What We See

What We See

By T. Austin-Sparks


      "I beheld the Lord always before my face" (Acts 2:25).

      The last part of that quotation could rightly define the nature and object of the ministry of this little paper.

      Not to propagate a teaching as such; not to constitute a new community; not to support a particular 'movement'; but truly and solely to bring and keep the Lord Jesus in view in ever-growing fulness: that is its object. It seeks to be occupied with the far-reaching purpose of God concerning His Son, Jesus our Lord.

      In this connection, and according to the above quotation from David, it is impressive and instructive to note what a great influence on life the matter of seeing, or beholding, has.

      It can be truly said that a great deal of what we are, and therefore of the effect that we have in this world, is the result of our seeing. There is much truth in the saying that we become like that upon which our eyes are mainly focused. This can be seen in national characteristics. The arid, austere, hard, cold, and colourless regions of the world produce a hard, austere and matter-of-fact type of people. The colourful, verdant, soft, warm and fertile realms, where nature has not to be coerced but only guided, produce colourful and easygoing people with more artistic and sentimental natures. Small and restricted surroundings produce small minds, with limited interests and understanding. The dwellers in the spheres of far distances and massive dimensions are venturesome, bold, and generous, with enterprise almost audacious. This is a general rule with occasional and particular modifications or variations. It points to the effect on an individual or a community, consciously or unconsciously, of that which is continually before their eyes.

      The Bible takes much account of this fact and carries it over to all its parallels in the spiritual life. Indeed, it puts every stage and phase of the Christian life upon the basis of seeing.

      The initiation or beginning of the Christian life is the result of 'beholding the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world' (John 1:29).

      There were various objects of sacrifice in the great typological system in Israel, but the lamb was the centre of all. Their history as a nation began with the Passover lamb. They were ever and always reminded of that beginning by the yearly Passover. They looked upon the lamb as bearing their sin and judgment, although itself 'without spot or blemish', and knew that it was God's lamb pointed out and provided for them to look upon.

      The New Testament brings the Lamb of God into view and calls for beholding. That word means more than 'take a look', 'glance your eyes toward Him'. It means, 'fasten your gaze upon Him'. It is the gaze of need, of a quest; of desperation, if you will.

      "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth" (Isaiah 45:22).

      Then the Bible places upon the same basis the whole matter of our progressive transformation.

      "Beholding... we are changed into the same image" (2 Cor. 3:18).

      It is not an effort to form some mental picture of Jesus. In the Apostolic writings He is presented to us, and for us, from various vital standpoints, by the One who knows Him best and most fully.

      In 'Romans', for instance, He is comprehensively presented as the essential righteousness of God provided where none can be found otherwise, but without which there is no hope at all for man or creation.

      This is not an introduction to the books of the New Testament, but a pointer to Him and an indication as to how, as we are found looking at Him - not at the writers - an influence upon our character toward His likeness will follow.

Look at the King in His beauty!

 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. 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! Look at the King in His beauty!

"Yes, He is altogether lovely. This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend!" Song of Songs 5:16

Satan in a Rage - Charles Spurgeon Audio Sermons

When The Trumpet Of The Lord Shall Sound

"I lead in the way of righteousness." Proverbs 8:20

J. C. Philpot - Daily Portions

"I lead in the way of righteousness." Proverbs 8:20

How does the Lord Jesus--who speaks here under the name of Wisdom--lead his saints "in the way of righteousness?"

 By casting a mysterious light into their souls, whereby they see what the word of God has revealed, and shedding abroad a mysterious power in their hearts, whereby faith is created, to receive, lay hold of, and credit that which God has made known. 

We may read the word of God for ever in vain, unless that word is made life and light to our souls; but when the Lord the Spirit, whose covenant office and work it is to take of the things of Jesus and reveal them to the heart, sheds a mysterious and blessed light upon those Scriptures which speak of Jesus as the law-fulfiller, as having brought in a glorious righteousness, and at the same moment is pleased to raise up faith and power in the heart to receive, credit, embrace, and handle what he has thus revealed, then by his own persuasive power he leads the soul "in the way of righteousness." 

And O what a wonderful way it is! that God should ever find out such a way, as to make all his people righteous, by imputing to them another's righteousness!

 It will be the wonder, the song of saints through all eternity; it will exhaust all the depths of their finite wisdom to look into these secrets of wisdom, love, and power. 

