James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
The nearer we come to God, the more graciously will He reveal Himself
to us.
When the prodigal comes to his father, his father runs to meet
him.
When the wandering dove returns to the ark, Noah
puts out his hand to pull her in unto him.
Come then, dear
friend, let us draw nigh to God who so graciously awaits us, yea, comes
to meet us.
Did you ever notice that passage in Isaiah 58:9?
There the LORD seems
to put Himself at the disposal of His people, saying to them, "Here I
am."
As much as to say..."What have you to say to me?"
What can I do for
you? I am waiting to bless you.
How can we hesitate to draw near?
God
is nigh to forgive, to bless, to comfort, to help, to quicken, to
deliver.
Let it be the main point with us to get near to God.
This done,
all is done.
If we draw near to others, they may before long grow weary
of us and leave us...
But if we seek the LORD alone, no change will come
over His mind...
But He will continue to come nearer and yet nearer to us
by fuller and more joyful fellowship.
~Charles Spurgeon~
Psalm 118:8 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.
Doubtless the reader has been tried with the temptation to rely upon
the things which are seen, instead of resting alone upon the invisible
God.
Christians often look
to man for help and counsel, and mar the noble simplicity of their
reliance upon their God.
Does this evening's portion meet the eye of a
child of God anxious about temporals, then would we reason with him
awhile.
You trust in Jesus
and only in Jesus, for your salvation, then why are you troubled?
"Because of my great care."
Is it not written, "Cast thy burden upon the
Lord"?...
Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and
supplication make known your wants unto God.
Cannot you trust God for temporals? "Ah! I wish I could."
If you cannot
trust God for temporals, how dare you trust Him for spirituals?
Can you
trust Him for your soul's redemption, and not rely upon Him for a few
lesser mercies?
Is not God enough for thy need, or is His
all-sufficiency too narrow for thy wants?
Dost thou want another eye
beside that of Him who sees every secret thing?
Is His heart faint?
Is
His arm weary?
If so, seek another God; but if He be infinite,
omnipotent, faithful, true, and all-wise, why gaddest thou abroad so
much to seek another confidence?
Why dost thou rake the earth to find
another foundation, when this is strong enough to bear all the weight
which thou canst ever build thereon?
Christian, mix not only thy wine with water, do not alloy thy gold of
faith with the dross of human confidence.
Wait thou only upon God, and
let thine expectation be from Him.
Covet not Jonah's gourd, but rest in
Jonah's God.
Let the sandy foundations of terrestrial trust be the
choice of fools...
But do thou, like one who foresees the storm, build for
thyself an abiding place upon the Rock of Ages.
~Charles Spurgeon~
Psa 107:23 They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
Psa 107:24 These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.
He
is but an apprentice and no master in the art, who has not learned that
every wind that blows is fair for Heaven.
The only thing that helps
nobody, is a dead calm.
North or south, east or west, it matters not,
every wind may help towards that blessed port.
Seek one thing only: keep
well out to sea, and then have no fear of stormy winds.
Let our prayer
be that of an old Cornishman: "O Lord, send us out to sea...out in the
deep water."
Here we are so close to the rocks that the first bit of
breeze with the devil, we are all knocked to pieces.
Lord, send us out
to sea...out in the deep water, where we shall have room enough to get a
glorious victory.
~Mark Guy Pearse~.
Remember that we
have no more faith at any time than we have in the hour of trial.
All
that will not bear to be tested is mere carnal confidence.
Fair-weather
faith is no faith.
~C. H. Spurgeon~
