EXCERPT
Christian music isn’t just trying to tell a story, it’s trying to make a theological argument. Unfortunately, sometimes that means that too much energy is spent making a moral case while not enough energy goes into making sure that the song, and especially the accompanying music video, is up to snuff. I’m sure that the artists, directors, writers, and everyone involved in the creation of these videos had nothing but the best intentions, but that doesn’t keep them from being dreadful, head-scratching, and hilarious in all the ways they were never intended to be.
READ / VIEW HERE>>>>>>>
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
"In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Colossians 2:3
DAILY WORDS FOR ZION'S WAYFARERSor, THROUGH BACA'S VALLEY
Selected from the works of J. C. Philpot by his daughters, 1893"In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Colossians 2:3
What poor, blind fools are we by nature! How insufficient is all our earthly wisdom and all our natural knowledge, to guide us into the truth! When the soul really is under divine teaching, how ignorant it feels as to every single thing it desires to know! What clouds of darkness perpetually hang over the mind! What a veil of ignorance seems continually spread over the heart! The simplest truths of God's word seem hidden in the deepest obscurity, and the soul can neither see the truth, nor see nor feel its personal interest in it.
Now, when a man is here, he does not go to the Lord with lying lips and a mocking tongue, and ask him to give him wisdom, merely because he has heard that other persons have asked it of God, or because he reads in the Bible that Christ is made of God "wisdom" to his people; but he goes as a poor, blind fool, as one completely ignorant, as one totally unable to understand a single spiritual truth of himself, as one thoroughly helpless to get into the marrow of vital godliness, into the mysteries of true religion, or into the very heart of Christ.
For it is not a few doctrines received into the head, nor a sound creed, that can satisfy a soul convinced of its ignorance. No; nothing can satisfy him, but to have that divine illumination, whereby he "sees light in God's light;" that spiritual wisdom communicated, whereby he feels himself "made wise unto salvation;" that unctuous light shed abroad in the heart, which is the only key to gospel truth, and is its own blessed evidence, that he knows the truth by a divine application of it to his soul.
Gaddafi causes storm in Italy after trying to convert young women to Islam
EXCERPT
The event, which repeated a similar operation on a previous visit to Rome last year, led to criticism from the media and opposition and embarrassment from many in Berlusconi's own centre-right camp.
"What would happen if a European head of state went to Libya or another Islamic country and invited everyone to convert to Christianity?" asked the newspaper Il Messagero. "We believe it would provoke very strong reactions across the Islamic world."
Several commentators accused Berlusconi of sacrificing principles and dignity for the sake of trade and investment ties with Libya, whose huge sovereign wealth fund has invested heavily in Italy in recent years.
"Ever since Gaddafi arrived here, he's been taking this country for a ride, like buying women," said Stefano Pedica, a senator from the opposition Italy of Values party.
The event, which repeated a similar operation on a previous visit to Rome last year, led to criticism from the media and opposition and embarrassment from many in Berlusconi's own centre-right camp.
"What would happen if a European head of state went to Libya or another Islamic country and invited everyone to convert to Christianity?" asked the newspaper Il Messagero. "We believe it would provoke very strong reactions across the Islamic world."
Several commentators accused Berlusconi of sacrificing principles and dignity for the sake of trade and investment ties with Libya, whose huge sovereign wealth fund has invested heavily in Italy in recent years.
"Ever since Gaddafi arrived here, he's been taking this country for a ride, like buying women," said Stefano Pedica, a senator from the opposition Italy of Values party.
Look at the King in His beauty!
(David Harsha, "Wanderings of a Pilgrim")
"Your eyes will see the King in His beauty and view a land that stretches afar." Isaiah 33:17
Contemplate your blessed Redeemer, seated on His great white throne, encircled with heavenly glory!
Look at the King in His beauty!
It is the sight of a glorified Savior—that will make the heaven of the believer.
Endeavor now, by the eye of faith, to behold the Lord Jesus in all His matchless beauty and excellence.
Contemplate . . .
His glorious character;
His infinite mercy;
His unparalleled condescension,
and His boundless love!
There is enough in Jesus to employ the soul in rapturous meditation through a vast eternity!
His excellence, His goodness, and His love—can never be fathomed!
O keep your eye fixed on this adorable Savior, while you sojourn in this valley of tears; and in a little while you shall see Him as He is; face to face, and ascribe to Him unceasing praise!
"In a loud voice they sang: Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" Revelation 5:12
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I myself will help you!
(James Smith)
"For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you: Do not fear; I will help you. Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself will help you," declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel." Isaiah 41:13-14
Wherever the Lord leads us--He will support us; nor shall the difficulties of the way, or the weakness we feel--be too much for us. His hand is stretched out to us, and it is for faith to lay hold of it and proceed, confident of divine assistance.
His omnipotent arm is the protection of His people in danger--and the strength of His people in weakness. He is "an ever-present help in times of trouble". He is a God at hand. Are you weak, or in difficulty? Plead His Word; it is plain, positive, and sure. He cannot lie. He will not deceive. His strength is made perfect, and is glorified in your weakness. Fear not, underneath you are His everlasting arms!
He CAN help--for He is omnipotent. He WILL help--for He has given you His Word. "Trust in the Lord at all times; yes, trust in the Lord forever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength!" That strength is promised to you, and will be employed for you in answer to prayer.
Why then are you so fearful? Why cast down? He says, "I myself will help you!"
link
"For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you: Do not fear; I will help you. Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself will help you," declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel." Isaiah 41:13-14
Wherever the Lord leads us--He will support us; nor shall the difficulties of the way, or the weakness we feel--be too much for us. His hand is stretched out to us, and it is for faith to lay hold of it and proceed, confident of divine assistance.
His omnipotent arm is the protection of His people in danger--and the strength of His people in weakness. He is "an ever-present help in times of trouble". He is a God at hand. Are you weak, or in difficulty? Plead His Word; it is plain, positive, and sure. He cannot lie. He will not deceive. His strength is made perfect, and is glorified in your weakness. Fear not, underneath you are His everlasting arms!
He CAN help--for He is omnipotent. He WILL help--for He has given you His Word. "Trust in the Lord at all times; yes, trust in the Lord forever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength!" That strength is promised to you, and will be employed for you in answer to prayer.
Why then are you so fearful? Why cast down? He says, "I myself will help you!"
link
Monday, August 30, 2010
Little did she know, that amid the sheaves—she would find a husband!
