Grace Gems for SEPTEMBER 2024

(Anonymous. You will find it helpful to Listen to the Audio, as you read the text below.)

Romans 8:28, "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!"

The comforting truths of this verse should kindle our hopes, strengthen our faith, and stoke the flames of our love for the sovereign, good, and all-wise God whom we serve.

In a world that often seems chaotic and uncertain, it can be a great comfort to know that all of the events and circumstances of our lives are ultimately ordained by our loving and all-knowing God. As believers, we can take solace in the truth that what God ordains is always best for us! Though we may not always understand the reasons behind the trials and tribulations which our Heavenly Father sends to us, we can trust that He has a perfect plan and purpose for sending them. His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are beyond our limited understanding.

When we humbly receive whatever His sovereign will sends to us, we can have confidence that God uses even our most difficult or painful afflictions . . .
to refine us as His precious gold,
to wean us from the world,
to draw us closer to Himself,
to make us more like our precious Lord Jesus.

Perhaps in the moment, His plan may not seem ideal or desirable from our finite human perspective. But if we walk by faith and not by sight, we will come to see that what God has ordained is indeed what is truly best—not just for our temporary comfort, but for our eternal good!

Though the path may be arduous, we can rest assured that our loving Heavenly Father is guiding our steps, and that His perfect will for our lives is unfolding exactly as it should. When we fully embrace this truth, it will fill our hearts with peace, hope and gratitude, even amidst the storms of life!

"Heavenly Father,
Help me to trust in Your unerring wisdom in all things. Remind me that Your ways are higher than my ways, and that every situation I face is under Your sovereign control. When I feel beaten down and discouraged, help me to meditate on Your precious promises, and find peace in the knowledge that You are indeed working all things for my soul's benefit. May I learn to embrace whatever You ordain for me, knowing that all is for Your glory, and my eternal good. In Jesus' name, Amen."

(You will find it helpful to Listen to the Audio, as you read the text below.)

"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?
Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Matthew 16:26

What senseless folly it is to purchase a vain and fleeting world, with the loss of your precious eternal soul!

Oh, think what great losers they must be, who lose their souls to gain this poor fleeting world. They must at last lose the world too, together with their souls!

This is what damns men: they prefer the pleasures, honors, profits, and pitiful nothings of the world—before their precious and immortal souls, which are worth more than ten thousand worlds!

Think how dreadful and tormenting the reflections of worldlings in Hell will be, to consider that they must lie and burn there to eternity for their inordinate love to that world, of which they have nothing left to them, besides the bitter remembrance. What will it then avail them, that they have lived in ease and delights while here on earth—when all their mirth shall be turned into groans and howlings? What will the remembrance of all their worldly trinkets and treasures then avail them, but to increase their torment?

"For what hope do the godless have when God cuts them off and takes away their life?" Job 27:8

The most amazing, most affecting, most melting sight that mortals ever witnessed!

(You will find it helpful to Listen to the Audio, as you read the text below.)

Romans 5:8, "God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us!"

In the death of Christ, we behold the most astonishing exhibition of divine love that has ever been manifested to a lost world. Such love as is here displayed, is without a precedent—without a parallel in the annals of time, or in the records of eternity.

To behold the Son of God, the Maker of worlds, bowing His head on the cross, and yielding up His immaculate soul amid the agonies of death—is the most amazing, the most affecting, the most melting sight that mortals ever witnessed!

O my soul, look and wonder!

Behold your Savior bleeding on the cross, bleeding from every pore—that your sins might be washed away in the flowing stream!

See Him pouring out His soul unto death for your salvation!
Is not this a manifestation of unparalleled love to you?

Christ's suffering and dying for us is a great mystery—a mystery of unfathomable love!

How vehement was the love of Christ, that led Him to endure death in its most terrible form—even the death of the cross!

Such is the love of Christ!

All the waters of affliction and suffering, all the billows of divine wrath that rolled over our blessed Redeemer—were not sufficient to quench the ardency of that love which He felt for a dying world of sinners!

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us!" 1 John 3:16

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins!" 1 John 4:10

(You will find it helpful to Listen to the Audio, as you read the text below.)

"I have sinned against the Lord!" 2 Samuel 12:13

This is the common complaint of all true Christians.

They desire an entire conformity to the mind of God.
They pant after universal holiness.
They labor to get their affections supremely fixed upon Christ and Heaven.
They long for the complete victory over indwelling sin, and the perishing vanities of the world.

Yet they find, to their inexpressible grief, that when they would do good, evil is present with them; mixing itself with all their holy aims and desires—so that they are constrained to cry out, "O what a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" Romans 7:24

This experience greatly humbles the Christian pilgrim, while traveling through the wilderness world.

He sees that he has no righteousness of his own.
He knows that of himself, he can do nothing to please God.
This makes Christ unspeakably precious to him.

This conviction of inward pollution, unseen by the eye of man—drives him to the throne of grace, so that he may receive mercy and find grace to help him in his time of need.

Feeling his inability to think one good thought, or exercise one holy affection, without the grace and power of Jesus—drives him to sit daily at His feet . . .
to hear His Word,
to receive out of His fullness,
to imbibe His spirit,
and to copy His example.

