Why Is It?

Why is it, that today the masses are so utterly unconcerned about spiritual and eternal things, and that they are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God? Why is it that defiance of God is becoming more open, more blatant, more daring? The answer is, because "There is no fear of God before their eyes!" (Romans 3:18) 

Again, why is it that the authority of the Scriptures has been lowered so sadly of late? Why is it that even among those who profess to be the Lord's people, that there is so little real subjection to His Word, and that its precepts are so lightly esteemed and so readily set aside? Ah! what needs to be stressed today is that God is a God to be feared!  Happy is the person who has been awed by a view of God's majesty, who has had a vision of God's unutterable greatness, His ineffable holiness, His perfect righteousness, His irresistible power, His sovereign grace! 

Time was, when it was the general custom to speak of a believer as "a God-fearing man". That such an appellation has become extinct only serves to show where we have drifted. Nevertheless, it still stands written, "Like as a father pities His children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him!" (Psalm 103:13) 

When we speak of godly fear, of course we do not mean a servile fear, such as prevails among the heathen in connection with their gods. No! We mean that spirit which Jehovah is pledged to bless, that spirit to which the prophet referred when he said, "To this man will I look even to him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at My Word." (Isaiah 66:2) 

Nothing will foster this godly fear, like a recognition of the sovereign majesty of God!

[A.W. Pink]

Luke 12:4-5 ... And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

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Got Liberty?

You’re either obeying all 613 commandments perfectly or you’re saved by faith alone in Jesus.  There is no in-between.

Galatians 5:1 ... Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

James 2:10 ... For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

2 Corinthians 3:17 ... Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. ❤

Is It Time

The Lord Jesus says, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness." The best things should be sought first. The most important things should be secured first. It is time for you to think seriously. Eternity stamps a seriousness on every subject connected with it. The soul must live forever. Hell is eternal. Heaven is eternal. The immortal soul must inhabit Heaven or Hell forever!  Sudden death would plunge the sinner into sudden Hell and from Hell there is no deliverance! No one can escape from that prison! No one can ever escape from that lake of fire! 

It is, therefore, time to seek for the salvation of the soul heartily. We cannot be safe too soon. We are never safe while without Christ. We must feel our need of him, seek a saving interest in him, exercise faith in him, and become united to him or we are not safe. Safety is in Christ but nowhere else. There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Let us, therefore, seek a saving interest in Christ, and union to Christ; nor rest until we realize that we are one with him. 

It is time to decide for God. We have halted long enough. Indecision has been to us a source of unhappiness, and unless we decide will be our ruin. For Christ, or against him we must be. With Christ or opposed to him we must be. There is no neutrality. There can be none. Let us, therefore, decide at once. Let us surrender the world. Let us lay aside the sin that does so easily beset us. Let us build on Christ, as our foundation. Let us draw our supplies from Christ, as our fountain. Let us expect to be saved by Christ, as our sacrifice. Let us dedicate ourselves to the honor of Christ, engage ourselves to work for Christ, and unite ourselves to the people of Christ. Let us be decided, devoted, thorough Christians. Without this we cannot be safe, or honorable, or happy. 

It is time to engage in the work of Christ. We have served Satan long enough. We have served diverse lusts and pleasures. We have served sin. Let us now break away from our old masters. Let us break their yoke and burst our bonds. Let us take the yoke of Jesus, engage in the service of Jesus, and make it our daily aim to please Jesus. Let us spread his truth, publish his fame, and bear testimony to his faithfulness and love. There is no yoke like the yoke of Jesus. There is no service like the service of Jesus. His servants are all happy; for he provides for their needs, protects their persons, pardons their sins, purifies their hearts, perfects their characters, and places them before his face forever. 

He promises every one of his servants that they shall be with him where he is and assures them that his Father will honor them. Reader, it is quite time for you to think seriously to seek the Lord heartily to decide to be on the Lord's side entirely and to engage in the Lord's work cheerfully. Now you may, for you have the time; but soon you may not be able, for with you time may be no longer! 

[James Smith]

Matthew 6:33 ... But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. ❤

Like Birds in An Egg!!

Paul was a maker and mender of tents. Unlike the substantiality of a house, a tent is a very frail structure. In that respect it is quite like this feeble body of ours, which is crushed before the moth.

Our bodies are liable to death from causes so small as to be almost imperceptible: a breath of foul air, a particle of poisonous matter, a trifle, a mere nothing, may end this mortal life. I trust that we duly remember the frailty of our bodies. We are not so foolish as to think that because we are in robust health today, then we must necessarily live to old age. Our crowded cemeteries supply ten thousand arguments why each one of us may expect to die in due time.

We have had abundant evidence among ourselves lately, that those who appear to be the healthiest, are often the first to be swept away by death. At the same time, many old and feeble people linger on among us, whose lives are a continued wonder.

When we think of the frail components which our bodies are made of, then it is not unusual that they should be so soon ruined. Rather, the astonishing thing is that we continue to live.

