Seeking God ...

Scripture demands that our seeking God should be done with all our heart. There are several ways of seeking God which must prove to be utter failures:

One is to seek him with no heart at all. This is done by those who take their book and read prayers, never thinking of what they say; or who attend a place of worship, and hear others pray, but never enter in. This is done by those who bend the knee in the evening, and mutter pious words, but never think; or those who rise in the morning and read sacred sentences but never consider; or those who with regard to divine things, are as little concerned as if the gospel were all a legend or an old wives' tale, not worth a moment's thought.

When I have been traveling, I have sometimes seen women reading those trashy novels. I have seen them waste their tears on some imaginary heroine or hero and yet they and others hear about the majesty and the love of God, without emotion. They read of Heaven and Hell, and Christ and God, with scarcely a thought.

Dear friend, you will never find the Lord if you seek him in a heartless, unthinking manner. God is not mocked. If any of you have fallen into a formal religion and seek the Lord without your heart, then your seeking is in vain.

Some seek God with a false heart. Their piety is a transient feeling, and not deep soul-work. It is mere sentimentality, and not the engraving of God's Spirit upon the heart. Beware of a false religious excitement of being borne up with religious gas as some are, inflated like balloons by a tear-jerking sermon, only to burst by-and-by when most they need something to support them. May God grant us to be saved from a lie in the heart, for it is a deadly canker, fatal to all hope of finding the Lord.

Some seek him, also, with a double heart. They have a heart towards God, and they have a heart towards sin. They have a heart towards the pardon, but they have also a heart towards the transgression. They would gladly serve both God and Mammon. They would build an altar for Jehovah and still keep Dagon in his place.

If your heart is divided, then you will be found lacking. Those prayers will never get to Heaven, which only fly upward with one wing. If one oar pulls towards earth and the other towards Heaven, then the boat of the soul will revolve in a circle of folly but never reach the happy shore. Beware of a double heart.

Some seek God with half a heart. They have a little concern and are not altogether indifferent. They somewhat think when they pray, or read, or sing but their thoughts are quite trivial and inconsequential. Superficial in all things, the seed is sown in stony ground, and soon it is withered away because there is no depth of earth. May the Lord save us from this.

Now, you who are seeking Christ, remember that if you would find Him, then you must neither seek Him without heart, nor with a false heart, nor with a double heart, nor with a half heart. But "You shall find Me," says the Lord, "when you shall search for Me with all your heart."

If your hearts are not right with God, then you must take your place with the wicked in Hell. Lost man! What will you do when you go down to eternal Hell?

[Charles H. Spurgeon]

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Jeremiah 29:13 ...  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Acts 17:27 ... That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

Mark 4:16-17 ... And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. ❤

Glittering Unrealities

People are badly cheated in this world. They often imagine that gold, silver, houses, lands, and stocks are the real treasures. So, they toil for these things and gather them into their possession and pile up what they supposed to be wealth. Thus, they live like princes in their fine houses and call themselves rich.

But one day their supposed riches take to themselves wings and fly away like eagles to the skies. Or they may keep their wealth, perhaps, and die in the midst of it, and have a fine funeral. But then they find that they cannot carry a penny of it with them!

"How much did he leave?" was asked about a rich man who had recently died.

"He left all of it!" was the answer.

If men only knew that there are other things far more worth setting their eyes and hearts upon things which will never fly away, they would pass by these glittering unrealities, to lay hold of the true riches!

[J. R. Miller]

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Proverbs 23:5 ... Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

Proverbs 8:18-19 ... Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. ❤

Come Now ...

Argue your case in God's court.

Isaiah 43:25-26 ...  I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.  Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.

Isaiah 1:18 ... Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. ❤

Incomparable Book!

The whole of Scripture is but one entire love letter, dispatched from the Lord Christ to His beloved spouse!

Oh! the mysteries, the excellencies, the glories which are in this incomparable book! There are none so useful, none so needful, none so delightful, none so necessary to make you happy and to keep you happy as this!