Yea, the angels themselves, who so far exceed men in wisdom, are represented as "desiring to look into" these things, and therefore when the ark was made, and the mercy seat put over the tables which were inclosed therein, the seraphim were framed as looking down upon this golden mercy seat, representing how the height, breadth, length, and depth of these mysteries overpass even the faculties of the angels themselves.

What Will God Do Next?

What Will God Do Next?

By T. Austin-Sparks




This is an inquiry, not a prophecy. That a new thing needs to be done by the Lord is a growing conviction of many of His servants and people. But is there any reason why we should expect a new movement or further step on the part of the Lord?

The answer could be given in various ways. From time to time in the world's history there have been definite and distinct movements in relation to spiritual interests. These movements have usually, if not invariably, been when conditions were very similar to those which exist at such a time as this.

The tide of real spiritual lifestyle has run well out, and things spiritually had become very shallow and superficial.

What there was of activity was work by its own motive-force. That is to say, it was carried on by human energy and interests, it was producing its own dynamic.

By various and many forms of organized enterprise, with their interest, appeal, and propaganda, that which was called "the work of God" was kept going.

      Then, the things of God had become very set. A tradition became established, and everything was according to the tradition, the accepted and recognized order, way, teaching, and means. There was no way for God to do what He would, because anything not according to the established custom was suspect. Thus He was fettered by the fixed traditions which governed His people's minds.

The Lord was straitened in His people by their own finality of position, while at the same time they were aware that all was not well. The result was that, in most instances, the new Divine reaction had to be made outside of the recognized order and system of things; and, for a long time, the living thing had to go on in face of a strong and serious opposition, not from the world, but from those who were supposed to stand for God on the earth.

      This involves a matter of the most vital concern to our main inquiry - What will God do next?

      God has never yet moved from any other standpoint and position than fullness and finality. Man's first day on the earth was the Sabbath, which was at the end of God's work.

Man did not start with God in the fragments and bits of His work. When the new corporate Man came in on the Day of Pentecost it was upon a basis of fullness and finality in Christ exalted.

The history of God's specific movements with the Church is not the history of His adding something, but of His bringing back to the primal fullness with which He filled His Son. Look at the epochs in the Church's history and you will see that they represented the recovery of something which had been lost.

God can therefore never be satisfied with something which only represents an elementary, or more or less, degree of the fullness of Christ.

Any movement of God which is taken hold of by man and made something in itself as an end, whether it be evangelism or a fuller message of life, and truth, or whether it be an advance in order or method of Church life and procedure, must sooner or later become a tradition and a legal system, bereft of life and heavenly fullness.

      God ever seeks to carry His people on to "full growth" which, with Him, is the timeless fullness of Christ. If there is yet to be an advance made to a position beyond what has been, those (they may be comparatively few) who will make it will be brought to a deeper realization than ever of the failure and impotence of traditional Christianity as it exists.

They may strain and strive and hurl themselves into it to try to improve it, but they will break themselves upon it, and will eventually, in the mercy of God, come to see that the old wineskin; cannot be given the new wine. God must do a new thing, and He must have a clear way for doing it.

      So we ask, are we not being hedged up to something untraditional and extra to what has been? Is not God bringing much of that which has been used in the past under the hammer?

We have to admit a question as to whether God is willing to revive that which has taken the mold of men's various and conflicting religious orders and systems, or whether He will not transcend all such and move apart from it.

 It will be a costly business for all who are a part of it, especially the instruments used for it, and they will have to be very broken and emptied vessels.



In keeping with T. Austin-Sparks' wishes that what was freely received should be freely given, his writings are not copyrighted. Therefore, we ask if you choose to share them with others, please respect his wishes and offer them freely - free of changes, free of charge and free of copyright.

Who were these 144,000?

Who were these 144,000?
(Charles Spurgeon, "Heavenly Music!")

"Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000 who had His Father's name written on their foreheads." Revelation 14:1

Who were these 144,000 "who had His Father's name written on their foreheads?"

Not Bs for "Baptists,"
nor Ws for "Wesleyans,"
nor Es for "Established Church."

They had their Father's name and nobody else's. What a deal of fuss is made on earth about our distinctions! We think such a deal about belonging to this denomination or the other.

Why, if you were to go to Heaven's gates, and ask if they had any Baptists there, the angel would only look at you, puzzled.

