Psalm 87:7
Thus it is with the Christian. Christ is all in all. He is the source of everything we live on and possess. All our springs are from Him and in Him alone. He is the origination continually of all that comes to us.
Our love springs from Him because He first loved us and has poured out His love in our hearts.
Our hope in in HIm alone, our help, strength, peace, and empowering comes from Him alone. If Christ left us to ourselves for even a moment, we would collapse and be nothing. The Christian is, in reality, KEPT by the very power of God through our Saviour. All, all, all our springs are in Him.
Look not elsewhere. You won't find it. No need searching. It is non-existent outside of Christ Himself. But in Him are all the treasures, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. All our springs come forth from and through Him to each of us.
What a Saviour and what a Source. Today, all my springs for strength, wisdom, encouragement, provision, and sustenance are in Him. Come and drink. Come and dine. Come and receive what is needed. Tell Him, "Lord Jesus, all my springs are in You."
- Mack Tomlinson
Monday, August 30, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Jesus Christ the Lord- Cease Not
"And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ."
- Acts 5:42
Jesus Christ is our message. All other truths, however glorious they are, must be subservient to this one theme- Jesus Christ. He is God, the living God. He is Jehovah, the Lord of glory, the eternal Word made flesh. He is true God who fully became man. As one said, "He who sees the Son sees the Father in the face of Christ. Christ was not God because he was virgin born. He was virgin born because He was God."
This God became a true man, a true human being; He claimed to be God. “I and the Father are one.”
C. S. Lewis- “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said wouldn’t be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic, like a man who says he’s a poached egg or he would be a liar and a devil from hell. You must make your choice. Either this man is the Son of God or a madman or worse. But don’t come up with any such nonsense about his being only a great human teacher. He hasn’t left us that choice and He did not intend to.”
Who He is to us:
God Almighty Jehovah
The eternal I AM
The Son of God
The Redeemer
The Lord of Glory
The Saviour of sinners
The Saviour of the world
The Lamb that was slain
The only revelation of God to man
The One Mediator between God and man
The Door to heaven
The Way, the Truth, and the Life
The Light of the world
The Bread of life
The Living water
The Lion of the tribe of Judah
The Eternal Life
The Shepherd of our souls
What He did for us:
He lived
He preached
He taught
He obeyed the Father
He healed
He performed miraculous signs and wonders
He walked among men
He loved sinners
He revealed the Father
He never sinned
He fulfilled the law in our behalf
He obeyed the holy law of God for us
He went freely in place of us to embrace a rugged cruel method of capital punishment- the Roman cross
He bled and died there as a substitute in our place
A ransom, payment for sin
He bore and took the full holy wrath of Almighty God for us
He died taking on Himself all our wrath, bearing all our punishment, satisfying the demands of holy justice
His life and his blood were the perfect payment, successfully atoning for every sin
He was buried for three days
He rose again the third day
He’s alive
He ascended to heaven
He is exalted to the Father's right hand
He's been given all authority now in heaven and in earth
He's reigning in the universe
He’s coming again
He is saving all sinners who will come to Him, bow the knee, yield to His Lordship, repent and believe the gospel, and turn to him as Lord. He is Lord of all.
The early church ceased not to preach Jesus Christ. He’s the Christ, the Son of the living God. The whole gospel is contained in this person of Jesus Christ our Lord. This is the message of the true church-- Jesus Christ
Our message is not:
Politics
Education
Social reform
Government improvement
Religion and the equality of all sincere faiths
Social justice
The preservation and improvement of the world
Our message is-- "Daily . . . from house to house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." The gospel, the gospel of the grace of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ. The truth about Jesus Christ- it's the only thing God has to say to this world.
So cease not-- Just keep telling people
There’s a God, He;s the only true and living God.
He made you; He owns you; He will call you to account; He’s the judge of all the earth.
He has ordained a Saviour and a Judge, His Son Jesus Christ.
He died to forgive your sins. He's the only Saviour. Come to Him. Believe on Him. Give yourself away to Him as your Lord.
Speaking of the preciousness of this exclusive message, some in history have said:
Christ’s blood is heaven’s key.
The doctrine of the death of Christ is the substance of the gospel.
Jesus Christ never died for our good works, which were not worth dying for. He died for our sins.
One drop of Christ’s blood is worth more than heaven and earth.
God had condemned sin before, but never so perfectly as in the death of His Son.
Death stung itself to death when it stung Christ on the cross.
At Calvary’s cross--
God put all our sins upon His Son
"He who knew no sin was made sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
There God condemned sin, massacred sin, put sin to death, and conquered it forever on that tree in our Saviour who died there.
Cease not in telling it. Cease not in preaching it. Ceasing not in believing it. Cease not in take all your consolation from it. Out of the cross flows all our hope, peace, assurance, help, strength, and every drop of mercy that comes to us. Cease not staying at the cross. And cease not telling others, even if they kill you for saying it.
- Mack Tomlinson
- Acts 5:42
Jesus Christ is our message. All other truths, however glorious they are, must be subservient to this one theme- Jesus Christ. He is God, the living God. He is Jehovah, the Lord of glory, the eternal Word made flesh. He is true God who fully became man. As one said, "He who sees the Son sees the Father in the face of Christ. Christ was not God because he was virgin born. He was virgin born because He was God."
This God became a true man, a true human being; He claimed to be God. “I and the Father are one.”
C. S. Lewis- “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said wouldn’t be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic, like a man who says he’s a poached egg or he would be a liar and a devil from hell. You must make your choice. Either this man is the Son of God or a madman or worse. But don’t come up with any such nonsense about his being only a great human teacher. He hasn’t left us that choice and He did not intend to.”
