road to Hell.
"Choose this day whom you will serve!"
A master you must have, and it must be either Satan-or Christ.
Serve you must, and your service must be either sin-or righteousness.
Look, then at the world-at its honors, wealth, and pleasures;
look also at the church-at its poverty, contempt, and sufferings.
Look at Hell-with its bitter reflections, deep sorrows, and indescribable torments;
look also at Heaven-with its sweet thoughts, pure enjoyments, and endless felicity.
Now make your choice!
Do you choose the world and its pleasures now-along with Hell and its horrors forever?
Do you chose rather to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time, than to serve and suffer with the people of God-though you know your end will be as bitter as wormwood, and as dreadful as the just wrath of a holy and unchangeable God could make it?
If Moses was wise-then what can you be, but a fool?
And your foolishness now-will increase your anguish and agony to all eternity!~ ~ ~ ~
The crying evil of both the Church and of the world!
(Thomas Reade, "The Desire of More")
"Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." Colossians 3:5
"You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or covetous person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a covetous person is really an idolater who worships the things of this world." Ephesians 5:5
The love of money under every form, insinuates itself into every heart.
A day is fast approaching when it will be clearly seen whether Christ or Mammon has swayed our affections.
Covetousness, in the language of Scripture, is the desire of having more. If we are habitually desirous of riches, for their own sake, we are, in the estimation of God, covetous people, idolaters, the servants of mammon. Our station may be exalted; our profession of religion may be outwardly strict, but still our destruction is sure.
There are, perhaps, few sins which assume so plausible an appearance; and for which so many excuses are made as for that of covetousness. And hence it is that we have need to guard so much the citadel of the heart.
Covetousness, eating like a canker, upon the vitals of our religion-is the crying evil of both the Church and of the world!
What advantage did Lot's wife, Achan, Gehazi, Judas, and Ananias and Sapphira, gain by their desire for more? They reaped shame and death; and now stand as beacons in the Word of God to warn us against their soul-destroying sin!
"For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his soul?" Luke 9:25~ ~ ~ ~
We are tossed upon an ocean of troubles, fears and temptations!
(John Flavel)
"Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows." John 16:33
The way to Heaven lies through much tribulation. All our troubles are not over when we are saved by Christ; nay, then commonly our greatest sorrows begin! Nor are we to expect freedom from our troubles, until harbored in Heaven.
This winter weather shall be useful to destroy those noxious weeds, which the summer of prosperity bred. By wintry trials, God will mortify and purge our corruptions!
At present we are tossed upon an ocean of troubles, fears and temptations-but these will make Heaven all the sweeter. Cheer up, then, O my soul, your salvation is now nearer than when you first believed! Yet a few more days, and then comes that blessed day you have so long waited and panted for!
God will shortly put a blessed end to all of your soul troubles, cares and watchings. The time is coming, when your heart shall be as you would have it, when you shall be discharged of all these cares, fears and sorrows, and never more cry out: "O my hard, my proud, my vain, my earthly heart!"
The time is coming, when all vanity shall be purged perfectly out of your thoughts-and they will be everlastingly, ravishingly, and delightfully entertained and exercised upon that supreme goodness and infinite excellency of God!
"Then the King will say to those on His right: Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the Kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world!" Matthew 25:34~ ~ ~ ~
Immanuel's Land!
(Gene Fedele, edited)
What can be more delightful for the weary pilgrim who is hastening to his heavenly mansion, than to meditate on the unspeakable wonders of his future home beyond the skies? There is much of Immanuel's Land to engage our hearts in sacred contemplation, even while we sojourn and toil in this world as strangers and pilgrims.
Heaven is the most cheering and attractive occupation to which we may set our hearts. Yet I wonder why many of us fail to avail ourselves of the enjoyment and spiritual strength afforded in such a holy pursuit.
Could it be that the allurements of this world keep us from recognizing how near we are to the unseen, supernatural, and eternal state? Instead of dwelling on the glorious world to come-do we focus on the mere momentary pleasures of time? We do well to examine ourselves with judgment day honesty, that we may check the affections of our heart.
It is the influence of the future heavenly realities exercised in our hearts and lives, which gives vitality and beauty to our religion. It reveals genuine piety, as our aim is in contrast to the passing pleasures of this fleeting earth. It affords light along the path of life's dark trials, and points to the realms of bliss, where there shall be no more tears, and sorrow is banished forevermore!
The glorious rest that remains for our earth wearied souls;
the sweet consolation of the redeemed in glory;
the unending fellowship of that precious society of saints;
the incalculable riches laid up in store for us to receive on that glorious day
-are all facets of Immanuel's Land, that we might set an adoring eye towards the one object of our affections, Christ Jesus our Lord!
Let us, therefore, 'set our affections on things above' and fix our hearts steadfastly upon the heavenly joys and glory of Immanuel's Land!
"But our citizenship is in Heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body!" Philippians 3:20-21~ ~ ~ ~
No chance!
(John MacDuff, "The Night Watches")
"The Lord does whatever pleases Him, throughout all heaven and earth, and on the seas and in their depths." Psalm 135:6
How blessed that elementary truth: "The Lord reigns!"