Isaac Watts has wisely said: "Our life contains a thousand springs and dies if one goes wrong; Strange that a harp of a thousand strings, should keep in tune so long!"

Some small matter interferes with a valve or an organ, the whole current of life is hindered, and by-and-by death ensues. It is a very delicate process by which our bodies, that are but dust, remain alive. A thousand things can halt that process, and then our dust returns to the ground from which it came.

Paul, therefore, because he saw his earthly tent to be as frail as a bubble, looked forward to it being destroyed, and then abiding in his heavenly dwelling.

Christian! The avalanche of death will soon fall upon each of us! Will you fret over so small a loss? The poor hut of the body will be buried beneath the earth; but as for yourself, you will begin to sing everlasting praises unto Jesus, who rescued you from the eternal damnation of Hell, and raised you into His glorious presence! So, death shall not affect us for the worse, but for the better. The dissolution of our hampering frame shall only bring us into eternal glory!

We are now like birds in an egg: so long as the shell is whole, we are not free. Death breaks the shell! Does the chick lament the dissolution of its shell? I never heard of a fledgling in its nest, pining over its broken shell. Its thoughts run otherwise: to wings, and flight, and sunny skies!

In the same way, our body will soon die. Let it be so; it is fit that it should die. We have been glad for it while we have needed it, and we thank God for the wondrous skill He displayed in the making of it. But when we no longer require it, then we shall escape from it as from a prison and never wish to return to its narrow bounds.

Death will reveal to our wondering eyes, the palace of King Jesus, wherein we shall dwell forever. Therefore, what cause have we to be alarmed at death?

What will it be to open our eyes in Heaven! What a joy to fall asleep on the bed of languishing, and to wake up amid the celestial Hallelujahs!

[Charles H. Spurgeon]

2 Corinthians 5:1 ... For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

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Behold Jesus!!

Jesus Himself calls His coming suffering and death, His glory. The crown of thorns was His glory. The scourging was His glory. The spitting and mocking were His glory. The nails and spear were His glory. The shame was His glory. The Father's forsaking was His glory. His sin-atoning sacrifice was His glory. There was an unseen glory accompanying Jesus in all that He did, and all that He suffered. The world saw no beauty in Him, and wicked men crucified Him as though He were a despicable criminal. 

Yet faith beholds what unbelief cannot see: the glory of the eternal Son of God humbling Himself to become the sin-atoning Savior of His people. Consider the wonder of His obedience. He came saying, "I have come to do Your will, O God." (Hebrews 10:7) Every act of obedience was therefore an act of infinite condescension, wisdom, grace, and love. The One whom angels worshiped, became obedient in the lowliest duties. The One who made all things, submitted Himself to the father's will in all things. 

And why did He obey? Not for Himself, but for His people. We were under the obligation of perfect obedience but could never render it. Jesus rendered His perfect obedience in our place, so that "through the obedience of the one Man, the many will be made righteous." (Romans 5:19) His impeccable righteousness is imputed of His people. But the glory of His obedience shines most brightly at Calvary. The eternal Son willingly suffered and died in the place of guilty sinners. He bore the wrath of God, for the curse which our sins deserved. He made His soul an offering for sin. The righteous One stood in the place of the unrighteous, that the guilty might be reconciled to God. 

Here is the mystery that should overwhelm every redeemed heart: He paid what He never owed, that sinners might receive what they could never earn. The One who deserved no curse willingly became a curse for His people, that they might receive eternal blessing. The One who knew no sin was punished as sin's great Substitute, that those who believe might be clothed in His righteousness. The cross is the manifestation of His glory. What the world regarded as weakness, was the wisdom and grace of God. What unbelieving eyes saw as shame, faith beholds as beauty. What appeared to be the darkest hour of His humiliation, was the hour in which His redeeming love shone with incomparable splendor. 

O believer, behold Jesus! Look away from yourself, your sins, your corruptions, and your unworthiness and behold the One who willingly obeyed for you, suffered for you, bled for you, and died for you. Let your soul bow in adoration before such love and condescension. Let every accusation of conscience drive you afresh to His sin-atoning sacrifice. There is no greater marvel for us to behold, than the eternal Son of God willingly becoming the obedient, suffering, sin-atoning Savior of His people. 

[John Owen]

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John 12:23 ... And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.

John 13:31 ... Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. ❤ 

I Will Dance!

Lord, I will dance in Your presence, celebrating who You are with uninhibited joy, worshiping with my whole body not just my words, holding nothing back in praise.

Dancing is freedom, expression, celebration that can't be contained in stillness, and You're worthy of worship that moves, that leaps, that can't help but respond physically to Your goodness.

Teach me to worship You with abandon, to let joy overflow into movement, to care more about honoring You than about looking dignified or composed to others.

 faithfulgrace.com

2 Samuel 6:14 ... And David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.

Psalm 149:3 ... Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.