Who He is to us:
God Almighty Jehovah
The eternal I AM
The Son of God
The Redeemer
The Lord of Glory
The Saviour of sinners
The Saviour of the world
The Lamb that was slain
The only revelation of God to man
The One Mediator between God and man
The Door to heaven
The Way, the Truth, and the Life
The Light of the world
The Bread of life
The Living water
The Lion of the tribe of Judah
The Eternal Life
The Shepherd of our souls
What He did for us:
He lived
He preached
He taught
He obeyed the Father
He healed
He performed miraculous signs and wonders
He walked among men
He loved sinners
He revealed the Father
He never sinned
He fulfilled the law in our behalf
He obeyed the holy law of God for us
He went freely in place of us to embrace a rugged cruel method of capital punishment- the Roman cross
He bled and died there as a substitute in our place
A ransom, payment for sin
He bore and took the full holy wrath of Almighty God for us
He died taking on Himself all our wrath, bearing all our punishment, satisfying the demands of holy justice
His life and his blood were the perfect payment, successfully atoning for every sin
He was buried for three days
He rose again the third day
He’s alive
He ascended to heaven
He is exalted to the Father's right hand
He's been given all authority now in heaven and in earth
He's reigning in the universe
He’s coming again
He is saving all sinners who will come to Him, bow the knee, yield to His Lordship, repent and believe the gospel, and turn to him as Lord. He is Lord of all.
The early church ceased not to preach Jesus Christ. He’s the Christ, the Son of the living God. The whole gospel is contained in this person of Jesus Christ our Lord. This is the message of the true church-- Jesus Christ
Our message is not:
Politics
Education
Social reform
Government improvement
Religion and the equality of all sincere faiths
Social justice
The preservation and improvement of the world
Our message is-- "Daily . . . from house to house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." The gospel, the gospel of the grace of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ. The truth about Jesus Christ- it's the only thing God has to say to this world.
So cease not-- Just keep telling people
There’s a God, He;s the only true and living God.
He made you; He owns you; He will call you to account; He’s the judge of all the earth.
He has ordained a Saviour and a Judge, His Son Jesus Christ.
He died to forgive your sins. He's the only Saviour. Come to Him. Believe on Him. Give yourself away to Him as your Lord.
Speaking of the preciousness of this exclusive message, some in history have said:
Christ’s blood is heaven’s key.
The doctrine of the death of Christ is the substance of the gospel.
Jesus Christ never died for our good works, which were not worth dying for. He died for our sins.
One drop of Christ’s blood is worth more than heaven and earth.
God had condemned sin before, but never so perfectly as in the death of His Son.
Death stung itself to death when it stung Christ on the cross.
At Calvary’s cross--
God put all our sins upon His Son
"He who knew no sin was made sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
There God condemned sin, massacred sin, put sin to death, and conquered it forever on that tree in our Saviour who died there.
Cease not in telling it. Cease not in preaching it. Ceasing not in believing it. Cease not in take all your consolation from it. Out of the cross flows all our hope, peace, assurance, help, strength, and every drop of mercy that comes to us. Cease not staying at the cross. And cease not telling others, even if they kill you for saying it.
- Mack Tomlinson
Friday, August 27, 2010
Present Sufferings
"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us!" Romans 8:18
Paul compares present sufferings with future glory.
Believers are exposed to all kinds of suffering. Instead of obtaining an exemption from afflictions, they are assured that it is through much tribulation that they must enter into the kingdom of God.
Some endure inward suffering with which no one is fully acquainted but God Himself. They have such darkness, gloom, distress, agitation, trouble, and sorrow as would not be easy to describe.
Some suffer much in body from the stressed and disordered state of the nervous system, from chronic diseases, or deformities in the physical frame. They seldom move without suffering and for years have little freedom from weakness and pain. They live a life of suffering, a kind of dying life, and think much of heaven as a place where there is no more pain.
Some suffer much financially; scarcely anything seems to prosper with them; losses, crosses, and opposition meet them at every turn; and though they live honestly, and conduct their business honorably, they are thwarted, hindered, and filled with perplexity. No one can tell what they suffer from financial trials and difficulties.
Others suffer from reproach, misrepresentation, strife, and persecution in the world, or in the Church--or both! No one seems to understand them, or is prepared to sympathize with them; they are like "a sparrow alone upon the house-top." False friends and open enemies unite to trouble and distress them, so that they often sigh, and say, "O that I had wings like a dove, for then would I fly away and be at rest!"
Others in the domestic circle or from some of the relationships of life are called to suffer long and seriously.
But whether from trouble of mind, sickness of body, trials in business, family difficulties, or persecution for Christ's sake, all suffer and most believers suffer much!
But compare their present sufferings with their future glory:
Glory which will exclude all pain and suffering, all sin and sorrow.
Glory beyond the reach of all foes and the cause of all trouble. Glory which includes happiness--perfect, perpetual, never-ending happiness
Glory which includes honor--the highest, holiest, and most satisfying honor!
Glory or splendor which will fill the soul, clothe the body, and dignify the entire person forever.
Filled with light, peace, and joy; clothed with beauty, brightness, and magnificence--they will appear with Christ in glory, filling them with wonder and unutterable delight.
This glory will be possessed by us as part of our marriage portion and inalienable inheritance. But we can form no adequate idea of that glory, for "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him!" 1 Corinthians 2:9
Paul compares present sufferings with future glory.
Believers are exposed to all kinds of suffering. Instead of obtaining an exemption from afflictions, they are assured that it is through much tribulation that they must enter into the kingdom of God.
Some endure inward suffering with which no one is fully acquainted but God Himself. They have such darkness, gloom, distress, agitation, trouble, and sorrow as would not be easy to describe.
