Grace Gems for JULY 2024

(John MacDuff, "The Night Watches") LISTEN to audio! Download Audio

"He will feed His flock like a Shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young." Isaiah 40:11

How soothing, in the hour of sorrow, or bereavement, or death—to have the countenance and sympathy of a tender earthly friend. Reader, these words tell you of One nearer, dearer, tenderer still—the Friend that never fails, a tender God!

By how many endearing epithets does Jesus exhibit the tenderness of His relation to His people.

Does a shepherd watch tenderly over his flock?
"The Lord is my Shepherd."

Does a father exercise fondest solicitude towards His children?
"I will be a Father unto you."

Does a mother's love exceed all other earthly types of affection.
"As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you."

Is the 'apple of the eye' (the pupil) the most sensitive part of the most delicate bodily organ?
He guards His people "as the apple of His eye!"

"He will not break the bruised reed."

When the Shepherd and Guardian of souls finds the sinner, like a lost sheep, stumbling on the dark mountains—how tenderly He deals with him! There is no look of wrath; no word of upbraiding. In silent love "He lays him on His shoulders rejoicing!"

Reader, are you mourning over . . .
the weakness of your faith,
the coldness of your love,
your manifold spiritual declensions?

Fear not. He knows your frame! He will give 'feeble faith' tender dealing. He will carry in His arms those that are unable to walk, and will conduct the burdened ones through a path less rough and rugged than others.

When "the lion" or "the bear" comes—you may trust the true David, the tenderest of Shepherds!

Are you suffering from outward trial? Confide in the tenderness of your God's dealings with you. The strokes of His rod are gentle strokes—the needed discipline of a father yearning over his children the very moment He is chastising them. The gentlest earthly parent may speak a needlessly harsh word at times—but not so God. He may seem like Joseph to his brethren, to 'speak roughly'—but all the while there is love in His heart!

The pruning knife will not be used unnecessarily. It will never cut too deeply.

The furnace will not burn more fiercely than is absolutely required.
A tender God is seated by it, tempering the fury of its flames!

And what, believer, is the secret of all this tenderness?
There is a Man upon the Throne! Jesus, the God-Man Mediator—combining with the might of Godhead, the tenderness of spotless humanity.

Is your heart crushed with sorrow?
So was His!

Are your eyes dimmed with tears?
So were His? "Jesus wept!"
Bethany's Chief Mourner still wears the Brother's heart in glory!

Others may be unable to enter into the depths of your trial.
Jesus can—Jesus does!

With such a tender God . . .
caring for me,
providing for me,
watching my path by day, and
guarding my couch by night,
"I will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone,
O Lord, make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8

(Octavius Winslow) LISTEN to audio! Download Audio

"I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort—but on God, who has mercy!" Romans 9:15-16

Here is the Sovereign! How like Himself He speaks! He carries forward His gracious purposes of infinite wisdom and love. He chooses, or rejects. He reveals, or withholds—"working all things after the counsel of His own will;" and "giving no account of any of His matters," either to angels or to men.

Is the reader a child of God? Who and what made you to differ? You have been taken out of your family, your friends, your companions. From this circle, you alone have been chosen, redeemed, effectually called, made a child of grace and an heir of glory!

The others, where are they?
Living for this wicked world,
lovers of pleasure,
lovers of self,
lovers of sin,
hating God,
rejecting Christ.
Still dead in trespasses and sin!
Hastening their footsteps down to the doom of the damned!
Gone, many of them, into eternity—past the confines of mercy!
In Hell, lifting up their eyes in torment!

And what are you?
A sinner,
chosen by the Father,
redeemed by the Son,
and regenerated by the Spirit.
A sinner, pardoned and justified.
A sinner, washed and clothed in Christ's righteousness.
A sinner, adopted into the family of God.
A sinner, brought to the foot of the cross.
A sinner, saved by the sovereign grace of God!

Oh the electing love of God!

Oh the redeeming grace of Jesus!

Oh the sovereign operation of the Holy Spirit!

Silently wonder, and adore Him who says:
"I have loved you, My people, with an everlasting love!
With unfailing love I have drawn you to Myself!" Jeremiah 31:3

It ascribes all the praise, honor, and glory of salvation—to the Triune God!

"To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father; to Him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen." Revelation 1:5-6

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"By His mighty acts He governs the people!" Job 36:31

God's purpose comes in contact with earth and its dwellers—not generally and by means of laws, but directly and minutely. His will, His voice, His hand, His arm, all come into contact with this world—as well as with all other worlds, the creations of His power.

He has not left them alone.

He sustains and rules as truly as He creates them.
Not for a moment does He let go His hold.

He is the Governor among the nations.

He rules by His power forever.

His eyes behold the nations. He does according to His will in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth.

It is with no distant, unheeding God that we have to do. But with that God . . .
who fixes the bounds of our habitation,
who counts our hairs,
who feeds the ravens,
notes a sparrow's death,
and clothes the lilies of the field.

God governs the people by means of the changes of nature. We use "nature" for lack of a better word. We mean earth and sky with all their motions, and alternations, and transformations, great and small, all "natural phenomena" as they are called.

These phenomena, or appearances, appear to us common things; by some ascribed to "chance", by others to "laws of nature."

Here they are ascribed directly to God!

They are . . .
His voice by which He speaks to us,
His finger by which He touches us,
His rod by which He corrects us,
His sword, by which He smites us.

It seems to be the thought of many, that in none of these can we or ought we to recognize, directly and specially, the interposition of God; that it is fanaticism to interpret them so as to make them special messengers of God to us. But the words before us are very explicit, "By His mighty acts He governs the people!"

The things by which He is here said to govern the people, are the common things of the day and year—the rain, the clouds, the lightning, and such like. He uses these as His voice in . . .
warning,
or commanding,
or chastising,
or comforting.

