When We Eat An Apple

Remember your exalted privilege, you have the Bible in your hands and are not    bound to follow books or preachers any farther than what they teach agrees with the Oracles of Truth. We have great reason to be thankful for the instructions and writings of spiritual men, but they are all fallible, even as ourselves.

One is our master, even Christ; what He says, we are to receive implicitly but we do not owe implicit subjection to the best of our fellow-worms. The Bereans were commended because they would not implicitly believe even the Apostle Paul but examined the Scriptures every day to see if what he said was true. May the Lord give us a spirit of humility and discernment in all things.

When we eat an apple, we first cut out the blemishes, then eat what is good, and lastly throw the core away. Such a rule I would observe in reading human authors the best may be defective, and the wisest may be mistaken. We are not only permitted, but enjoined, to call no man master.

[John Newton]

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1 Thessalonians 5:21 ... Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

Acts 17:11 ... These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. ❤

Repent and Believe!!

Yes, you must first believe but salvation is more than that.  

You must repent and believe!

Mark 1:15 ... And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Acts 19:4 ... Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

Psalm 24:3-5 ... Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. ❤

Be Saved.

 Jesus Saves.

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Romans 6:23 ... For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 10:9 ... That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Acts 16:31 ...  And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. ❤

The Model Church

1 Thessalonians 1:6-10 ... 6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost. 7 So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. 9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; 10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

The beauty of this Church did not consist of a gorgeous material building, but of a people who are said to be "In God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ" (v. 1). And that they were examples to all believers (v. 7). Note their character. 

I. They were Saved from Wrath. "They were delivered from the wrath to come" (v 10) It should never be forgotten that there is "wrath to come" (Revelation 6:17) Wrath against all ungodliness. Blessed are they whom "God has appointed to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:9) Christ our Refuge. "Flee from the wrath to come." 

II. They were Converted to God. "They turned to God from idols" (v. 9). Christ is the atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world, but that fact in itself does not save the world; there must needs be a personal turning to God from sin and unbelief. The idols of the unconverted are numerous and varied. To turn to God is to forsake everything that would divide our affections or hinder our whole-hearted trust. 

III. They were Receivers of the Word of God. "They received the Word in much affliction" (v. 6) These were troublous times, as we learn from Acts 17; but the antagonism of the worldly-minded did not hinder them from boldly receiving the Word. It is always a sign of a healthy soul or Church, which gladly drinks in the truth as revealed in God's Word Human philosophies may have their place, but they are the food to build up a model Church. Quickened spirits need the "Word of Life." 

IV. They were Devoted to the Service of God. "They turned from idols to serve the living and true God" (v. 9). What a change! Serving the Living God, instead of dead things that only mocked their needs with a silent indifference. "To whom, O Lord, can we go but unto You?" You are worthy of the service of every power and passion, every thought and feeling of the soul, which You have redeemed by Your Blood. "Serve the Lord with gladness." 

V. They were Looking for the Son of God. They had made up their minds to serve, and "to wait for His Son from Heaven" (v. 10). They believed Christ would come again, as all the early Christians did, and as He Himself had promised This was called "that blessed hope." (Titus 2:13) The prophets of old looked and waited for the Coming of the Messiah long ages before He came; but in the fullness of the time, He did come. The Church may have waited long, so long that many have lost the vision and the hope. But in the fullness of the time He will Come as He said.  (John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 1:7) 

VI. They were Joyful in the Spirit of God. They had the "joy of the Holy Spirit" (v. 6). With the Word of God in their hearts, and this glorious prospect before their eyes, and the power of the Spirit resting on them, their service was not a burdensome task, but a happy privilege and a growing delight. This was characteristic of the first Church members. "They were filled with joy, and with the Holy Spirit." (Acts 13:52) "How are the mighty fallen?" 

VII. They were Examples to Others. "You were examples to all that believe" (v. 7). This was certainly a prosperous Church, although there is nothing said regarding their financial position, no reference to their "Annual Balance Sheet." But their faith in God was known everywhere (v. 8), and the influence of their missionary enthusiasm, in sounding forth the Word of God, had been felt throughout Macedonia and Greece. They honored Christ as the Head of the Church, and they were honored by Him in doing things worthy of His great Name. 

This is what the Church of Christ should do. This is what every Church true to the Word of God is; and this is what every Christian should be an encouraging example to others. "Believe, and you shall see." 

[James Smith]

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Comforting Words ~ 1 Thessalonians 4:18!!

There is much food for thought in these verses, closing with this exhortation: "Wherefore, comfort one another with these words" (v 18). There is comfort here concerning:

I. The Second Advent. "The Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven" (v. 16) The Lord does not promise to send death, or any other messenger, to take His Bride home. He is coming Himself for her. It is "this same Jesus, which was taken up into Heaven, that is coming in like manner as He was seen to go" (Acts 1:11); and "they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory" (Matthew 24:30). What a comforting hope this is in these "perilous times." 