If you were to ask if they had any Wesleyans or members of the Established Church, he would say, "Nothing of the sort!"

But if you were to ask him whether they had any Christians there, "Ay," he would say, "an abundance of them! They are all one now—all are called by one name. The old brands have been obliterated, and now they have not the name of this man or the other. They have the name of God, even their Father, stamped on their brow!"

Learn then dear friends, whatever the denomination to which you belong, to be charitable to your brethren and kind to them—seeing that, after all, the name you now hold here will be forgotten in Heaven, and only your Father's name will be known there.

Treasury of David: Commentary on Psalm 27 / Charles Spurgeon (audio book)

There is A Fountain Filled With Blood (Hymn with music and words) - William Cowper

Wheresoever the Lord our God forbade us. Deu 2:37 (R. V.)

               

Our Daily Homily


Wheresoever the Lord our God forbade us. Deu 2:37 (R. V.)

This chapter is full of restrictions and prohibitions. There were territories which Israel was forbidden to enter at that time; though afterward, in the days of David, Solomon, and Hezekiah, they were all included in the possessions of the chosen people.

There are temporary limitations in all lives. Paul was forbidden to preach the Word in Asia, when first he came on its frontiers; though two or three years after he so filled it with his teaching that the trade of the silversmiths, who made shrines for Diana, was affected.

Limitations in our Usefulness. - Provinces of holy endeavor seem shut against you, as the Gentile world from the public ministry of Jesus.

Nevertheless, do your best in what is open, as He did for the Jews, and the rest will be unbarred; but if not, in God's good time, the field will be cultivated by hands specially instructed and prepared.

Limitations in Knowledge. - There are mysteries which, in the earlier stages of their experience, are not made known to the saints; but which we come to know, as we follow on to know the Lord. And while there may be much in God's providence that is difficult to understand, yet our knowledge of Himself may increase as the years go by, until we glory in this, that we understand and know Him (Jer 9:23).

Limitations in Experience. - Not to every one is it given to feel Christ's love as Rutherford did. Some are excluded from the sunny realms, as Cowper was. Such is the choice of God for them, and it must be best; but they shall all attain one day to the stature of the perfect man, and possess the blessedness from which they are now restrained.

"Ye shall receive the power of the Holy Ghost" (Acts i. 8).

Days of Heaven Upon Earth

"Ye shall receive the power of the Holy Ghost" (Acts i. 8).

There is power for us if we have the Holy Ghost. God wants us to speak to men so that they will feel it, so that they will never forget it.

God means every Christian to be effective, to count in the actual records and results of Christian work. Dear friends, God sent you here to be a power yourself.

There is not one of you but is an essential wheel of the machinery, and can accomplish all that God calls you to. I solemnly believe that there is not a thing that God expects of man but that God will give the man power to do.

There is not a claim God makes on you or me but God will stand up to, and will give what He commands.

I believe when Christ Jesus lived and died and sent down the Holy Ghost, He sent resources for all our need, and that there is no place for failure in Christian life if we will take God's resources. 

Jesus, the ascended One, and the Holy Ghost, the indwelling energy, life and efficiency of God, are sufficient for all possible emergencies.

Do you believe this? If you believe it, let Him into your heart, without reserve and allow Him to control and work through you to-day by His power.

Wise Forgetfulness

Things That Matter Most: Chapter 29 - Wise Forgetfulness

By John Henry Jowett


IT was a wise and comprehensive prayer which the old saint offered when he said, "Lord, help us to remember what we ought not to forget, and to forget what we ought not to remember."

Our memories are very defective, arid very erratic, and very unsanctified. Oliver Wendell Holmes said that "Memory is a crazy witch; she treasures bits of rags and straw, and throws her jewels out of the window." And memory remains capricious even when life has entered into the highest relations and has made a faith-covenant with the eternal God.

We forget the way the Lord our God has led us. We forget all His benefits. We forget that we were "cleansed from our old sins." The remembrance of His mercy sometimes goes clean out of our mind. Memory has some very big holes, and some big things drop away into oblivion.

But just now I want to consider the other aspect of her vagaries, her careful hoarding of things which she ought to throw away, the diligent remembrance of things which ought to be forgotten.

There are some things for which we need mnemonic aids; there are other things for which we require mnemonic an#230;sthetics.