Exodus 15:20 ... And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.❤

Owen Quotes 2

Christ greatly delights in His redeemed people, and they greatly delight in Him.

Christ's blood is the great sovereign remedy for sin-sick souls!

We are never nearer Christ than when we find ourselves lost in a holy amazement at His unspeakable love!

I do not understand how a man can be a true believer in whom sin is not the greatest burden, sorrow and trouble!

We shall not benefit from reading the Old Testament unless we look for and meditate on the glory of Christ in its pages.

Let not that man think he makes any progress in holiness who does not walk over the bellies of his lusts. He who does not kill sin in this way takes no steps toward his journey's end.

The choicest believers, who are assuredly freed from the condemning power of sin ought to make it their business all their days, to mortify the indwelling power of sin!

The most tremendous judgment of God in this world is the hardening of the hearts of men.

Let no man pretend to fear sin who does not fear temptation also! These two are too closely united to be separated. He does not truly hate the fruit who delights in the root.

The habit of sinning takes away the sense of it. The course of the world takes away the shame of it.

Believers know that all their duties are weak, imperfect, and unable to abide in God's presence. Therefore, they look to Christ as the one who bears the iniquity of their holy things, adds incense to their prayers, gathers out all the weeds from their duties and makes them acceptable to God.

What do we want? What do our souls desire? Is it not that we might have a more full, clear, stable comprehension of the wisdom, love, grace, goodness, holiness, righteousness, and power of God as declared and exemplified in Christ!

A man may take the measure of his growth or decay in grace according to his thoughts and meditations upon the person of Christ, and the glory of His Kingdom, and of His love.

If our principal treasure is in spiritual and heavenly things, as we profess then our affections, and consequently our desires and thoughts, will be principally fixed on them.

All that may be known of God for our salvation, especially His wisdom, love, goodness, grace and mercy on which the life of our souls depends are represented to us in all their splendor in and through Christ. No wonder then that Christ is glorious in the eyes of believers!

If we would talk less and pray more about them things would be better than they are in the world. At least, we would be better enabled to bear them.

 [John Owen] 

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On Time, Every Time!!

The Lord acts neither early nor late, but exactly when His purpose is ready to be revealed.

Habakkuk 2:3 ... For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

2 Peter 3:9 ... The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Isaiah 60:22 ... A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time. ❤

BattlePlan

Prayer is not a back-up plan.  Prayer is the battleplan.

John 15:7 ... If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.❤

The Glory of Jesus in His Humiliation!

What an unfathomable mystery! The eternal Son of God, infinitely glorious, infinitely blessed, and needing nothing willingly condescended to take our nature upon Himself. He did not cease to be God. He did not lay aside His divine nature. He who was eternally God, became truly man while remaining eternal God. The infinite One entered the finite world. The Lord of glory took the form of a servant. The One who needed nothing, came to seek and save those who were utterly lost!

His humiliation was not forced upon Him. No necessity compelled Him. He stood in no need of us. He was eternally and perfectly blessed in Himself. Yet in His infinite love and grace, He willingly came down to this sin-cursed earth to save us. He took our nature, veiled His divine glory, and entered our misery. He endured our temptations, sorrows and sufferings; and then humbled Himself even unto His sin-atoning death on the shameful cross!

O believer, behold Him by faith! The more deeply you consider who Jesus is, the more astonishing His glorious condescension becomes. He is not merely a great man who came down to help other men. He is the eternal Son of God who came down from the heights of infinite glory, to become the sin-atoning Savior. He who was "God over all, blessed forever" humbled Himself to death, to save His people.

Here is precious comfort for the sin-burdened Christian. This glorious Jesus is your sanctuary. Are you crushed beneath a sense of sin? Are you perplexed by temptation? Are you weary beneath spiritual conflict? The One who willingly humbled Himself to save you, will not abandon you in your distress! His infinite power was not diminished by His infinite condescension. He remains omnipotent, full of wisdom, mercy and grace and all for His redeemed people.

Therefore, contemplate the glory of His humiliation, until your heart is humbled and your soul is filled with wonder. The contemplation of His self-denying love is the great motive for our own self-denial. We should be willing to surrender our possessions, comforts, liberties, reputation, and even our lives when we ponder what Jesus willingly suffered for us!

Faith cannot fathom the full glory of this mystery. And when faith reaches the limits of comprehension, it rises into holy admiration, humble adoration, and joyful thanksgiving. Here the Christian bows before a glory too great to comprehend, yet too precious not to adore.

O my soul, behold Jesus! The eternal Son became a sin-atoning sacrifice for us. Let such condescension humble your pride, strengthen your faith, crucify your love of this present world, and awaken within you an everlasting song of gratitude: "Unto Him who loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood!" (Revelation 1:5)

[John Owen]

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2 Corinthians 8:9 ...  For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

Philippians 2:5–8 ... Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. ❤

The Same!!

Seasons change but our God remains the same.

Hebrews 13:8 ... Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. ❤