To know that there is no chance or accident with God; that He decrees . . .
the fall of a sparrow;
the destruction of an atom;
the annihilation of a world!
The Almighty is not like Baal, "asleep."
"He who keeps Israel" can never for a moment "slumber."
Man proposes, but God disposes.
"You, Lord have done it!" is the history of every event, past, present and to come.
"The plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations!" Psalm 33:11
His purposes none can change.
His counsels none can resist.
"He stands alone, and who can oppose Him? He does whatever He pleases!" Job 23:13
"My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please!" Isaiah 46:10
Believer, how cheering to know that all that befalls you is thus ordered in the eternal purpose of a Covenant God! Every minute circumstance of your lot; appointing the bounds of your habitation; meting out every drop in the cup of life; arranging what by you is called its "vicissitudes;" decreeing all its trials; and at last, as the great Proprietor of life, revoking the lease of existence when its allotted term has expired!
How it should keep the mind from its guilty proneness to brood and fret over second causes, were this grand but simple truth ever realized-that all that befalls us are integral parts in a stupendous plan of wisdom; that there is no crossing or thwarting the designs and dealings of God.
"He does all things well!"
"Our God is in heaven; He does whatever pleases Him." Psalm 115:3
"Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns!" Revelation 19:6~ ~ ~ ~
The world will lose its charms!
(David Harsha, "Christ, and Him Crucified")
"As for me, God forbid that I should boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world died long ago, and the world's interest in me is also long dead." Galatians 6:14
There is nothing so animating to the Christian as a sight of Calvary.
How despicable does the world appear in his view, when he obtains a glimpse of that cross on which his Savior died!
Everything else loses its luster when, by the eye of faith, the cross of Christ is seen."A sight of Jesus on the cross,
Makes all this world appear as dross!"
In this wicked world, the Christian thirsts for God, and pants to reach the mansions of glory.
The Christian looks beyond this dying world to his eternal home in glory. The cross of Jesus enables him to soar on high, and leave the world behind him. He looks forward to the glory that is to be revealed in him. He sets his affections on things above.
Oh, keep gazing on a crucified Savior, and the world will lose its charms!
We overcome the world through the cross.
It is a sight of the cross of Christ that weans the affections from sublunary objects, and centers them on heavenly and divine things.My child
(Joseph Alleine, "The Gospel in a Map")
My child,
Behold, I give Myself to you, and all things with Myself.
I will be all to you that you can wish. I will be a FRIEND to you. My secrets shall be with you, and you shall have free access to Me, and liberty to pour out all your heart into My bosom.
I am the everlasting Father, and I will be a FATHER to you. Behold, I receive you not as a servant, but as a son to abide in My house forever. Whatever love or care children may look for from their father, that you may expect from Me, and so much more since I am wiser, greater, and better than any earthly parents. If earthly fathers will give good things to their children, much more will I give to you. If such cannot forget their children, much less will I forget you.
What would My children have? Your Father's heart, His house, His care, His ear, His bread, and His rod? These shall all be yours!
You shall have My fatherly affection. My heart I share with you. My tenderest loves I bestow upon you. You shall have My fatherly compassion. As a father pities his children, so will I pity you. I will consider your frame, and not be extreme to mark what is done amiss by you, but will cover all with the mantle of My pitying love. I will be your Comforter in your solitude, your Counselor in your distress.
I will be a PHYSICIAN to you. I will heal your backslidings and cure all your diseases. Fear not, for never did a soul miscarry that left itself in My hands, and would follow My prescriptions.
I will be a SHEPHERD to you. Do not be afraid of evil tidings, for I am with you. My rod and My staff shall comfort you. You shall not lack, for I will feed you; you shall not wander or be lost, for I will restore you. I will cause you to lie down in green pastures, and will lead you beside the still waters. I will gather you with My arm, carry you in My bosom, and will lead you softly. I will bind up that which was broken, and strengthen you when sick. I will watch over My flock by night. My own eyes shall keep a perpetual watch by night and by day. The Keeper of Israel never slumbers nor sleeps, nor withdraws His eyes from the righteous. I will guide you with My eye. I will never trust you out of My sight.
I will be a HUSBAND to you. In loving-kindness and mercy I will betroth you unto Myself forever. I will embrace your interest, and will be as one with you, and you with Me. You shall be for Me and not for another; and I also will be for you. Though I found you as a helpless infant, exposed in its own blood, all your unworthiness did not discourage Me. Lo, I have looked upon you, and put My loveliness upon you. Moreover, I swear unto you, and enter into covenant with you, and you shall be Mine. Behold, I do here solemnly, in My marriage covenant, give away Myself to you, and with Myself all things. I will be an everlasting portion to you. Now lift up your eyes to the east, to the west, to the north, and to the south. Have you not a worthy portion, a goodly heritage?
Can you fathom your riches or count your own happiness? Can you grasp immensity, reach omnipotence, or comprehend eternity? All this is yours! I will set open all My treasures to you, and will keep back nothing from you.
I will be a never failing fountain of joy, peace, and bliss unto you! I will be your God, your Father, and your Friend as long as I have any being. I have made My everlasting choice in electing you. Fear not, for the eternal God is your refuge, and underneath you are the everlasting arms. My unsearchable riches shall be yours. Though all should forsake you, yet I will never forsake you!