Some suffer much in body from the stressed and disordered state of the nervous system, from chronic diseases, or deformities in the physical frame. They seldom move without suffering and for years have little freedom from weakness and pain. They live a life of suffering, a kind of dying life, and think much of heaven as a place where there is no more pain.
Some suffer much financially; scarcely anything seems to prosper with them; losses, crosses, and opposition meet them at every turn; and though they live honestly, and conduct their business honorably, they are thwarted, hindered, and filled with perplexity. No one can tell what they suffer from financial trials and difficulties.
Others suffer from reproach, misrepresentation, strife, and persecution in the world, or in the Church--or both! No one seems to understand them, or is prepared to sympathize with them; they are like "a sparrow alone upon the house-top." False friends and open enemies unite to trouble and distress them, so that they often sigh, and say, "O that I had wings like a dove, for then would I fly away and be at rest!"
Others in the domestic circle or from some of the relationships of life are called to suffer long and seriously.
But whether from trouble of mind, sickness of body, trials in business, family difficulties, or persecution for Christ's sake, all suffer and most believers suffer much!
But compare their present sufferings with their future glory:
Glory which will exclude all pain and suffering, all sin and sorrow.
Glory beyond the reach of all foes and the cause of all trouble. Glory which includes happiness--perfect, perpetual, never-ending happiness
Glory which includes honor--the highest, holiest, and most satisfying honor!
Glory or splendor which will fill the soul, clothe the body, and dignify the entire person forever.
Filled with light, peace, and joy; clothed with beauty, brightness, and magnificence--they will appear with Christ in glory, filling them with wonder and unutterable delight.
This glory will be possessed by us as part of our marriage portion and inalienable inheritance. But we can form no adequate idea of that glory, for "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him!" 1 Corinthians 2:9
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Leonard Ravenhill on George Whitefield
(MT) One of Leonard Ravenhill's favorites in church history was George Whitefield. He reveled in Whitefield’s love for Christ, his passion and power in preaching, and how God used him. Ravenhill said once in a sermon:
Perhaps the most amazing voice in history was George Whitefield, a contemporary and at one time a co-worker with Wesley. A man was sitting on the side of the road a mile away from where Whitefield was speaking without amplification and the man got saved by hearing the sermon. The famous actor Stephen Garrick heard that George Whitefield was to preach in London at 5:00 a.m. and he went to hear him. Would you believe he got up at 5 o’clock in the morning to go hear that man? Oh, mercy! Can you imagine four thousand people, waiting at 5 o’clock in the morning to hear a preacher?
Whitefield was one man whom God possessed completely and his life was astounding.
- Leonard Ravenhill
Perhaps the most amazing voice in history was George Whitefield, a contemporary and at one time a co-worker with Wesley. A man was sitting on the side of the road a mile away from where Whitefield was speaking without amplification and the man got saved by hearing the sermon. The famous actor Stephen Garrick heard that George Whitefield was to preach in London at 5:00 a.m. and he went to hear him. Would you believe he got up at 5 o’clock in the morning to go hear that man? Oh, mercy! Can you imagine four thousand people, waiting at 5 o’clock in the morning to hear a preacher?
Whitefield was one man whom God possessed completely and his life was astounding.
- Leonard Ravenhill
Monday, August 23, 2010
Jesus our Shield
"My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart." Psalm 7:10
This implies exposure to foes--Satan, evil men, and death; Against these we need defense.
It implies opposition--and the opposition of our foes is great, daring, and deadly.
It implies danger to be apprehended--because we are weak, timid and unskillful, and our foes are strong, daring, and experienced.
Our safety therefore, stands in what the Lord is to us--He is our shield, and such a shield as no one besides has or can have. He is omniscient to see all our foes and dangers. He is omnipresent to help us at all times, and against all opposers. He is omnipotent to defend us, and secure us from all evil. He is faithful to fulfill His word and carry out His engagements. He will come between the believer and danger. He will preserve the trusting soul from all real injury. He will protect the upright in heart everywhere, and at all times.
What a mercy. What an unspeakable privilege is this.
"You who fear the Lord--trust in the Lord! He is their help and shield." Psalm 115:11.
"He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge."
- Psalm 144:2
- James Smith
This implies exposure to foes--Satan, evil men, and death; Against these we need defense.
It implies opposition--and the opposition of our foes is great, daring, and deadly.
It implies danger to be apprehended--because we are weak, timid and unskillful, and our foes are strong, daring, and experienced.
Our safety therefore, stands in what the Lord is to us--He is our shield, and such a shield as no one besides has or can have. He is omniscient to see all our foes and dangers. He is omnipresent to help us at all times, and against all opposers. He is omnipotent to defend us, and secure us from all evil. He is faithful to fulfill His word and carry out His engagements. He will come between the believer and danger. He will preserve the trusting soul from all real injury. He will protect the upright in heart everywhere, and at all times.
What a mercy. What an unspeakable privilege is this.
"You who fear the Lord--trust in the Lord! He is their help and shield." Psalm 115:11.
"He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge."
- Psalm 144:2
- James Smith
Sick with Love
NOTE: Please pray for our conference with David Miller, which begins tonight through Wednesday night at Providence Chapel in Denton. - thanks - Mack T.
Song of Solomon 5:8
I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love.
Such is the language of the believer panting after present fellowship with Jesus. He is sick with love for his Lord. Gracious souls are never perfectly at ease except they are in a state of nearness to Christ, for when they are away from Him, they lose their peace. The nearer to Him, the nearer to the perfect calm of heaven. The nearer to Him, the fuller the heart is, not only of peace, but of life, vigour, and joy, for these all depend on constant intercourse with Jesus.