II. Our Departed Friends. We are not to be in ignorance about them, nor to be in sorrow for them, for we believe that Jesus rose again, and that when He comes He will bring them with Him (vv. 13, 14), for in spirit they are with Him now (2 Corinthians 5:8) It is the "dead in Christ" who will rise first (v. 16). This rising means the putting on of the incorruptible body, being changed into His resurrection image. They shall lose nothing by being put to sleep before the Coming of the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:52). For we who are alive at the Coming of the Lord shall have no precedence over those who have gone to sleep (v. 15). Comforting words indeed. 

III. The Living Saints. "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air" (v 17). We are assured, as God's people, that all shall not die before He Comes. "We shall not all sleep (die), but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the sound of His last trumpet" (1 Corinthians 1 51, 52). When all in every age who have been put to sleep in Jesus have been raised and clothed with immortality, and when all the believers who are alive on the earth, when He comes, are changed in a moment and caught up together with them. What a host of ransomed souls. "A multitude whom no man can number" Tell me, will any man say on that day that the Church of God has been a failure? "He shall see of the travail of His soul and shall be satisfied." "Comfort one another with these words" (v. 18). 

IV. The Place of Reunion. "Caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air" (v. 17). The air is spoken of as the sphere of Satan's stronghold. He is called "the prince of the power of the air, the spirits that are now at work in the hearts of the sons of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2). Does it mean that the transfiguration and reunion of all Christ's redeemed ones will take place right in the heart of Satan's territory? What a triumph this would be for "The Lamb that was slain," and for all those who all their lives were warring against the prince of darkness? And what a shameful defeat for the Devil. "I saw Satan fall like lightning from Heaven" (Luke 10:18). V. Our Final Position. "And so shall we ever be with the Lord" (v. 17). Saved by Him. Made like Him. Then forever with Him. 

He has gone to prepare a place for His Church in the coming Kingdom. He will come again and receive it unto "Himself, that where He is, there shall the bride be also (John 14:3). Then the Bridegroom's prayer will be gloriously answered. "Father, I will that they also whom You have given Me be with Me where I am; that They may behold My glory" (John 17:24); and be "forever with the Lord." Earth's greatest blessing is to find Him. Heaven's greatest honor is to be forever with Him. This honor has all the saints. 

"Comfort one another with these words." 

[James Smith]

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Chain Breaker!!

Chains are an obvious symbol of imprisonment. In physical terms they restrict us, hold us down and back and signify our captive state. In spiritual terms they do more or less the same. While many of us won't experience physical chains, we're by no means immune to the impact of spiritual chains which harm our spiritual growth. These kinds of shackles are just as unmissable and detrimental to our freedom because they affect our behavior, our outlook and our faith. 

The Bible features numerous accounts of physical chain breaking but it also is full of stories about people who had their spiritual chains broken by the Lord. These types of chains manifested in various ways demons, sickness, sin. But these biblical stories aren't just documented so that we know what Jesus was able to do for people that followed him in the past, they're also there to show us what he can do for us today. Jesus comes to set us free and destroy the chains that bind us. 

[Christianity Today - https://www.christiantoday.com/]

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Psalm 116:16 ... O Lord, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.

Acts 16:25-26 ... And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.  And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

John 8:36 ...  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. ❤

God's True Grace

But if we attend to what the Bible says of grace, we shall discover that the True Grace of God is different from what man conceives. Instead of its being an enemy to holiness grace is the root on which holiness grows, the fountain from which holiness springs, and the principle that produces holiness in the heart. 

True grace brings home the Word with power, conviction, and demonstration to the soul! Acts 14:3 

True grace works faith in the hearts of poor sinners, who are said "to believe through grace!" Acts 18:27 

True grace calls its objects out of a state of nature, sin, and rebellion against God and teaches them to pray, and mourn before the Lord! Galatians 1:15; Zechariah 12:10 

True grace makes obedient to the faith and leads the soul to receive "grace upon grace" out of the fullness of Jesus! Romans 1:5; John 1:16 

True grace destroys the love and dominion of sin and leads us from the law to the gospel! Romans 6:14 

True grace brings home a sense of pardon to the soul and imparts everlasting consolation! Ephesians 1:7; 2 Thessalonians 2:16 

True grace removes condemnation, and justifies us freely, fully, and eternally! Romans 3:24; Titus 3:7 

True grace strengthens, supports, and carries the Christian through all his conflicts, tribulations, and trials! 2 Corinthians 12:9 

True grace builds up and establishes its possessor in truth, in faith, and in love! Acts 20:32; Hebrews 13:9 

True grace leads to holy, scriptural, and consistent practice! Titus 2:11-15 

True grace will make a man labor for God and the good of immortal souls! 1 Corinthians 15:10 

True grace will regulate his lifestyle according to gospel precepts! 2 Corinthians 1:12 

True grace will make him generous and liberal in the Lord's cause, and to the poor! 2 Corinthians 8:1-7; 9:6-14 

True grace flows in abundance, saves all its objects, and raises them to reign in life! Romans 5:17; Ephesians 2:6-8 

True grace is always a gift and is invariably free! Romans 11:6; Ephesians 4:7 

True grace communicates more and more to its possessor, until the victory and conquest is complete! James 4:6 

The man that possesses the True Grace of God and is living under its sacred influence mourns over his state as a sinner, longs for perfection as a believer, and cannot be perfectly happy until purged from all pollution. 