I am your rock and your fortress, your deliverer, your strength, the horn of your salvation, and your high tower.
I am God Almighty, your almighty Protector, your almighty Benefactor! My fullness is your treasure. My house is your home. You may come as freely to My store as to your own cupboard. You may have your hand as freely in My treasures as in your own purses. You cannot ask too much; you cannot look for too much from Me. I will give you (or will be Myself to you instead of) all comforts. You shall have children, or I will be better to you than ten children. You shall have riches, or I will be more to you than all riches.
Can you put out the lamp of heaven, or empty the boundless ocean with your hands? Why, the sun shall be dark and the sea dry before the Father of lights, the Fountain of mercies shall be exhausted. My infiniteness shall be the extent of your inheritance! I am your inheritance, which no line can measure, no arithmetic can compute, and no surveyor can describe.
But all this is but a taste of what I have prepared!
You must have but smiles and hints now, and be content with glimpses and glances here on earth. But you shall be shortly taken up into your Father's bosom and live forever in the fullest views of His glory!
The day of your death, shall be the birthday of your glories!~ ~ ~ ~
God's sword!
(William Dyer, "Christ's Voice to London". Preached in London during the time of the 'Great Plague' of 1665-1666. The 'Great Plague' was a massive outbreak of disease, which killed an estimated 100,000 people, 20% of London's population.)
"Listen! The Lord is calling to the city: Heed the rod and the One who appointed it!" Micah 6:9
Oh, London, London! God speaks to you by His judgments! Because you would not hear the voice of His Word-He has made you to feel the stroke of His rod! Oh, great city! how has the plague broken in upon you, because of your abominations! "They provoked the Lord to anger by their wicked deeds-so a plague broke out among them!" Psalm 106:29. Oh! how is the wrath of God kindled against you, that such multitudes of thousands have died within your borders by this severe plague-God's sword!
London! how are your streets thinned, your widows increased, and your cemeteries filled, your inhabitants fled, your trade decayed! Oh! therefore lay to heart all these things, and turn from your wicked ways, that the cry of your prayers may outcry the cry of your sins! Be like the city of Nineveh, who believed Jonah's message from God, and humbled themselves, and fasted and cried mightily unto the Lord. Oh, Did Nineveh repent and turn from their wicked ways-and shall not London?
Perhaps you think that all is now well, and that God is pleased with you, because the plague is abating. I say, blessed be God for this! But "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. Whatever a man sows-that he shall reap!" Galatians 6:7. To whomever God bestows great mercies, if they abound in great wickedness, He will inflict great punishments upon them! Alas! beloved, the plague abates-but your sins increase! There is no turning from sin-nor turning to God! There is no reformation and amendment of life among you! If this is so-then God is not done afflicting you!
If you remain . . .
as profane as before,
as superstitious as before,
as carnal as before,
as lukewarm as before,
as hard-hearted as before,
as proud and vain as before,
as worldly as before;
I say, if it is thus with you, God is not yet done with London-but has other judgments to pour out upon you, though He now causes the plague to cease.
(Editor's note: Shortly after the writing of the above, in September of 1666, the 'Great Fire of London' gutted the city, and consumed 13,200 houses. The social and economic problems created by this disaster were overwhelming.)~ ~ ~ ~
The choosing place
(John MacDuff, "The Rainbow in the Clouds")
"I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction!" Isaiah 48:10
The furnace of affliction! It is God's meeting place with His people.
"I have chosen you," says He, "in the furnace of affliction. I will keep you there, until the purifying process is complete; and if need be, in a 'chariot of fire' I will carry you to heaven!"
Some fires are for destruction, but the furnace of affliction is for purification.
He, the Refiner, is sitting by the furnace regulating the flames, tempering the heat; not the least filing of the gold but what is precious to Him!
The bush is burning with fire, but He is in the middle of it; a living God in a bush; a living Savior in the furnace!
And has this not been the method of His dealing with His redeemed people in every age.
First, trial-then blessing.
First, difficulties-then deliverances.
First, Egyptian plagues, darkness, brick kilns, the Red Sea, forty years of desert privations-then Canaan!
First, the burning fiery furnace-then the vision of "one like the Son of God!"
Or, as with Elijah on Carmel, the answer is first by fire-and then by rain.
First, the fiery trial-then the gentle descent of the Spirit's influences, coming down like "rain upon the mown grass, and as showers that water the earth."
Believer! be it yours to ask, "Are my trials sanctified?"
Are they making me holier, purer, better, more meek, more gentle, more heavenly-minded, more Savior-like?
Seek to "glorify God in the fires."
Patience is a grace which the angels cannot manifest.
Patience is a flower of earth:
it does not bloom in Paradise;
it requires tribulation for its exercise;
it is nurtured only amid wind, and hail, and storm.
By patient, unmurmuring submission, remember, you, a poor sinner, can thus magnify God in a way the loftiest angelic natures cannot do!His design is to purge away your dross, to bring you forth from the furnace reflecting His own image, and fitted for glory!
Those intended for great usefulness are much in the refining pot.
"His children have found suffering times happy times. They never have such nearness to their Father, such holy freedom with Him, and such heavenly refreshment with Him-as under the cross!"~ ~ ~ ~
This is the finger of God!