Such is the experience and practice, not of one, but of all the faithful servants of Jehovah. Oh! that I may be found among these chosen vessels of the Lord.

I have to mourn over my spiritual deadness, lukewarmness, and earthly mindedness. I am grieved that my heart is so cold towards God, when He is so gracious and merciful to me! By the grace of God, I abhor these evils!

"Have mercy on me, O God,
according to Your unfailing love;
according to Your great compassion,
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me!" Psalm 51:1-3

(You will find it helpful to Listen to the Audio, as you read the text below.)

"Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me!" Psalm 51:5

"All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature, and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath!" Ephesians 2:3

When Adam fell, man's heart became entirely corrupt.

"Every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood." Genesis 6:5, 8:21

Now, corruption can only propagate corruption.

When evil fills the heart, evil effects will soon appear.

From tainted sources, tainted waters flow.

The root proclaims the qualities of its fruit.

When poison permeates the veins, the whole body sickens.

The parent reproduces his own likeness.

Hence every child is born in sin.

No cradle holds an innocent one!

Each offspring of the human family comes into the world . . .
dead towards God,
corrupt in heart,
prone to iniquity,
void of all righteousness,
a willing slave of his father, Satan,
blinded in intellect,
a pilgrim towards a diabolical land,
a vessel fitted for destruction!

His heart has many tenants, but God is no longer there.

The palace once so fair, is now overrun with weeds. Like Babylon in ruins, wild beasts of the wilderness roam there, and the houses are full of doleful creatures. Isaiah 13:21, 22

May this darksome picture scare you from delusion's dream!

Reader, surely such is your birth state!

Has your soul realized the dreadful truth?

Has the life giving Spirit quickened you with regenerating might?

If so, then surely you will praise God for His marvelous mercy and grace in saving you.

"He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness,
and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins!" Colossians 1:13, 14

(You will find it helpful to Listen to the Audio, as you read the text below.)

There have been many suggestions of what we shall do in Heaven, and what we shall enjoy; but they all seem to me to be wide of the mark compared with this one: that we shall be with Jesus, be like Him, and shall behold His glory!

Oh, to see the feet that were nailed,
and to touch the hand that was pierced,
and to look upon the head that wore the thorns,
and to bow before Him who is . . .
ineffable love,
unspeakable mercy and grace,
and infinite tenderness!

Oh, to bow before Him, and to kiss that blessed face!

Brethren, is not this the very cream of Heaven!

The streets of gold will have small attraction to us, and the harps of angels will but slightly enchant us, compared with our precious Savior-King in the midst of His glorious throne!

He it is who shall . . .
rivet our gaze,
absorb our thoughts,
enchain our affections, and
move all our sacred passions to their highest pitch of celestial ardor!

We shall see Jesus!

"Yes, dear friends, we are already God's children, and we can't even imagine what we will be like when Christ returns. But we know that when He comes, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He really is!" 1 John 3:2

(You will find it helpful to Listen to the Audio, as you read the text below.)

"You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich—yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich!" 2 Corinthians 8:9

Go to Bethlehem and see yon infant! It is the Word made flesh—it is the eternal God Himself!

Come, see the place where the young child lay! Look at the manger: there is the Lamb for the burnt offering—there is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

See yon infant! The infinite God becomes a helpless babe.
The Creator of the universe sleeps in a woman's arms!

Those feet that have not yet trod this rough earth, shall be nailed to the accursed tree.

And all for you!

Is not this wondrous love? Yes, it is the unfathomable love of our Savior-God!

Included in this sin-atoning love of the Lord Jesus, there is also salvation, and a kingdom, and infinite bliss for every one of His redeemed people!

There goes the vilest and most unworthy creature that has ever entered Heaven!

(You will find it helpful to Listen to the Audio, as you read the text below.)

"Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more!" Romans 5:2

"I will forgive their wickedness, and will remember their sins no more! Hebrews 8:12

Jesus has pardoned the immense mountain of my sin!

It is impossible to overstate this. Nothing can be more vile, than the view . . .
of my original debasement and corruption,
of my wayward youth,
of my rejection of His love,
of my rebellion against His authority,
of my unthankfulness for His goodness,
of my backslidings from His way,
of my inconsistent profession,
of my vain and sinful example,
of the wickedness of my unconverted state,
and of the failings of my renewed state!
Alas! Every day and every act brings up its distinct testimony—and all condemn me!

But Jesus has blotted out my whole horrifying record!

He has hurled all my sins into the depths of the sea, and remembers them no more!

When once in Heaven, I would willingly have it said of me: "There goes the vilest and most unworthy creature that has ever entered Heaven!"

My sin has fearfully abounded, but His grace has so much the more abounded. All the glory for my salvation is His!

"How blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered!
How blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him!" Romans 4:7, 8

(You will find it helpful to Listen to the Audio, as you read the text below.)

"As your days, so shall your strength be." Deuteronomy 33:25

The Christian is frequently compared to a pilgrim, traveling onwards through a dreary wilderness, to the promised land of Canaan.

His experience is varied and chequered.
The path before him may be steep and arduous.
He may have to pass through . . .
rough and stony places;
dark, thick forests;
rapid streams;
and raging hurricanes.