These common things do not come by chance, or at random, or by dead law—but go out from God as His messengers. Thus everything has a divine meaning and a heavenly voice. Let us listen and interpret and understand.

Summer speaks to us with its green fields and fragrant gardens.
Winter speaks to us with its ice and snow and frost.
By these God governs the people:
the pestilence,
the famine,
the earthquake,
the lightning,
the storm,
the shipwreck,
the overthrow of kingdoms and kings.

Each of these has a special message to the nations, and to each of us. Let us see God drawing near to us in them—showing His care and love, manifesting an unwearied concern for our welfare.

Woe to us if we either misinterpret them, or refuse to interpret them at all.

The common daily changes of personal or family life, all speak in the same way. Not only the sweeping calamity that carries off its hundreds; but the sickness, the pain, or the gentle sickness—these have a voice to us.

He who has an ear, let him hear!

We disjoin God from creation, and so see nothing in it of divine life and power.

We disjoin God from the changes of creation, and so find no meaning in these.

We disjoin God from the beautiful or the terrible—and so realize nothing in them which overawes, or attracts, or purifies, or comforts.

We have so learned to separate between God and the 'works of God', that we seem to imagine that they contradict each other. The fair sky, and the clear stream, and the green hills—all speak of divine goodness.

This separation of God from His works is one of the awful features of human unbelief.

How much more of Him would we know, were we to interpret His works aright, and hear His voice in each—whether in love or discipline.

"By His mighty acts He governs the people!" Job 36:31

(Charles Spurgeon) LISTEN to audio! Download Audio

" . . . Save me from the wicked . . . from men of the world whose portion is in this life!" Psalm 17:13-14

Does the world satisfy you?
Then you have your reward and portion in this life.
Make much of it, for you shall know no other joy!

God has not made this world to be a nest for us, and if we try to make it such for ourselves, He plants thorns in it, so that we may be compelled to mount and find our soul's true home in a higher and nobler sphere than this poor world can give!

The carrion which delights the crow, would disgust the dove. In the same way, those things which are delightful and full of pleasure to unsaved men, would shock and grieve the hearts of the godly.

I am sure that if you are a child of God, you cannot be happy in the world. Saving grace has spoiled you for the world, and it is futile for you to attempt to get comfort out of it.

Poor vain world! It is no friend to the Christian!

If you find your pleasure with the world, you shall have your condemnation with the world. If you live like the world, you shall die like the world, and be damned like the world!

To the true Christian, this poor world is nothing better than a huge penal colony, from which it would be a thousand mercies for both body and soul to be emancipated. "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?"

Jesus says, "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."

Paul says, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind."

James says, "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."

John says, "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

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The more vile we are in our own eyes, the more precious Christ will be to us!

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How unspeakably wonderful it is, to know that all our concerns are held in those hands which bled for us!

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Our sea may sometimes be stormy—but we have an infallible Pilot, and shall infallibly gain our port.

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Our work is great,
our time is short, and
the consequences of our labors are infinite!
"Hold me up, and I will be safe!" Psalm 119:117

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My grand point in preaching is to break the hard heart, and to heal the broken heart.

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I am persuaded that love and humility are the highest attainments in the school of Christ, and the brightest evidences that He is indeed our Master.

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We serve a gracious Master, who will overrule even our mistakes to His glory and our own advantage.

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Can we wish, if it were possible, to walk in a path strewed with flowers—when His path was strewed with thorns?

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May we sit at the foot of the cross, and there learn . . .
what sin has done,
what justice has done,
what love has done.

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Healing and wounding are equally from His hand, and equally tokens of His love and care over us.

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They are the happiest Christians, who have the lowest thoughts of themselves; and in whose eyes, Jesus is most glorious and precious!

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My heart is vile, and even my prayers are sin.
My soul is very sick, but my Physician is infallible!

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Lord, save us from our golden calves!

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The Lord Jesus, and the world that crucified Him—are competitors for our hearts.

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The storms of our life are guided by the hands which were nailed to the cross!

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We have work to do in the world, more to do in the Church and in our homes—but most of all, in our own hearts!

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Wonderful are the effects when a crucified, glorious Savior is presented to the eye of faith. This sight destroys the love of sin!

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Abominations, like nests of vipers, lie quietly in us—until the rod of affliction arouses them. Then they hiss and show their venom! This discovery is indeed very distressing; yet, until it is made, we are prone to think ourselves much less vile than we really are, and cannot so heartily abhor ourselves, and repent in dust and ashes.

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A deep sense of indwelling sin is essential to humble living.

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I have reason to praise Him for my trials, for most probably I would have been ruined without them!

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To see Him as He is, and to be like Him—this is worth dying for, and worth living for.

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People do their country more service by pleading for it in prayer, than by finding fault with things they have no power to alter.

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Prosperity may cause us to rise in the world, but affliction is needful to raise us above the world.

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The babe of Bethlehem, the man who once hung dead and forsaken upon the cross—is now the Lord of glory!

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I have read of many wicked popes, but the worst pope I ever met with is pope self.

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Humility is the strength and ornament of every other grace, and the proper soil wherein they grow.

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To behold the glory and the love of Jesus, is the only effectual way to be conformed to His image!

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Resist every temptation to doubt Christ's love, as you would resist a temptation to adultery or murder!

(Charles Simeon) LISTEN to audio! Download Audio

"These men have set up idols in their hearts!" Ezekiel 14:3

"They worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised! Amen!" Romans 1:25

This is the essence of idolatry! We are here forbidden to pay to any creature, that regard which is due to God alone—or to make it the chief object of our love and pursuit. We may love the creature in a subordinate way, but not so as to put it in competition with God.

There is nothing in the whole universe which we should desire, or seek, or devote ourselves to—in comparison with God. Nor is there anything which we should not willingly part with, rather than offend Him.

