Lean Hard

Psalm 55:22  Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

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 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 also 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 it-I poised 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 she leans on Me, this burden shall be Mine, not hers.

So shall I keep My child within the encircling 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!"

~Octavius Winslow~

The Evil Tongue Is The Flattering Tongue

The evil tongue is the flattering tongue, that will speak fair to one's face, but will defame, "He that hateth, dissembleth with his lips" (Proverbs 26:24).

When he speaks fair, believe him not; dissembled love is worse than hatred.

Some can commend and reproach, flatter and hate...honey in their mouths, but a string of malice in their hearts: better are the wounds of a friend, than the kisses of such an enemy. 

Hierom says, "The Arian faction pretended friendship; they (says he) kissed my hands, but slandered me and sought my ruin."

Many have dissembling tongues, they can say, your servant, and lay snares, "A man that flattereth his neighbour, spreadeth a net for his feet" (Proverbs 29:5).

You often think you have a friend in your bosom, but he proves a viper. 

To dissemble love is no better than to lie; for there is a pretense of that love which is not. 

Many are like Joab, "And Joab said to Amasa, art thou in health, my brother?

And he took him by the beard to kiss him, and he smote him in the fifth rib that he died" (2 Samuel 20:9-10)

For my part, I must question his truth towards God, that will flatter and lie to his friend.

God will bring such an one to shame at last, "Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be showed before the whole congregation" (Proverbs 26:26). 

~Thomas Watson~

Upper Springs

Joshua 15:18  And it came to pass, as she came unto him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou?

Joshua 15:19  Who answered, Give me a blessing; for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs.  

There are both upper and nether springs. They are springs, not stagnant pools.

There are joys and blessings that flow from above through the hottest summer and the most desert land of sorrow and trial.

The lands of Achsah were "south lands," lying under a burning sun and often parched with burning heat.

But from the hills came the unfailing springs, that cooled, refreshed and fertilized all the land.

There are springs that flow in the low places of life, in the hard places, in the desert places, in the lone places, in the common places, and no matter what may be our situation, we can always find these upper springs.

Abraham found them amid the hills of Canaan. Moses found them among the rocks of Midian.

David found them among the ashes of Ziklag when his property was gone, his family captives and his people talked of stoning him, but "David encouraged himself in the Lord."

Habakkuk found them when the fig tree was withered and the fields were brown, but as he drank from them he could sing:Yet will I rejoice in the Lord and joy in the God of my salvation.

Isaiah found them in the awful days of Sennacherib's invasion, when the mountains seemed hurled into the midst of the sea, but faith could sing: "There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God. God is in the midst of her: she shall not be moved."

The martyrs found them amid the flames, and reformers amid their foes and conflicts, and we can find them all the year if we have the Comforter in our hearts and have learned to say with David: "All my springs are in thee." 

How many and how precious these springs, and how much more there is to be possessed of God's own fulness!

~A. B. Simpson~

I said: "The desert is so wide!" I said: "The desert is so bare! What springs to quench my thirst are there?
 
Whence shall I from the tempest hide?" I said: "The desert is so lone! Nor gentle voice, nor loving face Will brighten any smallest space." I paused or ere my moan was done!
      
I heard a flow of hidden springs; Before me palms rose green and fair; The birds were singing; all the air Did shine and stir with angels' wings!

And One said mildly: "Why, indeed, Take over-anxious thought for that The morrow bringeth! See you not The Father knoweth what you need?"

~Selected~

Die Daily And Live!

2Co 6:9  As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;

Though we die, and die daily, yet, behold, we live; and in a sense, the more we die, the more we live. 

The more we die to self, the more we die to sin; the more we die to pride and self-righteousness, the more we die to creature strength; and the more we die to nature, the more we live to grace.

And this runs all the way through the life and experience of a Christian.

Nature must die, that grace may live.

The weeds must be plucked up, that the crop may grow; the flesh be starved, that the spirit may be fed; the old man put off, that the new man may be put on; the deeds of the body be mortified, that the soul may live unto GOD.

As then we die, we live.