His days may be such, as to require . . .
great strength,
and great energy,
and great perseverance.

Oftentimes, when he strives to anticipate the future—his heart sinks within him, his courage fails, and he is apt to give way to despondency and doubt. But such a promise, "As your days, so shall your strength be," may well suffice to calm the believer's fears, and re-animate his fainting spirit.

It is true, that changes and vicissitudes will come.

It is true, that the heart which today is cheerful and happy, may tomorrow be wounded and bleeding.

It is true, that the full cup which is now held with gladness, may be dashed in pieces, before the lips have tasted the refreshing draught.

It is true, that the bright hope which, like a guiding star, allures the traveler onwards, may speedily be enwrapped in pitch-black gloom.

But to the child of God, there is a supply of strength to meet the hour of trial. He is not permitted to escape from the burden, or the cross, or the difficulty. But he is enabled to make his way through them all—to struggle with, and finally to overcome them.

Many a time, when the believer has been well near crushed under the oppressive weight; when, conscious that ordinary strength would not avail, he has cried unto the Lord—and a fresh supply of grace has been given to meet the emergency. So that he could say with David, "I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along." Psalm 40:1-2

It would be easy for God to make the path heavenward, plain and unobstructed to His children. It would be easy for Him to remove all care, anxiety, and sorrow. But such is not His purpose.

Earth is the training school for Heaven. God wills that His children should be tried. He desires that their spiritual natures should be refined and purified in the furnace of affliction. And that thus, by the very struggles and pains of their earthly pilgrimage, they should become more and more fit for serving Him in this world; and more and more fit for the inheritance of the saints in light.

The Christian . . .
by each difficulty he is called on to encounter;
by each trial he is summoned to bear;
by each virtue he is required to call into exercise
—becomes more vigorous, earnest, faithful, and Christlike. His soul is gradually training and strengthening by duty, trial, and endurance here—for glory, honor, and immortality hereafter.

Every fresh victory . . .
over pride,
over the world,
over avarice,
over selfishness,
over fretfulness,
makes us stronger for the time to come, and insures the fulfillment of the promise, "As your days, so shall your strength be."

Christian! mark again these words. They do not pledge that we shall not feel the burden and heat of the day. All they promise, is that we shall get safely through. They do not say that we shall not feel the weight of our duties, trials, temptations, or conflicts. All they say, is that we shall have strength to bear their weight, and journey on with our load.

The grace imparted, will then be "sufficient" for us—sufficient for our actual necessities; sufficient strength equal to our day.

Strength to encounter the tempest will be given—when the tempest rages.

Strength to surmount the foaming surges will be given—when the hurricane has actually come.

Strength to grapple with the last enemy will be given—when he comes forth to meet you.

Yes Christian! Be assured that grace and strength will be imparted when you need them—as certainly as they will be withheld before you need them.

He who guides you, knows your necessities. In the day of trouble, He will not leave you comfortless.

Journey on, then, with firmness, relying on His promise for needed grace and strength. You will, before long, enter into your final rest, and bid an eternal adieu to all your labors, and trials, and temptations. You will take possession of the promised glorious inheritance, and will then acknowledge with a grateful heart, "As my days, so has my strength been!"

(You will find it helpful to Listen to the Audio, as you read the text below.)

"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

What are we? We are only lumps of sin and dirt!

But see the eternal love of God towards sinful men. His boundless love set His infinite wisdom to work how to save these sinful and sinning creatures from the burning pit!

It pleased the Lord Himself to bruise His Son. He thrust the sword of justice into the heart of His own dear Son, that mercy might flow to the "objects of His mercy, whom He prepared in advance for glory."

His dear Son must suffer, that they might be spared.

There was such love in God towards sinful men that many waters could not quench it. He did not spare His Son one iota. The Darling of Heaven cried out, "Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me!"

But that we might go eternally free, and that God might look on us in justice and holiness, with smiles and kisses—He bruised His own Son.

Jesus bore thousands of hells in His own sufferings in the garden and on the accursed tree; and the Father never withdrew the sword until He cried out, "It is finished!"

"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us!"—to save us from a burning pit; to bring us to the heights of bliss! O the depths of God's love!

If He will pardon sin; if He will save a wretch, a rebel, a man damned by the law; if God will let His heart's love run out to save sinful man from what he deserves—then He must part with the love of His heart, the joy of His soul—His only begotten Son!

But would He actually do that? Is His love so surprisingly great, boundless, full, and free—that to save an enemy, a vile and a cursed sinner, He will bruise His darling Son?

He will! "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief!" Isaiah 53:10

(You will find it helpful to Listen to the Audio, as you read the text below.)

"Many are asking: Who will show us any good?" Psalm 4:6

1. This is the cry of EMPTINESS.
They feel that there is something lacking.
They were not made for this perpetual hunger and thirst.
They are empty, and therefore they cry.
They are poor and needy, but find no supply.

2. This is the cry of WEARINESS.
They who utter it are seeking rest, but finding none; they labor and are heavy laden. They would sincerely rest, but know not how or where. UNREST! This is their portion. Unrest here—sad prelude of the eternal unrest, the never-ending weariness!