(Charles Spurgeon)
"Ruth left and entered the field to gather grain behind the harvesters. She happened to be in the portion of land belonging to Boaz, who was from Elimelech's family." Ruth 2:3
"Ruth left and entered the field to gather grain behind the harvesters. She happened to be in the portion of land belonging to Boaz, who was from Elimelech's family." Ruth 2:3
"She happened." Yes, it seemed nothing but an accident—but how divinely was it overruled! Ruth had gone forth with her mother-in-law's blessing, under the care of her God—to humble but honorable toil; and the providence of God was guiding her every step! Little did she know, that amid the sheaves—she would find a husband; and that he would make her the joint owner of all those broad acres; and that she, a destitute foreigner, would become an ancestor of the great Messiah!
God is very good to those who trust in Him, and often surprises them with unlooked for blessings. Little do we know what may happen to us in the future; but this sweet fact should cheer us—that nothing which is really good for us—shall be withheld from us!
The word "chance" is banished from the Christian's vocabulary—for we see the hand of God in everything. The seemingly trivial events of today or tomorrow, may involve consequences of the highest importance. Take comfort—our Lord deals as graciously with all His servants—as He did with Ruth!
~ ~ ~ ~The word "chance" is banished from the Christian's vocabulary—for we see the hand of God in everything. The seemingly trivial events of today or tomorrow, may involve consequences of the highest importance. Take comfort—our Lord deals as graciously with all His servants—as He did with Ruth!
link
When earth's wine gives out!
(J. R. Miller, "Come with Me" Daily Bible Readings in the Life of Christ, 1890)
"When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to Him: They have no more wine." John 2:3
This incident is a very fitting illustration of the failure of all this world's joys. The wine gave out at a wedding-feast. There was not enough of it to last through to the end of the feast. It is just so with all earth's pleasures. It comes in cups—not in fountains; and the supply islimited and soon exhausted. It is especially so with sin's pleasures. The prodigal soon ran out of money, and began to be in need. A poet compared the pleasures of sin to a snowflake on the river, "a moment white—then gone forever!"
But it is true in a sense also—of pure pleasures. Even the sweetness of human love is but a cupful which will not last forever. The joy which so fills us today, tomorrow is changed to sorrow. Amid the gladness of the marriage altar there is the knell of the end, in the words "until death do us part." One of every two friends must hold the other's hand in farewell at the edge of the valley of the shadow of death—and must stand by the other's grave, and walk alone for part of the way.
The best wine of earthly life and of love—will fail. If there were nothing better in this world—how sad it would be! But it is here that we see the glory of Christ's gospel. Jesus comes when earth's wine fails—and gives heaven's wine to supply the lack. How beautiful and how true is the picture here: the failing wine, and then Jesus coming with power and supplying the need! That is what He is doing continually. He takes lives which have drained their last drop of earthly gladness—and He satisfies them with spiritual good and blessing, so that they need nothing more.
When human joy fails—Jesus gives new joy, better than the world's, and in unfailing abundance. How sad it is for those who have not taken Christ into their lives, and who have nothing but the empty cup—when earth's wine gives out!
"When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to Him: They have no more wine." John 2:3
This incident is a very fitting illustration of the failure of all this world's joys. The wine gave out at a wedding-feast. There was not enough of it to last through to the end of the feast. It is just so with all earth's pleasures. It comes in cups—not in fountains; and the supply islimited and soon exhausted. It is especially so with sin's pleasures. The prodigal soon ran out of money, and began to be in need. A poet compared the pleasures of sin to a snowflake on the river, "a moment white—then gone forever!"
But it is true in a sense also—of pure pleasures. Even the sweetness of human love is but a cupful which will not last forever. The joy which so fills us today, tomorrow is changed to sorrow. Amid the gladness of the marriage altar there is the knell of the end, in the words "until death do us part." One of every two friends must hold the other's hand in farewell at the edge of the valley of the shadow of death—and must stand by the other's grave, and walk alone for part of the way.
The best wine of earthly life and of love—will fail. If there were nothing better in this world—how sad it would be! But it is here that we see the glory of Christ's gospel. Jesus comes when earth's wine fails—and gives heaven's wine to supply the lack. How beautiful and how true is the picture here: the failing wine, and then Jesus coming with power and supplying the need! That is what He is doing continually. He takes lives which have drained their last drop of earthly gladness—and He satisfies them with spiritual good and blessing, so that they need nothing more.
When human joy fails—Jesus gives new joy, better than the world's, and in unfailing abundance. How sad it is for those who have not taken Christ into their lives, and who have nothing but the empty cup—when earth's wine gives out!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Discontent!
(Arthur Pink, "Comfort for Christians")
"I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." Philippians 4:11
Contentment is the being satisfied with the sovereign dispensations of God's providence. It is the opposite of murmuring, which is the spirit of rebellion—the clay saying to the Potter, "Why have You made me thus?" Instead of complaining at his lot—a contented man is thankful that his condition and circumstances are no worse than they are.
Discontent! Was there ever a time when there was so much discontent and restlessness in the world, as there is today? We very much doubt it. Despite our boasted progress, the vast increase of wealth, the time and money expended daily in pleasure—discontent is everywhere! No class is exempt. Everything is in a state of flux, and almost everybody is dissatisfied. Many even among God's own people are affected with the evil spirit of this age.
Contentment! Is such a thing realizable, or is it nothing more than a beautiful ideal, a mere dream of the poet? Is it attainable on earth, or is it restricted to the inhabitants of heaven? If feasible here and now—may it be retained—or are a few brief moments or hours of contentment the most that we may expect in this life?
The force of Paul's statement will be better appreciated, if his condition and circumstances at the time he made it, are kept in mind. When the apostle wrote the words, he was not luxuriating in a special suite in the Emperor's palace—but was in prison "in chains". The contentment which Paul enjoyed, was not the result of congenial and comfortable surroundings. Most people suppose that contentment is impossible, unless one can have the desires of the carnal heart gratified. A prison is the last place to which they would go—if they were seeking a contented man. This much, then, is clear—contentment comes from within not without; it must be sought from God, not in creature comforts.
Now, there is a vast difference between precept and practice, between the ideal and the realization. But in the case of Paul, contentment was an actual experience! It was something he had learned in the school of Christian experience.
"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said—Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5
"I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." Philippians 4:11
Contentment is the being satisfied with the sovereign dispensations of God's providence. It is the opposite of murmuring, which is the spirit of rebellion—the clay saying to the Potter, "Why have You made me thus?" Instead of complaining at his lot—a contented man is thankful that his condition and circumstances are no worse than they are.
Discontent! Was there ever a time when there was so much discontent and restlessness in the world, as there is today? We very much doubt it. Despite our boasted progress, the vast increase of wealth, the time and money expended daily in pleasure—discontent is everywhere! No class is exempt. Everything is in a state of flux, and almost everybody is dissatisfied. Many even among God's own people are affected with the evil spirit of this age.
