Immortal Till Work Done

A fair assurance this! It was no doubt based upon a promise, inwardly whispered in the psalmist's heart, which he seized upon and enjoyed.

Is my case like that of David?

Am I depressed because the enemy affronts me?

Are there multitudes against me and few on my side?

Does unbelief bid me lie down and die in despair-a defeated, dishonored man? 

Do my enemies begin to dig my grave?

What then?

Shall I yield to the whisper of fear, and give up the battle, and with it give up all hope?

Far from it. There is life in me yet: "I shall not die."

Vigor will return and remove my weakness: "I shall live."

The LORD lives, and I shall live also. My mouth shall again be opened: "I shall declare the works of Jehovah."

Yes, and I shall speak of the present trouble as another instance of the wonder-working faithfulness and love of the LORD my God.

Those who would gladly measure me for my coffin had better wait a bit, for "the LORD hath chastened me sore, but he hath not given me over unto death."

Glory be to His name forever!

I am immortal till my work is done.

Till the LORD wills it, no vault can close upon me. 

~Charles Spurgeon~

Not Whom He May Bite - But Devour!

We read in Scripture of Satan's snares and darts; he hurts more by his snares than by his darts!

Satan opposes us both by open violence, and secret  treachery.

1. Satan opposes by open violence -- so he is called the Red Dragon. He labors to storm the castle of the heart; he stirs up passion, lust, and revenge.

Eph 6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

These are called "fiery darts," because they often set the soul on fire.

Satan in regard to his fierceness, is called a lion, "Be self-controlled and alert.

Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour!" 

1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:  

Not Whom He May Bite - But Devour! 

Yes, there is "a lion in the way," but we must resolve upon fighting. 

2. Satan opposes by secret treachery--so he is called the Old Serpent. What he cannot do by force, he will endeavor to do by fraud.

Satan has several subtle devices in tempting:

Satan suits his temptations to the temper of the individual...

Satan studies our dispositions, and lays suitable baits.

He knew Achan's s covetous heart,and tempted him with a wedge of gold. He tempts the youthful man with lust.

Satan tempts to sin gradually...

He steals into the heart by degrees. He is at first, more modest. 

He did not say to Eve at first, "Eat the apple!" No! but he goes more subtly to work.

He puts forth a question, "Has God said?

Surely Eve, you are mistaken; the bountiful God never intended to debar one of the best trees of the garden.

Has God said?

Surely, either God did not say it; or if He did, He never really intended it." Thus by degrees he wrought her to distrust God, and then she took of the fruit and ate. 

Oh, take heed of Satan's first motions to sin, which seem more modest.
 
He is first a fox, and then a lion.

Satan tempts to evil in lawful things...

It was lawful for Noah to eat the fruit of the grape; but he took too much, and so sinned. Excess turns that which is good into evil.

Eating and drinking may turn to intemperance.

Industry in one's calling, when excessive, becomes covetousness.

Satan draws men to an immoderate love of the creature, and then makes them sin in that which they love...as Agrippina poisoned her husband Claudius, in that food which he loved most.

Satan puts men upon doing good out of evil ends...
 
If he cannot hurt them by scandalous actions he will by virtuous actions.

Thus he tempts some to espouse religion out of ulterior motives.

He tempts others to give to charity, for applause, that others may see their good works.

Eph 6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

We must resist the devil by faith. Faith is a wise, intelligent grace.

Faith can see a hook under the bait! Faith keeps the castle of the heart, so that it does not yield. 

Faith beats back the temptation. Faith holds the promise in one hand, and Christ in the other. 

The promise encourages faith, and Christ strengthens it; so faith beats the enemy out of the field!

We overcome Satan upon our knees!

A Christian by prayer fetches in auxiliary forces from Heaven. 

In all temptations, go to God by prayer.

Lord, teach me to use every piece of the spiritual armor - how to hold the shield, how to wear the helmet, how to use the sword of the Spirit.

Lord, strengthen me in the battle; let me rather die a conqueror than be taken prisoner, and led captive by Satan!"

Remember that Christ has given Satan his death-wound upon the cross. 

He has bruised the head of the old Serpent!

He is a chained enemy, and a conquered enemy; therefore do not fear him.

James 4:7  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Romans 16:20  And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

~Thomas Watson~

Is There Anything Too Hard For Me?

Cyrus, the King, was compelled to fulfil the vision of Jeremiah, by making a decree, the instant the prophecy had foretold, declaring that Jehovah had bidden him rebuild Jerusalem and invite her captives to return to their native home.

So Jeremiah's faith was vindicated and Jehovah's prophecy gloriously fulfilled, as faith ever will be honored.

Oh, for the faith, that in the dark present and the darker future, shall dare to subscribe the evidences and seal up the documents if need be, for the time of waiting, and then begin to testify to the certainty of its hope like the prophet of Anathoth!

The word Anathoth has a beautiful meaning, "echoes."

