Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
This is our rightful place...“seated with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,” yet seated and still.
But how few of us actually experience this!
In fact, most of us believe it is impossible to sit still “in the heavenly realms” while living our
everyday life in a world so full of turmoil.
Oh, we believe it may be possible to visit these “heavenly realms”on Sundays or now and then during times of great spiritual emphasis and praise,but to actually be “seated” there all day, every day, is a completely different matter.
Yet it is clear from the Scriptures that it is meant not only for Sundays but for weekdays as well.
A quiet spirit is of priceless value when performing outward activities.
Nothing so greatly hinders the work of God’s unseen spiritual forces, upon which our success in everything truly depends, as the spirit of unrest and anxiety.
There is tremendous power in stillness.
A great believer once said,“All things come to him who knows how to trust and to be silent.”
This fact is rich with meaning, and a true understanding of it would greatly change our ways of working.
Instead of continuing our restless striving,we would “sit down”inwardly before the Lord, allowing the divine forces of His Spirit to silently work out the means to accomplish our goals and aspirations.
You may not see or feel the inner workings of His silent power, but rest assured it is always mightily at work.
And it will work for you, if you will only quiet your spirit enough to be carried along by the current of its power.
~Hannah Whitall Smith~
There is a point of rest At the great center of the cyclone’s force, A silence at its secret source;
A little child might slumber undisturbed, Without the ruffle of one fair curl, In that strange, central calm, amid the mighty whirl.
Make it your business to learn to be peaceful and safe in God through every situation.
Jesus is the Living Water and Bread of Life which sustains our hungry souls
Friday, October 26, 2018
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Harvest Of Light, Gladness
Righteousness is often costly to the man who keeps to it at all hazards, but in the end it will bear its own expenses and return an infinite profit.
A holy life is like sowing seed: much is going out, and apparently it is buried in the soil, never to be gathered up again.
We are mistaken when we look for an immediate harvest; but the error is very natural, for it seems impossible to bury light.
Yet light is "sown," says the text.
It lies latent: none can see it; it is sown.
We are quite sure that it must one day manifest itself.
Full sure are we that the LORD has set a harvest for the sower of light, and they shall reap it, each man for himself.
Then shall come their gladness.
Sheaves of joy for seeds of light.
Their heart was upright before the LORD, though men gave them no credit for it, but even censured them...
They were righteous, though those about them denounced them as censorious.
They had to wait, as husbandmen wait for the precious fruits of the earth:...
But the light was sown for them, and gladness was being prepared on their behalf by the LORD of the harvest.
Courage, brothers!
We need not be in a hurry.
Let us in patience possess our souls, for soon shall our souls possess light and gladness.
~Charles Spurgeon~
Saturday, October 20, 2018
'TROUBLE' INEVITABLE WITH SPIRITUAL SIGHT
He says: 'You are the cause of all the trouble - you are the troubler!'
But no. The trouble lies deeper than that, and in another realm.
The truth is, there is something here that, in its very nature, MUST create trouble, MUST be a source of trouble, so long as God's known will, His revealed mind, is being violated; while the full expression of God's purpose is being withstood.
To bring in something that stands for that, there is going to be trouble.
It is a costly thing to have seen God's full purpose and thought concerning His people.
It is always a costly thing.
The Lord Jesus set a very vivid example and object lesson of this truth right in the foreground, in the incident of the man born blind (John 9).
There is no doubt that the Lord intended that man to represent Israel and Israel's condition at the time.
He gave that man sight - and what happened to the man?
They cast him out, that is all; they cast him out, they excommunicated him (v. 34).
That is an object lesson, an instance of this very thing.
If eyes have been opened; if, in any sense - not officially - you have become a 'seer' - one who sees: it is going to cost you a lot, it will involve you in a lot of trouble.
This matter of 'seeing' does that.
It was Elijah the SEER, over against the BLINDNESS of Israel.
It is a costly thing to be a spiritual man or a spiritual woman in this universe.
It is a costly thing, yes, very costly, to hold to a heavenly and spiritual position.
