Grace Gems for JANUARY

A New Year's Resolution

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

Firmly believing that my times are in God's hand, I here submit myself and all my affairs for the ensuing year, to the wise and gracious disposal of God's divine providence. Whether God appoints for me,
health or sickness,
peace or trouble,
comforts or crosses,
life or death,
may His holy will be done!

All my time, strength, and common actions, I devote to the honor of the Lord Jesus. It is my earnest expectation, hope, and desire, my constant aim and endeavor--that Jesus Christ may be glorified by me.

In everything I do--may my entire dependence be upon Jesus Christ for strength. And whatever I do in word or deed, I desire to do all in His name. Jesus is my Alpha and Omega. I have all from Him--and I desire to use all for Him.

If this should prove a year of affliction, a sorrowful year to me--I will fetch all my supports and comforts from the Lord Jesus and anchor myself upon Him, His everlasting consolations, and the good hope I have in Him through grace.

And if it should be my dying year--then my times are in the nail-scarred hand of the Lord Jesus. With a humble reliance upon His all-wise providence, I would venture into the eternal world looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith.

Oh, that the grace of God may be sufficient for me, to keep me always in a humble sense of my own unworthiness, weakness, folly, and infirmity--together with a firm dependence upon the Lord Jesus Christ for both everlasting righteousness and daily strength.

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain!" Philippians 1:21

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"Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain you." Psalm 55:22

It is by an act of simple prayerful faith, that we transfer our cares and anxieties, our sorrows and needs--to the Lord.

Jesus invites you to come and lean upon Him, and to lean with all your might upon that arm that balances the universe, and upon that bosom that bled for you upon the soldier's spear!

But you doubtingly ask, "Is the Lord able to do this thing for me?"
And thus, while you are debating a matter about which there is not the shadow of a shade of doubt--the burden is crushing your gentle spirit to the dust!

And all the while Jesus stands at your side and lovingly says:
"Cast your burden upon Me, and I will sustain you. I am God Almighty. I bore the load of your sin and condemnation up the steep of Calvary, and the same power of omnipotence, and the same strength of love that bore it all for you then--is prepared to bear your need and sorrow now. Roll it all upon Me!
"Child of My Love! Lean hard! Let Me feel the pressure of your care. I know your burden, child! I shaped and formed it in My own hand, and made no proportion of its weight to your unaided strength. For even as I laid it on, I said 'I shall be near;' and while you lean on Me, this burden shall be Mine, not yours. So shall I keep My child within the circling arms of My own love. Here, lay it down! Do not fear to impose it on a shoulder which upholds the government of worlds! Yet closer come--you are not near enough! I would embrace your burden, so I might feel My child reposing on My bosom. You love Me! I know it. Doubt not, then. But, loving Me, lean hard!"

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"We know that we have come to know Him, if we obey His commands. The man who says, 'I know Him,' but does not do what He commands, is a liar and the truth is not in him." 1 John 2:3-4

There are many who profess to be Christians, and yet live in sin. Even worse, they go to sin to find their pleasures!

I suppose that we may judge a man most accurately, by his desires and where he finds his pleasures, than by almost anything else.

A man may say, "I do not habitually frequent worldly gaieties. I am not always found where sin is mixed with mirth, and where worldlings dance upon the brink of Hell--but I go there now and then for a special treat."

I cannot help quoting the remark of Rowland Hill, who, when he met with a member of his church who had gone to the theater, said to him, "I understand that you attend the theater."

"Not regularly," he said, "I only go for a treat now and then."

"Ah, that makes it all the worse," replied Rowland. "Suppose that somebody rumored about me, 'Mr. Hill is a strange man, he eats carrion.'
Then one of my acquaintances heard the rumor and asks me, 'Is it true, Mr. Hill, that you live on carrion?'
Then suppose I answered him, 'No, I do not habitually eat carrion, but I have a dish of it now and then for a special treat.'
Why, he would think I was nastier than I would have been, if I had eaten it regularly."

In the same way, if anything that verges on the unholy and sinful, is a treat to you--then your very heart is impure, and you are seeking your pleasure and comfort in wickedness. You are still in the chains of sin.

"Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning . . . No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God." 1 John 3:8-9

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"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." Ephesians 4:2

There are some people whose feelings are like dry straw--kindled into a blaze in a moment by the least spark which has been purposely or accidentally thrown upon it. A word, or a look--is in some cases quite enough to be considered a very serious injury! It is a common thing for such people to excuse themselves on the ground that "their feelings are so delicate"--that they are offended by the least touch! This is a humiliating confession, for it is acknowledging that instead of being like the oak of the forest, which laughs at the tempest, and is unmoved by the tread of the wild boar--they resemble the sensitive plant, a little squeamish shrub, which trembles before the breeze, and shrivels and contracts beneath the pressure of a tiny insect!

Delicate feelings? In plain English, this means that they are petulant, irritable and peevish! I would like to have a sign hung around the neck of such people--and it would be this, "Beware of the dog!"