Contentment! Is such a thing realizable, or is it nothing more than a beautiful ideal, a mere dream of the poet? Is it attainable on earth, or is it restricted to the inhabitants of heaven? If feasible here and now—may it be retained—or are a few brief moments or hours of contentment the most that we may expect in this life?
The force of Paul's statement will be better appreciated, if his condition and circumstances at the time he made it, are kept in mind. When the apostle wrote the words, he was not luxuriating in a special suite in the Emperor's palace—but was in prison "in chains". The contentment which Paul enjoyed, was not the result of congenial and comfortable surroundings. Most people suppose that contentment is impossible, unless one can have the desires of the carnal heart gratified. A prison is the last place to which they would go—if they were seeking a contented man. This much, then, is clear—contentment comes from within not without; it must be sought from God, not in creature comforts.
Now, there is a vast difference between precept and practice, between the ideal and the realization. But in the case of Paul, contentment was an actual experience! It was something he had learned in the school of Christian experience.
"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said—Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
We owe everything to grace!
(James Smith, "The Believer's Triumph" 1862)
Glory be to God, for making us, who were once
children of wrath--and consequently heirs of hell--
children of grace--and consequently heirs of heaven!
We owe everything to grace--free grace, sovereign grace!
Our heavenly heavenly Father requires us . . .
to believe Him without questioning,
to obey Him without objecting,
to follow Him without hesitating, and
to submit to Him without murmuring or complaining.
As God's chosen, adopted, and redeemed children
--filial love, filial confidence, and filial obedience,
should characterize our lives.
"For the grace of God that brings salvation has
appeared to all men. It teaches us to say 'No'
to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live
self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this
present age, while we wait for the blessed hope
--the glorious appearing of our great God and
Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to
redeem us from all wickedness, and to purify for
Himself a people that are His very own, eager
to do good works." Titus 2:11-14
link
Glory be to God, for making us, who were once
children of wrath--and consequently heirs of hell--
children of grace--and consequently heirs of heaven!
We owe everything to grace--free grace, sovereign grace!
Our heavenly heavenly Father requires us . . .
to believe Him without questioning,
to obey Him without objecting,
to follow Him without hesitating, and
to submit to Him without murmuring or complaining.
As God's chosen, adopted, and redeemed children
--filial love, filial confidence, and filial obedience,
should characterize our lives.
"For the grace of God that brings salvation has
appeared to all men. It teaches us to say 'No'
to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live
self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this
present age, while we wait for the blessed hope
--the glorious appearing of our great God and
Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to
redeem us from all wickedness, and to purify for
Himself a people that are His very own, eager
to do good works." Titus 2:11-14
link
Readiness for God - Oswald Chambers
MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST
Hymn:" Brightest and Best of the Stars" played on pipe organ
Sunday, August 29, 2010
THE SONG OF SOLOMON: Chapter 2.
Commentary by Henry Law, 1879
2:1. "I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys."
It is a precious exercise to seek for Jesus in the pages of His Word. The same pursuit is also precious in the field of nature. His beckoning hand ofttimes directs our search. He, who in the days of His flesh, said, "I am the true vine," here by the Spirit depicts Himself as "the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys."
He selects the garden's pride, and the lowly valley's charm, as emblems of Himself. While we behold them, may we receive refreshing lessons!
In the garden, no flower in loveliness can surpass the rose. In the tender bud, and in the expanded flower, rare beauty shines. Streams of fragrance float around. So, also, in the sequestered valley, the lily shows its modest head. Its graceful form attracts delighted gaze--its exquisite perfume enlivens the sense of smell. The union of these choice delights shows Jesus in all the perfections of His beauty, grace, and glorious worth. But no emblems can fully paint the perfections of Him, who is the brightness of His Father's glory, and the express image of His person--the chief among ten thousand, the altogether lovely One.
More than image can express the transcendent excellence that is combined in Him. His name is as perfume poured forth. Every thought of Him delights and cheers, invigorates and gladdens, the believing heart. The objects here selected are often in our view. May we never see them without delightedly ascending to their great Anti-type!
THE BELIEVER'S SUFFICIENCY OF GOD
WORDS OF DIVINE COMFORT
by Octavius Winslow, 1872"Then I said, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak--for I am a child. But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child--for you shall go to all that I shall send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Be not afraid of their faces--for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord."--Jer. 1:6-8
Such was the spirit, and such the prayer, of the weeping prophet Jeremiah, in view of the great mission to which God now called him. How instructive the words! Learn, my soul, this, among other lessons taught by His servant, that before the Lord exalts, He lays us low; before He places a believer in some position of distinction in the Church, or calls him to any great and holy service in the world, He first empties him of all vain and foolish conceit of his own wisdom, power, and holiness; imbuing him with a lowly, obedient, and docile spirit; acknowledging, "Lord, I am but a child; I know not how to go out or how to come in." Is the Lord thus dealing with you, my soul? is He mowing down by His Spirit your fancied strength, worthiness, and importance? or, is He causing you to pass through some fiery trial, and the flame scorching and consuming?
Accept this discipline of God as but intended to prepare you for a higher office, a holier mission, greater usefulness in the Church and the world, for which, in the purpose of His grace, He has ordained you. By this training of sorrow and suffering and emptying, you shall become a "vessel unto honor, sanctified and fit for the Master's use, and prepared unto every good work."
"You shall go to all that I shall send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Be not afraid, for I am with you, to deliver you, says the Lord." This "thus says the Lord" is enough to quell every fear, to meet every objection, and to inspire the timid servant of the Lord with a giant's strength, and a martyr's fortitude in the "kingdom and patience of Christ." "I am with you, says the Lord."
You may shrink at the call of God from a sense of personal unfitness; you may plead your educational deficiency--your lack of wisdom--of years--or of eloquence--exclaiming, "Lord, I know not how to speak, or how to act, for I am but a child in knowledge, in experience, in strength;"--but, listen to the word of the Lord, "Fear not, I am with you." Enough! O my Lord, put forth Your hand and touch my mouth as You did Your servant Jeremiah, clothing and sanctifying my tongue with heavenly wisdom and grace, that, with a power and a wisdom higher and holier than my own, I may speak a word for You, for Christ, for truth.
Learn, my soul, that in all holy service for God and for man, your true sufficiency is of God. Ever be anxious only to obey His call, to go where He shall send you, to speak what He shall command you, not afraid of the stern look, and frowning brow, and angry countenance of man; for your God is with you to defend you, and to give you a mouth and wisdom, such as all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay or resist. In all your needs, trials, and service, do not forget, O my soul, that it has pleased the Father that all fullness of grace, and wisdom, and strength, and sympathy, should dwell in Jesus. To Him repair with every need, spiritual and temporal. Draw frequently and largely from this inexhaustible Treasury, living by faith as a personal pensioner upon His personal bounty.
