Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
One of
the hardest things for a lofty and superior nature is to be under
authority...
To renounce his own will...
And to take a place of subjection.
But Christ took upon Him the form of a servant...
Gave up His
independence...
His right to please Himself...
His liberty of choice...
And
after having from eternal ages known only to command...
Gave Himself up
only to obey...
I have seen occasionally the man who
was once a wealthy employer a clerk in the same store.
It was not an
easy or graceful position, I assure you.
But Jesus
was such a perfect servant that His Father said: "Behold, My Servant in
whom My soul is well pleased."
All His life His watchword was, "The Son of
Man came to minister."
I am among you as He that doth serve.
I can do
nothing of Myself.
Not My will, but Thine, be done.
Have you,
beloved, learned the servant's place?
And once more,
"He became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."
His life
was all a dying, and at last He gave all up to death, and also shame,
the death of crucifixion.
This last was the consummation of His love.
~A. B. Simpson~
Isa 45:2 I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:
This was for Cyrus; but it is evermore the
heritage of all the LORD's own spiritual servants.
Only let us go
forward by faith, and our way will be cleared for us.
Crooks and turns
of human craft and satanic subtlety Shall Be Straightened For Us...
We
shall not need to track their devious windings.
The gates of brass shall
be broken, and the iron bars which fastened them shall be cut asunder.
We shall not need the battering ram nor the crowbar...
The LORD Himself
will do the impossible for us, and the unexpected shall be a fact.
Let
us not sit down in coward fear.
Let us press onward in the path of
duty, for the LORD hath said it: "I will go before thee."
Ours not to
reason why; ours but to dare and dash forward.
It is the LORD's work,
and He will enable us to do it...
All impediments must yield before Him.
Hath He not said, "I will break in pieces the gates of brass"!
What can
hinder His purpose or balk His decrees?
Those who serve God have
infinite resources.
The way is clear to faith though barred to human
strength.
When Jehovah says, "I will," as He does twice in this promise,
we dare not doubt.
~Charles Spurgeon~
Ephesians 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
The
armor of the ancients was of two different kinds, and both kinds were
absolutely necessary.
It was partly armor for attack and partly armor
for protection.
Now very generally, in the New Testament, faith is one
of the weapons of attack .
1John
5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the
victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
We see that magnificently
illustrated in the pageant of Hebrews 11.
But here, and it
may be only here, Paul looks on faith in quite another light, for he
sets it among the armor of protection.
Faith is not here the power that
leads to victory; it is the power that protects us in the battle.
It
keeps us unembittered and serene amid the mysteries and buffetings of
life.
To believe that love is on the throne and that through everything
there runs a loving purpose, is in the deepest of all senses to be
shielded.
How effectual that shielding is, is shown
by the apostle's choice of words.
There are two
words in the Greek tongue for shield; the one is common and the other
rare.
The one notes a little shield or target; the other a frame that
covered the whole man.
Faith is not a
partial protection; it casts its defense over the whole of life.
It is a
means of safety for the intellect, as surely as for the passions of the
heart.
It guards the feet when they are prone to wander, and the hands
when they are growing weary, and the eyes when they are drawn to what is
wrong.
The shield of faith is an all-embracing shelter.
Faith in God through our Lord Jesus Christ
is nothing less than a universal safeguard.
All was choicely shown to
the Ephesians by the word which the apostle used when he bade them take
up the shield of faith.
~George H. Morrison~
Num 10:33 And they departed from the mount of the LORD three days' journey: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them in the three days' journey, to search out a resting place for them.
God
does give us impressions, but not that we should act on them as
impressions.
If the impression be from God, He will Himself give
sufficient evidence to establish it beyond the possibility of a doubt.
How
beautiful is the story of Jeremiah, of the impression that came to him
respecting the purchase of the field of Anathoth.
But Jeremiah did not
act upon this impression until after the following day, when his uncle's
son came to him and brought him external evidence by making a proposal
for the purchase.
Then Jeremiah said: "I knew this was the word of the
Lord."
He waited until God seconded the impression by
a providence, and then he acted in full view of the open facts, which
could bring conviction unto others as well as to himself.
God wants us
to act according to His mind.
We are not to ignore the Shepherd's
personal voice but, like Paul and his companions at Troas, we are to
listen to all the voices that speak and "gather" from all the
circumstances, as they did, the full mind of the Lord.