The state of our minds towards God should be like that of David, "Whom have I in Heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever!" Psalm 73:25-26

To make pleasure, or riches, or honor, or anything but God, our chief good—is idolatry!

(Charles Spurgeon) LISTEN to audio! Download Audio

"God bought you with a very high price!" 1 Corinthians 6:20

"The church of God, which He bought with His own blood." Acts 20:28

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us." Galatians 3:13

"Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her." Ephesians 5:25

"He gave Himself for us, to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good." Titus 2:14

Refresh in your souls a sense of the fact that "God bought you with a very high price!"

There in the midnight hour, amid the olives of Gethsemane, kneels Immanuel the Son of God. He groans, He pleads in prayer, He wrestles. See the beady drops stand on His brow—drops of sweat, but not of such sweat as pours from men when they earn the bread of life, but the sweat of Him who is procuring eternal life itself for us.

It is blood! It is crimson blood! Great gouts of it are falling to the ground! O soul, your Savior speaks to you from Gethsemane at this hour, and He says: "Here and thus I bought you with a price!" Come, stand and view Him in the agony of the olive garden, and understand at what a cost He procured your deliverance!

Track Him in all His path of shame and sorrow until you see Him at Gabbatha. Mark how they bind His hands and fasten Him to the whipping-post. See, they bring the scourges and the cruel Roman whips; they tear His flesh; the ploughers make deep furrows on His blessed body, and the blood gushes forth in streams; while rivulets from His temples where the crown of thorns has pierced them, join to swell the purple stream. From beneath the scourges He speaks to you with accents soft and low, and says, "My child, it is here and thus I bought you with a very high price!"

But see Him on the cross itself when the consummation of all has come. His hands and feet are fountains of blood, His soul is full of anguish even to heartbreak; and there, before the soldier pierces His side with a spear, bowing down He whispers to you and to me, "It was here and thus, I bought you with a very high price!"

O by Gethsemane, by Gabbatha, by Golgotha, by every sacred name connected with the passion of our Lord; by sponge and vinegar, and nail and spear, and everything that enlarged the pain and increased the anguish of His death—I implore you, my beloved brethren, to remember that you were "bought with a very high price," and that "you are not your own."

"You know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect!" 1 Peter 1:18-19

(George Everard, "Beneath the Cross" 1877) LISTEN to audio! Download Audio

"May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world!" Galatians 6:14

The cross of Christ is the believer's lesson book. The agonies and death which He bore for our sake, should be the subject of our constant meditation.

Nowhere, as in the Cross and in the scenes connected with it, do we see such revelations of the heart of Christ!

Mercy shines forth in her beauty . . .
seeking pardon for His cruel murderers,
compassionating the daughters of Jerusalem,
and saving sinners of the deepest dye!

Justice, too, stands forth in unsullied glory. In paying the debt of human guilt, in bearing the penalty of a broken law—Christ is seen to be a just God, as also a Savior.

In our Lord's suffering and death, there is precious instruction for the believer in almost every matter belonging to the Christian life . . .
what are the perils you are likely to meet with—and how best to overcome them;
what should be your life in secret before God—and what should be your path in the world;
what is your strength in the hour of temptation—and in the season of sorrow;
how to crucify the world—and how to glorify God in the position which you occupy
—all this may be learned in fellowship with our suffering Redeemer.

Beneath the Cross likewise, you may best learn to cultivate every Christian grace and virtue.
Meekness and courage,
zeal and love,
prayer and patience and forbearance,
and submission to the will of God—
all of these are the fruits of a believing view of Christ's death!

You may learn, too, to conquer sin by the sight of that which it cost Christ to save you from it. The nail and the spear may be driven through the sins which have been most cherished! You may thus be enabled to crucify the flesh with the affections and lusts.

And beneath the Cross you may learn another lesson—you may learn how to die. Through death, Christ has destroyed the power of death—the sting is gone. To him who believes, death is life—for it is departing to be with Christ, which is far better!

Therefore let us often betake ourselves to Calvary. Let memory recall and ponder those hours on which our everlasting salvation depends. Let our faith bridge over the centuries that have passed between; let us go and stand in thought, beside the faithful women who were last at the cross, and first at the grave. Let us look again, and yet again—and discover new lessons of instruction and fresh grounds for the deepest contrition, as also for everlasting joy and thankfulness—beneath the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God!" Hebrews 12:2

(Charles Spurgeon) LISTEN to audio! Download Audio

I very much denounce the designation, "To the Reverend C.H. Spurgeon," for no reverence is due to me!

Assuredly, 'Reverend' and 'sinner' make a curious combination!
And as I know I am the second, I repudiate the first.

To me, it is surprising that such a flattering title should have been invented—and more amazing still, that good men should be found who are angry if this title is not duly given to them.

"It is the Lord your God you must follow, and Him you must revere." Deuteronomy 13:4

". . . so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always." Deuteronomy 14:23

". . . revere this glorious and awesome name: the Lord your God." Deuteronomy 28:58

". . . revere Him, all you descendants of Israel!" Psalm 22:23

"Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere Him." Psalm 33:8

". . . holy and reverend is His name." Psalm 111:9

"I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere Him." Ecclesiastes 3:14

"Who should not revere You, O King of the nations? This is Your due." Jeremiah 10:7
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You may also want to read John Newton's one page article, "Reverend Doctor!"

(Charles Spurgeon) LISTEN to audio! Download Audio

There is nothing more certain than this: that you cannot be saved and keep your sins—they must be parted with.

No man can carry fire in his bosom, and yet be safe from burning.
While you drink the poison, it must and will work death in you.
The thief cannot expect mercy, while he keeps the goods he has stolen.

Will you keep your sins and go to Hell—or leave your sins and go to Heaven?