It is a costly thing to hold for Christ's full place; it involves you in trouble.
It is a costly thing to have light - if it is true light, God-given light.
It is a costly thing to have life.
But remember, it is here, in this, that the power is resident.
It is with this that God is found ultimately to be committed.
You know the story again.
God will have no compromise with the thing that lies behind.
Take the prophets of Baal! They were all slain.
There is no compromise with that spiritual thing.
But God is shown as to where He stands, to what He is committed, and where the power is.
For I suppose that, if Elijah represents one thing more than another, he does represent spiritual power.
When we think of spiritual power we always refer to Elijah - 'in the power of Elijah'.
It is proverbial. Why?
Not because of anything that he was in himself; no, not because of the man.
He was a man in touch with the Throne; he was a man who had seen; a man who was committed, of whom it was true that he was "very jealous for the Lord".
God was with Elijah.
John came 'in the power of Elijah' (Luke 1:17); he was the Elijah of his time.
The Lord Jesus said of him: "If ye are willing to receive it, this is Elijah" (Matt. 11:14), though John himself denied this (John 1:21).
Elijah is a sort of phantom in a certain realm.
Poor Herod was scared of his life - he began to see things, to get strange ideas - when he heard about Jesus: some suggested to him that this was Elijah returned to life, but he thought it was John the Baptist risen from the dead (Matt. 14:2; Mark 6:14-16).
The fellow just lost his mental grasp of things.
This Elijah man counts for something.
Power is with him; the verdict is with him.
And - let there be no mistake about it - in the end it will be found that God IS committed to that which is utterly committed to Him for His full purposes.
It is costly; it causes much trouble; BUT - the issue is with Him, and He will look after His own interests.
~T. Austin Sparks~
Friday, October 5, 2018
Not One Grain Too Much!
Heb 12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
Affliction comes to us all...
Not to make us sad-but sober;
Not to make us sorry-but to make us wise;
Not to impoverish us-but to enrich us!
We are always in the forge-or on the anvil.
By trials, God is shaping us for nobler things.
No physician ever weighed out medicine to his patients with half so much care and exactness, as God weighs out every trial to us.
Not one grain too much, does He ever permit to be put in the scale!
The troubles and worries of life may be as stumbling blocks in our way-or we may make them stepping-stones to a nobler character and to Heaven.
Troubles are often the tools by which God fashions us for better things!
Heb 12:10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
Heb 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
~Henry Ward Beecher, 1813-1887~
Affliction comes to us all...
Not to make us sad-but sober;
Not to make us sorry-but to make us wise;
Not to impoverish us-but to enrich us!
We are always in the forge-or on the anvil.
By trials, God is shaping us for nobler things.
No physician ever weighed out medicine to his patients with half so much care and exactness, as God weighs out every trial to us.
Not one grain too much, does He ever permit to be put in the scale!
The troubles and worries of life may be as stumbling blocks in our way-or we may make them stepping-stones to a nobler character and to Heaven.
Troubles are often the tools by which God fashions us for better things!
Heb 12:10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
Heb 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
~Henry Ward Beecher, 1813-1887~
Friday, September 21, 2018
A Beloved Child-Watched Over, Cared For, Supplied And Defended!
Psalm 149:4 For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.
How comprehensive is the love of Jesus!
There is no part of His people's interests that He does not consider...
And there is nothing that concerns their welfare, which is not important to Him.
Not merely does He think of you, believer, as an immortal being-but as a mortal being, also.
Do not deny it or doubt it: "The very hairs of your head are all numbered."
The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delights in His way.
Believer, rest assured that the heart of Jesus cares about your common affairs.
The breadth of His tender love is such that you may resort to Him in all matters...
For as a father pities his children, so does He pity you.
Oh, what a heart is His-which comprehends all the diverse and innumerable concerns of all His redeemed people!
Do you think that you can measure the love of Christ?
Think of what His love has brought you...justification, adoption, sanctification and eternal life!
The riches of His goodness are unsearchable-you shall never be able to count them out or even conceive of them all.