(J.C. Ryle, "This is the Finger of God!" Written during the Great Cattle Plague of England in 1865-1867.)
Look at the words which form the title of this article, and consider them well. They were spoken by heathen men more than three thousand years ago. They fell from the lips of Egyptian magicians when God sent one of the famous plagues on the land of Egypt. "Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh: This is the finger of God!" Exodus 8:19.
It would be well if we all were as wise as these Egyptians!
From WHENCE does the cattle plague come?
I answer, unhesitatingly, that it comes from God! He who orders all things in Heaven and earth, He by whose wise providence everything is directed, and without whom nothing can happen-He it is who has sent this scourge upon us! It is the finger of God!
I shall not spend time in proving this point. I refer anyone who asks for proof, to the whole tenor of God's Word. I ask him to mark how God is always spoken of as the governor and manager of all things, from the very least to the very greatest.
Who sent the flood on the world in the days of Noah? It was God! (Genesis 6:17)
Who sent the famine in the days of Joseph? It was God! (Genesis 41:25)
Who sent the plague on the livestock of Egypt in the reign of Pharaoh It was God! (Exodus 9:3)
Who sent disease on the Philistines when the ark was among them? It was God! (1 Samuel 5:7; 6:3-7)
Who sent the pestilence in the days of David? It was God! (2 Samuel 24:15)
Who sent the famine in the days of Elisha? It was God! (2 Kings 8:1)
Who sent the stormy wind and tempest in the days of Jonah? It was God! (Jonah 1:4)
I cannot understand how anyone can be called a believer of the Bible, who denies God's providence over His world. For my own part, I thoroughly believe that God has not changed. I believe that He is governing all things as much now, as He was in the Old Testament days. I believe that wars, famines, pestilences, and cattle plagues-are all His instruments for carrying on the government of this world. And therefore when I see a scourge like the cattle plague, I have no doubt as to the hand that sends it. It is the finger of God!
Can anyone give a better account of the cattle plague? I believe that the only cause that we must come to as last is: This is the finger of God!
Does anyone regard my assertion as absurd and unreasonable? I have no doubt that many do so. Many, I suspect, think that God never interferes with the affairs of this world, and that pestilences and cattle plagues are only the result of certain natural laws which are always producing certain effects. I pity the man who thinks so.
Is he an atheist? Does he believe that this wonderfully designed world came together by chance, and had no Creator? If so, he is a very gullible person.
But if he does believe that God made the world-where, I ask, is the absurdity of believing that God governs the world? If he allows that God framed the universe-then why not allow that God manages it?
Away with this modern skepticism! It is offensive and revolting to common sense. They are not to be heard, who would shut out the Creator from His own creation. He who made the world at the beginning by the finger of creating wisdom-will never cease to govern the world by the finger of His providence. This cattle plague is the finger of God!~ ~ ~ ~
Not a single shaft can hit, till the God of love sees fit!
(Samuel Davies, "The Nature and Universality of Spiritual Death")
Psalm 121
"My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber.
The Lord protects you; the Lord is a shelter right by your side.
The sun will not strike you by day, or the moon by night.
The Lord will protect you from all harm; He will protect your life.
The Lord will protect your coming and going, both now and forever!"
God is the guardian and deliverer of His people!
From how many dangers has He preserved us!
From how many calamities has He delivered us!
Dangers, distresses and deaths crowd upon us-and surround us in every age and every place! The air, the earth, the sea, and every element-are pregnant with numberless inlets of pain and death ready to seize and destroy us!
Sickness and death swarm around us! Nay, they lie in ambush in our own constitution, and are perpetually undermining our lives-and yet our divine Guardian preserves us for months and years unhurt, untouched. And how many 'salvations' of this kind has He wrought for us! Salvations . . .
from accidents,
from sicknesses,
from pains,
from sorrows,
from death!
Salvations from seen and unseen dangers!
Salvations in infancy, in youth, and in maturer years!
These things we cannot deny, without the most stupid ignorance, and an atheistic disbelief of divine Providence.
Sovereign Ruler of the skies,
Ever gracious, ever wise,
All my times are in Your hand,
All events at Your command!His decree, who formed the earth,
Fixed my first and second birth;
Parents, native place, and time,
All appointed were by Him.He who formed me in the womb,
He shall guide me to the tomb.
All my times shall ever be,
Ordered by His wise decree!Times of sickness, times of health;
Times of poverty, and of wealth;
Times of trial, and of grief,
Times of triumph, and relief.Plagues and death around me fly;
Till He bids, I cannot die!
Not a single shaft can hit,
Till the God of love sees fit!
(John Ryland)
Psalm 91:3-7
"Surely He will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear . . .
the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you!"~ ~ ~ ~
He who commits suicide to get out of trouble
(Charles Spurgeon)
Self-destruction, if done by a man in his senses, is a daring defiance of God, and the sealing of damnation!
For a person to end his life by his own hand would be a dreadful deed; it would prove that he was not a child of God, for "you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." I mean, of course, if such a deed were done by anyone in possession of his senses; I am not giving any judgment on those who are not in the possession of reason, and who are not accountable for what they do. If any man in his sober senses were to commit suicide, we could entertain no hope of eternal life for him.