So faith is the "echo" of God and God always gives the "echo" to faith, as He answers it back in glorious fulfilment.

Oh, let our faith echo also the brave claim of the ancient prophet and take our full inheritance, with his glorious shout, "Oh, Lord, Thou art the God of all flesh, is there anything too hard for the Lord?"

And back like an echo will come the heavenly answer to our heart, "I am the God of all flesh, is there anything too hard for Me?"

~A. B. Simpson~

Plead His Own Promise

2Sa 7:29  Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O Lord GOD, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.

This is a promise pleaded, and so it yields double instruction to us.

Anything which the LORD God has spoken we should receive as surely true and then plead it at the throne.

Oh, how sweet to quote what our own God has spoken!

How precious to use a "therefore," which the promise suggests, as David does in this verse!

We do not pray because we doubt but because we believe.

To pray unbelievingly is unbecoming in the LORD's children. No, LORD, we cannot doubt Thee:

We are persuaded that every word of Thine is a sure foundation for the boldest expectation.

We come to Thee and say, "Do as Thou hast said." Bless Thy servant's house. Heal our sick; save our hesitating ones; restore those who wander; confirm those who live in Thy fear.

LORD, give us food and raiment according to Thy Word.

Prosper our undertakings; especially succeed our endeavors to make known Thy gospel in our neighborhood.

Make our servants Thy servants, our children Thy children.

Let the blessing flow on to future generations, and as long as any of our race remains on earth may they remain true to Thee.

O LORD God, "let the house of thy servant be blessed."

~Charles Spurgeon~

It Is I!

Mark 6:49  But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:

Mark 6:50  For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.

Listen, then, to the voice of Jesus in the storm! 

It is I who raised the tempest in your soul and will control it.

It is I who sent your affliction and will be with you in it.

It is I who kindled the furnace and will watch the flames, and bring you through it.

It is I who formed your burden, who carved your cross and who will strengthen you to bear it.

It is I who mixed your cup of grief and will enable you to drink it with meek submission to your Father's will.

It is I who took from you worldly substance, who bereft you of your child, of the wife of your bosom, of the husband of your youth and will be infinitely better to you than husband, wife, or child. 

It is I who has done it ALL!

I make the clouds My chariot, and clothe Myself with the tempest as with a garment.

The night hour is My time of coming, and the dark, surging waves are the pavement upon which I walk.

Take courage! It is I! Do not be afraid. 

It is I your Friend, your Brother, your Savior!

I am causing all the circumstances of your life to work together for your good. 

It is I who permitted the enemy to assail you, the slander to blast you, the unkindness to wound you, the need to press you!

Your affliction did not spring out of the ground, but came down from above a heaven-sent blessing disguised as an angel of light, clad in a robe of ebony.

I have sent all in love!

This sickness is not unto death but for the glory of God.

This bereavement shall not always bow you to the earth, nor drape in changeless gloom your life. 

It is I who ordered, arranged, and controlled it all!

In every stormy wind, in every darksome night, in every lonesome hour, in every rising fear, the voice of Jesus shall be heard, saying, "Take courage!

It is I! Do not be afraid." 

~Octavius Winslow~

Do Not Be Surprised My Brothers

                                                                                  
You will be much despised and cast out for Christ's sake, and nothing will offend more than separating yourselves as much as possible from carnal people.

It is 'the life' which condemns the professing world.

When the world sees you unmoved by the riches and the pleasures which it so much adores; when  you are led by the Spirit "to count all things but rubbish for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ"; when you have a single eye to God's glory, you must expect then to bear reproaches from the Hagar race. 

~William Tiptaft~

The Never-Failing Fountain Of blessing!

James 4:6  But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
 
Come, then, my soul, to Him as an empty vessel to be filled.

A supply is waiting for you in Christ Jesus.

It has pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell.

He is the never-failing Fountain of blessing! 

Out of His fullness, you may receive grace upon grace.

Whatever you need come to God in Christ for it.

Is your faith weak? He can strengthen it.

Is your hope dull? He can enliven it.

Is your love cold? He can warm it.

Is your patience failing? He can sustain it.

Is your zeal languishing? He can invigorate it.

And observe, the Lord gives not only a new supply of grace, but He also gives it in a larger measure: "He gives more grace!"

He came not only that we might have life but that we might have it "more abundantly."

Come, then, to Him with enlarged desires.
 
He can fill you with joy and peace in believing.
 
He can enable you to bear much fruit to the glory of the Father.
 
He can bless you, and make you a blessing to many.

O Lord, enlarge my desires, raise my expectations, and help me to receive, not only constant supplies of grace but increased supplies out of Your fullness!

For You give "more grace!"

Psalm 81:10  I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.

~Unknown Author-1872~

The Immutability Of GOD

Psalm 102:27  But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end. 

(Definition of Immutability: Unchanging over time or unable to be changed.)

What a fountain of comfort is to be found in the Immutability of God!