Oh, the breadth of the love of Christ!
You are no desolate wanderer, but a beloved child-watched over, cared for, supplied and defended by your Lord!
Psa 56:8 Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?
~Charles Spurgeon~
How comprehensive is the love of Jesus!
There is no part of His people's interests that He does not consider...
And there is nothing that concerns their welfare, which is not important to Him.
Not merely does He think of you, believer, as an immortal being-but as a mortal being, also.
Do not deny it or doubt it: "The very hairs of your head are all numbered."
The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delights in His way.
Believer, rest assured that the heart of Jesus cares about your common affairs.
The breadth of His tender love is such that you may resort to Him in all matters...
For as a father pities his children, so does He pity you.
Oh, what a heart is His-which comprehends all the diverse and innumerable concerns of all His redeemed people!
Do you think that you can measure the love of Christ?
Think of what His love has brought you...justification, adoption, sanctification and eternal life!
The riches of His goodness are unsearchable-you shall never be able to count them out or even conceive of them all.
Oh, the breadth of the love of Christ!
You are no desolate wanderer, but a beloved child-watched over, cared for, supplied and defended by your Lord!
Psa 56:8 Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?
~Charles Spurgeon~
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
“God Is Jealous.”
Nahum 1:2 God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.
Your Lord is very jealous of your love, O believer.
Did he choose you?
He cannot bear that you should choose another.
Did he buy you with his own blood?
He cannot endure that you should think that you are your own, or that you belong to this world.
He loved you with such a love that he would not stop in heaven without you; he would sooner die than you should perish...
And he cannot endure that anything should stand between your heart’s love and himself.
He is very jealous of your trust.
He will not permit you to trust in an arm of flesh.
He cannot bear that you should hew out broken cisterns, when the overflowing fountain is always free to you.
When we lean upon him, he is glad...
But when we transfer our dependence to another...
When we rely upon our own wisdom, or the wisdom of a friend...
Worst of all, when we trust in any works of our own...
He is displeased, and will chasten us that he may bring us to himself.
He is also very jealous of our company.
There should be no one with whom we converse so much as with Jesus.
To abide in him only, this is true love...
But to commune with the world...
To find sufficient solace in our carnal comforts...
To prefer even the society of our fellow Christians to secret conversing with him...
This is grievous to our jealous Lord.
He would fain have us abide in him, and enjoy constant fellowship with himself...
And many of the trials which he sends us are for the purpose of weaning our hearts from the creature, and fixing them more closely upon himself.
Let this jealousy which would keep us near to Christ be also a comfort to us...
For if he loves us so much as to care thus about our love...
We may be sure that he will suffer nothing to harm us...
And will protect us from all our enemies.
Oh that we may have grace this day to keep our hearts in sacred chastity for our Beloved alone...
With sacred jealousy shutting our eyes to all the fascinations of the world!
~Charles Spurgeon~
Your Lord is very jealous of your love, O believer.
Did he choose you?
He cannot bear that you should choose another.
Did he buy you with his own blood?
He cannot endure that you should think that you are your own, or that you belong to this world.
He loved you with such a love that he would not stop in heaven without you; he would sooner die than you should perish...
And he cannot endure that anything should stand between your heart’s love and himself.
He is very jealous of your trust.
He will not permit you to trust in an arm of flesh.
He cannot bear that you should hew out broken cisterns, when the overflowing fountain is always free to you.
When we lean upon him, he is glad...
But when we transfer our dependence to another...
When we rely upon our own wisdom, or the wisdom of a friend...
Worst of all, when we trust in any works of our own...
He is displeased, and will chasten us that he may bring us to himself.
He is also very jealous of our company.
There should be no one with whom we converse so much as with Jesus.
To abide in him only, this is true love...
But to commune with the world...
To find sufficient solace in our carnal comforts...
To prefer even the society of our fellow Christians to secret conversing with him...
This is grievous to our jealous Lord.
He would fain have us abide in him, and enjoy constant fellowship with himself...