Ah! the Word of the Lord is a light to guide you, a counselor to counsel you, a comforter to comfort you, a staff to support you, a sword to defend you, a physician to cure you!

The Word is a mine to enrich you, a robe to clothe you, a crown to crown you, bread to strengthen you, wine to cheer you, a honeycomb to feast you, music to delight you, a paradise to entertain you!

Oh! therefore, before all and above all: search the Scripture, study the Scripture, meditate on the Scripture, delight in the Scripture, treasure up the Scripture!

There is no wisdom like Scripture wisdom, no knowledge like Scripture knowledge, no experience like Scripture experience, no comforts like Scripture comforts, no delights like Scripture delights, no convictions like Scripture convictions, no conversion like Scripture conversion!

I exhort you to a speedy, serious, diligent, and constant study of the Scripture. Ah! you do not know how soon your blind minds may be enlightened, your hard hearts may be softened, your proud spirits may be humbled, your sinful natures may be changed, your defiled consciences may be purged, your distempered affections may be regulated, and your poor souls may be saved by searching into the Scriptures, by reading the Scripture, and by pondering upon the Scripture.

Ah! if you do not in good earnest, give yourself up to the reading, to the studying, to the pondering, to the believing, to the practicing, to the applying, and to the living up to the Scripture: Satan will be too hard for you, the world will be too hard for you, your lusts will be too hard for you, temptations will be too hard for you, deceivers will be too hard for you, and in the end you will be miserable!

[Thomas Brooks]

Psalm 119:97 .... O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.

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An Anvil ...

The Scriptures contain: the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of lost sinners, and the happiness of believers.

Christians must depend upon God's Word as their only creed. They do not add to it anything whatever no, not a sentence or a thought. Those have greatly erred, who look upon anything as the authoritative standard of belief, but God's own Word. The Christian is not bound to any beliefs, but that which God Himself has revealed in His Word.

I have nothing to do with human creeds as the standard of my beliefs. The only point I have to do with is this:  What does God say?  What does His Word say?

Within the covers of the Bible, you find all theology. Nothing outside of this Book is binding on a Christian man as doctrine, in the least degree whatever. The Bible and the Bible alone is the creed of Christians. The Word of God is the anvil upon which the opinions of men are smashed.

We yield implicit faith to all that He has revealed, and to nothing else. A true church of God will say, "The Word of the Lord is to us, our infallible source of doctrine, and that alone."

The Bible alone is the Christian's chart, compass, map, and guide. He who would make progress in the heavenly voyage, must sail by this divine chart. The more you read the Bible, and the more you meditate upon it; the more you will be astonished with it.

[Chareles H. Spurgeon]

Psalm 19:7-11 ... The Law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart; the commandments of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; the judgments of the LORD are true, being altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them indeed Your servant is warned; in keeping them is great reward.

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At Your Worst!

This image was inspired from recent Sunday School lesson I taught about God's presence. (from Psalm 139:7-12) David writes in that psalm that there is no where he could flee from the presence of God, whether it be in the depths of the sea, in sheol, or in total darkness. No matter where you find yourself, God is ever present.

We can try to run away from His presence, like Jonah running to Tarshish, or Adam hiding in garden. Or maybe we have our own ways of running from God today, like getting caught up in worldly distractions, or focusing our energy on a successful career, or even hiding ourselves in ministry work. But we must come to the realization, just as David did, that there is no where we can run that God isn't already there.

When we come to that realization, we immediately land on two distinct conclusions: #1 God is sovereign. Our lives and our actions are under His authority. We cannot run to any place that we are not accountable to Him. But #2 is that God is nearby. Even when we run "far away", we will never be so far away that we cannot turn to Him. We can lay those distractions down, recognize that we messed up, and collapse into His arms. Even at our worst moments, He is right there.