3. This is the cry of DARKNESS.
All is darkness and blindness. They grope about, not knowing which way to look, or to turn. And they cry, 'Show us something, for our eyes are blind; we have tried in vain to see.'

4. This is the cry of HELPLESSNESS.
They have tried many expedients; tried to create good for themselves, or to get it from others—but in vain. They find themselves helpless.

5. This is the cry of EARNESTNESS.
It comes forth often amid bitter tears and groans. Men are bent on being happy; they would do or give anything for happiness. They are mistaken, yet in earnest. They would take any good, if they could get it.

6. This is the cry of DESPAIR.
Who? Who? Who? They have tried everyone, everything. All in vain. They are emptier, hungrier, thirstier, sadder than at first.

7. This is a LOUD and UNIVERSAL cry.
Many. Yes, the whole world. It is Esau's loud and bitter cry reverberating through the earth. It is the cry of the many, not of the few.
The world is unhappy. It has no rest.
It is thirsty, and knows not where to drink.
It is hungry, and knows not where to find bread.
It weeps, and knows not how to get its tears dried!
Every man walks in a vain show—going about asking, Who will show us any good?

O, how long will you love vanity? How long will you dote upon this vain world, and worship it as your idol? How long will you treat its broken cisterns as if they were the fountains of living water? Oh, do not love the world! What will its good things profit in the day of the Lord? Will its pleasures cheer a death-bed, or brighten the gloom of the grave? What is the ball-room when "its flowers are fled, and its garlands are dead?" What can the music and the dance do for you when sickness comes, or the last trumpet sounds? Will that mirthful dress of yours do for a shroud?

How will these revelings and banquetings appear to you in the retrospect of time—still more in the retrospect of eternity? What will you think of:
your idle words,
your foolish talking and jesting,
your filthy speech,
your riotous mirth,
your luxurious feasting
—when you stand confronted with the last enemy, or before the Judge of all?

You have gone . . .
from scene to scene,
from gaiety to gaiety,
from party to party,
from vanity to vanity,
from novel to novel,
from ball to ball
—in the dreary emptiness of your poor aching hearts, crying, "Who will show us any good?"

And when the end comes, what is your gain?
Is it Heaven—or is it Hell?
Is it joy—or is it woe?

"Many are asking: Who will show us any good?" Psalm 4:6

(You will find it helpful to Listen to the Audio, as you read the text below.)

"While we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly!" Romans 5:6

"God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us!" Romans 5:8

To redeem lost and helpless sinners, Jesus came down from Heaven, put on the rags of our mortality, agonized, suffered, bled and died.

Jesus is made His people's . . .
substitute,
burden-bearer,
sin-remover,
guilt-destroyer.

Their sin-debt is placed to His account.

His sin-atoning sacrifice, pays the full amount.

Sin is removed from the sinner, and placed on the Sinless!

Their curse is rolled on Him, and He endures it, until no more remains!

God deals with Jesus, as the guilty one!

Jesus, as spotless Deity, receives imputed sins, and fully expiates them all.

In the vicarious victim, God's justice is satisfied, and wrath expires!

On the cross Jesus suffers their sufferings, dies their death—and so becomes their uttermost salvation!

His pains, are their pardon!

His stripes, are their healing!

His sin-atoning agony, is their glorious salvation!

(You will find it helpful to Listen to the Audio, as you read the text below.)

"And they shall be Mine, says the Lord Almighty, in that day when I make up My jewels!" Malachi 3:17

"MY JEWELS!" Of what favored creatures does Jehovah thus speak?

Is it of seraphs? Is it of angels? Methinks, at such a title, even they would bow in the dust of abasement, and veiling their faces, cry, "Unclean! unclean!"

But marvel of marvels! It is redeemed sinners of the earth; the fallen children of men—once crude, unshapely stones, lying in "the horrible pit and the miry clay," amid the rubbish of corruption—who are thus sought out by sovereign grace, purchased by immutable love, and destined through eternity to be set as jewels in the crown of the eternal Savior!

A jewel in Immanuel's crown! Not only raised from the ash heap to be set among princes; but to gem through eternity, the forehead that for me was once wreathed with thorns!

"And they shall be Mine, says the Lord Almighty, in that day when I make up My jewels!" Malachi 3:17

(You will find it helpful to Listen to the Audio, as you read the text below.)

God has a masterful purpose for all that He does—even in the sending of trials and troubles to His people. He knows exactly what we stand in need of; and He sends afflictions for our good. He chastises us, not out of anger, as earthly parents too often do, but purely "for our good, that we may share in his holiness!" Hebrews 12:10

As He knows what we need—so He knows what we can bear. He will take care either to apportion our burden to our strength, 1 Corinthians 10:13—or to give us strength sufficient for our trials, Deuteronomy 33:25. In all of our afflictions, He loves and sympathizes with us, Isaiah 63:9. He watches over us with the care of a refiner who is purifying His precious gold, Malachi 3:3, and the solicitude of a tender parent, Psalm 103:13

When He sees that His chastening rod has produced its desired effect, He is glad to return to us in the endearments of love, and to confirm our confidence in Him by the sweetest tokens of His grace, Jeremiah 31:20

When our troubles, like those of Job, are many and various—we are ready to conclude that God afflicts us in anger. But it is not for us to prescribe how many, or of what continuance, our afflictions shall be.