~Dr. Simpson~
Where God's finger points, there God's hand will make the way.
Do
not say in thine heart what thou wilt or wilt not do, but wait upon God
until He makes known His way.
So long as that way is hidden it is clear
that there is no need of action, and that He accounts Himself
responsible for all the results of keeping thee where thou art.
~Selected~
For God through ways we have not known, Will lead His own.
Deu 28:10 And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.
Then we can have no reason to be afraid of them.
This would show a
mean spirit and be a token of unbelief rather than of faith.
God can
make us so like Himself that men shall be forced to see that we rightly
bear His name and truly belong to the holy Jehovah.
Oh, that we may
obtain this grace which the LORD waits to bestow!
Be assured that
ungodly men have a fear of true saints.
They hate them, but they also
fear them.
Haman Trembled because of Mordecai, even when he sought the
good man's destruction.
In fact, their Hate often arises out of a Dread
which they are too proud to confess.
Let us pursue the path of truth and
uprightness without the slightest tremor.
Fear is not for us but for
those who do ill and fight against the LORD of hosts.
If indeed the name
of the eternal God is named upon us, we are secure...
For, as of old, a
Roman had but to say Romanus sum, I am a Roman, and he could claim the
protection of all the legions of the vast empire...
So every one who is a
man of God has omnipotence as his guardian...
And God will sooner empty heaven of angels than leave a saint without defense.
Be braver than lions for the right, for God is with you.
~Charles Spurgeon~
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~
Pro 12:19 The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
Truth wears well...
Time tests it, but it right
well endures the trial.
When, I have spoken the truth and have for
the present to suffer for it, I must be content to wait.
If also I
believe the truth of God and endeavor to declare it, I may meet with
much opposition...
But I need not fear, for ultimately the truth must
prevail.
What a poor thing is the temporary triumph of falsehood!
A lying lip is but for a moment!
It is a mere gourd which comes up in
a night and perishes in a night...
And the greater its development the
more manifest its decay.
On the other hand, how worthy of an immortal
being is the avowal and defense of that truth which can never change...
The everlasting gospel, which is established in the immutable truth of
an unchanging God!
An old proverb saith, "He that speaks truth shames
the devil."
Assuredly he that speaks the truth of God will put to shame
all the devils in hell...
And confound all the seed of the serpent which
now hiss out their falsehoods.
O my heart, take care that thou be
in all things on the side of truth, both in small things and great...
But
specially, on the side of Him by whom grace and truth have come among
men!
~Charles Spurgeon~
John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Of necessity we Must be in Christ
to live unto Him...
And we Must abide in Him to be able to Claim the generosity of this promise from Him.
To abide in Jesus is Never To Quit
Him For Another Love Or Another Object, but to Remain in Living, Loving, Conscious, Willing Union with Him.
The branch is not only ever near the
stem but ever Receiving life and fruitfulness from it.
All True Believers abide in Christ in a sense...
But there is a higher meaning, and
this we Must know before we can gain unlimited power at the throne.
Ask what ye will is for Enochs who walk with God, for Johns who lie in
the LORD's bosom, for those whose union with Christ leads to Constant Communion.
The heart Must remain in love...
The mind Must be rooted in faith...
The
hope Must be cemented to the Word...
The whole man Must be joined unto the
LORD...
Or else it would be dangerous to trust us with power in prayer.
The Full Power can only be given to one whose very life is, "Not I,
but Christ liveth in me."
O you who Break your fellowship, what Power
you lose!
If you would be Mighty in your pleadings, the LORD Himself Must abide in you, and you in Him.
~Charles Spurgeon~
There are seasons when to be still demands immeasurably higher strength
than to act.
Composure is often the highest result of power.
To the
vilest and most deadly charges Jesus responded with deep, unbroken
silence, such as excited the wonder of the judge and the spectators.
To
the grossest insults, the most violent ill-treatment and mockery that
might well bring indignation into the feeblest heart, He responded with
voiceless complacent calmness.
Those who are unjustly accused, and
causelessly ill-treated know what tremendous strength is necessary to
keep silence to God.
Men may misjudge thy aim, Think they have cause to blame, Say, thou art wrong;
Keep on thy quiet way, Christ is the Judge, not they, Fear not, be strong.
St. Paul said, "None of these things move me."
He did not say, none of
these things hurt me.
It is one thing to be hurt, and quite another to
be moved.