The best part is, He loves you at your worst. Just as the father of the prodigal son ran to hug his son, Christ will embrace you as well. As the Bible says, He loved you while you were still a sinner.

And ultimately, Jesus loved us so much that He became our sin on the cross, so that we could have eternal life. In a sense, He loved us so much that He embraced the fiery pain of our sin. That was the inspiration for the image, and I hope that it is an encouragement to wherever you find yourself in your walk today!

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Romans 5:8 ...  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ❤

Fascinating, Delusive and Dangerous!

I do not hesitate for a moment to pronounce the theater to be one of the broadest avenues which lead to destruction!

Fascinating, no doubt it is but, on that account, the more delusive and the more dangerous! Let a young man once acquire a taste for this kind of entertainment, and yield himself up to its gratification, and he is in imminent danger of becoming a lost character rushing upon his eternal ruin!

All the evils that can waste his property, corrupt his morals, blast his reputation, impair his health, embitter his life, and destroy his soul, lurk in the confines of the theater! Vice, in every form, lives, and moves, and has its being there!

Myriads have cursed the hour when they first exposed themselves to the contamination of the theater. From that fatal evening, they date their downfall!

Take warning then and have nothing to do with the theater. Avoid it as one of the avenues to the broad road that leads to destruction. The danger is greater than I can describe. The doors of the theater are as the jaws of the devouring lion!

[John Angell James]

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1 John 2:15-16 ...  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

2 Corinthians 6:17-18 ... Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. ❤

The Only Suitable Dress For a Saved Sinner!

"True humility," said one, "is a lovely ornament; it is the only suitable dress for a saved sinner!" O let us seek then to be clothed in this robe, that we may be brought to lie low at the footstool of our Maker and Redeemer.

In the saints of old, this grace of humility appeared with marked prominence; and they are patterns for our imitation.

There was Abraham, the father of the faithful and the friend of God. How great was his humility! How profound his self-abasement! "I have ventured to speak to the Lord, even though I am nothing but dust and ashes!" (Genesis 18:27) He was filled with a consciousness of his absolute nothingness in the presence of the Great Eternal.

There was David also, who speaks of himself as "a worm and not a man!" Job cried out, "Behold, I am vile!" (Job 40:4)

In the apostle Paul, again, what a striking exemplification have we of this grace of humility. If self-delight were ever allowable in any individual, it would be in him; for such a laborious, self-denying, unselfish character, has doubtless not yet appeared; the man Christ Jesus alone, and always excepted.

But what were Paul's views and feelings in reference to himself? On one occasion we hear him saying that he was not worthy to be called an apostle. At another time he says, "I am less than the least of all God's people!" (Ephesians 3:8) And when penning one of his last epistles, he designates himself the very chief of sinners! He was brought to know himself some knowledge in which all wisdom centers. If we knew ourselves as he did, pride and self-delight would find no room within us!

But, above all, let us consider Him who said, "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart." (Matthew 11:29) The heaven of heavens could not contain Him; all the fullness of the Eternal Godhead dwelt in Him; devils trembled at His rebuke and flew from His presence to the abodes of misery; yet how gentle, how humble He was! Reader, aspire after conformity to Christ in His humility.

Against the proud, God's displeasure has been manifested in all ages.

Think of Pharaoh. The language of that proud monarch was, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey Him?" (Exodus 5:2) But the Divine Majesty could not bear to be thus insulted; hence the puny worm with all his legions were destroyed they sank as lead in the mighty waters! 

Think of Nebuchadnezzar. Hear his boasting exclamation, "Is not this great Babylon that I have built, by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty?" (Daniel 4:30) But God resisted him, and he was turned from the society of men to eat grass with the beasts of the field! 