We should never allow ourselves to be offended. In fact, most of the time the offense is not even intended. Had we but patience to wait, or humility to inquire, we would find that many hurtful things were done by mistake, which we are prone to attribute to intentional design. How often do we violate that love which thinks no evil and which imperatively demands of us to attribute a good motive to another's conduct--until a bad motive is proved!

Let us then deliberately determine, that, by God's grace, we will not be easily offended. If such a resolution were generally made and kept, offenses would cease. Let us first ascertain whether offense was intended, before we allow the least emotion of anger to be indulged. And even then, when we have proved that the offense was committed on purpose, let us next ask ourselves whether it is necessary to notice it. What wise man will think it worth while when an insect has stung him, to pursue it all day in order to punish the aggressor?

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Colossians 3:12-14

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"Sin is . . .
the dare of God's justice,
the rape of His mercy,
the jeer of His patience,
and the contempt of His love."

"Sin in the heart is like Jonah in the ship--it turns the soul into a tempest."

"Sin is an offense against infinite holiness, and deserves infinite punishment."

"The smallest sin is an infinite evil, because it is committed against an infinite God."

"Sin has . . .
the devil for its father,
shame for its companion,
and death for its wages."

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"Bring him unto Me!" Mark 9:19

Despairingly the poor disappointed father turned away from the disciples, to their Master. His son was in the worst possible condition, and all means had failed--but the miserable child was soon delivered from the evil one, when the parent in faith obeyed the Lord Jesus' word, "Bring him unto Me!"

Your children are a precious gift from God, but much anxiety comes with them. They may be a great joy, or a great bitterness to their parents. They may be filled with the Spirit of God, or possessed with the spirit of evil. In all cases, the Word of God gives us one recipe for the curing of all their ills, "Bring them unto Me!"

O for more agonizing prayer on their behalf, while they are yet babes. Sin is there, let our prayers begin to attack it.

In the days of their youth we shall see sad tokens of that dumb and deaf spirit, which will neither pray aright, nor hear the voice of God in the soul; but Jesus still commands, "Bring them unto Me!"

When they are grown up, they may wallow in sin and foam with enmity against God! Then, when our hearts are breaking, we should remember the great Physician's words, "Bring them unto Me!" Never must we cease to pray for them, until they cease to breathe. No case is hopeless, while Jesus lives!

The Lord sometimes allows His people to be driven into a corner, that they may experimentally know how necessary He is to them. Ungodly children, when they show us our own powerlessness against the depravity of their hearts—drive us to flee to the Strong One for strength, and this is a great blessing to us!

Whatever this day's need may be, let it like a strong current, bear us to the ocean of divine love! Jesus can soon remove our sorrow. He delights to comfort us. Let us hasten to Him, while He waits to meet us!

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Do you not find yourselves forgetful of Jesus?

Some creature steals away your heart, and you are unmindful of Him upon whom your affection ought to be set.

Some earthly business engrosses your attention when you should have your eye steadily fixed upon the cross.

It is the incessant round of world, world, world; the constant din of earth, earth, earth--which takes away the soul from Christ.

Oh! my friends, is it not too sadly true that we can recollect anything but Christ, and forget nothing so easy as Him whom we ought to remember? While memory will preserve a 'poisoned weed', it allows the 'Rose of Sharon' to wither.

Why do we forget Christ?

Because we have a worm in the heart, a pest-house, a charnel-house within! Lusts, vile imaginations, and strong evil passions--which, like wells of poisonous water, send out continually streams of impurity.

I have a heart, which God knows I wish I could wring from my body and hurl to an infinite distance! I have a soul which is a cage of unclean birds, a den of loathsome creatures, where dragons haunt and owls congregate, where every evil beast of ill-omen dwells; a heart too vile to have a parallel, "deceitful above all things and desperately wicked!"

This is the reason why I am forgetful of Christ.

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked! Who can know it?" Jeremiah 17:9

"My son, give Me your heart!" Proverbs 23:26

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"I Myself, the Sovereign Lord, am now your enemy! Ezekiel 5:8

Unconverted sinner! You are not only against God--but God Himself is against you! As there is no friend like Him--so there is no enemy like Him. As much as heaven is above the earth, omnipotence above impotence--so much more terrible is it to fall into the hands of the living God, than into the paws of bears and lions--yes, furies or devils! God Himself will be your tormentor! Who or what shall deliver you out of His hands? Sinner, I think this would go like a dagger to your heart--to know that God Himself is your enemy!

Oh where will you go? Where will you shelter yourself?

The infinite God is engaged against you! He hates all workers of iniquity. Man, does not your heart tremble to think of your being an object of God's hatred? "As surely as I live, when I sharpen My flashing sword and begin to carry out justice, I will bring vengeance on My enemies and repay those who hate Me!" Deuteronomy 32:40-41

The power of God is mounted like a mighty cannon against you! Sinner, the power of God's anger is against you--and power and anger together make fearful work. There is no escaping His hands--no breaking loose from His prison.