He can make you strong to bear, eloquent to speak, patient to endure, meek to suffer, wise as the serpent, harmless as the dove, a lamb in your gentleness, a giant in your might, a martyr in your fortitude. "With Christ strengthening me, I can do all things." "My grace is sufficient for you." Forward, then, in duty, forward in service, forward in suffering, mortifying the flesh, crucifying the world, resisting the devil, strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and realizing moment by moment that, "as your day is so shall your strength be." "OUR SUFFICIENCY IS OF GOD."
"One trial more must yet be past,
One pang--the keenest and the last;
And when, with brow convulsed and pale,
My feeble, quivering heart-strings fail,
Redeemer! grant my soul to see
That, 'as her days, her strength shall be.'"
One pang--the keenest and the last;
And when, with brow convulsed and pale,
My feeble, quivering heart-strings fail,
Redeemer! grant my soul to see
That, 'as her days, her strength shall be.'"
"Wait on the Lord." Psalm 27:14
Morning and Evening
by Charles Spurgeon
August 30 — Morning
"Wait on the Lord." Psalm 27:14
It may seem an easy thing to wait—but it is one of the postures which a Christian soldier cannot learn, without years of teaching. Marching and fighting are much easier to God's warriors—thanstanding still. There are hours of perplexity when the most willing spirit, anxiously desirous to serve the Lord, knows not which part to take. Then what shall it do? Vex itself by despair? Fly back incowardice, turn to the right hand in fear, or rush forward in presumption? No—but simply WAIT.
Wait in prayer, however. Call upon God, and spread the case before Him; tell Him your difficulty, and plead His promise of aid. In dilemmas between one duty and another, it is sweet to be humble as a child, and wait with simplicity of soul upon the Lord. It is sure to be well with us—when we feel and know our own folly, and are heartily willing to be guided by the will of God.
But wait in faith. Express your unstaggering confidence in Him; for unfaithful, untrusting waiting, is but an insult to the Lord. Believe that if He keeps you tarrying even until midnight—yet He will come at the right time; the vision shall come—and shall not tarry.
Wait in quiet patience, not rebelling because you are under the affliction—but blessing your God for it. Never murmur against the second cause, as the children of Israel did against Moses; never wish you could go back to the world again—but accept the case as it is, and put it as it stands, simply and with your whole heart, without any self-will, into the hand of your covenant God, saying, "Now, Lord, not my will—but Yours be done. I know not what to do; I am brought to extremities—but I will wait until You shall cleave the floods, or drive back my foes. I will wait, if You delay many a day—for my heart is fixed upon You alone, O God, and my spirit waits for You in the full conviction that You will yet be my joy and my salvation, my refuge and my strong tower!"
Matthew 20:1-16. The parable of the laborers in the vineyard.
A Devotional Commentary on the Gospels
By Favell Lee Mortimer (1802—1878)
Our Savior himself tells us what is the meaning of this parable. This is the explanation he gave—"The last shall be first, and the first last; for many are called, but few chosen." Those who arefirst in their own eyes, will be last in the great day of reckoning; and those who are last in their own eyes, will then be first. This seems to be the meaning of the parable. We have no reason to believe that all will have an equal reward in the last day—the parable of the talents seems to prove that there will be different degrees of glory in the world to come.
In the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, there is a representation of the feelings of self-righteous Pharisees toward penitent publicans. They were enraged at the idea of open sinners partaking with them of heavenly bliss. Self-righteous people, who have led a correct life, imagine that they are better than those who turn to God late in life. They think they deserve great reward for their self-denial. How much will they be astonished at the decisions of the last day!
Then they will see open sinners, who have repented, admitted into God's presence, and they themselves thrust out! Little do they think that even a murderer, who truly repents in his last hour, is loved of God, while professors of religion, who have never repented, are hateful in his sight! Such impenitent people will not be received into heaven. But they will have the torment of beholding those whom they despised, welcomed by saints and angels, arrayed in white robes, and adorned with golden crowns.
How much more exasperated will they be at this sight than the envious laborers were at the sight of the wages given to those who had worked but one hour! When they see penitent sinners received and rewarded, they will expect to be still more favored and still more honored. But they will be bitterly disappointed. They will then find that there is no mansion prepared for them in the celestial city.
The Lord's true servants are not like the murmuring laborers. If called early to work in his vineyard, they rejoice the more. They are not proud of having spent their youth in the service of God, butthankful for the great mercy shown to them. They pity those who were groaning under the bondage of Satan, while they were rejoicing in the liberty of Christ.
How different from theirs was the spirit of those laborers who said, they had borne the burden and heat of the day! Those who do not loveGod, find his commandments grievous; but those who have experienced his pardoning mercy, call his yoke easy and his burden light.
Do we think those the happiest who spend their lives in sin, and who, like the dying thief, are pardoned in their expiring moments? Or do we esteem those happiest who serve the Lord, like Joseph, from their youth, or like Samuel, from early childhood?
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Always Now
 By Oswald Chambers |
'We ... beseech you that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.'
2 Corinthians 6:1
The grace you had yesterday will not do for to-day. Grace is the overflowing favour of God; you can always reckon it is there to draw upon. "In much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses" - that is where the test for patience comes. Are you failing the grace of God there? Are you saying - Oh, well, I won't count this time? It is not a question of praying and asking God to help you; it is taking the grace of God now. We make prayer the preparation for work, it is never that in the Bible. Prayer is the exercise of drawing on the grace of God. Don't say - I will endure this until I can get away and pray. Pray now; draw on the grace of God in the moment of need. Prayer is the most practical thing, it is not the reflex action of devotion. Prayer is the last thing in which we learn to draw on God's grace.
"In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours" - in all these things manifest a drawing upon the grace of God that will make you a marvel to yourself and to others. Draw now, not presently. The one word in the spiritual vocabulary is Now. Let circumstances bring you where they will, keep drawing on the grace of God in every conceivable condition you may be in. One of the greatest proofs that you are drawing on the grace of God is that you can be humiliated without manifesting the slightest trace of anything but His grace.
"Having nothing . . ." Never reserve anything. Pour out the best you have, and always be poor. Never be diplomatic and careful about the treasure God gives. This is poverty triumphant.
LINK
Psalm 2
Commentary by Henry Law
To oppose the kingdom of Christ is utterly vain, because it is established by the Father's power, and by the provisions of the eternal decree. Holy exhortation follows. May faith read reverently the prophetic hymn!