What the sun is to the day, what the moon is to the night, what the dew is to the flower, such is Jesus Christ to us. What bread is to the hungry, clothing to the naked, the shadow of a great rock to the traveller in a weary land, such is Jesus Christ to us; and, therefore, if we are not consciously one with Him, little marvel if our spirit cries in the words of the Song, "I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, tell Him that I am sick of love." This earnest longing after Jesus has a blessing attending it: "Blessed are the y that do hunger and thirst after righteousness"; and therefore, supremely blessed are they who thirst after the Righteous One. Blessed is that hunger, since it comes from God: if I may not have the full-blown blessedness of being filled, I would seek the same blessedness in its sweet bud-pining in emptiness and eagerness till I am filled with Christ.
If I may not feed on Jesus, it shall be next door to heaven to hunger and thirst after Him. There is a hallowedness about that hunger, since it sparkles among the beatitudes of our Lord. But the blessing involves a promise. Such hungry ones "shall be filled" with what they are desiring. If Christ thus causes us to long after Himself, He will certainly satisfy those longings, and when He does come to us, as come He will, oh, how sweet it will be!
- C. H. Spurgeon
Song of Solomon 5:8
I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love.
Such is the language of the believer panting after present fellowship with Jesus. He is sick with love for his Lord. Gracious souls are never perfectly at ease except they are in a state of nearness to Christ, for when they are away from Him, they lose their peace. The nearer to Him, the nearer to the perfect calm of heaven. The nearer to Him, the fuller the heart is, not only of peace, but of life, vigour, and joy, for these all depend on constant intercourse with Jesus.
What the sun is to the day, what the moon is to the night, what the dew is to the flower, such is Jesus Christ to us. What bread is to the hungry, clothing to the naked, the shadow of a great rock to the traveller in a weary land, such is Jesus Christ to us; and, therefore, if we are not consciously one with Him, little marvel if our spirit cries in the words of the Song, "I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, tell Him that I am sick of love." This earnest longing after Jesus has a blessing attending it: "Blessed are the y that do hunger and thirst after righteousness"; and therefore, supremely blessed are they who thirst after the Righteous One. Blessed is that hunger, since it comes from God: if I may not have the full-blown blessedness of being filled, I would seek the same blessedness in its sweet bud-pining in emptiness and eagerness till I am filled with Christ.
If I may not feed on Jesus, it shall be next door to heaven to hunger and thirst after Him. There is a hallowedness about that hunger, since it sparkles among the beatitudes of our Lord. But the blessing involves a promise. Such hungry ones "shall be filled" with what they are desiring. If Christ thus causes us to long after Himself, He will certainly satisfy those longings, and when He does come to us, as come He will, oh, how sweet it will be!
- C. H. Spurgeon
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
The Mercy of God
Psalm 52:8
Meditate a little on this mercy of the Lord.
It is tender mercy. With gentle, loving touch, he healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. He is as gracious in the manner of his mercy as in the matter of it.
It is great mercy. There is nothing little in God; his mercy is like himself—it is infinite. You cannot measure it. His mercy is so great that it forgives great sins to great sinners, after great lengths of time, and then gives great favours and great privileges, and raises us up to great enjoyments in the great heaven of the great God.
It is undeserved mercy, as indeed all true mercy must be, for deserved mercy is only a misnomer for justice. There was no right on the sinner’s part to the kind consideration of the Most High; had the rebel been doomed at once to eternal fire he would have richly merited the doom, and if delivered from wrath, sovereign love alone has found a cause, for there was none in the sinner himself.
It is rich mercy. Some things are great, but have little efficacy in them, but this mercy is a cordial to your drooping spirits; a golden ointment to your bleeding wounds; a heavenly bandage to your broken bones; a royal chariot for your weary feet; a bosom of love for your trembling heart. It is manifold mercy. As Bunyan says, “All the flowers in God’s garden are double.” There is no single mercy. You may think you have but one mercy, but you shall find it to be a whole cluster of mercies.
It is abounding mercy. Millions have received it, yet far from its being exhausted; it is as fresh, as full, and as free as ever.
It is unfailing mercy. It will never leave thee. If mercy be thy friend, mercy will be with thee in temptation to keep thee from yielding; with thee in trouble to prevent thee from sinking; with thee living to be the light and life of thy countenance; and with thee dying to be the joy of thy soul when earthly comfort is ebbing fast.
- C. H. Spurgeon
Meditate a little on this mercy of the Lord.
It is tender mercy. With gentle, loving touch, he healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. He is as gracious in the manner of his mercy as in the matter of it.
It is great mercy. There is nothing little in God; his mercy is like himself—it is infinite. You cannot measure it. His mercy is so great that it forgives great sins to great sinners, after great lengths of time, and then gives great favours and great privileges, and raises us up to great enjoyments in the great heaven of the great God.
It is undeserved mercy, as indeed all true mercy must be, for deserved mercy is only a misnomer for justice. There was no right on the sinner’s part to the kind consideration of the Most High; had the rebel been doomed at once to eternal fire he would have richly merited the doom, and if delivered from wrath, sovereign love alone has found a cause, for there was none in the sinner himself.
It is rich mercy. Some things are great, but have little efficacy in them, but this mercy is a cordial to your drooping spirits; a golden ointment to your bleeding wounds; a heavenly bandage to your broken bones; a royal chariot for your weary feet; a bosom of love for your trembling heart. It is manifold mercy. As Bunyan says, “All the flowers in God’s garden are double.” There is no single mercy. You may think you have but one mercy, but you shall find it to be a whole cluster of mercies.
It is abounding mercy. Millions have received it, yet far from its being exhausted; it is as fresh, as full, and as free as ever.