If at some times the memory needs refreshing, at other times there is dire need of spring cleaning when her rubbish can be swept away. The full sanctification of memory, while it will vitalize some relationships, will surely destroy the sensitiveness of others.

It would be a blessed thing if we could lose the remembrance of our injuries. For one thing, the sense of injury is aggravated by remembrance. A spark is fanned into a flame, and "behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth." And in that fire it is our own furniture which is consumed. 

Some very precious furnishings of the soul are burned to ruin: Self-reverence and self-control are destroyed. Gentleness and modesty wither away like the undergrowth in a forest fire. Indeed, every power in life is damaged, even conscience herself being seared. But apart from these moral damages, what an uncomfortable guest this is to entertain in one's remembrance! She keeps us continually ruffled and feverish. She fills the chambers of .the soul with heaviness and gloom. She despoils us of the sweet sunshine of grace, and she sours every feast. Why should we keep her? Above all, why should we give her so much attention? For when she absorbs the attention the Lord Himself is eclipsed.

 If this bitter resentment could just become incarnate, and in visible ugliness could sit with us at our table, we should very speedily order her out of the house. If memory could lose her we should have great gain. If only we could forget her we should more clearly remember the Lord.

The Love of Many Shall Wax Cold - Matthew Henry (narration with text)

This is the carrion upon which such vultures feed!

Bible Truths Illustrated

J.C. Pittman, 1917

Many assume an attitude of superiority over others. They arrogate to themselves work which rightly belongs to God. 

They love to sit in judgment, heeding not the command: "Judge not — lest you be judged" Matthew 7:1. Fault-finding is their forte. They are never happy unless making others miserable. They close their eyes to the good — but never fail to notice inconsistencies, shams, abuses, and so on. This is the carrion upon which such vultures feed!

Such a censorious spirit is detrimental to the interests of Christ's kingdom. Such a spirit is injurious to self. 

The hyper-critical hurl their anathemas, forgetting that they rebound upon themselves. "For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you!" Matthew 7:2. 
We would be more slow to judge, if we realized that the judgment we utter transfers us instantly from the judge's bench to the prisoner's bar.

God is our Judge, and the judgment, which follows wrong-doing as surely as day follows night, is coming. "You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat!" Romans 14:10

Judge not your neighbor — until you have put yourself in his place!

"Great peace have those who love your law" Psalm 119:165

Bible Truths Illustrated

J.C. Pittman, 1917

"Great peace have those who love your law" Psalm 119:165

To such, Christ bequeaths His own peace. "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you!" John 14:17.

 It is a peace, said our Lord, unlike that which the world bestows. It is of a much higher kind — a peace which is peculiar to Christ, uninfluenced by the adverse forces of the world; a peace "which surpasses all understanding!" Philippians 4:7

The possession of such peace does not render us immune from conflict — but it . . .
  gives us calmness of soul amid the fiercest strife,
  guards our hearts and thoughts in Christ Jesus,
  and imparts the utmost assurance of ultimate victory!

Songs in the Night! - Charles Spurgeon Sermon

Are We Playing by the Book?

Are We Playing by the Book?

By Vance Havner



When a group of small boys, out to play ball, arrived at the play ground, they discovered that no one had brought a ball. "Forget the ball," said one impatiently. "Let's get on with the game."

We are trying to play without the ball when the Church tries to evangelize before she has repented. The Church can do many things after she has repented but nothing until first she repents...

The Pharisees had many good points. Our Lord said, in effect, "Do as they say." They read the Scriptures, prayed, went to God's house, tithed, and lived separated lives. They were anxious to preserve religion in Israel. 

Winning converts to the religion of Moses had been a good and right thing to do. But their religion had become institutionalized, and now they were propagating a dead faith, and every, new convert was a twofold child of hell, a lost heathen, and a lost proselyte. 

Generally, we are propagating today a degenerate brand of Christianity. Unless the church repents, and has a complete overhauling instead of a tune-up job, our evangelistic and missionary drives may add for the most part only a multitude of proselytes who are both unsaved pagans and unregenerated church members. Like produces like. Worldly churches produce more worldly church members. 

Churches weak or unsound in doctrine produce more of the same variety. Churches that operate in the energy of the flesh instead of by the Holy Spirit produce more of the same kind. We must improve the present quality of our churches, for converts tend to take on the qualities of the people who convert them...