Most men in their heart of hearts would like to have their sins, and go to Heaven also. But that cannot be! While God is just, and Heaven is holy, and truth is precious—it cannot be!

What if the man does not go to Hell as a drunkard—it will not help him if he is damned by being self-righteous. So long as he is lost, I do not see that it materially matters exactly how he goes to Hell.

Many and many a man has given up outward sins and set up a self-righteousness of his own; and said, "These are my gods!" And so he fled from a bear, and a lion slew him; he leaned on a wall, and a serpent bit him!

All sin must be cast out of the throne of the heart, and whatever righteousness that is not Christ's righteousness, must go with it.

I would sincerely put the sword-point to your heart, O sinner, and say, "Give up all that opposes Christ!" For if you do not give it up, your soul will be lost!

(Thomas Reade, "Christian Meditations") LISTEN to audio! Download Audio

In order to awaken self-abasement and gratitude—I should consider both what I deserve, and what blessings I have in Christ.

If the righteous Lord were to deal with me according to my deservings, I would at this moment be under the rack of excruciating pain; or under the pressure of most abject poverty—thus experiencing the foretaste of eternal woe.

If thus dealt with in strictest justice, Death would receive his commission to hurl my affrighted soul into the gulf of endless misery, there to remain an everlasting monument of the vengeance of a holy God!
All short of this is mercy!

Do I enjoy a portion of health?
It is all mercy!

Am I undergoing a sanctified affliction?
It is all mercy!

Do I partake of the bounties of Providence?
It is all mercy!

Do I possess affectionate friends?
It is all mercy!

Do I experience the love of God in Christ, pardoning my sins, and purifying my heart?
Oh! this is mercy beyond the power of language to praise or to express!

Rejoice in such a Savior, who mercifully snatched you as a brand out of the burning!

"Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions." Ephesians 2:4-5

"He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy." Titus 3:5

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope!" 1 Peter 1:3

(Thomas Reade, "Christian Experience") LISTEN to audio! Download Audio

Matthew 25:46, "Then they will go away to eternal punishment—but the righteous to eternal life!"

One moment in Heaven will convince the believer that his afflictions upon earth were light. When earth with all its glories shall have passed away—the lowly followers of Jesus will abide forever, and shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father!
"You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand." Psalm 16:11

One moment in Hell will convince the pleasure-loving sinner that it would have been good for him had he never been born!
"He, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of His wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb." Revelation 14:10

Oh! Who can grasp the thought of never-ending joy—or everlasting woe!

The mind labors to conceive, and yet can never reach beyond the first impression of eternity.

Numbers, years, ages—all, all are lost in the immeasurable, unfathomable abyss!

"Then they will go away to eternal punishment—but the righteous to eternal life!"

Charles Spurgeon: "Time is short. Eternity is long. It is only reasonable that this short life should be lived in the light of eternity!"

This would greatly calm our minds, and take the sting out of ten thousand little irritations!

(Charles Simeon) LISTEN to audio! Download Audio

If we learn to see the hand of God in everything it will bring peace into the Christian's soul, even in the midst of the heaviest trials!

You will not find a greater sufferer than Job anywhere. He lost all of his children, his possessions and his health. Men, demons, elements—all conspired against him. But in all his trials, he saw the hand of his gracious God, and that composed his mind.

"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised!" Job 1:21

"Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" Job 2:10

In the same way, Joseph saw God's hand in all the afflictions that befell him:
"It was not you who sent me here, but God!" Genesis 45:8

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good!" Genesis 50:20

Let us reply to the revilings of our malignant enemy, "The Lord has bidden him to curse me!" (2 Samuel 16:10-11) and that will be an end of all the anguish that his hostility has for a moment occasioned us.

Let us then, in all our trials, the smaller which occur in social or domestic life, as well as in those of a more overwhelming nature—habituate ourselves to see the Lord's hand; and to say, "He is the Lord; let Him do what is good in His eyes!" 1 Samuel 3:18

This would greatly calm our minds, and take the sting out of ten thousand little irritations which often trouble us far more than heavier afflictions.

If we may but be purged from our sinful dross, and come out of the 'furnace' as purified gold—it should be deemed an ample compensation for all our troubles. It should make us thankfully to acknowledge, that God in love and faithfulness has afflicted us! Psalm 119:75

"When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, CONSIDER: God has made the one as well as the other." Ecclesiastes 7:14

"My times are in Your hand!" Psalm 31:15

"Be still, and know that I am God!" Psalm 46:10

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Pithy quotes from Adrian Rogers!

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Our sins were the nails that nailed Him to that tree—and our hard hearts were the hammers that drove those nails!

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Reputation is what others think about you.
Character is what God knows about you.

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If you live for this world—then you are in the junk business. It's all just premature junk!

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Some people go to Hell with a chest full of Sunday school attendance pins!

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Anything you love more, fear more, serve more, or value more than God—is your idol!

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To be almost saved—is to be totally lost!

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The devil would just as soon send you to Hell from the pew—as from the gutter!

Justice is God giving us what we deserve.
Mercy is God not giving us what we deserve.
Grace is God giving us what we don't deserve.

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God only wants for us what we would want for ourselves—if we were wise enough to know what is best for us.

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Character is what we are in the dark.

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The grace of God . . .
will exalt a person, without inflating him;
and will humble a person, without debasing him.

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Evangelism is one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.

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Serenity is not freedom from the storm, but peace amid the storm.

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Holiness is not the way to Christ.
Christ is the way to holiness.

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Is what I am living for—worth Christ's dying for?

(Henry Law, "The Burning Bush") LISTEN to audio! Download Audio

Hebrews 11:24-26, "It was by faith that Moses when he grew up, refused to be treated as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to share the oppression of God's people, instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of the Messiah, than to own the treasures of Egypt—for he was looking ahead to the great reward that God would give him."

Worldly pomp is very dazzling!