"O consider this, you who forget God, lest He tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver!" Psalm 50:22

Submit to mercy. Let not dust and stubble battle against the Almighty.

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"He went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground, praying: My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from Me. Yet I want Your will, not Mine." Matthew 26:39

Throughout His life Jesus was the Man of Sorrows, and many of His disciples go mourning all their days by reason of continued . . .
illness,
unkindness,
loneliness,
anxiety,
successive sorrows,
stripes repeated before the former wounds are healed--one woe treading on the heels of another, as with Job.

Some thorn is always rankling.

When one rocky crag has been surmounted, another has to be scaled.

When one troublous torrent has been waded, another and yet another roars across our path.

You may plead that your heavenly Father would . . .
relieve the pain,
heal the sickness,
spare the life,
remove the danger,
calm the anxiety,
restore the love,
restrain the sin,
abate the anger,
disperse the cloud,
calm the storm,
send the sunshine.

"My Father, pity your foolish child, but bear with me while I confess that this bitter cup
depresses my spirit,
raises doubts,
disturbs my faith,
irritates my temper,
drives me to frivolity,
hinders prayer and
tempts me to seek relief wrongfully.
I am taught that affliction should make me humble and patient, gentle to others, weaned from earth, submissive to You--but this cup seems to produce opposite results. Oh, let this cup pass from me! My soul is bowed down to the dust! My tears have been my food day and night! O my God, my soul is cast down within me; all Your waves and Your billows are gone over me. Abba, Father, let this cup pass from me!
"Behold me, even me; listen to my complaint. Behold this cup--how bitter it is, how full, how long I have had to drink it! In my ignorance it seems unsuited to my temperament. How wearied and faint I am! How earnestly I desire to be spared the further drinking of it. O my Father! witness these tears, hear these cries, consider my soul's agony! Abba, Father, if it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want Your will, not mine."

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"By the grace of God I am what I am!" 1 Corinthians 15:10

Whatever evil you behold in other men's practices, realize that you have the same evil in your own nature.

There is the seed of all sins, of the vilest and worst of sins--in the best of men! When you see a drunkard--you may see the seed of that sin in your own nature. When you see an immoral man--you may see the seeds of immorality in your own nature. If you are not as wicked as others--it is not because of the goodness of your nature, but from the riches of God's grace!

Remember this: there is not a worse nature in hell than that which is in you, and it would manifest itself accordingly--if the Lord did not restrain it!

There was one who was a long time tempted to three horrid sins: to be drunk, to lie with his mother, and to murder his father. Being a long time followed with these horrid temptations, at last he thought to get rid of them, by yielding to what he judged the least, and that was to be drunk; but when he was drunk, he did both lie with his mother and murdered his father.

Why, such a hellish nature is in every soul that breathes! And did God leave men to act according to their natures, all men would be incarnate devils, and this world a total Hell. In your nature you have that that which would lead you . . .
with the Pharisees--to oppose Christ;
and with Judas--to betray Christ;
and with Pilate--to condemn Christ;
and with the soldiers--to crucify Christ.

Oh, what a monster, what a devil you would be--should God but leave you to act suitable to that sinful and woeful nature of yours!

"By the grace of God, I am what I am!" 1 Corinthians 15:10

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"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." Psalm 51:1-2

Why did God permit David to fall so fearfully, and sin so grievously?

One reason may be that we might have set before our eyes the more clearly, the solemn fact that "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked." (Jeremiah 17:9). Unmistakably plain as the meaning of those words is, uttered by Him who cannot lie--yet how very slow we all are to really receive them at their face value, and acknowledge that they accurately describe the natural state of every human heart! But God has done more than make this bare statement: He has placed on record in His Word--illustrations, exemplifications, demonstrations of its verity--notably so in allowing us to see the unspeakable wickedness that still remained in the heart of David!

Also, the fearful fall of David made way for a display of the amazing grace of God, in recovering His fallen people. If we are slow to receive what Scripture teaches concerning the depravity of the human heart and the exceeding sinfulness of sin--we are equally slow to really believe what it reveals about the covenant-faithfulness of God, the efficacy of Christ's blood to cleanse the foulest stain from those for whom it was shed, and the super-abounding grace of Him who is "the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort." Had David never sinned so grievously and sunken so low--we would have never known those infinite depths of mercy which are in the heart of God!

Also, had his terrible sin, his subsequent broken-hearted confession, and his pardon by God, never been placed in the Divine record--many of God's people throughout the centuries would have sunk in abject despair.

Also, thousands, from age to age, have by this solemn example of David's terrible sin, been rendered . . . .
more suspicious of themselves,
more watchful,
more afraid of temptation,
more dependent on the Lord,
and more fervent in prayer.

By means of David's fall--they have themselves been preserved from falling!