If God ever visits us again in real revival, there will be many red faces as churchmen and religious leaders blush and hang their heads in shame for the silly and stupid ways in which we have tried to promote the work of God in the energy of the flesh by the help of the world. Drama will be unnecessary. We may not even need great preachers! 

Gospel jazz will slink away, and we shall be chagrined that we ever sank so low as to tolerate it. All this will vanish in the blinding light of the holiness of God, and no flesh will glory in His presence...

There is no greater hindrance to revival than a comfortable pastor settled and satisfied, coasting along until he reaches retirement, who does not want his flock disturbed or the status quo upset. He has long since lost his burden and concern for a mighty upheaval of God among the resters at ease in Zion. He resents any intrusion into the complacency of a sleeping church, and interprets the prophet's call to repentance as an indictment of his own preaching. 

He is determined not to get excited, assumes a philosophical tolerance of things as they are, and he may speak facetiously of the prophet's seriousness. 

Sometimes his own people may get under conviction, and put him to shame by a concern he does not seem to feel. This makes it exceedingly difficult for any revivalist calling Christians to repentance, but what a delight when pastor and prophet stand together! 

Most pastors understand that the traveling prophet can say things the pastor cannot say-that he fills a different role and follows an utterly different pattern. They complement each other. 

One plants, another waters, but God gives the increase. The teacher plants the seed, the pastor cultivates the crop, the evangelist gathers it, but the prophet must first break up the fallow ground. 

Breaking up the ground is never a pleasant, comfortable business, and churches sometimes resent the plow of plain preaching. 

Blessed is the pastor who knows this, and stands behind the lonely prophet who calls the church to repentance...

Corrie Ten Boom - The Holy Spirit Gives Power

Pithy gems from H.W. Beecher

Pithy gems from H.W. Beecher, 1813-1887


The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common everyday things.

~ ~ ~ ~

The Bible is God's chart for you to steer by—to keep you from the bottom of the sea, and to show you where the harbor is, and how to reach it without running on the rocks!

~ ~ ~ ~

No physician ever weighed out medicine to his patients with half so much care and exactness, as God weighs out to us every trial. Not one grain too much does He ever permit to be put in the scale!

~ ~ ~ ~

In the family, happiness is in the proportion in which each is serving the others, seeking one another's good, and bearing one another's burdens.

Obeying God

Obeying God

By A.W. Tozer





The second question is: How many are worthy to hear His voice?

 In Acts 13:46b Paul and Barnabas told the people, "Since you reject it . . . we now turn to the Gentiles."

This is a terrible judgment. But here is the gist of what I want to say: A radical and sweeping reformation is imperative among the people called Christians--Protestants generally and evangelicals in particular.

What is meant by reformation? Some may recoil from that word; I have heard people say, "I do not believe in reformation--I believe in regeneration."

That sounds good and it gets some amens, but the fact is, if you do not have reformation you cannot have regeneration. The Holy Spirit will not come and regenerate carnal, stubborn people who will not obey Him.g

 First there must be a reformation. Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool" (Isaiah 1:16-18).

"Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield—your very great reward!" Genesis 15:1

Every Day!

Author unknown, 1872 

"Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield—your very great reward!" Genesis 15:1

We live in a world of dangers, and we are entirely unable to protect ourselves. But when, in the consciousness of our own weakness, we commit ourselves into the hands of our Almighty Savior—He takes us under His protection, and to each weak but trusting one He says, "Do not be afraid—I am your Shield!" 

O Lord, speak these words to my heart in the hour of exposure to temporal peril; so will my anxious fears be allayed, I shall be kept quiet from fear of evil, and be assured that You will either preserve me from injury, or overrule it for good.

In the hour of trial and sore temptation, again speak to me, and say, "I am your Shield"—and help me to retreat under Your sheltering wings.

When my spiritual foes gather round, and I am filled with dismay at their number and malignity, again say to me, "Fear not—I am your Shield!" So shall I be inspired with fresh courage, and in Your strength shall fight and conquer.

And when the last enemy stares me in the face, and the grave opens to my view, speak once more to Your servant, O Lord, and say, "I am your Shield!" So shall I be delivered from my fears, and be enabled to exclaim, "O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

"How are Your servants blessed, O Lord!
 How sure is their defense!
 Eternal Wisdom is their guide;
 Their shield, Omnipotence!"