And many of the trials which he sends us are for the purpose of weaning our hearts from the creature, and fixing them more closely upon himself.
Let this jealousy which would keep us near to Christ be also a comfort to us...
For if he loves us so much as to care thus about our love...
We may be sure that he will suffer nothing to harm us...
And will protect us from all our enemies.
Oh that we may have grace this day to keep our hearts in sacred chastity for our Beloved alone...
With sacred jealousy shutting our eyes to all the fascinations of the world!
~Charles Spurgeon~
Thursday, September 6, 2018
Survey The Idols Which You Are Called Upon To Worship!
1Ki 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
There are other Baals in this age, in all the various forms under which they are objects of human idolatry.
It is true that you are not called, invited or disposed-to bow the knee to idols of wood, stone or metal.
These, however, are not the only way in which idolatry may be practiced.
Everyone has a god, and if man does not love and worship Jehovah, he will make a deity of his own image.
Survey the idols which you are called upon to worship:
Among them, sustaining a high place, is the vile idol of SENSUALITY.
This goddess is decked out with all that can pollute the imagination, inflame the passions, or excite the evil propensities of the heart.
Before this image, multitudes of devotees of both sexes bow the knee and offer the most costly sacrifices of property, health, virtue and reputation!
Near her is the bewitching and smiling image of WORLDLY PLEASURE, with the sound of music, the song and the dance...
Alluring the giddy and thoughtless to its orgies...
And throwing the spell of its fascinations over the imagination of multitudes who go merrily to their eternal ruin!
MAMMON, the despicable deity of wealth, is there-glittering with gold, and offering riches to his eager followers as the reward of their diligent and faithful adherence.
His liturgy is the cry of "Money! Money! Money!"
His sacrifices are the time, the bodies, the comfort, and the souls of his worshipers!
Near this is the shrine of HUMAN KNOWLEDGE.
This idol is only evil, when raised above the place of faith, piety and virtue.
When thus exalted above Scripture, it is a deceiving, corrupting idol-the false goddess of a Pantheon of Vices.
Nor must we leave out the idols of FALSE RELIGION, the chief of which is Popery-the anti-Christ of the Apocalypse, "the Man of Sin sitting in the temple of God, exalting itself above all that is called God."
This idol, taking the name of Christ as its designation...
Assuming the cross as its symbol...
And boasting of an apostle as its first pope...
Enriched by wealth; venerable for antiquity; dignified by learning; decorated by sculpture, architecture, and painting...
And adding the abysmal policies, and most serpentine craft to all these other dangerous qualities-has fascinated countless millions!
And, notwithstanding the monstrous absurdity of its doctrines...
The blood-stained page of its history...
And its hostility to the liberties of mankind-is now putting forth the most arrogant claims, and making the most audacious attempts for the conquest of our country!
These idolaters have chosen their god, and are the determined and devoted worshipers of their Baals!
They have hardened their hearts and seared their consciences.
They congratulate themselves upon their having thrown off all the weaknesses and fears of Christianity...
And upon their being now enabled to pursue their Hell-ward course unchecked by the restraint of conscience.
Duped men, blind, and boasting in their blindness-are benumbed in all their moral faculties, and exulting in their stupidity!
With every tie cut, which held them to piety and truth, they account it a privilege that they are drifting unobstructed to eternal destruction-determined to be lost, and rejoicing that nothing bars their path to the bottomless pit!
Eze 14:3 Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?
Eze 20:16 Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.
~J. A. James~
There are other Baals in this age, in all the various forms under which they are objects of human idolatry.
It is true that you are not called, invited or disposed-to bow the knee to idols of wood, stone or metal.
These, however, are not the only way in which idolatry may be practiced.
Everyone has a god, and if man does not love and worship Jehovah, he will make a deity of his own image.
Survey the idols which you are called upon to worship:
Among them, sustaining a high place, is the vile idol of SENSUALITY.
This goddess is decked out with all that can pollute the imagination, inflame the passions, or excite the evil propensities of the heart.
Before this image, multitudes of devotees of both sexes bow the knee and offer the most costly sacrifices of property, health, virtue and reputation!