Worldly luxury is very entrancing!

Worldly pleasures are very ensnaring!

But there is an ark of safety in the flood of worldly vanities.

Moses is neither dazzled, nor entranced, nor ensnared. He looks above, and sees a splendor far more bright. He deliberately chooses scorn and affliction and loss and poverty, with the people of God. And he finds . . .
such scorn to be the truest honor;
such affliction to be the purest joy;
such loss to be the richest gain;
such poverty to be the most enduring wealth.

Reader! it is an important principle, that none can tread this vain world beneath their feet, until by faith they see the all-glorious world above their heads! When the Lord is set before you, your eyes are dim to lower objects. The beauty of the all-beauteous One—makes other loveliness, unlovely.

Moses proves the mighty energy of soul-elevating, soul-purifying faith. This stirring principle turns his whole course from ease and affluence and self—into one stream of love and devotion to God.

1 John 5:4-5
"Everyone born of God overcomes the world.
This is the victory that has overcome the world—even our faith.
Who is it that overcomes the world?
Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God!"

Pithy gems from Martyn Lloyd Jones!

LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio

~ ~ ~ ~

The Christian is not a good man.
He is a vile wretch who has been saved by the grace of God!

~ ~ ~ ~

The tragedy of sin is that it affects man in his highest faculties.
Sin causes us to become fools and behave in an irrational manner.
Modern man, far from being ruled by reason, is ruled by lust and passion!

~ ~ ~ ~

The more holy a person is, the simpler will that person's life be.

~ ~ ~ ~

I'd rather hobble into Heaven, than run into Hell!

~ ~ ~ ~

God is nowhere more hidden than in most churches!

~ ~ ~ ~

Pride is probably the deadliest and the most subtle of all sins, and it can assume many forms!

~ ~ ~ ~

The ultimate test of our spirituality, is the measure of our amazement at the grace of God.

~ ~ ~ ~

Grace is favor shown to people who do not deserve any favor at all.
We deserve nothing but Hell!
If you think you deserve Heaven—then you are not a Christian.

~ ~ ~ ~

The Cross not only shows the love of God more gloriously than anything else—it also shows His righteousness, His justice, His holiness, and all the glory of His eternal attributes. They are all to be seen shining together there.

~ ~ ~ ~

Some tend to think that Christianity is a matter of being nice.
But niceness is purely biological. One dog is nicer than another dog!

~ ~ ~ ~

We must never parade ourselves!

~ ~ ~ ~

Do you think that you deserve God's forgiveness?
If you do, then you are not a Christian.

~ ~ ~ ~

When a man truly sees himself, he knows that nobody can say anything about him that is too bad.

~ ~ ~ ~

The trouble with man is not intellectual, but moral.

~ ~ ~ ~

If you claim to love Christ and yet are living an unholy life, there is only one thing to say about you: You are an impudent liar!

~ ~ ~ ~

The man who refuses to face the fact of his own death is a fool!

~ ~ ~ ~

To divorce forgiveness of sins from the actual living of the Christian life, is nothing but rank heresy!

~ ~ ~ ~

Christians are generally at their best, when they are in the furnace of affliction.

~ ~ ~ ~

If you are not holy, you are not a Christian.

~ ~ ~ ~

There are no shortcuts in the Christian life—no simple remedies.

~ ~ ~ ~

Nothing we do in the Christian life is harder than prayer.

~ ~ ~ ~

Intellectual pride is the last citadel of self.

~ ~ ~ ~

We have come to realize that a man can be educated and cultured, and still be a beast!

~ ~ ~ ~

The biggest hoax in the world for the last 150 years, has been the theory of evolution!

~ ~ ~ ~

The natural man is always looking at himself and admiring himself.

~ ~ ~ ~

I would rather make bricks without straw—than try to live the Sermon on the Mount in my own strength.

~ ~ ~ ~

No difficulty in believing the gospel is intellectual—it is always moral.

~ ~ ~ ~

The whole trouble in life, is ultimately a concern about self.

~ ~ ~ ~

A man is not a Christian unless he can say with Paul, "I am what I am by the grace of God!"

~ ~ ~ ~

Many who go to the psychiatrist are like the woman in the Gospels—they are nothing bettered, but rather grow worse!

~ ~ ~ ~

There is little difference between a ladies fashion parade, and a dog show!

~ ~ ~ ~

By definition, a Christian should be an enigma to every person who is not a Christian.

(John MacDuff) LISTEN to audio! Download Audio

"You shall make His soul an offering for sin." Isaiah 53:10

Mark, it is soul-suffering that is the essence of Jesus' anguish. "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death."

That 'cup' was filled to the brim with curses! His holy soul was like a vast reservoir, into which the transgressions of every elect child of Adam rushed from every age, demanding payment for sin.

He was filled with horror and deep distress at the fearful havoc which sin had wrought, and at its dreadful penalty, which He was now bearing.

The wrath of God, the horrendous manifestation of His displeasure at iniquity, was upon Jesus!

He was the true spiritual Atlas, bearing on His shoulders, the sins of a guilty world.

Jesus' sufferings were not calamities. They were a judicial punishment inflicted on Him by His Father for the sins of His people. There was an eternity of woe, condensed into His sufferings and sin-atoning death. Christ was the Sin-Bearer, bearing not merely the guilt and punishment of sin, but sin itself.

As we see drop by drop crimsoning the sods of Gethsemane, we may well exclaim:
"He was pierced for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities,
the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him,
and by His wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:5

"The Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20

Christ loved us, and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Ephesians 5:2

(J.C. Ryle) LISTEN to audio! Download Audio

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 1 John 2:15

There is a common, worldly kind of Christianity in this day; which many have, and think they have enough. This cheap Christianity offends nobody, and requires no sacrifice. It costs nothing, and is worth nothing.