Think of Herod. With what delight did he receive the applause of the people, when they cried, "It is the voice of a god, and not the voice of man!" But the angel of the Lord smote him, and he was eaten with worms! (Acts 12:23)

While, however, God resists the proud; He has promised to give grace unto the humble. The humble are the objects of His special regard. "For thus says the high and lofty One, who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy: I dwell in the high and holy place" that is one of the palaces of the Great King, where the throne of His glory is erected, where the countless armies of cherubim and seraphim are stationed, and where perfected saints reside. But He has another place of habitation: "with him also, who is humble and contrite in spirit!" (Isaiah 57:15)

[John MacDuff]

1 Peter 5:5 ... Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

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Dear Heavy Heart

Heavy heart, this book is meant for you. He who sends forth this volume knows the heart of a mourner by a kindred experience and is most anxious to be a "son of consolation" to the sorrowing. This little volume is meant to scare the night-raven, of which Milton tells us that it sits "where brooding darkness spreads his jealous wings." By most men it is known as Religious Melancholy, but we call it by the older and more scriptural name of Mourning in Zion. By whatever name it is called it is none the more pleasant.

To meet the sadness of the heart, we have taken a prescription, not from Galen or Hippocrates, but from the great gospel prophet, Isaiah; and its one and only ingredient is Christ Jesus himself, who is anointed to comfort the distressed in heart, and fulfills his office by giving himself to them to meet all their needs. The sermons which make up this book are full of Christ Jesus, the consolation of Israel; and if, in any degree, they cheer the desponding it will be entirely due to himself, their object and their theme. He is to a mourning heart:

"Sweet as refreshing dews or summer showers; To the long parching thirst of drooping flowers."

No heart, however broken, needs any balm but Jesus to work its perfect cure. Sorrows, which like Noah's flood, drown all are soon assuaged by a word from his lips. Get him and keep him, O bruised and bleeding heart and you are healed. For broken hearts the broken-hearted Savior died, and for them he lives and pleads. Look to him, mourner and the black horror of despair shall end.

Your heartily,
Charles Spurgeon

Isaiah 61:3 ...  To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. ❤

Do Not Listen to The Enemy!!

The Devil is a Liar.

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Psalm 1:1 ... Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

Ephesians 4:27 ... Neither give place to the devil.

Romans 8:37 ...  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. ❤

Christ's Transcendent Loveliness!

The prophet Isaiah, speaking of graceless men as disliking, not desiring, not loving Jesus; brings them in as saying, "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him!" (Isaiah 53:2)

 

What! No loveliness in Him who is "the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of His person!" Yes, there is, but they had no eyes to see it! It is as if a blind man would say that the sun is dark, because he has no eyes to behold its light. How could they look upon Him with an eye of love; when they did not discern Him with an eye of faith?

But a holy soul, whose eyes are divinely opened, so sees the superlative goodness, beauty, and excellence in Jesus that all other things, which are good with an inferior goodness, seem to him as dross and rubbish! "But whatever was to my profit, I now consider loss for the sake of Jesus. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things! I consider them rubbish," things cast to dogs, or dog's food, "that I may gain Christ!" (Philippians 3:7-8) The holy man, whose mind is savingly enlightened, can say: I see that goodness in the Savior, which far surpasses all the goodness of the creature!

Though the stars can be seen in the night; yet when the sun arises, they all disappear. Just so, in my night of ignorance, when my mind was blind, my heart hard, and my affections frozen; I was bewitched with the glare of riches, of honors, and of worldly pleasures. But then the Sun of righteousness with His radiant rays shined into my soul, and with His warming influences thawed my benumbed and frozen heart. And then the glory of all those earthly vanities which once dazzled my eyes, vanished and withered away! When I once got a view of Christ's transcendent loveliness; then in comparison to Him, I saw an emptiness and vanity, in all the creature's fullness; shame, in all the world's nobility; dishonor, in all the world's glory; poverty, in all the world's richest; darkness, in the world's most resplendent luster; folly, in the world's highest wisdom; deformity, in the world's loveliest beauty!

Yes, the soul whose love is fixed upon Jesus, adores His superlative goodness, beauty, and excellence!

[Thomas Doolittle]

Song of Soloman 5:16 ... His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

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