He who commits suicide to get out of trouble . . .
drowns himself to prevent himself from getting wet;
leaps into the fire because he is scorched.
Do it not! Do it not! He who kills himself goes with his hands red with blood before his Maker, and goes thence to his own damnation!
Here are all the suicides in the Bible:
1. Abimelech had his armor-bearer kill him after being mortally injured by a woman. Judges 9:54
2. Saul killed himself after losing a battle to the Philistines. 1 Samuel 31:4
3. Saul's servant killed himself as his master had done. 1 Samuel 31:5
4. Ahithophel hanged himself after his advice was rejected by Absalom. 2 Samuel 17:23
5. Zimri set the palace on fire with himself inside, rather than being taken prisoner. 1 Kings 16:18
6. Judas Iscariot hanged himself after betraying Jesus. Matthew 27:5
We highly suggest that you watch both of these Biblically-balanced videos:
"12 Things You Need to Know About Suicide" by Pastor Curtis Knapp
"Can a Christian Commit Suicide?" by Pastor Tim Conway
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Carry all your concerns to Him in the arms of faith!
(James Smith, "The Pastor's Morning Visit")
"Casting all your care upon Him, because He cares for you!" 1 Peter 5:7
The Lord knows all His people-all their needs, and all their trials.
He thinks upon them-to bless, deliver and supply them.
He keeps His eye upon them-in all places, at all times, and under all circumstances.
He has them in His hand-and will not loosen His hold.
He looks upon them always as His own treasured possession . . .
the objects of His eternal love,
the purchase of His Son's blood,
the temples of His Holy Spirit.
They are precious in His sight!
He knows they are weak and fearful-and that they have many enemies. He teaches them to cast themselves and all their cares into His hands! He has given them His promise that He will care for them.
It is a Father's care which He exercises. It is a wise, holy, tender, and constant care. Therefore all will be well with you-only trust Him.
Believe that He cares for you this day. Carry all your concerns to Him in the arms of faith! Leave all with Him, persuaded that He will manage all by His infinite wisdom, and bring all to a good outcome by His omnipotent power.
Do not worry about anything. Cast all your cares upon Him, as fast as they come in.
"Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will support you!
He will never allow the righteous to be shaken!" Psalm 55:22
~ ~ ~ ~
Surely I am with you all the days!
(Alexander Smellie, "On the Secret Place" 1907)
"Surely I am with you all the days, to the very end of the age!" Matthew 28:20
The path in front of me may be full of flowers-or full of thorns.
Or, as is more probable, flower and thorn may be mingled together.
The sky may be light-or dark.
The weather may be glorious summer-or bleakest winter.
But I go safely and happily, if the Lord Jesus, who can and will supply my every need, is with me all the days.
Some of the days will be days of discipline-of the pruning knife and the cleansing fire.
But when He is with me, the discipline is a blessing, and not a curse. It teaches me . . .
to grasp His strong right hand with a tighter hold,
to pray more earnestly,
to find heights and depths of meaning in the promises of God,
to feel for others who are in tribulation.
Mind and heart and character are bettered by the endurance of affliction.
Many of the days, too, will be days of monotony. They must be spent in little things-household labors, common concerns, unnoticed toil. I may long for a more striking and interesting experience. But when He is with me, I know that He makes my life like His own-the blessed life He lived among carpenters' tools, and village streets, and peasant people. The drudgery is a love-message-it is Jesus Christ in disguise!
Every day will be a day of temptation. In the home, in the business, in company, in loneliness-I shall encounter the devil's subtle snares. But let my Lord be with me, and temptation will but reveal the closeness and blessedness of the tie. It will be an instrument which He uses to impart more maturity to my graces-more courage, more patience, more trust.
Perhaps one of the days will be the day of death. But if He does not leave or forsake me, then death will be an ingredient in the training that fits me for the glorious inheritance! As John Bunyan pictures it-I must cross the 'River of Death' to reach the 'Celestial City'. Jesus did it Himself, and the disciple is not above the Master. His Everlasting Arms will sustain me in the flood; and, on the other side, I shall enter the 'Beautiful Gate' and see His face!
ALL the days He is with me-to the end, and through the end, and beyond the end forever and ever! Whether I live, therefore, or whether I die-I am His and He is mine!~ ~ ~ ~
This one thought is a fountain of unfailing happiness!
(George Everard, 1884)
"He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ" Ephesians 1:5
"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus!" Galatians 3:26
Here is one of the sweetest privileges of the Christian life. The Christian is God's beloved child, and shares all the love and tenderness of the Father's heart!
This one thought is a fountain of unfailing happiness!
"I am at home with God!
Once I was far off-but now I am near.
Once I was a stranger-but now His beloved child!
Once the thought of His presence was fear and dread-but now it is life, and joy, and peace.
He is my Father, and in this Name all heart-joys meet.
He knows me by name, and cares for me in all my cares.
He pities me, and in tender compassion marks each tear I shed, and each sorrow that weighs upon my heart.
He opens His hand, and each day gives me all that I need.
He bows down His ear and hearkens to each prayer I offer.