1. "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?"
Pious anticipation might exclaim--Surely, when Jesus comes to bless this earth, adoring welcomes will receive Him. Surely each heart will call Him to its throne; each knee will bow; each tongue will shout His praise; thanksgivings will encircle Him. Those who thus reason little know the devil's power and man's rebellious wickedness. The Spirit's eye foresees the black reality. Among the heathen rage shall be rampant. The favored nation shall plot destruction. How base, how vain is this iniquity! It may well be asked, What prompts this hatred? Why does this frenzy madden?
2. "The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed One."
Those who occupy earth's highest seats are fiercest to oppose Jesus. The Herods and Pilates take determined stand. The council of the priests and elders meet in secret assembly. In the beginning it was so. The same hatred has defiled succeeding thrones and courts. Against whom is this rage? Tremble, O earth, turn pale, you heavens. This fury assails the Lord Jehovah and His beloved Son. The Father sends the Son anointed by the Spirit to be the promised Savior, to execute the all-saving offices of Prophet, Priest, and King, to bless the Church with every blessing. And earth's chiefs combine to tread Him beneath insulting feet. Give ear! this is their frantic cry--
3. "Let us break their chains," they cry, "and free ourselves from this slavery."
Self-will rejects restraint. Pride will not yield to rule. Licentiousness surmounts all barriers. Conceited reason lifts up defiant head. The gentle scepter of Christ's kingdom, His sweet, His light, His easy, and His loving yoke, are hated as chains which restrain and cords which fetter. When Jesus came, earth raised the cry, "We will not have this man to reign over us." It still resounds. When will man learn that widest liberty is true submission to the Gospel sway? He is a free man whom the Son makes free. He is a slave in whom unbridled lusts and passions rule. But can proud man prevail? Can he drive back the ocean's might with a feather? Can he lift up his puny hand, and bid the sun conceal its rays? Can he with straws bind the hurricane? Can he lay mountains low, exalt the valleys, and change the laws of nature? Can he scale heaven and dethrone our God? Such, doubtless, is his frantic will. But give ear again;
4. "He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall have them in derision."
Let us lift up our eyes to God. He sits upon His throne on high; while earth is all unsettled, wild in mad menace, He reigns in calm repose. The Spirit here takes images from human feeling to depict His unruffled contempt. God laughs derisively, when puny efforts dash their feebleness against overpowering strength. Thus God shows undisturbed disdain of human fury.
5. "Then shall He speak to them in His wrath, and vex them in His sore displeasure."
God may be silent long; but patience is not impunity. Reprieve brings not release. When the appointed time comes, the floodgates open and wrath overflows. Who can conceive these terrors? What must His displeasure be? Who can endure when His anger issues forth? What weeping, what wailing, what anguish, what gnashing of teeth, when God arises to execute due judgment on His foes!
6. "Yet have I set My King upon My holy hill of Zion."
To oppose the kingdom of Christ is utterly vain, because it is established by the Father's power, and by the provisions of the eternal decree. Holy exhortation follows. May faith read reverently the prophetic hymn!
1. "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?"
Pious anticipation might exclaim--Surely, when Jesus comes to bless this earth, adoring welcomes will receive Him. Surely each heart will call Him to its throne; each knee will bow; each tongue will shout His praise; thanksgivings will encircle Him. Those who thus reason little know the devil's power and man's rebellious wickedness. The Spirit's eye foresees the black reality. Among the heathen rage shall be rampant. The favored nation shall plot destruction. How base, how vain is this iniquity! It may well be asked, What prompts this hatred? Why does this frenzy madden?
2. "The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed One."
Those who occupy earth's highest seats are fiercest to oppose Jesus. The Herods and Pilates take determined stand. The council of the priests and elders meet in secret assembly. In the beginning it was so. The same hatred has defiled succeeding thrones and courts. Against whom is this rage? Tremble, O earth, turn pale, you heavens. This fury assails the Lord Jehovah and His beloved Son. The Father sends the Son anointed by the Spirit to be the promised Savior, to execute the all-saving offices of Prophet, Priest, and King, to bless the Church with every blessing. And earth's chiefs combine to tread Him beneath insulting feet. Give ear! this is their frantic cry--
3. "Let us break their chains," they cry, "and free ourselves from this slavery."
Self-will rejects restraint. Pride will not yield to rule. Licentiousness surmounts all barriers. Conceited reason lifts up defiant head. The gentle scepter of Christ's kingdom, His sweet, His light, His easy, and His loving yoke, are hated as chains which restrain and cords which fetter. When Jesus came, earth raised the cry, "We will not have this man to reign over us." It still resounds. When will man learn that widest liberty is true submission to the Gospel sway? He is a free man whom the Son makes free. He is a slave in whom unbridled lusts and passions rule. But can proud man prevail? Can he drive back the ocean's might with a feather? Can he lift up his puny hand, and bid the sun conceal its rays? Can he with straws bind the hurricane? Can he lay mountains low, exalt the valleys, and change the laws of nature? Can he scale heaven and dethrone our God? Such, doubtless, is his frantic will. But give ear again;
4. "He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall have them in derision."
Let us lift up our eyes to God. He sits upon His throne on high; while earth is all unsettled, wild in mad menace, He reigns in calm repose. The Spirit here takes images from human feeling to depict His unruffled contempt. God laughs derisively, when puny efforts dash their feebleness against overpowering strength. Thus God shows undisturbed disdain of human fury.
5. "Then shall He speak to them in His wrath, and vex them in His sore displeasure."
God may be silent long; but patience is not impunity. Reprieve brings not release. When the appointed time comes, the floodgates open and wrath overflows. Who can conceive these terrors? What must His displeasure be? Who can endure when His anger issues forth? What weeping, what wailing, what anguish, what gnashing of teeth, when God arises to execute due judgment on His foes!
6. "Yet have I set My King upon My holy hill of Zion."