We must consider God as an infallible physician, who prescribes everything with unerring wisdom, and consults the benefit of His patients, rather than their comfort.

Let not any Christian "write bitter things against themselves" on account of the greatness of His afflictions, but rather receive our every trial as a token of His Fatherly love. "For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives." Hebrews 12:6

Let us ever remember, that whatever we have is God's—it is only lent us for a little while, to be recalled whenever He sees fit. Let us learn to hold everything in this way, that we may be ready at any moment to give up whatever He shall be pleased to require of us.

If we saw the end as God does—then instead of regarding our losses or troubles as needless afflictions, we would adore God for them, as much as for the most pleasing of His blessings.

Let us then wait until He shall have revealed to us the whole of His perfect designs; and be content to form our judgment of Him when all the purposes of His afflictions are laid before us!

(You will find it helpful to Listen to the Audio, as you read the text below.)

Perhaps you know the legend, or perhaps true history of the awakening of Augustine. He dreamed that he died, and went to the gates of Heaven, and the keeper of the gates said to him, "Who are you?"
And he answered, "I am a Christian."
But the porter replied, "No, you are not a Christian, you are a Ciceronian, for your thoughts and studies were most of all directed to the works of Cicero and the classics—and you neglected the teaching of Jesus. We judge men here, by that which most engrossed their thoughts, and you are judged not to be a Christian, but a Ciceronian."

When Augustine awoke, he put aside the classics which he had studied, and the eloquence at which he had aimed, and he said, "I will be a Christian!" And from that time he devoted his thoughts to the Word of God, and his pen and his tongue to the instruction of others in the truths of the gospel.

Oh I would not have it said of any of you: "Well, he may be somewhat a Christian, but he is far more a keen money getting tradesman."

I would not have it said, "Well, he may be a believer in Christ, but he is a good deal more a politician."

Perhaps he is a Christian, but he is most at home when he is talking about science, farming, engineering, horses, mining, navigation, or pleasure taking.

No, no! You will never know the fullness of the joy which Jesus brings to the soul—unless under the power of the Holy Spirit you take the Lord your Master to be your All in all, and make Him the fountain of your most intense delight!

"You will know them by their fruits!" Matthew 7:16

(You will find it helpful to Listen to the Audio, as you read the text below.)

Ecclesiastes 2:11, "When I surveyed all that my hands had done, and what I had toiled to achieve—everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun!"

Worldly men imagine that there is true excellence and true happiness in those worldly things that they so arduously pursue. They imagine that if they could but obtain them, they would be happy. But when they procure them, and cannot find happiness in them—then they change their course, and look for happiness in some other earthly vanity. Hence they spend their life tenacious upon the mad pursuit!

"Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Everything is meaningless!" Ecclesiastes 12:8

But Christ Jesus has true excellence, and so great excellence that when they come to know Him, they look no further, but the mind rests there!

"Yes, He is altogether lovely! This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend!" Song of Solomon 5:16

A saving knowledge of Christ is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to Heaven, fully to enjoy Him, is the fullness of bliss!

He who has Christ, has all that he needs, and needs no more.

"The kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field."
"Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it!" Matthew 13:44 and 46

(You will find it helpful to Listen to the Audio above, as you read the text below.)

“I will help thee, saith the Lord.” Isaiah 41:14

This morning let us hear the Lord Jesus speak to each one of us:

I will help thee! It is but a small thing for me, thy God, to help thee. Consider what I have done already.

What! not help thee? Why, I bought thee with my blood.

What! not help thee? I have died for thee! And if I have done the greater, will I not do the less?

Help thee? It is the least thing I will ever do for thee! I have done more, and will do more.

Before the world began, I chose thee.
I made the covenant for thee.
I laid aside my glory and became a man for thee.
I gave up my life for thee!
And if I did all this, I will surely help thee now.

In helping thee, I am giving thee what I have bought for thee already. If thou hadst need of a thousand times as much help, I would give it thee. Thou requirest little compared with what I am ready to give. ’Tis much for thee to need, but it is nothing for me to bestow.

Help thee? Fear not! If there were an ant at the door of thy granary asking for help, it would not ruin thee to give him a handful of thy wheat! And thou art nothing but a tiny insect at the door of my all-sufficiency!

I will help thee!
O my soul, is not this enough?

Dost thou need more strength than the omnipotence of the United Trinity? Dost thou want . . .
more wisdom than exists in the Father,
more love than displays itself in the Son, or
more power than is manifest in the influences of the Spirit?

Bring hither thine empty pitcher!
Surely this well will fill it.

Haste, gather up thy wants, and bring them here: thine emptiness, thy woes, thy needs. Behold, this river of God is full for thy supply! What canst thou desire beside? Go forth, my soul, in this thy might: the Eternal God is thine helper!

“Fear not, I am with thee, oh be not dismayed,
I am thy God, and will still give thee aid!”

(You will find it helpful to Listen to the Audio above, as you read the text below.)

"For 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

"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

Redeemed ones are no longer their own.