Near her is the bewitching and smiling image of WORLDLY PLEASURE, with the sound of music, the song and the dance...
Alluring the giddy and thoughtless to its orgies...
And throwing the spell of its fascinations over the imagination of multitudes who go merrily to their eternal ruin!
MAMMON, the despicable deity of wealth, is there-glittering with gold, and offering riches to his eager followers as the reward of their diligent and faithful adherence.
His liturgy is the cry of "Money! Money! Money!"
His sacrifices are the time, the bodies, the comfort, and the souls of his worshipers!
Near this is the shrine of HUMAN KNOWLEDGE.
This idol is only evil, when raised above the place of faith, piety and virtue.
When thus exalted above Scripture, it is a deceiving, corrupting idol-the false goddess of a Pantheon of Vices.
Nor must we leave out the idols of FALSE RELIGION, the chief of which is Popery-the anti-Christ of the Apocalypse, "the Man of Sin sitting in the temple of God, exalting itself above all that is called God."
This idol, taking the name of Christ as its designation...
Assuming the cross as its symbol...
And boasting of an apostle as its first pope...
Enriched by wealth; venerable for antiquity; dignified by learning; decorated by sculpture, architecture, and painting...
And adding the abysmal policies, and most serpentine craft to all these other dangerous qualities-has fascinated countless millions!
And, notwithstanding the monstrous absurdity of its doctrines...
The blood-stained page of its history...
And its hostility to the liberties of mankind-is now putting forth the most arrogant claims, and making the most audacious attempts for the conquest of our country!
These idolaters have chosen their god, and are the determined and devoted worshipers of their Baals!
They have hardened their hearts and seared their consciences.
They congratulate themselves upon their having thrown off all the weaknesses and fears of Christianity...
And upon their being now enabled to pursue their Hell-ward course unchecked by the restraint of conscience.
Duped men, blind, and boasting in their blindness-are benumbed in all their moral faculties, and exulting in their stupidity!
With every tie cut, which held them to piety and truth, they account it a privilege that they are drifting unobstructed to eternal destruction-determined to be lost, and rejoicing that nothing bars their path to the bottomless pit!
Eze 14:3 Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?
Eze 20:16 Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.
~J. A. James~
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
When The LORD Moves
Mark 16:4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
Mark 16:5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.
When the Lord moves for His own Son's sake, and has those interests governing...
And when those interests have brought us into such a relationship with Him that we can say there is no stone so big to be removed...
No problem so great for solving...
No difficulty so intense, but the Lord will do what is necessary for His Son's sake...
When we have come to a position like that, the Lord is free to do a lot of things very quietly.
As we say, they just "happen".
Ah, but they have been the objects of the exercise of exceeding great power – "There was a great earthquake" (Matt. 28:2).
But here, in this aspect of the situation, it does not seem to be an earthquake at all.
It has just happened.
We must recognize that there is an aspect of activities in which the secret, quiet working of His immense power dismisses the greatest difficulties as though they had never existed.
Sometimes He may bring us into the presence of the working of His power that is manifestly terrific, but not often and certainly not always.
For faith it is more like this:
There is such power at work as to make possible the setting aside of the obstacle very quietly...
So that we afterward wonder – "And they were amazed."
And the angel said, "Be not amazed."
It is good to have amazement...
But let us recognize that a certain amount of our amazement is because we have not sufficient faith.
~T. Austin Sparks~
Mark 16:5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.
When the Lord moves for His own Son's sake, and has those interests governing...
And when those interests have brought us into such a relationship with Him that we can say there is no stone so big to be removed...
No problem so great for solving...
No difficulty so intense, but the Lord will do what is necessary for His Son's sake...
When we have come to a position like that, the Lord is free to do a lot of things very quietly.
As we say, they just "happen".
Ah, but they have been the objects of the exercise of exceeding great power – "There was a great earthquake" (Matt. 28:2).
But here, in this aspect of the situation, it does not seem to be an earthquake at all.
It has just happened.