It is unfailing mercy. It will never leave thee. If mercy be thy friend, mercy will be with thee in temptation to keep thee from yielding; with thee in trouble to prevent thee from sinking; with thee living to be the light and life of thy countenance; and with thee dying to be the joy of thy soul when earthly comfort is ebbing fast.
- C. H. Spurgeon
Monday, August 16, 2010
Strength for the Day- His Love
"As your days, so shall your strength be." Deuteronomy 33:25
This promise ensures us suitable and sufficient strength for all future days; it is made by One who loves us dearly. He loves us! But who can describe or represent His love?
It is Infinite love--and cannot be comprehended!
It is Eternal love--and cannot be measured!
It is Unchangeable love--and cannot be diverted from its objects!
It is Sovereign love--and was fixed on them without anything in them to attract or draw it toward them!
It is Divine love deeper than a father's love, more tender than a mother's love, and stronger than a husband's love.
This Divine love is a fire that cannot be quenched, an ocean that cannot be exhausted, and a sun that will never set!
- James Smith
This promise ensures us suitable and sufficient strength for all future days; it is made by One who loves us dearly. He loves us! But who can describe or represent His love?
It is Infinite love--and cannot be comprehended!
It is Eternal love--and cannot be measured!
It is Unchangeable love--and cannot be diverted from its objects!
It is Sovereign love--and was fixed on them without anything in them to attract or draw it toward them!
It is Divine love deeper than a father's love, more tender than a mother's love, and stronger than a husband's love.
This Divine love is a fire that cannot be quenched, an ocean that cannot be exhausted, and a sun that will never set!
- James Smith
The Body is Dead Because of Sin
Not just for those with cancer, but for all –”the body is dead because of sin”, Rom 8.10. It does not say ‘will be dead’. We are all like wounded animals, going a little ways, before the arrow of sin and death takes us down. All have a terminal disease. And we ought to value and “number our days”, Psa 90.12, like a school boy in spring. It is one thing to waste money, but it is another to waste time.
I can remember like yesterday when I came to Christ. Now my almost 40 years as a Christian seem like a dream. I thought I would get so much farther. I thought I could memorize more Bible, more, more of everything, more love to Thee, O Christ. Yes, there is a place of rest –”by the grace of God we are what we are.” But any lukewarm, mediocre, casual consecration is such a deception. Puttering is so pitiful. Idling on the housetop is so dangerous. Wasted of privileges will hurt our soul at the end of our days about the same as some out-and-out sin.
Does our zeal bite a little? For the Lord Jesus, His “zeal consumed Him”, Jn 2.17. The call is to work “while it is day,” knowing Him and making Him known. When the engine is dead and the plane is going down, you’d better get as close to land and light and you can –now –for “the body is dead.”
- Bob Jennings
taken from bobjenningsjournal.com
I can remember like yesterday when I came to Christ. Now my almost 40 years as a Christian seem like a dream. I thought I would get so much farther. I thought I could memorize more Bible, more, more of everything, more love to Thee, O Christ. Yes, there is a place of rest –”by the grace of God we are what we are.” But any lukewarm, mediocre, casual consecration is such a deception. Puttering is so pitiful. Idling on the housetop is so dangerous. Wasted of privileges will hurt our soul at the end of our days about the same as some out-and-out sin.
Does our zeal bite a little? For the Lord Jesus, His “zeal consumed Him”, Jn 2.17. The call is to work “while it is day,” knowing Him and making Him known. When the engine is dead and the plane is going down, you’d better get as close to land and light and you can –now –for “the body is dead.”
- Bob Jennings
taken from bobjenningsjournal.com
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Thoughts on Sin
A ministry which is weak and flabby on the subject of sin is a useless ministry. A preaching ministry that does not result in conviction of sin is useless. If it does not wound, how can it heal? The good news is only for sinners.
- Erroll Hulse
How do we distinguish between satanic accusation and divine conviction? Among other things, the former comes in the shape of condemnation that breeds feelings of hopelessness. We are told that our sin has put us beyond the hope of grace and the power of forgiveness. Satan’s accusations are devoid of any reference to the sufficiency of the cross. Divine conviction for sin, on the other hand, comes with a reminder of the sufficiency and finality of Christ’s shed blood, together with a promise of hope and the joy of forgiveness.
- Sam Storms
- Erroll Hulse
How do we distinguish between satanic accusation and divine conviction? Among other things, the former comes in the shape of condemnation that breeds feelings of hopelessness. We are told that our sin has put us beyond the hope of grace and the power of forgiveness. Satan’s accusations are devoid of any reference to the sufficiency of the cross. Divine conviction for sin, on the other hand, comes with a reminder of the sufficiency and finality of Christ’s shed blood, together with a promise of hope and the joy of forgiveness.
- Sam Storms
Thursday, August 12, 2010
True and False Preachers
We are not the ministers of Christ if we preach in such a way that unconverted men do not know they are unconverted. Unless preachers preach so as to make the consciences of their hearers feel in what spiritual condition they are truly in, then they may be ministers of Satan, but they are not ministers of Christ.
- William Fenner (1600-1640)
- William Fenner (1600-1640)
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Holiness and Happiness
"Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus!" 1 Thessalonians 4:1-2
It is not sufficiently realized, that the Bible has far, very far, more to say about this present life than it has about the future one; that it makes known the secrets of temporal felicity, as well as everlasting bliss.
In their zeal to tell men how to escape from hell and make sure of heaven, many evangelical preachers have had all too little to say upon our conduct on earth; and consequently, many who entertain no doubts whatever that they will inhabit a mansion in the Father's house are not nearly so much concerned about their present walk and warfare as they should be; and even though they reach their desired haven, such slackness results in great loss to them now!
The teaching of Holy Scripture is the very reverse of the plan followed by many an "orthodox pulpit"! It not only gives much prominence to--but in Old and New Testament alike--its main emphasis is on our life in this world--giving instruction how we are to conduct ourselves here and now!