I have boldness and liberty to go at all times into His presence-chamber, and may tell Him every desire and ask of Him whatever is for my good."I am the object of God's tender, paternal, and ceaseless care!
("Comfort for the Desponding-Words to Soothe and Cheer Troubled Hearts!" 1864)
"Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you!" 1 Peter 5:7
The Christian's life is very much made up of cares and comforts.
Cares spring from earth-comfort comes from Heaven.
Cares prove him a sinner-holy comforts prove him a saint.
Cares flow in from a variety of quarters-true comfort from only one quarter.
Cares come naturally-but comforts come supernaturally.Cares must be cast on our God-or they will prove a burden too heavy for us. They will depress us, bewilder us, and make us wretched. But here is our comfort-we have always ONE to care for us, and the very One which of all others we would wish to do so, "The Lord cares for you!"
God cares for whom?
For you, who are born again by the Spirit.
For you, who are strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
For you, who are placed in humble circumstances, being numbered with the poor of this world.
For you, who are compassed about with so many cares, and who enjoy so few comforts.
For you, who are surprised at your many fiery trials, as though some strange thing had happened unto you.
For you, who are worried and harassed by Satan, who, as a roaring lion, goes about seeking whom he may devour.
For you, who are persecuted by the world, and hated by men for your Savior's sake.
For you, to whom Christ is precious-as He is to every one who truly believes in Him.
God's care extends to every Christian . . .
the young and the aged,
the weak and the strong,
the poor and the wealthy,
the doubting and the confident.
Believer, He cares for you!Who is it that cares for us?
It is the Lord, the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy;
who is so great-that we have no adequate conception of His greatness;
who is so good-that it is impossible fully to set forth His goodness;
who is so glorious-that no sinner can see His face and live.
It is He . . .
who created all things with His word,
who governs all by His wisdom,
and upholds all by His power.
His resources are infinite,
His compassion is exquisite, and
His patience is astonishingly great.
He enters into all the circumstances of His redeemed people, is ever present with them, and rejoices over them to do them good.
The angels obey Him,
the seraphim adore Him,
and all creation glorifies Him!But though He is so exalted, so holy, and so unspeakably great . . .
He cares for you-as vile as you are.
He cares for you-as sinful as you are.
He cares for you-as depressed and discouraged as you are.
He cares for you. He cares for you individually, and according to the circumstances in which you are placed.What does He do?
He cares for you!
He thinks of you!
He watches over you!
He sympathizes with you!
He feels the deepest interest in you!
He ever seeks your welfare!
He infallibly secures your good!Your misery touches His heart,
your needs lie open to His view,
and your cries enter into His ears!He cares for you more than for the proudest monarch on his throne!
He cares for you-and His care is CONSTANT!
It is not fitful or occasional-but ever the same.He cares for you-and His care is PATERNAL!
It is the care of a father for his child-the child whom he tenderly loves, and for whose welfare he feels the deepest concern.He cares for you, and His care is PERPETUAL!
He will never care for you less than He does at present.
When old age weakens you,
when poverty pinches you,
when death appears just before you-
He will care for you as much as He does at this moment.He cares for you-and His care is BENEFICIAL!
It prevents innumerable evils-and secures the greatest possible amount of good. His care is more advantageous than the care of the kindest father, though that father were monarch of the mightiest empire, and possessed unbounded wealth. The care of God is of more value than the care of all His creatures combined.He cares for you-but His care is MYSTERIOUSLY EXERCISED!
It benefits us certainly-but secretly. It conceals itself behind the blessings it brings, and the evils it prevents.He cares for you-and His care is SPECIAL!
It is not the care which He has for the beasts which perish, or the unbelieving sinners who die under His frown.He cares for you-and His care is PARTICULAR.
It is care which extends to the very hairs of your heads, which, are all numbered-and to all the events and occurrences of your life, however minute or commonplace!Beloved, here is our comfort. We may lose the care of an earthly relative or dear friend by death-but the Lord ever lives; and while He lives, He . . .
ever loves us,
thoroughly knows us, and
never ceases to care for us!Here is the ground of our confidence for the future. We know not where we shall be, nor what we shall be-for we know not what a day may bring forth. But this we know, that God will care for us, and, caring for us-He will fulfill His precious promises to us.
If God cares for us, then . . .
let us cast all our cares upon Him;
let us live in daily fellowship with Him;
let us seek all our supplies from Him.If God cares for us, then let us not dishonor Him by nursing our doubts, or encouraging our fears-but let us trust in Him at all times, for . . .
His love is true,
His care is constant, and
His knowledge is perfect.We shall never be without a divine friend-however trying our circumstances may be. We shall never be without a divine guide-however perplexing or difficult our path may be. The care of God is more than the care of all the angelic hosts. If the care of God is not sufficient to preserve, supply, and satisfy us-then nothing is.
May the Lord help me to believe this precious truth, to realize it daily, and to pass through the present world under the impression, "I am the object of God's tender, paternal, and ceaseless care!"
"Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you. He will never let the righteous fall!" Psalm 55:22
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Pithy gems from Richard Baxter's "A Call to the Unconverted!"
There is not a soul in Hell but knows that it was a mad exchange to forfeit Heaven for a little mirth, or fleshly pleasure, or worldly riches or honor.