Not one ripple can disturb the calm of His unchanging nature. Were it so, He would no longer be a perfect Being-He would undeify Himself- He would cease to be God!

Change is our portion here. "They shall perish," is the brief chronicle regarding everything on this side heaven.

The firmament above us, the earth beneath us, the elements around us– "all these things shall be dissolved."

Scenes of hallowed endearment-they have fled! Friends who sweetened our pilgrimage with their presence-they are gone! 

But here is a sure and safe anchorage amid the world's heaving ocean of vicissitude–"You are the same."

All is changing but the Unchanging One.

The earthly scaffolding may give way, but the living Temple remains.

The reed may bend to the blast, but the living Rock spurns and outlives the storm!
 
How blessed, especially, to contemplate the unchangeableness of our Great High Priest, "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever!"

True, He is, in one sense, "changed." No longer the Man of sorrows- the homeless wanderer.

He is enthroned amid the glories of heaven. Seraphs praise Him- Saints adore Him.

But His Heart knows no change. His ascension glories have not obliterated His tender human sympathies.

We can think of Him receiving an outcast sinner, or stilling the storm, or standing at the gate of Nain, or weeping tears of pity over a lost city, or tears of sympathy over a buried friend, and write over all these, "You are the same!"

The name which He bequeathed by angels to His Church until He comes again is- "that same Jesus!"

His own Patmos title is His memorial for all time- "I AM He that lives!"

Believer! has He ever seemed to change towards you?

Are you even now mourning over the withdrawal of that countenance whose smile is heaven?

Are you saying in the bitterness of your spirit, "Has the Lord forgotten to be gracious?" 

The change is with yourself, not with your God.

Behind the clouds of your own departure, the Sun of His love shines brightly as ever. "He faints not, neither is weary."
 
Or, it may be, you are laboring under other trials. The hand of your God may be heavy upon you.

The secret thought may be harbored that some tear might have been spared; that your chastisement might have been less severe- that your bereavement, with its dark accompaniment, might have been mitigated or averted.

Look upwards and take the Psalmist's antidote as your own, "I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High." 

Think that the same Hand which was for you nailed to the Cross, is now pleading for you on the Throne; ordering and controlling every trial; and over every dark providence writing the unanswerable challenge, "He who spared not his own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"
 
Oh! thus pillowing your head on the Immutability of Jesus, amid the rude buffetings of a changing world, you will be able, night after night, to say, until the dawn of a morning breaks on you, which knows neither night nor vicissitude...  

Psa 4:8  I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.

~John Macduff~

Troubles Try Our Faith

Num 11:11  And Moses said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?
 
Our heavenly Father sends us frequent troubles to try our faith. If our faith be worth anything, it will stand the test.

Gilt is afraid of fire, but gold is not: the paste gem dreads to be touched by the diamond, but the true jewel fears no test.

It is a poor faith which can only trust God when friends are true, the body full of health, and the business profitable;

But that is true faith which holds by the Lord’s faithfulness when friends are gone, when the body is sick, when spirits are depressed, and the light of our Father’s countenance is hidden.

A faith which can say, in the direst trouble, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him,” is heavenborn faith.

The Lord afflicts his servants to glorify himself, for he is greatly glorified in the graces of his people, which are his own handiwork.

When “tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope,” the Lord is honoured by these growing virtues.

We should never know the music of the harp if the strings were left untouched; nor enjoy the juice of the grape if it were not trodden in the winepress; nor discover the sweet perfume of cinnamon if it were not pressed and beaten; nor feel the warmth of fire if the coals were not utterly consumed.

The wisdom and power of the great Workman are discovered by the trials through which his vessels of mercy are permitted to pass.

Present afflictions tend also to heighten future joy.

There must be shades in the picture to bring out the beauty of the lights.

Could we be so supremely blessed in heaven, if we had not known the curse of sin and the sorrow of earth?

Will not peace be sweeter after conflict, and rest more welcome after toil?

Will not the recollection of past sufferings enhance the bliss of the glorified?
 
There are many other comfortable answers to the question with which we opened our brief meditation, let us muse upon it all day long.

~Charles Spurgeon~

Medicine For The Soul!

Isa 43:1  But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
 
Isa 43:2  When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
 
Isa 43:3  For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.

The people of God are not promised exemption from trial-but support under it!

The Lord does not engage to lead His children by a smooth path-but to furnish them with shoes of iron and brass, that they may safely walk the rugged and thorny road.

He does not promise to bridge over the waters of sorrow and the rivers of tribulation but assures them of His presence as they pass through them.

I will be with you! He says, "When you go through rivers of difficulty you will not drown. 

When you walk through the fire of oppression you will not be burned up.

Christian pilgrim will not this suffice?

Support in trial, will suit you better than exemption from it.

Affliction and sorrow, in the hands of the great Physician are medicine for the soul!

The wounds He inflicts are for the healing of the spirit!

The fire He may lead you through will not burn but only purify and brighten you!

~Author Unknown~1872