St. Paul had a very tender heart.
We do not read of any
apostle who cried as St. Paul did.
It takes a strong man to cry.
Jesus
wept, and He was the manliest Man that ever lived.
So it does not say, none of these things hurt me. But the apostle had
determined not to move from what he believed was right.
He did not count
as we are apt to count...
He did not care for ease...
He did not care for
this mortal life.
He cared for only one thing, and that was to be loyal
to Christ, to have His smile.
To St. Paul, more than to any other man,
His work was wages, His smile was Heaven.
~Margaret Bottome~
Deu 12:28 Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the LORD thy God.
Though salvation
is not by the works of the law, yet the blessings which are promised to
obedience are not denied to the faithful servants of God.
The curses
our LORD took away when He was made a curse for us, but no clause of
blessing has been abrogated(done away with).
We are to note and listen to the revealed will of the LORD, giving our
attention not to portions of it but to "all these words."
There must be
no picking and choosing but an impartial respect to all that God has
commanded.
This is the road of blessedness for the Father and for His
children.
The LORD's blessing is upon His chosen to the third and fourth
generation.
If they walk uprightly before Him, He will make all men
know that they are a seed which the LORD has blessed.
No blessing can
come to us or ours through dishonesty or double dealing.
The ways of
worldly conformity and unholiness cannot bring good to us or ours.
It
will go well with us when we go well before God.
If integrity does not
make us prosper, knavery(dishonest dealing) will not.
That which gives pleasure to God will
bring pleasure to us.
~Charles Spurgeon~
Samson was thirsty and ready to die.
The difficulty was totally
different from any which the hero had met before.
Merely to get thirst
assuaged is nothing like so great a matter as to be delivered from a
thousand Philistines!
But when the thirst was upon him, Samson felt that
little present difficulty more weighty than the great past difficulty
out of which he had so specially been delivered.
It is very usual for God's people, when they have enjoyed a great
deliverance, to find a little trouble too much for them.
Samson slays a
thousand Philistines, and piles them up in heaps, and then faints for a
little water!
Jacob wrestles with God at Peniel, and overcomes Omnipotence itself, and then goes "halting on his thigh!"
Strange that there must be a shrinking of the sinew whenever we win the
day.
As if the Lord must teach us our littleness, our nothingness, in
order to keep us within bounds.
Samson boasted right loudly when he
said, "I have slain a thousand men."
His boastful throat soon grew
hoarse with thirst, and he betook himself to prayer.
God has many ways of humbling His people.
Dear child of God, if after
great mercy you are laid very low, your case is not an unusual one.
When David had mounted the throne of Israel, he said, "I am this day
weak, though anointed king."
You must expect to feel weakest when you
are enjoying your greatest triumph.
If God has wrought for you great deliverances in the past, your present
difficulty is only like Samson's thirst, and the Lord will not let you
faint, nor suffer the daughter of the uncircumcised to triumph over you.
The road of sorrow is the road to heaven, but there are wells of refreshing water all along the route.
So, tried brother, cheer your heart with Samson's words, and rest assured that God will deliver you ere long.
~Charles Spurgeon~
Php 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
Paul, while being denied every comfort, wrote the above words from a dark prison cell.
A story is told of a king who went to his garden one morning, only to find everything withered and dying.
He asked the oak tree that stood near the gate what the trouble was.
The oak said it was tired of life and determined to die because it was not tall and beautiful like the pine tree.
The pine was troubled because it could not bear grapes like the grapevine.
The grapevine was determined to throw its life away because it could not stand erect
and produce fruit as large as peaches.
The geranium was fretting because it was not tall and fragrant like the lilac.
And so it went throughout the garden.
Yet coming to a violet, the king found its face as bright and happy as ever and said, “Well, violet, I’m glad to find one brave little flower in the midst of this discouragement.
You don’t seem to be the least disheartened.”
The violet responded,“No, I’m not....
I know I’m small, yet I thought if you wanted an oak or a pine or a peach tree or even a lilac, you would have planted one.
Since I knew you wanted a violet, I’m determined to be the best little violet I can be.
Others may do a greater work, But you have your part to do...
And no one in all God’s family Can do it as well as you.
People who are God’s without reservation “have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”
His will becomes their will, and they desire to do for Him whatever He desires them to do.
They strip themselves of everything, and in their nakedness find everything restored a hundredfold.