We must recognize that there is an aspect of activities in which the secret, quiet working of His immense power dismisses the greatest difficulties as though they had never existed.
Sometimes He may bring us into the presence of the working of His power that is manifestly terrific, but not often and certainly not always.
For faith it is more like this:
There is such power at work as to make possible the setting aside of the obstacle very quietly...
So that we afterward wonder – "And they were amazed."
And the angel said, "Be not amazed."
It is good to have amazement...
But let us recognize that a certain amount of our amazement is because we have not sufficient faith.
~T. Austin Sparks~
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Before And During The Call
Quick work this!
The LORD hears us before we call and often answers us in the same speedy manner.
Foreseeing our needs and our prayers, He so arranges providence that before the need actually arises He has supplied it, before the trial assails us He has armed us against it.
This is the promptitude of omniscience, and we have often seen it exercised.
Before we dreamed of the affliction which was coming, the strong consolation which was to sustain us under it had arrived.
What a prayer-answering God we have!
The second clause suggests the telephone.
Though God be in heaven and we upon earth, yet He makes our word, like His own word, to travel very swiftly...
When we pray aright we speak into the ear of God.
Our gracious Mediator presents our petitions at once, and the great Father hears them and smiles upon them.
Grand praying this!
Who would not be much in prayer when he knows that he has the ear of the King of kings?
This day I will pray in faith, not only believing that I shall be heard, but that I am heard...
Not only that I shall be answered, but that I have the answer already.
Holy Spirit, help me in this!
~Charles Spurgeon~
The LORD hears us before we call and often answers us in the same speedy manner.
Foreseeing our needs and our prayers, He so arranges providence that before the need actually arises He has supplied it, before the trial assails us He has armed us against it.
This is the promptitude of omniscience, and we have often seen it exercised.
Before we dreamed of the affliction which was coming, the strong consolation which was to sustain us under it had arrived.
What a prayer-answering God we have!
The second clause suggests the telephone.
Though God be in heaven and we upon earth, yet He makes our word, like His own word, to travel very swiftly...
When we pray aright we speak into the ear of God.
Our gracious Mediator presents our petitions at once, and the great Father hears them and smiles upon them.
Grand praying this!
Who would not be much in prayer when he knows that he has the ear of the King of kings?
This day I will pray in faith, not only believing that I shall be heard, but that I am heard...
Not only that I shall be answered, but that I have the answer already.
Holy Spirit, help me in this!
~Charles Spurgeon~
Monday, July 30, 2018
I Heard A Hushed Voice
It had an old medieval message and this one primary thought...
That God was waiting in the depths of my being to speak to me if I would only be still enough to hear His voice.
I assumed this would not be a difficult thing to do, so I tried to be still.
No sooner had I begun to do so than complete pandemonium seemed to break loose.
Suddenly I heard a thousand voices and sounds from without and within, until I could hear nothing except these incredible noises.
Some were my own words, my own questions, and even my own prayers, while others were temptations of the Enemy, and the voices of the world’s turmoil.
In every direction I turned, I was pushed, pulled, and confronted with indescribable unrest and overwhelming noises.
I seemed compelled to listen to some of them and to respond in some way.
But God said, “Be still, and know that I am God”
Psa 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
Then my mind was filled with worries over my responsibilities and plans for tomorrow, and God said again, “Be still.”
As I listened and slowly learned to obey, I shut my ears to every other sound.
Soon I discovered that once the other voices ceased, or once I ceased to hear them, “a gentle whisper” (1 Kings 19:12) began to speak in the depths of my being.
And it spoke to me with an inexpressible tenderness, power, and comfort.
This “gentle whisper” became for me the voice of prayer, wisdom, and service.
No longer did I need to work so hard to think, pray, or trust, because the Holy Spirit’s “gentle whisper” in my heart was God’s prayer in the secret places of my soul.
It was His answer to all my questions, and His life and strength for my soul and body.
His voice became the essence of all knowledge, prayer, and blessings, for it was the living God Himself as my life and my all.