Your time is redeemed; use it as a consecrated talent in His cause.

Your minds are redeemed; employ them to learn His truth, and to meditate on His ways. Thus make them armories of holy weapons.

Your eyes are redeemed; let them not look on vanity. Turn them away from all folly and worldliness!

Your feet are redeemed; let them trample on the world, and climb the upward hill of Zion, and bear you onward in the march of Christian zeal.

Your tongues are redeemed; let them only sound His praise, and testify to His love, and call sinners to His cross.

Your hearts are redeemed; let them love Him wholly, and have no place for rivals.

"You are not your own, for God bought you with a high price!" 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20

"God paid a high price for you, so don't be enslaved by the world!" 1 Corinthians 7:23

(You will find it helpful to Listen to the Audio above, as you read the text below.)

Romans 8:38-39, "I am convinced that . . .
neither death nor life,
neither angels nor demons,
neither the present nor the future,
nor any powers,
neither height nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!"

"Satan has desired to have you, that he might sift you as wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you Simon, that your faith should not fail." Luke 22:31, 32

What a scene does this unfold . . .
Satan tempting, Jesus praying!
Satan sifting, Jesus pleading!
"The strong man assailing," "the stronger than the strong" beating him back!

Believer, here is the past history, and present secret of your safety in the midst of temptation.

An interceding Savior was at your side, saying to every threatening wave, "Thus far shall you go, and no farther!"

God often permits His people to be on the very verge of the precipice, to remind them of their own weakness; but never farther than the brink!

The restraining hand of Omnipotence is ready to rescue them, "Although he stumbles, yet he shall not be utterly cast down." And why? "For the Lord upholds him with His right hand!"

The wolf may be prowling for his prey; but what can he do when the Shepherd is always there, tending with the watchful eye that "neither slumbers nor sleeps?"

Who cannot subscribe to the testimony, "When my My foot was slipping, Your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up!"

Who can look back on his past pilgrimage, and fail to see it crowded with monuments with this inscription:
"You have delivered . . .
my soul from death,
my eyes from tears, and
my feet from falling!" Psalm 116:8

My soul, where would you have been this day, had you not been "kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation?"

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow Me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish;
no one can snatch them out of My hand!
My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all;
no one can snatch them out of My Father's hand!" John 10:27-29

(You will find it helpful to Listen to the Audio above, as you read the text below.)

Matthew 7:7-8,
"Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives;
he who seeks finds;
and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

God will grant us, in answer to our prayers, such blessings as He knows to be best for us. If He does not give us the exact thing we asked for, then He will give us that which on the whole is far better, and which we would have asked for, if we had known what was best for us, as He does.

The time of God's answer may appear to our impatient minds, to be too long; but His answers shall not be protracted beyond the fittest season.

If anyone is discouraged for lack of an answer to his prayers, let him remember that God may have answered them already, though unperceived, and in a way not contemplated by the suppliant himself.

Paul, when praying for the removal of the thorn in his flesh, did not have it removed. Instead, his thorn was sanctified, and grace was given to him to improve it aright!
"Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me: My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness!" 2 Corinthians 12:8-9

Know then, whether you see it or not, that God both does, and will, answer your petitions. Only let our prayers be humble, and believing, and submissive—and they shall never go forth in vain.

The Lord Jesus gives us a perfect pattern for resignation in prayer, "Father, if You are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine!" Luke 22:42

(You will find it helpful to Listen to the Audio above, as you read the text below.)

"Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey Your Word." Psalm 119:67

"It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn Your decrees." Psalm 119:71

"I know, O Lord, that Your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness You have afflicted me." Psalm 119:75

I thank you, O heavenly Father, for the many advantages of affliction:
to humble my pride,
to mortify the flesh,
to subdue my passions,
to quicken prayer,
to weaken the power of sin,
to try my faith and love,
to cure my worldliness and sensuality,
to keep me from wandering from You,
to empty me of self-admiration,
to awaken the consideration of death and judgment,
to impress upon my mind, the thoughts of the vanity of this world, and the eternity of the next world!

Whatever I suffer in this world, let my condition be ever so dark and sad and afflicted—it still is such that every one of the damned would think it an infinite happiness to be as I am!

To cure my impatience under the sharpest trials and afflictions—let me think of those eternal flames of wrath, which the damned suffer in Hell.

Let us fasten this comforting and sobering truth in our minds: "The most miserable state outside of Hell, is mercy!" George Swinnock, 1627-1673

(You will find it helpful to Listen to the Audio, as you read the text below.)

"Many waters cannot quench love; neither can rivers drown it." Song of Solomon 8:7

Let us take this verse as descriptive of the love of Christ—the "love that surpasses knowledge."

Nothing in Heaven, or earth, or Hell, is able to extinguish or cool the love of Christ—the one love whose dimensions are beyond all measure! It is unquenchable!

1. The waters of SHAME AND SUFFERING sought to quench and drown the love of Christ!
They would have hindered its outflowing, and come, like Peter, between the Savior and the cross. But this love refused to be arrested on its way to Calvary—it would not be either quenched or drowned. Herein was love! It overleaped all the barriers in its way. Its fire would not be quenched; its life would not be drowned!