"Hold me up, and I shall be safe!" Psalm 119:117

"These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come." 1 Corinthians 10:11

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Perhaps the world--the smiling world or the frowning world; the tempting world or the persecuting world--lies as a heavy stone or burden upon your heart, as it does upon the hearts of thousands in these days. Witness their attempting anything to get the favors, honors and riches of this world! Ah! how many have turned their backs upon God, and Christ and truth--to gain the world! How will you get this burden off? Only by the exercise of faith.

Many men may hear many sermons often--and yet remain worldly.
They may pray like angels--and yet live as if there were no Heaven nor Hell.
They will talk much of Heaven--and yet those who are spiritual and wise, smell their breath to stink strongly of earth.

All their endeavors can never cure them of this soul-killing disease--until faith breaks forth in its glorious actings. A man may hear sermons and pray many years--and yet remain as carnal, base and worldly as ever! There is no way under Heaven to remove this burden--but by the exercise of faith!

"For 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." 1 John 5:4-5

Faith presents the world to the soul under all those notions which the Scripture holds forth the world unto us by. The Scripture holds forth the world as . . .
an impotent thing,
as a mixed thing,
as a mutable thing,
as a momentary thing.
Now faith comes and sets this home with power upon the soul--and this takes the soul off from the world.

Faith causes the soul to converse with those more glorious, soul-satisfying, soul-delighting and soul-contenting objects! Now when faith is busied and exercised about soul-ennobling, soul-greatening, soul-raising and soul-cheering objects--a Christian tramples the world under his feet! In Hebrews 11, it was the exercise of faith and hope upon noble and glorious objects, which carried them above the world . . .
above the smiling world,
and above the frowning world,
above the tempting world,
and above the persecuting world!

Faith conquers the world, by assuring the soul of enjoying of better things. Men may talk much of Heaven, and of Christ and religion. But give me a man who really and clearly lives under the power of divine faith--and I cannot see how such a one can be carried out in an inordinate love to these poor transitory worldly things.

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"Avoid every kind of evil." 1 Thessalonians 5:22

He who now gives way to the least sin, may yet be given up to the greatest sins. We are never far enough from lust, while we are on earth; or near enough to Christ, while we are out of Heaven. O, stand far off from the devil's mark--unless you would be hit by his arrows!

The drawing near to the appearance of evil, is the first step to the accomplishment of the most enormous evil.

A spark will easily catch a box of tinder on fire.
Little streams will find a passage to the great sea.

Christian reader! Why should you venture on slippery places, when you can scarcely stand upon the firmest ground? Who will pity that man whose house is blown up with gun-powder, if he stores it in the chimney corner?

Such is the monstrous wickedness of men, that though the streams and currents of their own lusts carry them too swiftly already--yet they hoist up sails to catch the devil's winds!

The fowler spreads his net, but the wings of the bird carry her into it!
If you would not step into the harlot's house, you should not go by the harlot's door!
If you would not gather the forbidden fruit, then beware how you look on the luscious tree!

To pray against temptations, and yet to rush into occasions to sin--is to thrust your fingers into the fire, and then pray that they might not be burnt!

If you hold the stirrup for him, no wonder if Satan gets into the saddle!

"Watch and pray, so that you will not fall into temptation." Matthew 26:41
That man who is the most watchful, is the least sinful.
A soul without its watch is like a city without its wall--exposed to the attack of all its enemies!

Those who would not fall into the river, should beware how they approach too near to its banks.
He who crushes the egg, need not fear the biting of the serpent.
He who would not drink of the wine of divine wrath, let him not touch the cup of sinful pleasure.

A person who carries gun-powder with him, can never stand too far from the fire.
If we accompany sin one mile, it will compel us to go two.

Sin swells like Elijah's cloud, from the size of a man's hand--to such an expansion as to cover the whole sky.

"Let him who thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall." 1 Corinthians 10:12
You will quickly lose your standing, if you are fearless of falling.

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"Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had leprosy." Matthew 26:6

To this home Jesus had been invited--and He goes.

It seems to have been his leprosy which first brought Simon to Christ--and Christ to him. His disease was his link of connection with the Lord; and had it not been for it, he might never have sought Him.

It is still so with us. Our sin, our moral leprosy--draws us to Jesus. We go to Jesus, not about the good that is in us, but the evil. Our sense of guilt draws us to Him as the Pardoner; and our consciousness of sin constrains us to deal with Him as the Healer and Renewer. And as we began, so also do we go on. Sin brought us to Him--and Him to us. Our sin keeps us constantly at His side.

Simon finds that he has much more to do with Jesus than merely for the cure of his leprosy; therefore he must have Him at his table. So is it with us.

We begin our relationship with Jesus by going to Him with our sins. But we soon discover that it cannot be ended here. Our relationship becomes a constant interchange of thought and sympathy. We invite Him to our house--and He comes. We ask Him to dine with us--and He comes.