Nothing can quench Hell fire!
There can be no reason to warrant a man to damn his eternal soul.
Will Hell not be as hot to you, as to others?
Heaven will pay for the loss of anything that we lose to get it; but nothing can pay for the loss of Heaven.
The joys of Heaven are of so pure and spiritual a nature, that the heart of the wicked cannot desire them.
Is it possible that a man can have any good reason to damn his own immortal soul?
Is eternal damnation a thing to be desired?
Are you in love with Hell?
What reason have you to willfully perish?
There is no separating sin and Hell.
Heaven is such a thing, that, if you lose it, nothing can make up the loss.
Hell its such a thing, that, if you suffer it, nothing can remove your misery or give you ease and comfort.
If damnation and Hell are pleasant to you, then it is no wonder that you go on in sin.
Are the pleasures of this world to be valued above the joys of Heaven?
Are they worth the sufferings of eternal Hell-fire?
Men will damn themselves for a little sinful pleasure, and run into endless torments for a little earthly delight!
It is easier to hear of Hell, than feel it.
Unless you are converted, you are but dead and damned men!
O sinner! If you did but know the thousandth part of the danger that is near you, and the misery that you are running into-you would turn to God at once!
~ ~ ~ ~
Perhaps He will smite you!
(Charles Spurgeon)
"Just as a parent disciplines a child, the LORD your God disciplines you for your own good." Deuteronomy 8:5
"I have refined you in the furnace of suffering." Isaiah 48:10
I can truly say of everything I have ever tasted in this world of God's mercy, (and my path has been remarkably strewn with divine lovingkindness), I feel more grateful to God for the bodily pain I have suffered, and for all the trials of diverse sorts I have endured, than I do for anything else.
I am sure I have derived more real benefit, and permanent strength, and growth in grace, and every precious thing-from the furnace of suffering, than I have ever derived from prosperity.
I know not how to quite express my meaning, but even depression of spirit and deep sadness have a particular charm within them, which laughter in vain may emulate.
"It is good for me that I have been afflicted!" Psalm 119:71
Ponder and consider the much gratitude you owe to God for His chastening rod. Dwell much in your heart upon what God evidently regards as one of His distinguishing blessings. Do not lightly pass over, what God would have you consider. Count the cross and the rod to be doubly worthy of your deepest thought.
"Heed the rod and Him who has appointed it." Micah 6:9
Remember that whenever you are chastened, you are not chastened as a slave master smites his victim, nor as a judge orders the criminal to be lashed; but as a tender father chastens his son.
Your chastisement is a sign of sonship, it is a token of love! It is intended for your good.
Accept it, therefore, in the spirit of sonship, and "Do not despise the chastening of the Lord, neither faint when you are corrected by Him."
It is the Lord your God who chastens you!
If He were not your God, He might let you alone!
If He had not chosen you to be His own, He would not take such care of you!
If He had not given Himself to be your treasure, He might not be so diligent in weaning you from all other treasures!
But because you are His, He will withdraw your love away from this poor world.
Perhaps He will take one child after another from you, that all the love that was lavished on the children might flow towards Himself.
Perhaps He will leave you a widow, that the love that ran in the channel of a husband may run altogether to Himself.
Perhaps he will take away your riches, that the consolation you derived from them may be all derived from Him.
Perhaps He will smite you, and then lay you on His own bosom, faint and helpless, that you may derive a strength and a joy from close and near fellowship with Himself, which you would never have had if it had not been that these other joys were removed.
Bless God for your chastenings!
Let the sweetest note of your music be to Him who, as a loving father, chastens His children for their good.
"For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son He receives." Hebrews 12:6~ ~ ~ ~
Drinking bitter cups!
(Octavius Winslow)
"We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28
Oh truth most divine!
Oh words most consolatory!
All things under the government of an infinitely great, all wise, righteous, and beneficent God, work together for good.
What that good may be, the shape it may assume, the complexion it may wear, the end to which it may be subservient-we cannot tell.
To our dim view it may appear an evil, but to God's far seeing eye it is a positive good.
His glory secured by it, and His end accomplished-we are sure it must be good.
How many whose eye traces this page, it may be whose tears bedew it, whose sighs breathe over it, whose prayers hallow it, may be wading in deep waters, may be drinking bitter cups, and are ready to exclaim, "All these things are against me!"
Oh no, beloved of God, all these things are for you!
"The Lord sits upon the flood."
"The voice of the Lord is upon the waters."
"He makes the clouds His chariot."
Be not then afraid.
Calmly stay your faith on this divinely assured truth, that "all things work together for good to those who love God."
Will it not be a good, if your present adversity results . . .
in the dethronement of some worshiped idol;
in the endearing of Christ to your soul;
in the closer conformity of your mind to God's image;
in the purification of your heart;
in your more thorough fitness for Heaven;
in a revival of God's work within you;
in stirring you up to more prayer?
Oh yes! good, real good, permanent good must result from all the Divine dispensations in your history.
Bitter repentance shall end in the experienced sweetness of Christ's love.
The festering wound shall but elicit the healing balm.
The overpowering burden shall but bring you to the tranquil rest.
The storm shall but quicken your footsteps to the 'hiding place'.