The standard of the world, and the standard of the Lord Jesus—are indeed widely different. They are more than different—they are flatly contradictory to each other. Never be satisfied with the world's standard of Christianity!

A crucified Savior will never be content to have a . . .
self-pleasing,
self-indulging,
worldly-minded people!

It costs something to be a true Christian! It will cost us . . .
our sins,
our self-righteousness,
our ease, and
our worldliness!

The ways, and fashions, and amusements, and recreations of the world—have a continually decreasing place in the heart of a growing Christian. He does not condemn them as downright sinful, nor say that those who have anything to do with them are going to Hell.

He only feels that these things have a constantly diminishing hold on his own affections, and they gradually seem smaller and more trifling in his eyes.

"For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world." 1 John 5:4

(Charles Simeon) LISTEN to audio! Download Audio

John 3:19-20, "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light, because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed!"

The real reason why unbelievers hate God's Word, is because they will not part with those sins which His Word condemns! Nor will they practice those holy duties which the Word commands!

If they were willing to renounce their sins, they would find the Word of God to be precious and delightful to them, as an inexhaustible ocean of encouragement!

But unbelievers hate to hear of:
the wickedness of their hearts,
the insufficiency of their best works to bring them to God,
the impossibility of being saved without an entire dependence on the sin-atoning merits of Christ,
the necessity an unreserved surrender to His will as seen in Scripture.

Their pride and self-sufficiency are insurmountable obstacles to the proper reception of Scriptural instruction. They hate to be told that they are spiritually wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked before a holy God!

They abhor to walk in the path of the righteous. They simply will not forsake the path of sin, which infallibly leads to destruction!

It is in vain that the Scripture shows them the only genuine way to Heaven. They will never forsake that broad road of sin which inevitably leads to damnation!

Between God and the unbeliever who perishes in his sins, there is a great gulf fixed—a gulf that never can be passed. Once entered into the eternal world, the unbeliever has his state fixed forever! The man who dies unbelieving and impenitent, will bewail his folly in irremediable and everlasting misery!

"For they are a rebellious people, unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord. They say to the seers, "Do not see!" And to the prophets, "Do not prophesy to us what is right. Speak to us smooth things. Prophesy illusions. Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel!" Isaiah 30:9-11 (condensed)

"They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie, and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness!" 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12

(John MacDuff, 1874) LISTEN to audio! Download Audio

John 1:14, "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us!"

Philippians 2:7-8, "He emptied Himself, by taking the form of a slave, by being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross!"

What a stoop for that Infinite Being who proclaimed Himself as the Alpha and the Omega! What a transition for "the Ancient of days" to assume the nature and take the form of a helpless infant, sleeping on a virgin mother's bosom!

We have no plumb line to sound the depths of His humiliation.
We have no arithmetic with which it can be calculated.

If we can entertain for a moment the shocking supposition of the loftiest angel in Heaven laying aside his angel nature, and becoming an insect or a worm—we can, in some feeble degree, estimate the humiliation involved in that angel's abasement.

But, for the Infinite and eternal God Himself, to become incarnate;
for the Creator, to take the nature of a creature;
for Deity, to be linked with dust—
this baffles all comprehension!

We can only fall down in adoring reverence, and exclaim with the apostle, "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!" Romans 11:33

"Wonder, O heavens, and be astonished, O earth!"

(John MacDuff) LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio

"The days of your mourning shall be ended!" Isaiah 60:20

Christ's people are a weeping band, though there is much in this lovely world to make them happy. Yet when they think of their sin, need we wonder at their tears in their pilgrimage in this "valley of tears?"

Bereavement, sickness, poverty, and death follow the track of sin, adding to their mourning experience; and with many of God's best beloved, one tear is scarcely dried when another is ready to flow!

Mourners rejoice! When the reaping time comes—the weeping time ends! When the white robe and the golden harp are bestowed, every remnant of the sackcloth attire is removed.

The moment the pilgrim, whose forehead is here furrowed with woe, bathes it in the crystal River of Life—that moment the pangs of a lifetime of sorrow are eternally forgotten!

Reader! If you are one of these careworn ones, the days of your mourning are numbered! A few more throbbings of this aching heart—and then shall sorrow, and sighing, and mourning, be gone forever!

"Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes!" Revelation 7:16-17

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes! There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain—for the old order of things has passed away!" Revelation 21:4

"The days of your mourning shall be ended!" Isaiah 60:20

This truth should fill us with a profound sense of awe and reverence!

(Anonymous) LISTEN to audio! Download Audio

In the book of Isaiah, the prophet delivers a powerful message from the Lord, that speaks to His sovereignty and authority of God over all things in His creation!

In Isaiah 45:7, we read these profound words:
"I form the light and create darkness,
I make peace and create calamity;
I, the Lord, do all these things."

This verse reminds us of the absolute supremacy of our Almighty God, who is in complete control of everything that transpires in His universe. He is the source of both light and darkness, of peace and calamity. Nothing escapes His divine oversight and purpose.

As believers, this truth should fill us with a profound sense of awe and reverence for the Creator and Governor of our world. It means that even in the midst of life's most difficult trials and tribulations, we can find solace in knowing that our sovereign God is orchestrating all things according to His perfect will.

The light may give way to darkness, and peace may give way to calamity—but through it all, we can trust that the Lord is working out His eternal plan.

This verse calls us to humbly submit to God's authority, and to find our refuge in Him alone; for He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End—the One who holds all things in the palm of His hand! As we cling to this truth, it will strengthen our faith, even in the darkest of circumstances.

"And 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

~ ~ ~ ~

Drinking deeply from the well of God's holy Word

(Anonymous) LISTEN to audio! Download Audio

Psalm 1:1-2
"Blessed is the man who does not:
walk in the counsel of the wicked,
or stand in the way of sinners,
or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the Word of the LORD,
and on His Word he meditates day and night."