The more we die to our own strength, the more we live to Christ's strength; the more we die to creature hope, the more we live to a good hope through grace;

The more we die to our own righteousness, the more we live to Christ's righteousness; and the more we die to the world, the more we live to and for heaven.

This is the grand mystery, that the Christian is always dying, yet always living; and the more he dies, the more he lives.

The death of the flesh is the life of the spirit; the death of sin is the life of righteousness; and the death of the creature is the very life of GOD in the soul.

~J. C. Philpot~

Full Reliance On GOD

Psalm 72:12  For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.

The needy cries; what else can he do? His cry is heard of GOD; what else need he do?

 

Let the needy reader take to crying at once, for this will be his wisdom. Do not cry in the ears of friends, for even if they can help you it is only because the LORD enables them.

 

The nearest way is to go straight to GOD and let your cry come up before Him. Straightforward makes the best runner: run to the LORD and not to secondary causes.

Alas! you cry, “I have no friend or helper. So much the better; you can rely upon GOD in both capacities-as without supplies and without helpers.

 

Make your double need your double plea.

 

Even for temporal mercies you may wait upon GOD, for He careth for His children in these temporary concerns.

 

As for spiritual necessities, which are the heaviest of all, the LORD will hear your cry and will deliver you and supply you.
 

O poor friend, try your rich GOD. O helpless one, lean on His help. He has never failed me, and I am sure He will never fail you.

 

Come as a beggar, and GOD will not refuse you help. Come with no plea but His grace.

 

Jesus is King; will He let you perish of want? What! Did you forget this? 

 

~Charles Spurgeon~

 

Rain Without Clouds? Never

Ecc 11:3  If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.

Why, then, do we dread the clouds which now darken our sky? True, for a while they hide the sun, but the sun is not quenched; He will shine out again before long.

Meanwhile those black clouds are filled with rain; and the blacker they are, the more likely they are to yield plentiful showers. How can we have rain without clouds?

Our troubles have always brought us blessings, and they always will. They are the black chariots of bright grace.

These clouds will empty themselves before long, and every tender herb will be the gladder for the shower.

Our God may drench us with grief, but He will not drown us with wrath; nay, He will refresh us with mercy.

Our LORD's love letters often come to us in black-edged envelopes. His wagons rumble, but they are loaded with benefits.

His rod blossoms with sweet flowers and nourishing fruits.

Let us not worry about the clouds but sing because May flowers are brought to us through the April clouds and showers.

O LORD, the clouds are the dust of Thy feet!

How near Thou art in the cloudy and dark day!

Love beholds Thee and is glad. Faith sees the clouds emptying themselves and making the little hills rejoice on every side. 

~Charles Spurgeon~

Only As Much Religion As Will Save Them From Hell!

There are multitudes of professing Christians among us, who want only as much religion as will save them from Hell--not an atom more!

The world is their real god. Gold is their idol. They worship in mammon's temple!

Love God with all their heart!--they do not so much as understand the meaning of such a thing.

Sacrifice riches, place, honor, and friends to Christ!--they scoff at the thing as madness.

Oh, be out and out for God!
Do not trifle with religion.
Do not mock God and Christ.
Do not love the world.
Be pious in your inmost soul.

Do not mistake mere sentimentalism for saving religion--or a good character for the new birth.

You may go very far--and yet not be a Christian.

You may follow Christ in some things--but if not in all, what is your following worth?

This world, or the world to come--that is the alternative. Not this world, and the world to come.

Christ is all--or nothing. There is no middle ground; no half-discipleship; no compromise.

No! The friendship of the world is enmity with God. Come out and be separate.

~Horatius Bonar~

Is Christ Everything In All Matters?

1Co 2:15  But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.

We have to continually ask the question: "Is Christ everything in this matter, or am I wanting my own way?

Am I allowing my own feelings, desires and likes to dominate or is Christ everything?

Is Christ in all here, so far as it is within my power, in the energy of the Holy Spirit, for it to be so? 

We have to get away when we are upset, annoyed, provoked, irritated, and fight that battle out and say: "Lord, You have to be everything in this matter: it does not matter how my interests are affected."

And from those details of everyday life and experience out to the wider ranges, and up to the place where we may be the Lord’s responsible servant, the Word and the Spirit have to govern; and the Word and the Spirit have one object: Christ – everything and in all.