This is precisely how our spirit drinks in the life of our risen Lord.
And then we are enabled to face life’s conflicts and responsibilities, like a flower that has absorbed the cool and refreshing drops of dew through the darkness of the night.
Yet just as dew never falls on a stormy night, the dew of His grace never covers a restless soul.
~A. B. Simpson~
Saturday, July 21, 2018
In Line With God's Purpose Whether Active Or Inactive
Heb
13:21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in
you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to
whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
So long as we are in line with God’s purpose His work
can go on in us.
What matters is not first of all our activity.
God is
more concerned with what is done in us than what we do for Him.
He often
reaches His end with us much better when we are in a state of
inactivity than in times of much work.
The hand of the Potter was upon
Moses when he was in the wilderness where he could not do much.
During
forty years he was just looking after a few sheep.
That is not very
grand.
No doubt he wondered sometimes to what purpose he was there,
whether his life had any value.
But principalities and powers saw
something and wondered at God’s wisdom.
God knew how to equip this man,
how to get His way in that life.
That is true in the case of many a
servant of God.
God is working for good, He is shaping His vessel.
There
is wisdom in all His dealings with us.
But we have to see to it that we
have no plans or personal ambitions of our own.
The clay has to be
completely in His hands.
If we are really here for God, we can be
assured that He will reach His end, that He may work out His purpose in
us.
And there we shall find strength.
Are you sure you are in the great purpose of God?
Everybody has some part in it.
Paul, when speaking of the church,
illustrates it thus: “that all the body is fitly framed and knit together through that which every joint supplies.”
No part of the body is without function.
Each and every one has to be
in God’s purpose.
Some parts may be very small, they nevertheless are
equally important.
We have to remember that God has called us for a
purpose which will be realized as we abandon ourselves to Him.
Whatever
it may be to which He has called us, let us be ready and do it.
A Holy
Spirit possessed life is always marked by purpose.
Nothing can be lost
in such a life; let us not believe in mere generalities.
That is not
good enough.
There is something far more definite in God’s thoughts for
our lives.
Let us abandon all personal desires, and be filled with the
Spirit of urgency - “straight away.”
Those who know that they are called
of God, and who definitely recognize the purpose of their life, will be
wholly given up to it.
Such no longer have any interest for the things
of this earth.
They have no time to lose.
They must buy up their time.
~T. Austin Sparks~
Thursday, July 5, 2018
Complete Deliverance
Jer 39:17 But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the LORD: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid.
When the LORD's faithful ones are suffering for Him, they shall have sweet messages of love from Himself...
And sometimes they shall have glad tidings for those who sympathize with them and help them.
Ebed-melech was only a despised Ethiopian, but he was kind to Jeremiah...
And so the LORD sent him this special promise by the mouth of His prophet.
Let us be ever mindful of God's persecuted servants, and He will reward us.
Ebed-melech was to be delivered from the men whose vengeance he feared.
He was a humble... man, but Jehovah would take care of him.
Thousands were slain by the Chaldeans, but [he] could not be hurt.
We, too, may be fearful of some great ones who are bitter against us...
But if we have been faithful to the LORD's cause in the hour of persecution, He will be faithful to us.
After all, what can a man do without the LORD's permission?
He puts a bit into the mouth of rage and a bridle upon the head of power.
Let us fear the LORD, and we shall have no one else to fear.
No cup of cold water given to a despised prophet of God shall be without its reward...
And if we stand up for Jesus, Jesus will stand up for us.
~Charles Spurgeon~
When the LORD's faithful ones are suffering for Him, they shall have sweet messages of love from Himself...
And sometimes they shall have glad tidings for those who sympathize with them and help them.
Ebed-melech was only a despised Ethiopian, but he was kind to Jeremiah...
And so the LORD sent him this special promise by the mouth of His prophet.
Let us be ever mindful of God's persecuted servants, and He will reward us.
Ebed-melech was to be delivered from the men whose vengeance he feared.
He was a humble... man, but Jehovah would take care of him.
Thousands were slain by the Chaldeans, but [he] could not be hurt.