How great the honor enjoyed by Simon, of entertaining the Lord of glory; sitting at his own table, with Jesus at his side as his guest! How marvelous the condescension of Christ, in thus sitting at the leper's table!

Here, then, is the Savior that suits us--the healer of the leper, and the guest of the healed one! We say to Jesus, "Heal me"--and He heals! "Come in"--and He comes! "Sit down at my table"--and He sits down immediately.

It is but little communion indeed, that we can taste here; for the best of earthly feasts are but foretastes of the marriage-supper. But the whole glad fullness we shall yet enjoy, when we shall meet a long absent Lord, not at our table--but at His own! That day shall be the day of the Master's joy, as well as of ours--He feasting with us, and we with Him! He enjoying our fellowship, and we His--forevermore!

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"May Your will be done." Matthew 6:10

We pray here, that we may have grace to submit to God's will patiently, in whatever He inflicts.

Patient submission to God's will, is a gracious frame of soul, whereby a Christian is content to be at God's disposal, and acquiesces in His wisdom. "It is the Lord's will, let Him do what He thinks best!" 1 Samuel 3:18

Patient submission to the will of God, lies in seeing His hand in the affliction. "Affliction does not spring from the soil, and trouble does not sprout from the earth!" Job 5:6. Affliction does not come by chance! Job eyed God in all that befell him. "The Lord gave me everything I had--and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!" Job 1:21. Job looks beyond second causes, he sees God in the affliction! "The Lord has taken it away." There can be no submission to God's will, until there is an acknowledging of God's hand in the affliction.

Patient submission to God's will, lies in justifying God. God is holy and just, not only when He punishes the wicked, but when He afflicts the righteous. "Now we are being punished because of our wickedness and our great guilt. But we have actually been punished far less than we deserve." Ezra 9:13

While we live here in this valley of tears, patient submission to God's will is much needed. The Lord sometimes lays heavy afflictions upon us. "Your arrows have struck deep, and Your blows are crushing me!" Psalm 38:2. God sometimes lays many afflictions upon us. "He multiplies my wounds." Job 9:17. God shoots many kinds of arrows!

God sometimes afflicts with POVERTY, which is a great affliction.
To have an estate reduced almost to nothing, is hard to flesh and blood. "The Almighty has made life very bitter for me. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me home empty." Ruth 1:20, 21

God sometimes afflicts with REPROACH.
Dirt may be cast upon a pearl. Just so, those names may be blotted, which are written in the Book of Life. Piety shields from Hell, but not from slander.

God sometimes afflicts with the DEATH of loved ones.
"Son of man, I am going to take away your dearest treasure. Suddenly she will die!" Ezekiel 24:16

God sometimes afflicts with INFIRMITY of body.
Sickness takes away the comfort of life. Sometimes God lets the infirmity continue long. Some diseases are chronic, and linger and hang about the body for many years. The Lord is pleased to exercise many of His precious ones with chronic infirmities.

God tries His people with various afflictions--so that they have need of patient submission to His will.

Murmuring is not consistent with submission to God's will. Murmuring is the height of impatience, it is a kind of mutiny in the soul against God. "They began to murmur against God!" Numbers 21:5

When water is hot, then the scum boils up! When the heart is heated with anger against God, then murmuring boils up!

Murmuring springs from pride! Men think they have deserved better at God's hand; and, when they begin to swell with pride, they spit poison!

"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He chastises everyone He accepts as a son." Hebrews 12:5-6

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"God made Him who had no sin, to be sin for us--so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21

Jesus has borne the penalty of sin on behalf of His people.

Behold the wonder!

There He hangs upon the cross!

This is the greatest sight you will ever see!

Son of God and Son of Man--there He hangs, bearing unutterable pains, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God.

Oh, the glory of that sight!

The innocent One, punished!

The Holy One, condemned!

The ever-blessed One, made a curse!

The infinitely glorious One, put to a shameful sin-atoning death!

We encourage you to listen to the audio as you meditate on the text of this wondrous chapter below.

Isaiah 53

1. Who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

2. For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground;
He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.

3. He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face,
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

4. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5. But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.

6. All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.

7. He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.

8. By oppression and judgment He was taken away;
And as for His generation, who considered
That He was cut off out of the land of the living,
For the transgression of My people to whom the stroke was due?

9. His grave was assigned with wicked men,
Yet He was with a rich man in His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

10. But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief;
If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.

11. As a result of the anguish of His soul,
He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.

12. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,
And He will divide the booty with the strong;
Because He poured out Himself to death,
And was numbered with the transgressors;
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors.

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

Ecclesiastes 7:1-2, "The day of death, is better than the day of birth. It is better to go to a house of mourning, than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart."

It is very wise to talk about our death. The shroud, the grave and the shovel, may teach us more of true wisdom than all the learned heads that ever pondered vain philosophy, or all the lips that ever uttered earth-born science! "The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning--but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure." Ecclesiastes 7:4

We are all like trees marked for the woodsman's ax. The fall of one should remind us that for everyone, whether as great as the cedar, or as lowly as the fir tree--the appointed hour is hurrying on apace.