BALANCED CHRISTIANITY (1)
Vol. 48, No. 5
September -- October, 1970
September -- October, 1970
By G. H. Lang A. 1. Man is conscious of two worlds, an outer and an inner, a public and a private, an objective and a subjective. He is conscious also that these two worlds act and react upon each other, he is influenced by that world around and he in turn influences it. 2. He is further conscious that his own inner and private world is a triple realm, each of the three elements of which interact upon one another. In the one realm work thoughts, ideas, reasonings, plans. These thoughts upon various subjects arouse feelings, of love or hatred, likes or dislikes, affection or aversion. In the third realm of his inner life which man can distinguish he observes the will at work; he makes decisions for or against a proposed action or course. This triple and interacting world is termed the heart, because it is the centre of man's whole life, and out of it flow the issues of life, as the blood flows from the physical heart to all parts of man's body. 3. Man is further and painfully conscious that both the world around and the world within are in disorder. Something is radically wrong with both. The physical world and its forces now help him, now hurt him. The moral influences, also, of the beings he touches are now a blessing, now a bane, now they purify him, now corrupt him; and he thus influences others. 4. Moreover, the uniform experience of all mankind, continued through thousands of years, has proved man's personal and complete inability to reduce to order either the world without or the world within. The confusion and corruption of both are more awful today than ever. Each man knows that his thoughts are never absolutely right, true, correct, pure. He thinks wrongly, forms opinions that usually need correcting, has ideas that he knows are foul, or cruel, or unworthy. These he can never wholly exclude, or dismiss, or purify. He knows, too, that his feelings are more or less selfish, prejudiced, deceitful, and are all too likely to hurry him into actions he knows to be unwise or wrong. He is also aware that his will is inconstant, unreliable, too easily swayed by his desires or dislikes, and too often divided, distracted, that is, dragged in opposite directions. To right-minded persons all this is a cause of grief and deep solicitude: but what can be done? In his soberer moments man responds sadly to the cry of the old writer: "Wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me?" (Romans 7:24). |
THE GLORY OF GOD
2. GLORY ONLY IN THE NEWNESS OF RESURRECTION LIFE
[T. Austin-Sparks]
Reading: John 11
WE turn again to this eleventh chapter of the Gospel by John, and I would remind you that this chapter represents the culmination of the life, teaching and works of the Lord Jesus during the days of His flesh. This is quite evident, for you notice that in verse 47 it says: "The chief priests therefore and the Pharisees gathered a council, and said, What do we?" The rest of the chapter shows that this was the last of a number of such councils, and it was in this last council that they decided definitely and finally that this Man must die. So here we have that which marks the culmination of His life and work at that time. The finality is not by the act, but is the fullness of the very purpose for which He came, and, more than that, it is the fullness of Divine counsels.
Behind this chapter there are two things. There are the eternal counsels of God coming to their completion in His Son at this time, and then there are the counsels contrary to God which are seeking to bring that Son to an end, to destroy Him. The Divine counsels are summed up in what is in this chapter. No doubt you have read it many times and perhaps you think you know it. If you were asked what John eleven is about most of you would say: 'Well, of course, it is the chapter about the raising of Lazarus from the dead', and perhaps that is all that you would have to say about it. [103/104] In so saying (forgive me if this sounds a bit critical of your apprehension) you indicate how really you have missed the way. Of course, we have all said that in time past, but as we have gone on we have come to see something more, and that is that this chapter contains all the major features and factors of God's ways unto glory. Have you grasped that? The end of all God's ways and works is glory, His own glory. It sometimes seems a tortuous way, as these sisters felt it to be while it lasted. It sometimes seems to be anything but glory, and you might very well decide, as perhaps these sisters decided at a certain point, that the end is not glory. You might feel that all this sorrow, distress, disappointment and despair could not lead to glory, but all that, from God's standpoint, is the way of glory and is unto glory.
Let me repeat: when God takes anything in hand -- and you really must lay hold of this! -- the end is going to be His glory. You need make no mistake whatever about that! The end of all God's ways is His glory. Read your Bible in the light of that, and you have the whole Bible in one chapter -- the eleventh chapter of John.
FACTORS IN THE WAYS OF GOD UNTO GLORY
[T. Austin-Sparks]
Reading: John 11
WE turn again to this eleventh chapter of the Gospel by John, and I would remind you that this chapter represents the culmination of the life, teaching and works of the Lord Jesus during the days of His flesh. This is quite evident, for you notice that in verse 47 it says: "The chief priests therefore and the Pharisees gathered a council, and said, What do we?" The rest of the chapter shows that this was the last of a number of such councils, and it was in this last council that they decided definitely and finally that this Man must die. So here we have that which marks the culmination of His life and work at that time. The finality is not by the act, but is the fullness of the very purpose for which He came, and, more than that, it is the fullness of Divine counsels.
Behind this chapter there are two things. There are the eternal counsels of God coming to their completion in His Son at this time, and then there are the counsels contrary to God which are seeking to bring that Son to an end, to destroy Him. The Divine counsels are summed up in what is in this chapter. No doubt you have read it many times and perhaps you think you know it. If you were asked what John eleven is about most of you would say: 'Well, of course, it is the chapter about the raising of Lazarus from the dead', and perhaps that is all that you would have to say about it. [103/104] In so saying (forgive me if this sounds a bit critical of your apprehension) you indicate how really you have missed the way. Of course, we have all said that in time past, but as we have gone on we have come to see something more, and that is that this chapter contains all the major features and factors of God's ways unto glory. Have you grasped that? The end of all God's ways and works is glory, His own glory. It sometimes seems a tortuous way, as these sisters felt it to be while it lasted. It sometimes seems to be anything but glory, and you might very well decide, as perhaps these sisters decided at a certain point, that the end is not glory. You might feel that all this sorrow, distress, disappointment and despair could not lead to glory, but all that, from God's standpoint, is the way of glory and is unto glory.
Let me repeat: when God takes anything in hand -- and you really must lay hold of this! -- the end is going to be His glory. You need make no mistake whatever about that! The end of all God's ways is His glory. Read your Bible in the light of that, and you have the whole Bible in one chapter -- the eleventh chapter of John.
FACTORS IN THE WAYS OF GOD UNTO GLORY
Friday, August 27, 2010
Want to Run Away?
By Warren Wiersbe
Read Psalm 11:1-7
Have you ever felt like running away? "In the Lord I put my trust; how can you say to my soul, 'Flee as a bird to your mountain'?" (v. 1). All of us have days when we feel like quitting. We throw up our hands and say, "That's it. I've had it, and I'm leaving."
At times we do need to get away to rest and regain our perspec-tive. Our Lord Jesus said to His disciples, "Let's just depart and rest a while." Vance Havner once remarked, "If you don't come apart and rest, you'll just come apart." But the psalmist was not talking about a vacation. "The wicked bend their bow" (v. 2). He was saying, "The wicked are doing this and that. Let's get out of here and go to some mountaintop and have a good Bible conference."
When you feel like running or flying away, remember, God's throne is secure. The Lord is in His holy temple. In a difficult time Isaiah looked up and saw the Lord on His throne, high and lifted up. In the Book of Revelation, John saw the Lord on His throne, and it gave him new courage.