We, too, may be fearful of some great ones who are bitter against us...
But if we have been faithful to the LORD's cause in the hour of persecution, He will be faithful to us.
After all, what can a man do without the LORD's permission?
He puts a bit into the mouth of rage and a bridle upon the head of power.
Let us fear the LORD, and we shall have no one else to fear.
No cup of cold water given to a despised prophet of God shall be without its reward...
And if we stand up for Jesus, Jesus will stand up for us.
~Charles Spurgeon~
Sunday, June 10, 2018
We Are Not Expected To Like It- But We Are Told Not To Despise It
The Bible always talks to us as children.
Chastening comes with a Father's authority and also a Father's gentleness.
Of course, it is not possible that we should really find pleasure in being chastened. That is not natural.
Indeed the Bible says, "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful."
Not even the grace of God in our hearts can take the sting out of chastening.
We are not expected to like it...but we are told not to despise it.
That is, we are to accept it without murmuring, without complaining, and submissively-as God's messenger to us, bringing a blessing.
It will help us to receive chastening meekly, in faith and love-if we remember that it is our heavenly Father who sends it.
We know that He loves us with infinite affection.
He does not take pleasure therefore in causing us pain, nor would He do it at all...were it not in some way for our good.
It is because He loves us and would do us good-that He sends or permits the suffering.
We should never despise any instruction our Father gives us, however costly and painful it may be.
He lets us suffer because He loves us-and would make our lives beautiful and holy.
We should be willing to endure any pain or trial, in order to have the likeness of Christ fashioned in our life.
Heb 12:10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
Heb 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
~J. R. Miller~
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
The Aged Believer's Comfort
Isa 46:4 And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.
This passage of Scripture is the aged believer's cordial. Let us look at the beautiful images employed.
God is our parent-a kind and tender-hearted parent.
He is peculiarly attached to His people-they are dear to Him, and precious in His sight.
They are His portion. He prizes them above all creation.
He is strong to sustain, to defend and support them.
His strong arm, tender heart, and watchful eye-are all employed for them-and especially so in old age.
The aged believer is as a child. He is weak. He feels exposed and defenseless. He is timid and fearful.
But the Lord, as a tender parent, engages to take him up in the arms of His power-and carry him in the bosom of His love!
Like a tender lamb in the shepherd's bosom on a cold and frosty night, borne across a bleak and snow-covered wasteland--so the believer, in the winter of old age, shall be carried in the bosom of his God, across the bleak and cheerless desert of time.
God will carry him tenderly-hushing the weak one's fears.
He will bear him carefully-so that nothing shall harm or hurt him.
He will soothe him with gentle words, and encourage him with kind acts-until He safely brings him Home!
Dear aged Christian, you have nothing to fear!
Your God says, "I will be your God throughout your lifetime-until your hair is white with age!"
I am your Father-your Friend-your solace-and your confidence!
Look unto Me, even to old age-I will carry you.
I will bear you up under all that you feel and fear.
I will carry you through all that discourages or distresses you.
I will deliver you from foes, fears, dangers and death itself!
Nothing shall by any means hurt you!
My arm is strong enough-trust in it.
My bosom is your resting-place-lean on it, lean hard!
Do not be afraid...love dwells there, pity rules there, your name is engraved there!
Trust me, I will never leave you nor forsake you!
Hearken! Believer, your God bids you to "hearken."
His words are true and faithful.
He speaks to banish your fears.
He speaks to strengthen your faith.
He speaks to comfort your poor drooping heart.
He speaks to clothe your care-worn brow, with the light of hope, with the cheerfulness which confidence imparts.
Hearken to Him-not to unbelief or carnal reason.
It is the Guide of your youth who addresses you.
It is your tender Parent who seeks to cheer your heart.
Hearken, it is your Savior who speaks!
As one whom his mother comforts-so does your God comfort you.
He is near you-near you every moment;
He will carry you-carry you every step;
He will deliver you-deliver you from every danger, trouble and foe!
~James Smith~
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