The central thing which we wish to make clear, and to impress upon the reader is that God has established an inseparable connection between holiness and happiness; between our pleasing of Him and our enjoyment of His richest blessing; that since we are always the losers by sinning--so we are always the gainers by walking in the paths of righteousness; and that there will be an exact ratio between the measure in which we walk therein and our enjoyment of "the peaceable fruit of righteousness" (Hebrews 12:11).
"I will be careful to lead a blameless life; I will walk in my house with blameless heart!" Psalm 101:2
"Thus you will walk in the ways of good men--and keep to the paths of the righteous." Proverbs 2:20
However distasteful to the flesh, whatever sneers it may produce from carnal professors, the Christian must rigidly and perpetually act by the rule that God has given him to walk by. In so doing, he will be immeasurably the gainer; for the path of obedience is the path of prosperity!
"Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful!" - Joshua 1:8
- A. W. Pink
It is not sufficiently realized, that the Bible has far, very far, more to say about this present life than it has about the future one; that it makes known the secrets of temporal felicity, as well as everlasting bliss.
In their zeal to tell men how to escape from hell and make sure of heaven, many evangelical preachers have had all too little to say upon our conduct on earth; and consequently, many who entertain no doubts whatever that they will inhabit a mansion in the Father's house are not nearly so much concerned about their present walk and warfare as they should be; and even though they reach their desired haven, such slackness results in great loss to them now!
The teaching of Holy Scripture is the very reverse of the plan followed by many an "orthodox pulpit"! It not only gives much prominence to--but in Old and New Testament alike--its main emphasis is on our life in this world--giving instruction how we are to conduct ourselves here and now!
The central thing which we wish to make clear, and to impress upon the reader is that God has established an inseparable connection between holiness and happiness; between our pleasing of Him and our enjoyment of His richest blessing; that since we are always the losers by sinning--so we are always the gainers by walking in the paths of righteousness; and that there will be an exact ratio between the measure in which we walk therein and our enjoyment of "the peaceable fruit of righteousness" (Hebrews 12:11).
"I will be careful to lead a blameless life; I will walk in my house with blameless heart!" Psalm 101:2
"Thus you will walk in the ways of good men--and keep to the paths of the righteous." Proverbs 2:20
However distasteful to the flesh, whatever sneers it may produce from carnal professors, the Christian must rigidly and perpetually act by the rule that God has given him to walk by. In so doing, he will be immeasurably the gainer; for the path of obedience is the path of prosperity!
"Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful!" - Joshua 1:8
- A. W. Pink
Monday, August 9, 2010
Loving Jesus with a Deeper Affection
“The upright love thee” - Song of Solomon 1:4
Believers love Jesus with a deeper affection than they dare to give to any other being. They would sooner lose father and mother than part with Christ. They hold all earthly comforts with a loose hand, but they carry him fast locked in their bosoms. They voluntarily deny themselves for his sake, but they are not to be driven to deny him. It is scant love which the fire of persecution can dry up; the true believer’s love is a deeper stream than this. Men have laboured to divide the faithful from their Master, but their attempts have been fruitless in every age. Neither crowns of honour, now frowns of anger, have untied this love-bound knot. This is no every-day attachment which the world’s power may at length dissolve. Neither man nor devil have found a key which opens this lock. Never has the craft of Satan been more at fault than when he has exercised it in seeking to rend in sunder this union of two divinely welded hearts. It is written, and nothing can blot out the sentence, “The upright love thee.”
The intensity of the love of the upright, however, is not so much to be judged by what it appears as by what the upright long for. It is our daily lament that we cannot love enough. Would that our hearts were capable of holding more, and reaching further. Like Samuel Rutherford, we sigh and cry, “Oh, for as much love as would go round about the earth, and over heaven—yea, the heaven of heavens, and ten thousand worlds—that I might let all out upon fair, fair, only fair Christ.” Alas! our longest reach is but a span of love, and our affection is but as a drop of a bucket compared with his deserts. Measure our love by our intentions, and it is high indeed; 'tis thus, we trust, our Lord doth judge of it. Oh, that we could give all the love in all hearts in one great mass, a gathering together of all loves to him who is altogether lovely!
- C. H. Spurgeon
Believers love Jesus with a deeper affection than they dare to give to any other being. They would sooner lose father and mother than part with Christ. They hold all earthly comforts with a loose hand, but they carry him fast locked in their bosoms. They voluntarily deny themselves for his sake, but they are not to be driven to deny him. It is scant love which the fire of persecution can dry up; the true believer’s love is a deeper stream than this. Men have laboured to divide the faithful from their Master, but their attempts have been fruitless in every age. Neither crowns of honour, now frowns of anger, have untied this love-bound knot. This is no every-day attachment which the world’s power may at length dissolve. Neither man nor devil have found a key which opens this lock. Never has the craft of Satan been more at fault than when he has exercised it in seeking to rend in sunder this union of two divinely welded hearts. It is written, and nothing can blot out the sentence, “The upright love thee.”
The intensity of the love of the upright, however, is not so much to be judged by what it appears as by what the upright long for. It is our daily lament that we cannot love enough. Would that our hearts were capable of holding more, and reaching further. Like Samuel Rutherford, we sigh and cry, “Oh, for as much love as would go round about the earth, and over heaven—yea, the heaven of heavens, and ten thousand worlds—that I might let all out upon fair, fair, only fair Christ.” Alas! our longest reach is but a span of love, and our affection is but as a drop of a bucket compared with his deserts. Measure our love by our intentions, and it is high indeed; 'tis thus, we trust, our Lord doth judge of it. Oh, that we could give all the love in all hearts in one great mass, a gathering together of all loves to him who is altogether lovely!