In a little while, oh, how soon! you shall pass away from earth to heaven, and in its clearer, serener light shall read the truth, often read with tears before, "All things work together for good to those who love God."~ ~ ~ ~
A deadly enemy!
(William Sprague, "Lectures on Revivals of Religion")
"You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God?
Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." James 4:4
Beware of the world!
Everyone who has made much progress in the Christian life, has been taught by his own experience that the world is a deadly enemy to the believer's growth in grace.
The cares of the world are exceedingly apt to mar the Christian character.
But there are, in addition . . .
the pleasures of the world,
the honors of the world,
the riches of the world,
all of which in turn seize hold of the heart with a mighty grasp.
Sometimes the world laughs and scoffs at the Christian, and tries to persuade him that he is giving himself to fanaticism and folly.
Sometimes it flatters and caresses him, and by its artful blandishments, seeks to draw him aside from the plain path of duty.
Indeed the world will assume any form, or morph into anything, to draw the Christian away from God and from duty.
How important then that you be on guard against this dangerous enemy! Beware especially against the levities and amusements of the world; for this is the point at which you are most in danger.
"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world-the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-comes not from the Father but from the world." 1 John 2:15-16~ ~ ~ ~
Extremely derogatory to human pride!
(Stephen Tyng, "Christ is All")
"In his pride, the wicked does not seek God; in all his thoughts, there is no room for God!" Psalm 10:4
Sin has entirely perverted the nature of man.
The carnal mind is opposed to God in its . . .
judgments,
tastes,
desires,
pursuits.
God demands that guilty man . . .
sacrifice his own imaginary independence,
renounce his own fancied excellence, and
acknowledge his personal unworthiness,
before he can be received into the family of God.
Such demands seem extremely derogatory to human pride. For this reason, multitudes reject all the offers of the Gospel, and treat with contempt those who yield to the invitations which they themselves despise, and submit to the motives which they renounce, as deluded and degraded people.
"The day is coming when your pride will be brought low and the Lord alone will be exalted." Isaiah 2:11
"The Lord Almighty has done it to destroy your pride and show His contempt for all human greatness." Isaiah 23:9
"The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished." Proverbs 16:5
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Life is like a painted dream!
(Octavius Winslow, "This God is Our God")
"For this God is our God forever and ever-He will be our guide even to the end." Psalm 48:14
"The world passes away."
Everything here in this present world is changing.
"Life is like a painted dream,
Like the rapid summer stream,
Like the fleeting meteor's ray,
Like the shortest winter's day,
Like the fitful breeze that sighs,
Like the waning flame that dies,
Darting, dazzling on the eye,
Fading in eternity."
A rope of sand,
a spider's web,
a silken thread,
a passing shadow,
an ebbing wave,
are the most fitting and expressive emblems of all things belonging to this present time's state.
The homes that sheltered us in childhood we leave.
The land which gave us birth we leave.
The loved ones who encircled our hearths pass away.
The friends of early years depart.
And the world that was so sunny, and life that was so sweet, is all beclouded and embittered; the whole scenery of existence changed into wintry gloom.
Such are the saddening, depressing effects of life's vicissitudes.
But in the midst of all, "This God is our God FOREVER AND EVER!"
All beings change, but God.
All things change, but Heaven.
The evolutions of time revolve, the events of earth go onward-but He upon whom all things hang, and by whom all events are shaped and controlled, moves not.
"I, the Lord, do not change."
Our affairs may alter.
Our circumstances may change.
Our relations and friends may depart one by one.
Our souls in a single day pass through many fluctuations of spiritual feeling.
But He who chose us to be His own, and who has kept us to the present moment, is our covenant God and Father forever and ever, and will never throw us off and cast us away.
"For this God is our God forever and ever-He will be our guide even to the end!" Psalm 48:14~ ~ ~ ~
Unspeakably dreadful!
(Horatius Bonar)
God's estimate of sin is unspeakably dreadful!
Sin is the abominable thing which I hate!
Sin is an evil that I cannot bear.
Sin cast the angels out of Heaven.
Sin ruined the whole world in Adam's time.
Sin brought the universal deluge in Noah's time.
Sin drew down the fire and brimstone on Sodom.
Sin will yet destroy this world with fire.
Sin will kindle Hell!
Sin slew My beloved Son!~ ~ ~ ~
What are the ephemeral distinctions of earth?(Jared Waterbury, "Who are the Happy?")
The Christian sees others successfully pursuing and attaining the wealth and honors of this world.
But he must remember, that while the worldling is receiving his good things in this life, God is preparing something better for him.
It has pleased God, for the good of His people, and in love to their souls, to appoint most of them a lowly lot in life. He has thus exempted them from the 'deceitfulness of riches,' and from many of the corroding cares of this world.
After all, what are the ephemeral distinctions of earth, when the Christian is expecting, after a few revolving suns, to wear a brighter crown than the jeweled toy that rests upon an earthly brow, and to inherit a kingdom richer in resources than all the kingdoms of the world?
All will be well at last!
The bright shores of Heaven will be reached in safety, and the redeemed shall forget all its sorrows in the enjoyment of everlasting rest!
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal!" 2 Corinthians 4:16-18