Blessed indeed, is the man who chooses to distance himself from the corrupting influences of this sin-cursed world. He does not heed the sinful advice and philosophies of those who reject God. Nor does he associate with, or emulate the lifestyles, of those who wallow in their wicked desires. He refuses to align himself with those who mock and scorn the holy ways of God, as found in His Word.

He finds his greatest joy and satisfaction in meditating upon the sacred Scriptures, drinking deeply from the well of God's holy Word day and night. He does not treat the divine teachings as a mere intellectual exercise, but allows the truths of Scripture:
to guide his thinking,
to penetrate his heart,
and transform his life.

He understands that true blessedness is not found in the fleeting pleasures of this vain world—but in a vibrant, intimate relationship with Almighty God! By immersing himself in God's Word and striving to guide his steps by Scripture, he experiences the profound blessing of walking in the light of the Lord's presence, shielded from the darkness that ensnares those who reject Him.

He alone is truly wise and truly blessed, for he has chosen the narrow path that leads to eternal life!

"You have made known to me the path of life,
You will fill me with joy in Your presence,
with eternal pleasures at Your right hand!" Psalm 16:11

~ ~ ~ ~

A horrible and shocking thing is done!

(J.C. Ryle, "Calvary") LISTEN to audio! Download Audio

I know no greater proof of man's depravity, than the fact that thousands of so-called professing Christians see nothing lovely in the cross.

Well may our hearts be called stony,
well may the eyes of our mind be called blind,
well may our whole nature be called diseased,
well may we all be called dead in sin
—when the cross of Christ is heard of, and yet neglected!

Surely we may take up the words of the prophet, and say, "Hear, O heavens, and be astonished, O earth: A horrible and shocking thing is done!" Christ was crucified for sinners, and yet many professing Christians live as if He was never crucified at all!

Would I know how exceedingly sinful and abominable sin is in the sight of God?

Shall I turn to the history of the flood, and read how sin drowned the world?

Shall I ponder what sin brought on Sodom and Gomorrah?

No! I can find a clearer proof still—I look at what happened on Calvary! There I see that sin is so black and damnable, that nothing but the blood of God's own Son can wash it away! There I see that sin has so separated me from my holy Maker, that all the angels in Heaven could never have made peace between us. Nothing could reconcile us, short of the death of Christ.

Ah, if I listened to the wretched talk of proud men, I might sometimes imagine sin was not so very sinful; but I cannot think little of sin when I look at Calvary.

I find no balm for a sore conscience and a troubled heart, like the sight of Jesus dying for me on the accursed tree! There I see that a full payment has been made for all my enormous debts.

When I look at the cross, I feel sure that there is a way to Heaven for the very vilest of men.

Would I find strong reasons for being a holy man?
I will look at Calvary and the crucifixion.

There I see that Jesus gave Himself for me, not only to redeem me from iniquity—but also to purify me. He bore my sins in His own body on the tree, that I being dead unto sin, should live unto righteousness.

Ah, reader, there is nothing so sanctifying as a clear view of the cross of Christ!
It crucifies the world unto us, and us unto the world.

How can we love sin when we remember that because of our sins, Jesus died for our sin?

Would I learn how to be contented and cheerful under all the cares and anxieties of life?
What school shall I go to? How shall I attain this state of mind most easily?
Shall I look at:
the sovereignty of God,
the wisdom of God,
the providence of God,
the love of God?
It is well to do so.
But I have a better argument still. I will look at Calvary and the crucifixion!

I feel that He who did not spare His only begotten Son, but delivered Him up to die for me—will surely with Him, give me all things that I really need.

He that endured that pain for my soul, will surely not withhold from me anything that is really good.

He that has done the greater things for me, will doubtless do the lesser things also.

He that gave His own blood to procure an eternal home for me, will unquestionably supply me with all that is really profitable for me along the way.

Ah, reader, there is no school for learning contentment that can be compared with Calvary and the foot of the cross!

~ ~ ~ ~

Let me go over and cut off his head!

(Anonymous) LISTEN to audio! Download Audio

"As Shimei was cursing David, Abishai asked David: "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head!"
David would not allow it, but with holy meekness submitted to the indignity, saying, "Let him alone, and let him curse; for so the LORD has ordered him!" 2 Samuel 16:7-11

In the same way, from whatever quarter our trials may come, we should view the hand of God in them, and receive them as from Him.

We must always however distinguish between:
the punishments of judicial wrath upon the ungodly,
and the chastisements of paternal love upon the godly.

As a loving Father, God chastens His most beloved children; and they can never err in saying, "I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him."

It is surprising what composure this will bring into the mind amidst all the sufferings that can be inflicted on us by others. The consideration that all of our afflictions are sent by our wise and gracious God, will reconcile us to them. The thought of their being fatherly chastisements for sin, and means of purifying us from our corruptions, will make us to kiss God's rod, and to say, "It is the Lord! Let Him do what seems good to Him!"

Let us only see that He is "chastening us for our profit," and however we may, under the pressure of our anguish, dislike the painful affliction—we shall from our inmost souls refer ourselves to God's all-wise disposal, saying, "Not my will, but may Your will be done."

However severely God may see fit to chastise His redeemed people, there are two things which He gives them for their support, namely:
a sense of His presence with them in their affliction,
and the prospect of a blessed outcome from it.

"God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness.
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.
Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace
for those who have been trained by it!" Hebrews 12:10-11

When His chastisements have produced their desired effect in us, God, as a Refiner watching over the vessels which He has put into His furnace, will remove us. He will then show us that we have been purified by means of His furnace of affliction, and have lost nothing in it but our dross!

Such chastisements of paternal love are painful to flesh and blood; but they are, in reality, rich blessings in disguise!