Don't flee to a mountain; flee to the throne of grace. When you feel like quitting or running away, remember that you can't run away from your troubles and you can't run away from yourself. The solution is not running away; it's running to. It's running to the throne of grace and finding grace to help in time of need.
Those times when you feel like quitting can be times of great opportunity, for God uses your troubles to help you grow. When you feel like running away, claim your privilege as a child of God and approach the throne of grace. There you will find the personal and tailored help you need.
link
Read Psalm 11:1-7
Have you ever felt like running away? "In the Lord I put my trust; how can you say to my soul, 'Flee as a bird to your mountain'?" (v. 1). All of us have days when we feel like quitting. We throw up our hands and say, "That's it. I've had it, and I'm leaving."
At times we do need to get away to rest and regain our perspec-tive. Our Lord Jesus said to His disciples, "Let's just depart and rest a while." Vance Havner once remarked, "If you don't come apart and rest, you'll just come apart." But the psalmist was not talking about a vacation. "The wicked bend their bow" (v. 2). He was saying, "The wicked are doing this and that. Let's get out of here and go to some mountaintop and have a good Bible conference."
When you feel like running or flying away, remember, God's throne is secure. The Lord is in His holy temple. In a difficult time Isaiah looked up and saw the Lord on His throne, high and lifted up. In the Book of Revelation, John saw the Lord on His throne, and it gave him new courage.
Don't flee to a mountain; flee to the throne of grace. When you feel like quitting or running away, remember that you can't run away from your troubles and you can't run away from yourself. The solution is not running away; it's running to. It's running to the throne of grace and finding grace to help in time of need.
Those times when you feel like quitting can be times of great opportunity, for God uses your troubles to help you grow. When you feel like running away, claim your privilege as a child of God and approach the throne of grace. There you will find the personal and tailored help you need.
link
The Mighty Watcher, and His Twofold Work
Preached at Providence Chapel, London,
on July 11, 1847, by J. C. Philpot
on July 11, 1847, by J. C. Philpot
"And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict—so I will watch over them, to build, and to plant," says the Lord. Jeremiah 31:28
True religion—vital godliness, (the words with me are synonymous), has two sides to it. And by this mark it is distinguished from all pretension, without actual possession.
If, for instance, we cast a glance at the profession of some, it is all upon the bright side of things. Constant, unwavering assurance, continually triumphing in Christ, complete victory over doubt, fear, sin, and Satan—is the staple of their religion. And they would gladly have you believe, that they are actually and experimentally before God what they profess to be before men. But when we come with close and searching eye to watch the fruits, internal and external, that spring from this 'splendid profession', how little do they correspond with the profession itself! Pride, covetousness, worldly-mindedness, levity, frivolity, a hard, contentious spirit, irreverence in divine things, bitter and contemptuous speeches against God's tried and tempted family, intermingling with politics, and, in many cases, love of strong drink, running heedlessly into debt, and general looseness of conduct—how often are these dark marks stamped upon this bright profession of 'always triumphing in Christ!'
But again. We may cast a glance at others who are always upon the dark side; who never seem to rise beyond a knowledge of the evils of their heart, and the power of temptation; who are continually falling into open sin, and seem to know nothing of faith in Christ, of hope in his mercy, of love to his name, nor any deliverance from time to time by the hand of God from besetting lusts; nor again, anything of sighs, cries, groans, holy mourning, godly sorrow, or self-loathing for their vileness and baseness. The staple of their religion, as well as the warp and weft in the web of their conversation, is man's fallen condition by nature, and his helplessness and weakness; and yet this seems more expressed than felt, as sin never appears their grief and burden.
Thus of these two classes in the religious world, one is all upon the malady, the other all upon the remedy; both hold truth doctrinally, but each only a part of truth; and the work of the Spirit upon the heart seems to both alike unknown.
From these two extremes, true religion, vital godliness, is distinguished by having two sides, and these as intimately and closely connected as the mortice and the tenon. It is not all light, it is not all darkness—it is not all faith, it is not all unbelief—it is not all joy, it is not all sorrow—it is not all life and holiness, it is not all death and devilism. And I think, if God enables us to see the mind of the Spirit in the words before us, we shall discover something of these two sides in our text; and then it will be found not a dream of the brain, not a fiction of mine or of any other man's imagination, not a crafty substitution of mere natural feelings and nervous impressions for the work of the Holy Spirit upon the heart—in a word, not "a cunningly devised fable," but a spiritual reality, and one which God himself has stamped with his own divine testimony.
Two things we may observe, then, in the words before us. First, the watching of God to pull down; and secondly, the watching of God tobuild up. And these two things, corresponding to the two clauses of our text, I shall, as the Lord may give strength, wisdom, and utterance, endeavor to set before you this evening.
I. The watching of God to PULL DOWN. "And it shall come to pass, that like as I have WATCHED over them, to pluck up, and tobreak down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict." Every expression here demands a separate examination. Gods word cannot be lightly passed over. Every syllable dictated by the Holy Spirit is pregnant with instruction—and if we cannot dig deep into this mine of spiritual and experimental truth, the fault is not in the mine, but in the miner. The vein of spiritual ore is deep and inexhaustible. We indeed may not have wisdom or experience to penetrate beyond the surface; but let us not complain of the thinness of the vein when we should rather complain of our ignorance how to reach the treasure that couches beneath.
"Lamenting Over the Sins of Our Nation and the Church"
aflame4God
This song was written by South Africans and sung by South Africans. It came from an old cassette tape of mine from 1986. The tape is called, "We See a New Africa".
This very moving song "Lament", can apply to us personally and to any nation, not just Africa. I must say the lyrics are heartbreaking and true.!!
This song was written by South Africans and sung by South Africans. It came from an old cassette tape of mine from 1986. The tape is called, "We See a New Africa".
This very moving song "Lament", can apply to us personally and to any nation, not just Africa. I must say the lyrics are heartbreaking and true.!!
Do not 'pick the lock' to which He has allowed no key!
Choice excerpts from Thomas Sherman
"The secret things belong to the LORD our God; but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law." Deuteronomy 29:29
Do not be anxious to understand the secrets of God. Do not 'pick the lock' to which He has allowed no key! He who will be scanning every cloud—may be smitten with a thunderbolt; and he who will labor to pry into God's secrets—may be overwhelmed with His judgments!
Adam would presumptuously increase his knowledge; therefore Adam dreadfully lost his goodness! The Bethshemites would pry into the ark of God; therefore the hand of God slew more than fifty thousand of them!
For my part, I will carefully improve myself by things revealed, and not presumptuously inquire into, or after, what He has concealed.