- C. H. Spurgeon
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Yonder in the Better World
“The city hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it.”
Revelation 21:23
Yonder in the better world, the inhabitants are independent of all creature comforts. They have no need of raiment; their white robes never wear out, neither shall they ever be defiled. They need no medicine to heal diseases, “for the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick.” They need no sleep to recruit their frames—they rest not day nor night, but unweariedly praise him in his temple. They need no social relationship to minister comfort, and whatever happiness they may derive from association with their fellows is not essential to their bliss, for their Lord’s society is enough for their largest desires. They need no teachers there; they doubtless commune with one another concerning the things of God, but they do not require this by way of instruction; they shall all be taught of the Lord.
Ours are the alms at the king’s gate, but they feast at the table itself. Here we lean upon the friendly arm, but there they lean upon their Beloved and upon him alone. Here we must have the help of our companions, but there they find all they want in Christ Jesus. Here we look to the meat which perisheth, and to the raiment which decays before the moth, but there they find everything in God. We use the bucket to fetch us water from the well, but there they drink from the fountain head, and put their lips down to the living water. Here the angels bring us blessings, but we shall want no messengers from heaven then. They shall need no Gabriels there to bring their love-notes from God, for there they shall see him face to face. Oh! what a blessed time shall that be when we shall have mounted above every second cause and shall rest upon the bare arm of God! What a glorious hour when God and not his creatures, the Lord and not his works, shall be our daily joy! Our souls shall then have attained the perfection of bliss.
- C. H. Spurgeon
Revelation 21:23
Yonder in the better world, the inhabitants are independent of all creature comforts. They have no need of raiment; their white robes never wear out, neither shall they ever be defiled. They need no medicine to heal diseases, “for the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick.” They need no sleep to recruit their frames—they rest not day nor night, but unweariedly praise him in his temple. They need no social relationship to minister comfort, and whatever happiness they may derive from association with their fellows is not essential to their bliss, for their Lord’s society is enough for their largest desires. They need no teachers there; they doubtless commune with one another concerning the things of God, but they do not require this by way of instruction; they shall all be taught of the Lord.
Ours are the alms at the king’s gate, but they feast at the table itself. Here we lean upon the friendly arm, but there they lean upon their Beloved and upon him alone. Here we must have the help of our companions, but there they find all they want in Christ Jesus. Here we look to the meat which perisheth, and to the raiment which decays before the moth, but there they find everything in God. We use the bucket to fetch us water from the well, but there they drink from the fountain head, and put their lips down to the living water. Here the angels bring us blessings, but we shall want no messengers from heaven then. They shall need no Gabriels there to bring their love-notes from God, for there they shall see him face to face. Oh! what a blessed time shall that be when we shall have mounted above every second cause and shall rest upon the bare arm of God! What a glorious hour when God and not his creatures, the Lord and not his works, shall be our daily joy! Our souls shall then have attained the perfection of bliss.
- C. H. Spurgeon
“Who went about doing good.”
Acts 10:38
Few words, but yet an exquisite miniature of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are not many touches, but they are the strokes of a master’s pencil. Of the Saviour, and only of the Saviour, is it true in the fullest, broadest, and most unqualified sense. “He went about doing good.” From this description it is evident that he did good personally. The evangelists constantly tell us that he touched the leper with his own finger, that he anointed the eyes of the blind, and that in cases where he was asked to speak the word only at a distance, he did not usually comply, but went himself to the sick bed, and there personally wrought the cure. A lesson to us, if we would do good, to do it ourselves. Give alms with your own hand; a kind look, or word, will enhance the value of the gift. Speak to a friend about his soul; your loving appeal will have more influence than a whole library of tracts.
Our Lord’s mode of doing good sets forth his incessant activity! He did not only the good which came close to hand, but he “went about” on his errands of mercy. Throughout the whole land of Judea there was scarcely a village which was not gladdened by the sight of him. How this reproves the creeping, loitering manner, in which many professors serve the Lord. Let us gird up the loins of our mind, and be not weary in well doing. Does not the text imply that Jesus Christ went out of his way to do good? “He went about doing good.” He was never deterred by danger or difficulty. He sought out the objects of his gracious intentions. So must we. If old plans will not answer, we must try new ones, for fresh experiments sometimes achieve more than regular methods. Christ’s perseverance, and the unity of his purpose, are also hinted at, and the practical application of the subject may be summed up in the words, “He hath left us an example that we should follow in his steps.”
- C. H. Spurgeon
Few words, but yet an exquisite miniature of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are not many touches, but they are the strokes of a master’s pencil. Of the Saviour, and only of the Saviour, is it true in the fullest, broadest, and most unqualified sense. “He went about doing good.” From this description it is evident that he did good personally. The evangelists constantly tell us that he touched the leper with his own finger, that he anointed the eyes of the blind, and that in cases where he was asked to speak the word only at a distance, he did not usually comply, but went himself to the sick bed, and there personally wrought the cure. A lesson to us, if we would do good, to do it ourselves. Give alms with your own hand; a kind look, or word, will enhance the value of the gift. Speak to a friend about his soul; your loving appeal will have more influence than a whole library of tracts.
Our Lord’s mode of doing good sets forth his incessant activity! He did not only the good which came close to hand, but he “went about” on his errands of mercy. Throughout the whole land of Judea there was scarcely a village which was not gladdened by the sight of him. How this reproves the creeping, loitering manner, in which many professors serve the Lord. Let us gird up the loins of our mind, and be not weary in well doing. Does not the text imply that Jesus Christ went out of his way to do good? “He went about doing good.” He was never deterred by danger or difficulty. He sought out the objects of his gracious intentions. So must we. If old plans will not answer, we must try new ones, for fresh experiments sometimes achieve more than regular methods. Christ’s perseverance, and the unity of his purpose, are also hinted at, and the practical application of the subject may be summed up in the words, “He hath left us an example that we should follow in his steps.”