We talk of death too lightly. It is solemn work to the best of men. I can assure you that it is no child's play to die. May we regard death as the most weighty of all events, and be sobered by its approach.

There is no pain in death, the pain is in life.
When a man dies, there is an end of life's pain.
Death is the pain-killer, not the pain-maker.
It is not a loss to die--it is a lasting, perpetual gain.

Death is the physician that eases all pain!
Death is no punishment to the believer--it is the gate of endless joy!

I never yet heard regrets from dying men that they had done too much for Christ, or lived too earnestly for Him.

He who does not prepare for death, is more than an ordinary fool--he is a madman!

Let us learn to hold our dearest friends loosely.
Let us love them, but let us always learn to love them as dying things.

We go through the dark valley of death--and emerge into the light of eternity.
We do not die--but only wake in eternity!

God has fixed the hour of our death.
It can neither be postponed by skill of physician, nor hastened by malice of foe.

Time, how short!
Death, how brief!
Eternity, how long!
Immortality, how endless!

There is an essential difference between the death of the godly and the death of the ungodly. Death comes to the ungodly man as a penal infliction--but to the righteous man, as a summons to his Father's palace!

To the lost sinner, death is an executioner.
To the saint, death is a casting aside of his sins and infirmities.

Death to the wicked, is the king of terrors.
Death to the saint, is the end of terrors, and the commencement of eternal glory!

Oh, if we could not die, it would be horrible indeed!
Who wants to be chained to this poor life for a century or longer?
It is the very joy of this earthly life, to think that it will come to an end.

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far!" Philippians 1:21, 23

(You will find it helpful to LISTEN to the Audio as you READ the text below.)

Octavius Winslow

"Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?" John 21:15

Do you love Me . . .
more than these creature claimants?
more than these earthly honors?
more than these worldly riches?
more than these domestic comforts?
more than parent, child, brother, sister, friend?

Do you love Me supremely, and above all the ten thousand suitors for your heart?

Do you love Me?
Does My beauty charm you?
Does My love enthrall you?
Does My grace draw you?
Does My cross attract you?
Have My sufferings and My death subdued you to penitence, faith, and love?
Am I dearer to you than earth's dearest attractions?
Am I more precious than the heart's most precious treasure?
Can you part with all, for Me?

"Do I love You, O my Lord?
Behold my heart and see;
Gently oust each idol thence,
That seeks to rival Thee."

"You know I love You, dearest Lord;
But, oh, I long to soar;
Far from the sphere of mortal joys,
And learn to love You more!"

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

Charles Spurgeon

"Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ!" Ephesians 2:3-5

"You have loved my soul out of the pit of corruption!" Isaiah 38:17

See, dear brethren, where we lay by nature--in the pit of corruption! We were so destroyed by sin that we were like men who had rotted in a pit and were corrupt, for sin is a foul putrefaction of our nature, and it has worked in us to the most dreadful degree. Like the slain upon the battle field, rotting with foul decay--we were obnoxious to God, corrupt and abominable!

As all of His redeemed children know that it was the God's wondrous love, which moved Him to have compassion upon us when we were in the pit of corruption. The Lord loved us even when we were in that loathsome condition!

To love us when there was no good in us, but every evil in us; to love us when we were unlovable, and even hateful to Him--this is not after the manner of man, but is worthy of the infinite heart of God. We know that this divinely wondrous love, which had no cause except itself, devised the way to lift us out of the pit of sin and Hell.

Love supplied all the costly provisions for carrying out that plan.

Love brought the precious Savior to bear our sins on the cruel cross.

The Father's love chose us.

The Spirit's love regenerated us, and irresistibly drew us to the Savior's cross.

Divine love has supported us until this day, and will keep us to the end.

"As high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him!" Psalm 103:11

"Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love! Therefore with loving-kindness I have drawn you!" Jeremiah 31:3

Beloved, the love of God to you has never changed.
He could not love you more--and He will not love you less!

The great, inconceivably vast heart of God belongs as much to every Christian, as if there were not another being in the world for God to love!

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

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" 1 John 3:1

Think it over, and then say to yourself:
"Jehovah, the Eternal, Self-existent One--loves me!
Jesus, the King Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, the Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace--loves me!
The Holy Spirit, the Wonderworker, the Comforter, the Illuminator--loves me!
What bliss is this!"

"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

"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, 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. Or you may want to WATCH the Video on either YouTube or SermonAudio)

The Bible contains . . .
the mind of God,
the state of man,
the way of salvation,
the doom of sinners,
and the happiness of believers.

Its doctrines are holy,
its precepts are binding,
its stories are true,
and its decisions are immutable.

Read it to be wise,
believe it to be safe,
and practice it to be holy.

It contains . . .
light to direct you,
food to support you,
and comfort to cheer you.