Recognizing that, we see that this further thing is necessary, that we are a truly spiritual people.

It is very often difficult to define what is meant by spirituality, or a spiritual people. It is one of those things better experienced than explained.

But for the moment it can be put quite simply and quite safely and soundly in this way, that a spiritual people is a people who are governed by the Word and the Holy Spirit to this end: that in everything within and without, Christ is All and in all. That is true spirituality.

~T. Austin Sparks~

God Rules The Unseen And Overrules The Seen

The Church does not proceed, even toward Divinely-fixed and appointed ends, by a protected course. 

Even with the Lord’s end in view, we do not go by a way that is completely immune either from our weaknesses or from difficulties and adversities, and things which seem to upset completely all our plans.

Our whole course will always be that of Divine overruling, not only ruling as in the unseen, but overruling in the seen.

You must ever remember that those two things go hand in hand. God is ruling in the unseen; He is overruling in the seen.

In the course there will always be plenty of room for an argument as to misadventure, calamity, defeat, tragedy, giving rise to regret, doubt and even condemnation.

If we are so disposed, we can say, ‘Oh, this is a calamity, this is defeat! This is due to my mistake, and everything is wrecked!’

Had Paul been of another kind, like some of us, he would have said, ‘I wish I had not appealed to Caesar (Acts 26:32)!

See what trouble I have got myself into (shipwreck)! I am going to the bottom of the sea, and all my work is finished!’

There is always room for that if we are so disposed, and thus to get under condemnation because we have made mistakes.

The Lord has never so acted with His people that there was no room for anything like that.

If we want to doubt, we shall have plenty of occasion for doubting.

If we want to speak of tragedy, we shall have plenty of tragic experience.

If we are disposed to get under condemnation, there will be plenty to take on.

The way to God’s end is not a way free from these elements or from the possibility of so interpreting things.

It will be that, in all and through all, God overrules, and at last we shall be able to exclaim, as Paul did, “and so we came to Rome” (Acts 28:14); the end reached through so much.

What is the end in view?

It is not just to journey to see this temporal Rome. The end which looms up out of that visit is the great calling and destiny of the Church in union with Christ who in all things has the pre-eminence.

That is the sum of the letters to the Ephesians, Colossians and Philippians – the preeminence of Christ, and the Church united with Him therein.

That is the end of the journey; that is what is in view beyond.

~T. Austin Sparks~

Expectations Beyond Us

Act 12:5  Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

But prayer is the link that connects us with God. This is the bridge that spans every gulf and bears us over every abyss of danger or of need.

How significant the picture of the Apostolic Church: Peter in prison, the Jews triumphant, Herod supreme, the arena of martyrdom awaiting the dawning of the morning to drink up the apostle's blood, and everything else against it.

But prayer was made unto God without ceasing. And what was the sequel? The prison open, the apostle free, the Jews baffled, the wicked king eaten of worms, a spectacle of hidden retribution, and the Word of God rolling on in greater victory.

Do we know the power of our supernatural weapon? Do we dare to use it with the authority of a faith that commands as well as asks?

God baptize us with holy audacity and Divine confidence! He is not wanting great men, but He is wanting men who will dare to prove the greatness of their God. But God! But prayer!

~A. B. Simpson~

Beware in your prayer, above everything, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what He can do.

Expect unexpected things, above all that we ask or think.

Each time you intercede, be quiet first and worship God in His glory. Think of what He can do, of how He delights to hear Christ, of your place in Christ; and expect great things.

~Andrew Murray~

Our prayers are God's opportunities.

Are you in sorrow? Prayer can make your affliction sweet and strengthening.

Are you in gladness? Prayer can add to your joy a celestial perfume.

Are you in extreme danger from outward or inward enemies? Prayer can set at your right hand an angel whose touch could shatter a millstone into smaller dust than the flour it grinds, and whose glance could lay an army low.

What will prayer do for you? I answer: All that God can do for you. "Ask what I shall give thee." 

~Farrar~

Wrestling prayer can wonders do, Bring relief in deepest straits; Prayer can force a passage through Iron bars and brazen gates.