- C. H. Spurgeon
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Some Musings for the Soul
Spiritual Awakening & Revival
“It is easier to speak about revival than to set about it.” Horatius Bonar
Obedience to Scripture
“As there is a foolish wisdom, so there is a wise ignorance in not prying into God’s ark and not inquiring into things not revealed. I would know all that I need, and all that I may, but I leave God’s secrets to Himself. It is happy for me that God includes me in His court though not as His counselor.” Joseph Hall
Preaching
“Sometimes when I have said a humorous thing in preaching, I have not asked you to excuse me, for if God has given me humor, I mean to use it in his cause; many a man has been caught, and his ear arrested, and his attention won by a quaint remark. If any one can prove it is a wickedness, and not a natural faculty, I will abandon it; but it is a faculty of nature, and it ought to be consecrated and used for the cause of Christ.”
- C.H. Spurgeon
“It is easier to speak about revival than to set about it.” Horatius Bonar
Obedience to Scripture
“As there is a foolish wisdom, so there is a wise ignorance in not prying into God’s ark and not inquiring into things not revealed. I would know all that I need, and all that I may, but I leave God’s secrets to Himself. It is happy for me that God includes me in His court though not as His counselor.” Joseph Hall
Preaching
“Sometimes when I have said a humorous thing in preaching, I have not asked you to excuse me, for if God has given me humor, I mean to use it in his cause; many a man has been caught, and his ear arrested, and his attention won by a quaint remark. If any one can prove it is a wickedness, and not a natural faculty, I will abandon it; but it is a faculty of nature, and it ought to be consecrated and used for the cause of Christ.”
- C.H. Spurgeon
Meditating on Jesus
"My meditation of Him shall be sweet!" Psalm 104:34
The Lord Jesus is the subject of my meditations. Not a day passes but my thoughts are occupied with Him. Forget whom I may, I never forget Him. Nothing feeds, nothing refreshes, nothing delights my soul like vigorous meditations on Jesus. I dwell at times on . . .
the glories of His person
the riches of His grace
the merit of His blood
the transcendent glory of His righteousness
the tenderness of His sympathy
the constancy of His love
the vastness of His resources
the greatness of His power
the glory of His offices
the prevalence of His intercession
the grandeur of His second coming
I am enamored with His beauty and enraptured with His love! My meditation of Jesus is sweet; I think of Him upon my bed, and meditate on Him through the watches of the night. Jesus is the solace and joy of my soul. When all is dark within me, when all is dreary around me, when all is discouraging before me, He fills me full of joy with His countenance.
One look from His eye, one word from His lips, and one breath breathed on my soul relieves, restores and makes me happy.
He is the river of pleasure in which I sometimes bathe; He is the Eden of delights in which I sometimes walk!
Take away Jesus and my soul droops, desponds, and dies! Give me Jesus and the enjoyment of His presence, and I can do without any other heaven! He is the joy of my brightest days, and my solace in my dreariest nights!
- James Smith
The Lord Jesus is the subject of my meditations. Not a day passes but my thoughts are occupied with Him. Forget whom I may, I never forget Him. Nothing feeds, nothing refreshes, nothing delights my soul like vigorous meditations on Jesus. I dwell at times on . . .
the glories of His person
the riches of His grace
the merit of His blood
the transcendent glory of His righteousness
the tenderness of His sympathy
the constancy of His love
the vastness of His resources
the greatness of His power
the glory of His offices
the prevalence of His intercession
the grandeur of His second coming
I am enamored with His beauty and enraptured with His love! My meditation of Jesus is sweet; I think of Him upon my bed, and meditate on Him through the watches of the night. Jesus is the solace and joy of my soul. When all is dark within me, when all is dreary around me, when all is discouraging before me, He fills me full of joy with His countenance.
One look from His eye, one word from His lips, and one breath breathed on my soul relieves, restores and makes me happy.
He is the river of pleasure in which I sometimes bathe; He is the Eden of delights in which I sometimes walk!
Take away Jesus and my soul droops, desponds, and dies! Give me Jesus and the enjoyment of His presence, and I can do without any other heaven! He is the joy of my brightest days, and my solace in my dreariest nights!
- James Smith
Monday, August 2, 2010
Your Father Knows
"Your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things!" - Matthew 6:32
Our gracious heavenly Father bids to us cast all our cares upon Him, assuring us that He cares for us!
His EYE is ever upon us! His eye is a Father's eye, which is always quick and always affects His heart. He has set His eyes upon us for good. His eye is ever over us, fixed immediately upon us!
His EAR catches our every sigh, our every groan, our every desire! It is always open to our cry. He listens to us, as one most tenderly and deeply interested in us. He knows our every need and He intends to supply us!
Our heavenly Father has forever determined that none of His children shall lack any good thing and that He will never withhold any good thing from them.
"So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things!" Matthew 6:31-32
- James Smith
Our gracious heavenly Father bids to us cast all our cares upon Him, assuring us that He cares for us!
His EYE is ever upon us! His eye is a Father's eye, which is always quick and always affects His heart. He has set His eyes upon us for good. His eye is ever over us, fixed immediately upon us!
His EAR catches our every sigh, our every groan, our every desire! It is always open to our cry. He listens to us, as one most tenderly and deeply interested in us. He knows our every need and He intends to supply us!
Our heavenly Father has forever determined that none of His children shall lack any good thing and that He will never withhold any good thing from them.
"So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things!" Matthew 6:31-32
- James Smith
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