It is . . .
the traveler's map,
the pilgrim's staff,
the pilot's compass,
the soldier's sword,
and the Christian's charter.

Here . . .
Paradise is restored,
Heaven opened,
and the gates of Hell disclosed.

Christ is its grand subject,
our good the design,
and the glory of God its end.

It should . . .
fill the memory,
rule the heart,
and guide the feet.

Read it . . .
slowly,
frequently,
and prayerfully.

It is . . .
a mine of wealth,
health to the soul,
and a river of pleasure!

It . . .
involves the highest responsibility,
will reward the greatest labor,
and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents!
(author unknown)

"Forever, O LORD, Your Word is settled in Heaven!" Psalm 119:89

"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness--that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17

"And we also thank God continually because, when you received the Word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men--but as it actually is, the Word of God, which is at work in you who believe!" 1 Thessalonians 2:13

We encourage you to listen to the audio as you meditate on the Father's forsaking of His darling Son.

(You will find it helpful to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below. Or you may want to WATCH the Video on either YouTube or SermonAudio)

"He has done all things well!" Mark 7:37

Yes, from first to last,
from our cradle to our grave,
from the earliest pang of sin's conviction to the last thrill of sin's forgiveness,
from earth to Heaven--this will be our testimony in all the way the Lord our God has led us in the wilderness: "He has done all things well!"

In providence and in grace,
in every truth of His Word,
in every lesson of His love,
in every stroke of His rod,
in every sunbeam that has shone,
in every cloud that has shaded,
in every element that has sweetened,
in every ingredient that has embittered,
in all that has been mysterious, inscrutable, painful, and humiliating,
in all that He gave,
in all that He took away,
this testimony is His just due, and this our grateful acknowledgment through time and through eternity: "He has done all things well!"

Has He converted us through grace by a way we had thought the most improbable?

Has He torn up all our earthly hopes by the roots?

Has He . . .
thwarted our schemes,
frustrated our plans,
disappointed our expectations?

Has He . . .
taught us in schools most trying,
by a discipline most severe,
and lessons most humbling to our nature?

Has He . . .
withered our strength by sickness,
reduced us to poverty by loss,
crushed our heart by bereavement?

And have we been tempted to exclaim, "All these things are against me!"

Ah! no! faith will yet obtain the ascendancy, and sweetly sing:
"I know in all things that befell,
My Jesus has done all things well!"

Beloved, it must be so--for Jesus can do nothing wrong!

Study the way of His providence and grace with the microscopic eye of faith--view them in every light, examine them in their minutest detail, as you would the petal of a flower, or the wing of an insect; and, oh, what wonders, what beauty, what marvelous adaptation, would you observe in all the varied dealings with you, of your glorious Lord!

(You will find it helpful to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below. Or you may want to WATCH the Video on YouTube.)

1. Blessed is the man who does not . . .

2. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night.

3. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

5. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6. For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous--but the way of the wicked will perish.

(You will find it helpful to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below. Or you may want to WATCH the Video on either YouTube or SermonAudio)

"All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as He pleases with the powers of Heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back His hand or say to Him: What have you done?" Daniel 4:35

As well might a worm seek to resist the tread of an elephant;
as well might a babe step between the railroad tracks and attempt to push back the on-rushing train;
as well might a child seek to prevent the ocean from rolling--
as for a creature to try and resist the outworking of the purpose of the Lord God!

Ah, my reader, this is the first great lesson we have to learn:
that God is the Creator--and we are the creature;
that He is the Potter--and we are the clay!

"O LORD, God of our fathers, are You not the God who is in Heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in Your hand, and no one can withstand You!" 2 Chronicles 20:6

The sovereignty of God may be defined as the exercise of His supremacy. Being infinitely elevated above the highest creature--He is the Most High, Lord of Heaven and earth. Subject to none, influenced by none--He is absolutely independent. God does . . .
as He pleases,
only as He pleases,
and always as He pleases.
None can thwart Him, none can hinder Him.

"Our God is in Heaven; he does whatever pleases Him." Psalm 115:3

"I know that the LORD is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods. The LORD does whatever pleases Him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths." Psalm 135:5–6

(You will find it helpful to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below. Or you may want to WATCH the Video YouTube)

6. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

10. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

12. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

(You will find it helpful to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below. Or you may want to WATCH the Video on either YouTube or SermonAudio)

"They will look on Me, the One they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son!" Zechariah 12:10

View Him yonder sinner--sweating in the garden.
See the ruby drops of blood as they fall from that dear visage!

Oh, see Him sinner--see Him in Pilate's hall.
View the streams of gore as they gush from those lacerated shoulders!

See Him sinner--see Him on His cross!

View that holy head still marked with the wounds with which the thorns pierced His sacred temples!

Oh, view that pure face, emaciated and marred!

See the vile spittle still hanging there--the spittle of cruel mockers!

View those loving eyes floating in tears with languid pity!

Look too, at those kind hands, and view them as they stream like fountains of blood!