~ ~ ~ ~

Religious delirium
Spiritual chloroform
Religious inebriation

(Horatius Bonar, "Human Remedies") LISTEN to audio! Download Audio

"And whenever the tormenting spirit from God troubled Saul, David would play the harp.
Then Saul would feel better, and the tormenting spirit would go away." 1 Samuel 16:23

Here is music, religious music—the music of the harp, the harp of David.
This is soothing, but it does not reach the seat of the disease.

It is . . .
something human,
something external,
something materialistic,
something earthly,
something that man can originate and apply.

It is effectual to a certain extent. It drives away the tormenting spirit, and restores temporary tranquility; thus possibly deceiving its victim.

In like manner we find the human spirit afflicted in every age, sometimes more and sometimes less.

And in all such cases man steps in with his human and external contrivances. I do not refer to the grosser forms of dispelling gloom—drunkenness and profligacy, in which men seek to drown their sense of need, and make up for the absence of God.

I refer to the refined remedies; those of art, science, music, gaiety—by which men try to minister to a diseased mind.

What is Romanism and Ritualism, but a repetition of Saul's minstrelsy?

The soul needs soothing.
It is vexed and fretted with the world.
Its conscience is not at ease.
It is troubled and weary.

It betakes itself to religious forms, something for the eye and ear; to chants, and vestments, and postures, and performances, sweet sounds and fair sights, sentimental and pictorial religion—all of which is but a refined form of worldliness.

By these the natural man is soothed, and the spirit is tranquilized. The man is brought to believe that a cure has been wrought, because his gloom has been alleviated by these religious spectacles, these exhibitions which suit the unregenerate soul so well.

They but drug the soul, filling it with a sort of religious delirium.

They are human sedatives, not divine medicines!

They result in a partial and temporary cure.

It is said that the evil spirit departed, but not that the Holy Spirit returned.
Saul's trouble was alleviated, but not removed.
The disease was still there!
The results of David's harp were only superficial.

So is it with the sinner still.

There are many external remedies, which act like spiritual chloroform upon the soul.
They soothe, and calm, and please—but that is all.
They do not reach below the surface, nor touch the deep seated malady within.

Men try rites, sacraments, pictures, music, dresses, and the varied attractions of ecclesiastical ornament; but these leave the spirit unfilled, and its wounds unhealed. They cannot regenerate, or quicken, or heal, or fill with the Holy Spirit.

They may keep up the self-satisfaction and self-delusion of the soul, but that is all.
They do not fill, they merely hide our emptiness.

Our age is full of such contrivances, literary and religious— all got up for the purpose of soothing the troubled spirits of man . . .
excitement,
gaiety,
balls,
theaters,
operas,
concerts,
ecclesiastical music,
dresses,
performances.

What are all these, but man's remedies for casting out the evil spirit and healing the soul's hurt without having recourse to God's one remedy!

These pleasant sights and sounds may soothe the imprisoned soul, but what of that?
They do not bring it nearer to God.
They do not work repentance, or produce faith, or fix the eye on the true Cross.
They leave the soul still without God, and without salvation.

The religion thus produced is . . .
hollow,
fitful,
superficial,
sentimental.

It will neither save nor sanctify.

It may produce a sort of religious inebriation—but not that which God calls godliness; not that which apostles pointed out as a holy life, a walk with God.

"And whenever the tormenting spirit from God troubled Saul, David would play the harp.
Then Saul would feel better, and the tormenting spirit would go away." 1 Samuel 16:23

~ ~ ~ ~

In the Father's eternal dwelling!

(Anonymous) LISTEN to audio! Download Audio

John 14:1-3, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places . . . I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me, that you may be where I am!"

In these comforting words from Jesus, the Christian finds a profound reassurance for his troubled heart.

The Savior acknowledges the very real anxieties and fears that can weigh us down, but He responds with a call to unwavering faith. "You believe in God," He says, "believe also in Me!" This is an invitation to place our trust in the Son of God who has come to redeem His people from their sins. For in the Father's eternal home, Jesus declares, there are many dwelling places.

This is a promise of the glorious eternity that awaits all who follow Him. This is no mere earthly abode, but a heavenly home where the redeemed will dwell with their Lord forever.

And though Jesus has gone to prepare this glorious home for us, He assures us that He will return to receive us unto Himself.

What a profound and life-changing hope—that where Christ is, there we shall be forever!

In the midst of our troubled hearts, these words of Jesus offer the peace that surpasses all understanding. They remind us that our eternal destiny is secure in Him, and that the difficulties of this world are but temporary, for an eternity of joy with our Savior awaits.

Let us cling to these promises with unwavering faith, finding comfort in the knowledge that our heavenly home is being prepared, and that one day soon, we shall be united with our beloved Jesus forevermore!

~ ~ ~ ~

His abiding presence and inexhaustible resources!

(Anonymous) LISTEN to audio! Download Audio

In the book of Isaiah, the Lord gives a powerful and comforting message to His redeemed people:
"Do not be afraid, for I am with you.
Do not be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand!" Isaiah 41:10

This profound declaration speaks directly to the hearts of all Christians who are facing trials, afflictions, and times of uncertainty. No matter what challenges we may be confronting, we need not succumb to fear or discouragement, for our Almighty God is steadfastly by our side. He is our strength and our help, ready and willing to lift us up and sustain us through the darkest of circumstances.

The imagery of God's "victorious right hand" reaching down to support us, is a beautiful visual of His sovereign power and unwavering commitment to His people. In a world that so often leaves us feeling small, helpless, and overwhelmed, this promise from our God stands as a beacon of hope—a reminder that He will provide the needed grace to sustain us in every struggle that we will ever encounter!

By trusting in His abiding presence and inexhaustible resources, we can walk forward in courage, confidence, and an unshakable peace, for our Heavenly Father has declared that He will be . . .
our strength,
our shield,
our refuge,
and our ever-present help in times of trouble!