Thoughts on the Last Battle - Charles Spurgeon Sermon

"That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us" (Rom. viii. 4).

Days of Heaven Upon Earth

By A.B. SIMPSON 

"That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us" (Rom. viii. 4).

Beloved friends, do you know the mistake some of you are making? Some of you say: "It is not possible for me to be good; no man ever was perfect, and it is no use for me to try." That is the mistake many of you are making.

I agree with the first sentence, "No man ever was perfect"; but I don't agree with the second, "There is no use trying." There is a divine righteousness that we may have.

I don't mean merely that which pardons your sins--I believe that, too--but I mean far more; I mean that which comes into your soul and unites itself with the fibers of your being; I mean Christ; your life, your purity, making you feel as Christ feels; think as Christ thinks, love as Christ loves, hate as Christ hates, and be "partakers of the divine nature."

 That is God's righteousness; "that the righteousness of the law might be fulfiled in us," not by us, but in us; not our hands and feet merely, but our very instincts, our very desires, our very nature springing up in harmony with His own.

Have you got Him, dear friends? He will come and fulfil all right things in you if to-day you will open your heart.

The inheritance of Zelophehad unto his daughters. Num 36:2

Our Daily Homily

F.B. Meyer

The inheritance of Zelophehad unto his daughters. Num 36:2

From the earliest, the germ-principle of the emancipation of woman, and her right to stand on an equality with man, is recognized in Scripture. 

These women were heiresses in their own right, and might marry as they thought best. Christianity in this respect, as in so many others, is the fulfillment of the Divine thought in the older dispensation.

 Ruth was the prototype of Mary of Bethany; Rahab of the Syrophenician woman; Hagar of Lydia.

The inheritance of woman in the nature of Christ. - There are certain qualities in the Son of Man peculiarly adapted for the heart of woman.

 Tenderness for her many tears - -" Woman, why weepest thou?" 

Sympathy in her quest for a love that will not fail - " Mary." 

An answer to her many questions - "Woman, believe Me." 

Strength for her clinging weakness - " Forbid her not." 

Hope for her despair - " If thou couldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God."

 O woman, remember Him who is the counterpart of thy need, and offers thee Himself. "The same is my sister."

The inheritance of woman in the work of Christ. - She is called to enrich men by bringing to them her inheritance.

 So the daughters of Zelophehad brought their land to their husbands, and the women bore the tidings of the risen Lord to the disciples. 

Thus women, receiving much from fellowship with Christ, come to men, steeped in materialism and sense, telling of a purer, fairer life, and summoning them to inherit it. 

Well is it for the home where this principle is recognized, and where the wife and mother is ever feeding her soul with noble ideals, to correct the false estimates that too much contact with men of the world are apt to induce in those she loves!

The World Turned Upside Down - Charles Spurgeon Sermon

'When they did not find them, they began dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have upset the world have come here also' Acts 17:6 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

 The World Turned Upside Down - Charles Spurgeon Sermon

This is mercy!

(Letters of William Romaine, 1714-1795)

This is mercy!

"But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to Heaven, but was beating his chest, saying: God, be merciful to me, the sinner!" Luke 18:13

"He redeems your life from destruction; He crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies!" Psalm 103:4

My dear friend,

What thanks ought we to give to our gracious Lord for all of His mercies to us!

I can look back upon every part of my life, and upon it all I can write, "This is mercy!"

Oh, it is all, from first to last, to those who are chosen and called and believe and live by faith in the Son of God, MERCY—from everlasting to everlasting! Mercy before time, mercy in time, mercy beyond time!

Where is the fountainhead, the spring of this mercy? What gives rise to it?
Nothing but the sovereign grace and free love of the purpose and heart of God Himself.

But on whom do the streams of this fountain flow with their quickening, comforting, sanctifying, glorifying streams?

On the miserable sinner, and none else; for none else are the objects of mercy. On such as you and me! Mercy has made a rich provision . . .
  to supply all our needs,
  to pardon all our sins,
  to save us from all punishment,
  to entitle us to all glory!

"I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever!" Psalm 89:1

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God." Romans 12:1

The greatest miracle that God does today!

The greatest miracle that God does today!