Oh, stand and listen while He cries, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" Matthew 27:46

"A bleeding Savior I have viewed, and now I hate my sins!" John Newton

"The dearest idol I have known,
Whatever that idol be,
Help me to tear it from its throne,
And worship only Thee!"

(You will find it helpful to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below. Or you may want to WATCH the Video on YouTube.)

John Kent, 1766-1843

There is a period known to God
When all His sheep, redeemed by blood,
Shall leave the hateful ways of sin,
Turn to the fold, and enter in.

At peace with Hell, with God at war,
In sin's dark maze, they wander far,
Indulge their lust, and still go on,
As far from God, as sheep can run.

But see how God's indulgent care
Attends their wanderings, here and there;
Still tracking them, wherever they stray,
With piercing thorns, to hedge their way.

When wisdom calls, they stop their ear,
And headlong seek, their mad career;
Judgments and mercies, can never sway,
Their roving feet, to wisdom's way.

Glory to God, they never shall rove,
Beyond the limits of His love;
Fenced with Jehovah's shalls and wills,
Firm as the everlasting hills.

The appointed time, rolls on apace,
To call effectually, by His grace;
To change the heart, renew the will,
And turn the feet, to Zion's hill.

"For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified." Romans 8:29-30

"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day." John 6:44

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

"Look to the cross and hate your sin, for sin nailed your Well-Beloved to the tree."

"As salt tinges every drop in the ocean, so does sin affect every atom of our nature."

"Sin murdered Christ--and will you be a friend to it?"

"He who does not hate sin, does not love God."

"Sin is the greatest evil in the universe."

"No sin is a little sin, because it is committed against a great God."

"Sin is the leprosy of the soul, which defiles everything it touches."

"Sin is the poison of the universe--death and damnation are its sure result."

"Sin is the mother and nurse of all evil. It is the egg from which every evil is hatched."

"If you would see the true nature of sin, then look to the Savior--scourged, bleeding, dying on the cross."

"Sin is self-damnation."

"To pursue sin, is to run into Hell with your eyes wide open."

"The sin that you excuse today, will be your master tomorrow."

"Sin is worse than the devil himself, for sin made the devil what he is."

"Sin is the murderer of peace, and the destroyer of hope."

"The smallest sin, is an act of cosmic treason against the King of kings."

"Sin is a serpent--beware how you handle it, for its fangs are deadly!"

"Sin . . .
blinds the eye,
hardens the heart,
and sears the conscience."

"If sin were not so terrible--then Hell would not be so dreadful."

"Sin may look sweet, but it is deadly poison disguised as honey."

"Sin is not only an enemy to God, but the greatest enemy to your own soul."

"Sin is the seed, and damnation is the harvest."

"The sinner's laughter today, will become weeping tomorrow."

"Sin thrives on excuses, and dies in the presence of repentance."

"Sin never comes alone; it always brings a host of sorrows with it."

"If sin were truly seen as it is, we would flee from it as from a poisonous viper!"

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

"Your afflictions may be sharp, but they are short. Your deliverance will be eternal."

"Affliction opens our ears to the voice of God, and shuts our hearts to the allurements of the world."

"Every affliction is a messenger from God, teaching and correcting the soul for its eternal good."

"The waters of affliction, are often the means by which we are carried nearer to Christ."

"In times of affliction, we discover the sufficiency of Christ and the shallowness of the world."

"In the furnace of affliction God burns away the dross of self-reliance, and reveals the gold of His sufficiency."

"Afflictions drive the soul to its knees, where it finds the richest treasures of grace."

"The believer's afflictions are God's pruning, not His lopping. They are to make them fruitful, not to destroy them."

"God's strokes are strokes of love, meant to awaken our souls and draw us closer to Him."

"The greatest honor God can put on a soul, is to place it in the school of affliction."

"Trials are sent to teach us what we are, to humble us, and to draw us closer to God."

"Extraordinary afflictions are not always the punishment of extraordinary sins, but sometimes the trial of extraordinary graces."

"The sharper the affliction, the sweeter the promise of God's sustaining grace."

"When affliction humbles us, it clears the eye of faith to see God's hand more distinctly."

"The furnace of affliction refines the believer to reflect the brightness of Heaven."

"Gold shines brightest when it is beaten; so do the graces of the soul shine under the hammer of affliction."

"The blows of affliction are blessings in disguise, for they strike away the sins that cling to us."

"God's afflictions are not to ruin us, but to refine us--that we might reflect His glory."

"Affliction is a stormy wind, by which God drives His people faster toward Himself."

"The storms of affliction, drive the soul to the secure harbor of Christ's love."

"Every affliction carries a message from God, and reveals His intention for our eternal good."

"Afflictions reveal what is in our hearts and show us our need for God's grace."

"As the winter prepares the earth for the spring; so affliction prepares the soul for glory."

"The sharper the medicine, the greater the cure; affliction is God's elixir for the soul."