2. The waters of DEATH sought to quench the love of Christ!
Their waves and billows went over Him. The grave sought to cool or quench it; but it proved itself stronger than death. Neither death nor the grave could alter or weaken it. It came out of both, as strong as before. Love defied death, and overcame it!

3. The waters of OUR UNWORTHINESS could not quench nor drown the love of Christ!
In general we find love drawing to the loveable; and when anything unfitting occurs, withdrawing from its object. Not so here. All our unfitness and unloveableness could not quench nor drown His love. It clung to the unlovely, and refused to be torn away!

4. The waters of OUR LONG REJECTION sought to quench the love of Christ!
After the gospel had showed us that personal unworthiness could not arrest the love of Christ, we continued to reject Him and His love. Yet His love surmounted this unbelief, and survived this rejection. In spite of all, it remained unquenched!

5. The waters of OUR DAILY INCONSISTENCY sought to quench the love of Christ!
Even after we have believed, we are constantly coming short. Ah! what inconsistencies, coldness, backslidings, lukewarmness, doubtings, worldliness, and such like—are daily flowing over this love to quench its fire and drown its life! Yet it survives all! It remains unquenched and unquenchable!

All these infinite evils in us are like "waters," "many waters"; like "floods"—torrents of sin, waves and billows of evil; all constantly laboring to quench and drown the love of Christ! And truly they would have annihilated any other love; any love less than divine. But the love of Christ is unchangeable and everlasting!

His love is invincible, and irresistible as death. It is a jealous love; unyielding and inexorable as the grave! All earth and Heaven together would be ineffectual to cool or quench His mighty love!

The love of Christ truly surpasses knowledge. It is infinite like Himself. It emerges out of every storm or flood. It survives all our unworthiness, and unbelief, and rejection!

Here, then, is the love of Christ! Its breadth, length, height, and depth, are absolutely immeasurable!

"May you have the power to understand, as all God's people should—how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is! May you experience the love of Christ, even though it is too great to understand fully!" Ephesians 3:18-19

(You will find it helpful to Listen to the Audio, as you read the text below.)

It is sweet to lean upon one we love:
hanging upon His arm for support,
and reclining upon His bosom for sympathy;
one on whose wisdom we can unhesitatingly rely,
in whose love we can confidently repose.

Transfer this thought to God! How unutterable the blessedness, how vast the privilege, and how happy the result of waiting upon Him who stands to us in the relation of our Father and Redeemer, our Brother and Friend . . .
waiting the movement of His pillar of cloud;
waiting the supply of His inexhaustible providence;
waiting the comfort of His unchanging love;
waiting for the fulfillment of the word of promise upon which He has caused our soul to hope!

"My soul waits on the Lord."

There does not exist a more privileged and holy condition of the soul, than that of being entirely cast upon God. When the created arm fails to sustain, and the human heart to love; when earthly props give way, and affection and sympathy have fled their last asylum; when the barrel of meal is well-near exhausted, and the cruse of oil distills its last drop—oh then to exclaim, "My soul, wait only upon God; for my expectation is from Him." This is a privilege indeed, a privilege eclipsing all others!

Oh count it the richest experience of the divine life when thus weaned and divorced from creature help, you are brought to wait only on the Lord, exclaiming, "Now I have no prop, no supply, no sympathy, no comfort—but that which I find in Jehovah. I am shut up to Infinity alone! My help comes from the Lord."

The gracious soul hangs in faith upon God:
upon the veracity of God to fulfill His promise,
upon the power of God to help him in difficulty,
upon the wisdom of God to counsel him in perplexity,
upon the love of God to shield him in danger,
upon the Omniscience of God to guide him with His eye,
and upon the Omnipresence of God to cheer him with His presence—at all times and in all places, his Sun and his Shield.

Oh have faith in God! The moment the soul can believingly repose upon Him, it ceases to be the sport of every wind and wave of circumstance and doubt, and drops its anchor on the firm and immovable bedrock of DIVINITY!

(You will find it helpful to Listen to the Audio, as you read the text below.)

"Does He not see my ways and count my every step?" Job 31:4

"A man's ways are in full view of the LORD, and He examines all his paths." Proverbs 5:21

"The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good." Proverbs 15:3

"My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from Me, nor is their sin concealed from My eyes." Jeremiah 16:17

How solemn is the thought, that an invisible Being is ever at our side and watching us—recording with rapid pen each deed and word; every desire that rises, though it is to burst like a soap-bubble; and every thought that passes, though on an eagle's wing.

We cannot shake off the presence of God! When doors are shut, and curtains drawn, and all is still, and darkest night fills our chamber, and we are left alone with our thoughts—it might keep them pure and holy to say, as if we saw two shining eyes looking on us out of the darkness, "You, O God, see me!"

May God help you to feel yourselves at all times in His immediate presence!

How promptly then would every evil thought be banished!
What unholy deeds would be crushed in the desire, nipped in the bud, strangled in the birth!
What crimes would remain uncommitted.
How feeble would the strongest temptations prove!
What a purity, nobility, loftiness, holiness, heavenliness—would be imparted to your whole bearing and conduct!

"Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?" declares the LORD.
"Do not I fill heaven and earth?" declares the LORD. Jeremiah 23:23-24

(You will find it helpful to Listen to the Audio, as you read the text below.)

By nature we are thoroughly in love with ourselves—but as the Divine work of grace is carried forward in our souls, we come to loathe ourselves. Those who have been saved from the penalty of sin, are being made increasingly conscious not only of sin's polluting presence, but of its tyrannizing power!

How can we explain the fact, that the more closely he endeavors to walk with God, the Christian finds himself growing worse and worse? The answer is because of increased light from God's Word, by which he now discovers heart-filth of which he was previously unaware.

The sun shining into a neglected room, does not create the dust and cobwebs—but simply reveals them. Thus it is with the Christian. The more the light of the Word searches him, the more he discovers the horrible plague of his heart (1 Kings 8:38), and the more he realizes what a wretched failure he actually is!

The fact is, dear discouraged soul, that the more you are growing out of love with yourself, the more you are being saved from the power of sin. Wherein lies sin's fearful potency? In its power to deceive us. Our heart lies to us. (Jeremiah 17:9) It did so to Adam and Eve. It gives us false estimates of values, so that we mistake the tinsel for real gold. To be saved from the power of sin, is to have our eyes opened so that we see things in the light of God's Word—it is to know the truth about things all around us, and the truth about ourselves.

But further—sin not only deceives, it puffs up, causing its infatuated victims to think highly of themselves. Sin ever produces pride, self-love, and self-righteousness. But when God takes us in hand, it is the very opposite—the workings of the Spirit subdue our pride—by giving increasing discoveries of SELF and of the exceeding sinfulness of SIN, so that each one cries out with Job, "Behold! I am vile!" (40:4). Such a one is being saved from the power of sin—its power to deceive and to puff us up with pride!

(You will find it helpful to Listen to the Audio, as you read the text below.)

"As for me, I am poor and needy—yet the Lord thinks upon me!" Psalm 40:17

O my soul, sit down and reckon up your unsearchable riches in Christ!

By nature and practice, I am a child of a bankrupt father, Adam, who lived insolvent and died wretchedly poor in himself, having left only an inheritance of sin, misery, and death, with the loss of divine favor, upon the whole race of his children!

By nature and by practice, I am poor in the sight of God, despised by Him because of my loathsome disease of sin! In myself,
my understanding is darkened,
my will is depraved,
my passions are corrupt.
I am proud and rebellious against God.
I am a slave of Satan, a willing captive in his drudgery!
I am daily hastening to deserved damnation!

Such, my soul, was my state by nature; and such, and far worse, would have been my state forever—had not Jesus intervened, looked upon me, and loved me when I was cast out to perish, with no eye to pity me or rescue me from eternal ruin.

O my soul, I can now say: "Though I am poor and needy—yet the Lord thinks upon me!"

Oh, blessed Jesus! You do indeed think upon me, provide for me, and have given me the grace to see and to feel my spiritual poverty, need, and misery—and to live wholly upon You and Your alms, from day to day.

Lord Jesus! I would be poor, I would be needy. I would feel more and more my nothingness, worthlessness, poverty, and wretchedness—that You may be increasingly precious, and Your salvation increasingly dear.

Oh for grace, as a poor needy debtor, daily to increase the awareness of my sin—so that my conscious need of You and Your fullness, may be increasingly blessed.

Let my daily motto be: "As for me, I am poor and needy—yet the Lord thinks upon me!"

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ!" Ephesians 1:3

(You will find it helpful to Listen to the Audio, as you read the text below.)

If we had received our just deservings from God, there is not one among us who would not have been in the very depths of Hell, long, long ago!

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We should always contemplate God's sovereign and saving mercies with overwhelming gratitude and whole-hearted devotion!

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Believer! Not so much as a hair can fall from your head, but by the divine appointment of your all-loving heavenly Father!

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The evil of sin far exceeds all that language can express, or that any finite intelligence can conceive!

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At all times we must endeavor to live as in God's immediate presence!

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Even though sin is a sweet morsel in your mouth for a season—it will at last bite like a serpent, and sting like an adder!

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The ungodly often die as insensible of eternal realities as the beasts!

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The Word of God is the only standard of right and wrong; and by that we shall be judged in the last day.

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Every advance towards Christian maturity, will always be manifested by a proportionate growth in humility.

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No mother is so tender towards her newborn child, as God is towards his penitent and believing people.

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God is pleased oftentimes to afflict His people, in order to wean them from the love of this present world, and to quicken their souls to a greater delight in Him.

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Godly principles in the heart, always manifest themselves by actions in the life. Genuine piety is operative and influential on the whole life.

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The true Christian knows that if he were judged by the best act he ever performed, he must forever perish!

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All that the blood of Christ could purchase, and all that the love of God can bestow—is the portion reserved for every believer in the realms of bliss!

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Only view death aright, and you will account it among your most valued treasures!

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Most professing Christians are satisfied with a change in their opinions, though they have never experienced any change in their hearts and lives!

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We must bring our views, our desires, and our motives—to the strictest scrutiny of the Word.

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The Word of God, and Christ in the Word—is the proper food of the soul.

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Every true believer is a jewel in the Redeemer's crown!