(Leonard Ravenhill)

The greatest miracle that God does today, is to
take an unholy man out of an unholy world,
and make that unholy man holy,
and put him back into that unholy world,
and keep him holy in it!

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17

Here is another short insightful quote from Ravenhill, "Thousands of preachers who would not dare cut Hell out of their Bibles, have cut it out of their preaching!"

I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold!

I will purify them like silver and purify them like gold!

(Alexander Smellie, "The Hour of Silence" 1899)

"I will bring this third part through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold!" Zechariah 13:9

I gather from this verse, that though the days are ever so evil, God will always have His chosen ones. There always is the third part — there always are the few in Sardis, who walk with Christ in white. I trust that I belong to the little flock.

I learn also that, though the members of His Church are insignificant in this evil world — they are very precious to Jesus. He compares them not to dull lead — but to silver and gold. He has Himself clothed them with their attractiveness. My Lord, I draw my silvery sheen and golden brightness from You alone.

But I see that, as beloved as His people are, it is His purpose to refine them. The jeweler uses every method to beautify the metals which he prizes most. If the citizens of this world escape the sharpness of God's discipline — the citizens of the heavenly Kingdom cannot. He chastens me, because He loves me!

And I find, too, that the sorrow may be very severe. He brings His children through the fire — the quivering and scorching fire! "I have refined you in the furnace of suffering!" Isaiah 48:10


"For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it!" Hebrews 12:11.

Oh that blessed Afterward! The fire purifies the dross from me; it kindles my hidden graces to life!

I will never leave you nor forsake you!

I will never leave you nor forsake you!

(James Smith, "The Pastor's Morning Visit" 1840)

"God Himself has said: I will never leave you nor forsake you!" Hebrews 13:5

The Lord's redeemed people are never alone!

God is with them as an Observer. He notices their . . .
every thought,
every word,
every action,
every trial,
every foe,
every danger.

He is with His people . . .
as a Father — loving and holding communion with them;
as the Lord Almighty — having all power to help them;
as a Guide — to wisely lead them;
as an Advocate — to plead their cause;
as a Friend — to supply and comfort them;
as a Savior — to deliver and protect them;
as a holy, sin-hating God — to purify them!

He is present with them . . .
to try them,
to reprove them,
to humble them,
to preserve them,
to comfort them, and
to save them with an everlasting salvation!

Beloved, let us remember that God is with us — everywhere and always! This precious truth will . . .
check levity,
prevent impatience,
make us people of integrity,
encourage prayerfulness,
inspire us with fortitude,
and produce diligence.

If God is with us thus — then He is for us! And if God is for us — then who can effectually be against us?

"So be strong and courageous! For the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you!" Deuteronomy 31:6

The worst part of you!

The worst part of you!

(Daniel de Superville, 1657-1728)

People often say, "I have my faults, but at the bottom I have a good heart."

A good heart! Alas! it is this that deceives you, for your heart is the worst part of you!

"The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked!
 Who really knows how bad it is?" Jeremiah 17:9

The politicians, the philosophers, the sages of the world, are all shams!
What have they done toward the cure of the human heart?

Blessed be God! We recover more by the second Adam, than we lost by the first!

"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean;
 I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.
 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you;
 I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
 I will put My Spirit in you and cause you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws."
    Ezekiel 36:25-27

One of the best jewels we have!

One of the best jewels we have!

(Sir Matthew Hale, 1609-1676)


"Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life." Psalm 39:4

Laziness grows on people; it begins in cobwebs, and ends in iron chains!

Be frugal with your time; it is one of the best jewels we have!

This is the very hell of Hell to the damned spirits—that they had once a time wherein they might have procured everlasting bliss and glory; but they foolishly and vainly misspent that time and season, which is now never to be recovered.

"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12

The Bed and Its Covering - Charles Spurgeon Sermon

"We shall speak, first, of what man has done, and of his vain and futile attempts to find rest and clothing for his soul;and then, afterward, we shall briefly attempt to show how God has accomplished this, and has given to the believer a couch upon which he can to his utmost length and yet find that the bed is long enough, and how the Lord has given him a garment in which he may grow, but he shall always find that, broad as he shall become in the magnitude of his experience or of his sin, yet shall this covering be always broad enough to cover him."

 Isaiah 28:20 English Standard Version (ESV) 20 For the bed is too short to stretch oneself on, and the covering too narrow to wrap oneself in.