Do not be anxious to understand the secrets of God. Do not 'pick the lock' to which He has allowed no key! He who will be scanning every cloud—may be smitten with a thunderbolt; and he who will labor to pry into God's secrets—may be overwhelmed with His judgments!
Adam would presumptuously increase his knowledge; therefore Adam dreadfully lost his goodness! The Bethshemites would pry into the ark of God; therefore the hand of God slew more than fifty thousand of them!
For my part, I will carefully improve myself by things revealed, and not presumptuously inquire into, or after, what He has concealed.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
No Comparison!
James Smith, 1862
"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
The mortification of sin—proves that we have the life of God;
the life of God—proves that we are the children of God;
being the children of God—proves that we are the heirs of God;
and being the heirs of God—proves that our inheritance is sure!
the life of God—proves that we are the children of God;
being the children of God—proves that we are the heirs of God;
and being the heirs of God—proves that our inheritance is sure!
We shall share with Christ. We shall share as Christ, being joint heirs with him. As we shall be like Christ in his glory—we must be first conformed to him in his humiliation; and if we are conformed to Jesus when he humbled himself, we shall suffer, and perhaps suffer greatly. But however great, varied, or long-continued our sufferings may be, we are encouraged to endure them with patience and fortitude from the conclusion of the apostle, when he says, "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). Let us consider,
The Comparison. Paul compares present sufferings—with future glory. Believers are exposed to all kinds of suffering, and instead of obtaining an exemption on the ground of their sonship or heirship, they are assured that it is through much tribulation they must enter into the kingdom of God. How much some suffer in mind from doubts and fears, from horrid suggestions, vile insinuations, and violent temptations, from the working of corruption, and the constant conflict between the flesh and the spirit!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
A cooler hell
Thomas Brooks
"God, I thank You that I'm not like other people—greedy,
unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get."
Luke 18:11-12
Many please and satisfy themselves with mere civility and
common morality. They bless themselves that they are not
swearers, nor drunkards, nor extortioners, nor adulterers,
etc. Their behavior is civil, sincere, harmless, and blameless.
But civility is not sanctity. Civility rested in—is but a beautiful
abomination—a smooth way to hell and destruction.
Civility is very often . . .
the nurse of impiety,
the mother of flattery, and
an enemy to real sanctity.
There are those who are so blinded with the fair shows of
civility—that they can neither see the necessity nor beauty
of sanctity. There are those who now bless themselves in
their common morality, whom at last God will scorn and
cast off for lack of real holiness and purity.
A moral man may be an utter stranger . . .
to God,
to Christ,
to Scripture,
to the filthiness of sin,
to the depths and devices of Satan,
to their own hearts,
to the new birth,
to the great concerns of eternity,
to communion with Christ,
to the secret and inward ways and workings of the Spirit.
Well, sirs, remember this—though the moral man is good for
many things—yet he is not good enough to go to heaven! He
who rises to no higher pitch than civility and morality—shall
never have communion with God in glory. The most moral
man in the world, may be both Christless and graceless.
Morality is not sufficient to keep a man out of eternal misery.
All morality can do, is to help a man to one of the best rooms
and easiest beds which hell affords! For, as the moral man's
sins are not so great as others—so his punishments shall not
be so great as others. This is all the comfort that can be given
to a moral man—that he shall have a cooler hell than
others have. But this is but cold comfort.
Morality without piety is as a body without a soul. Will
God ever accept of such a stinking sacrifice? Surely not!
"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even
look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have
mercy on me, a sinner.' I tell you that this man, rather than
the other, went home justified before God." Luke 18:13-14
link
"God, I thank You that I'm not like other people—greedy,
unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get."
Luke 18:11-12
Many please and satisfy themselves with mere civility and
common morality. They bless themselves that they are not
swearers, nor drunkards, nor extortioners, nor adulterers,
etc. Their behavior is civil, sincere, harmless, and blameless.
But civility is not sanctity. Civility rested in—is but a beautiful
abomination—a smooth way to hell and destruction.
Civility is very often . . .
the nurse of impiety,
the mother of flattery, and
an enemy to real sanctity.
There are those who are so blinded with the fair shows of
civility—that they can neither see the necessity nor beauty
of sanctity. There are those who now bless themselves in
their common morality, whom at last God will scorn and
cast off for lack of real holiness and purity.
A moral man may be an utter stranger . . .
to God,
to Christ,
to Scripture,
to the filthiness of sin,
to the depths and devices of Satan,
to their own hearts,
to the new birth,
to the great concerns of eternity,
to communion with Christ,
to the secret and inward ways and workings of the Spirit.
Well, sirs, remember this—though the moral man is good for
many things—yet he is not good enough to go to heaven! He
who rises to no higher pitch than civility and morality—shall
never have communion with God in glory. The most moral
man in the world, may be both Christless and graceless.
Morality is not sufficient to keep a man out of eternal misery.
All morality can do, is to help a man to one of the best rooms
and easiest beds which hell affords! For, as the moral man's
sins are not so great as others—so his punishments shall not
be so great as others. This is all the comfort that can be given
to a moral man—that he shall have a cooler hell than
others have. But this is but cold comfort.
Morality without piety is as a body without a soul. Will
God ever accept of such a stinking sacrifice? Surely not!
"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even
look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have
mercy on me, a sinner.' I tell you that this man, rather than
the other, went home justified before God." Luke 18:13-14
link
Divine Reasonings Of Faith
'But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.'
Matthew 6:33
Immediately we look at these words of Jesus, we find them the most revolutionary statement human ears ever listened to. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God." We argue in exactly the opposite way, even the most spiritually-minded of us - "But I must live; I must make so much money; I must be clothed; I must be fed." The great concern of our lives is not the kingdom of God, but how we are to fit ourselves to live. Jesus reverses the order: Get rightly related to God first, maintain that as the great care of your life, and never put the concern of your care on the other things.
"Take no thought for your life. . . ." Our Lord points out the utter unreasonableness from His standpoint of being so anxious over the means of living. Jesus is not saying that the man who takes thought for nothing is blessed - that man is a fool. Jesus taught that a disciple has to make his relationship to God the dominating concentration of his life, and to be carefully careless about every thing else in comparison to that. Jesus is saying - "Don't make the ruling factor of your life what you shall eat and what you shall drink, but be concentrated absolutely on God." Some people are careless over what they eat and drink, and they suffer for it; they are careless about what they wear, and they look as they have no business to look; they are careless about their earthly affairs, and God holds them responsible. Jesus is saying that the great care of the life is to put the relationship to God first, and everything else second.
It is one of the severest disciplines of the Christian life to allow the Holy Spirit to bring us into harmony with the teaching of Jesus in these verses.
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