[James Smith]

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The Gospel of The Grace of God

The heart of the Gospel is redemption, and the essence of redemption is the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ. The gospel is not a moral code, or religious sentiment. It is the divine proclamation that the thrice-holy God saves guilty Hell-deserving sinners freely, sovereignly, and eternally through the sin-atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cruel cross. 

It is the gospel of grace unmerited and undeserved. Grace authored salvation in eternity past. Grace sent the eternal Son, clothed in frail humanity. Grace sustained Him in Gethsemane, nailed Him to the cross, and raised Him in triumph. That same grace now calls the unworthy, convicts the hard-hearted, converts the dead in sin, and keeps them to the end. This gospel lays man in the dust, and crowns Christ with glory. 

It shuts every mouth and saves the worst of sinners. It declares with finality, that salvation is of the Lord from beginning to end. The condemned are pardoned. The dead are made alive. Rebels are adopted as sons and daughters of God. Let us proclaim the gospel of grace with boldness, treasure it with reverence, and walk in its power daily. 

The gospel is not man's achievement it is God's mercy. The gospel is the refuge of the desperate, the song of the redeemed, and the everlasting praise of Heaven. 

[Charles H. Spurgeon]

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Romans 1:16-17 ...  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Acts 20:24 ... But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

Ephesians 2:8 ... For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:❤

Day of Pentecost

Be filled with the Holy Ghost!

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Acts 2:1-4 ... And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. ❤

Salvation ...

A true Christian would want every single person to know the LORD Jesus Christ and to be saved!

Acts 13:47 ... For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. ❤

The Sins of The Saints

Bernard of Clairvaux once mentioned an old man who, upon hearing about any professing Christian who fell into sin, would say to himself: "He fell today; I may fall tomorrow!" The apostle Paul commended the same mindset when he wrote, "let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall." (1 Corinthians 10:12) 

There is great wisdom in not trusting our own ability to stand. When I was a boy, my father would often say, "The person I trust least of all is myself." It should shock us to hear a professing Christian say, "I would never do that," or "How could anyone do that?" Consider the following: 

If Adam, an innocent man, could choose a piece of fruit over the infinitely valuable God (Genesis 3:6);  if Noah, the most righteous man of his day, could get so drunk that he passed out naked before his sons in his tent (Genesis 9:21);  if Abraham, the most faithful man of his day, could father a child with his wife's handmaiden (Genesis 16:1-4) and twice hand his wife over to other men (Genesis 12:11-15; 20:1-2);  if Sarah, the mother of promise, could laugh at the words of the God of promise and then lie to Him about doing so (Genesis 18:9-15);  if "righteous Lot" could greedily pick the most materialistic and sexually depraved place for himself and his family to live (Genesis 13:8-13), and could hand his daughters over to the sexually perverse men of the city (Genesis 19:4-8);  if Isaac, the son of promise, could show partiality to his oldest son because he liked his hunting skills (Genesis 25:28), and he, too, could hand his wife over to another man (Genesis 26:6-11); and if Jacob, the namesake of Israel, could swindle his brother for a birthright (Genesis 25:29-34), then so could I. 

If Moses, the meekest man on the planet, could act in such sinful anger and unbelief that God would not let him into the Promised Land (Numbers 20:7-12);  if his successor Joshua, could disobediently covenant with pagans (Joshua 9);  if Gideon, the mighty man of valor, could fall into idolatry at the end of his life (Judges 8:22-27); and if Samson, the strongest man who ever lived, could be defeated by wine and women (Judges 14-16), then so could I. if David, the man after God's own heart, could commit adultery and premeditate the murder of one of his mighty men (2 Samuel 11);  if Solomon, the wisest man, could foolishly allow his heart to be led astray by a thousand women to worship foreign gods (1 Kings 11);  if Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, could charge God with deceiving His people (Jeremiah 4:10); and if Elijah, a prophet of Israel, could self-righteously run from the mission of God (Jonah 1-3), then so could I. 

 If John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, could doubt the identity of the One to whom he bore witness (Matthew 11:2-3); and if the Apostle Peter could try to stop Jesus from going to the cross (Matthew 16:21-23), deny Jesus (Luke 22:54-61), argue with the Lord about the gospel and its implications (John 13:6-10; Acts 10:9-16), and support division in the church over the doctrine of justification by faith alone (Galatians 2:11-21), then so could I. 

If James and John could use Jesus to get to the top (Mark 10:35-37) and could want to call fire down from Heaven on those who did not believe the gospel (Luke 9:51-55); and if the Apostle John could twice fall down to worship angels (Revelation 19:9-10; Revelation 22:8-9), then so could I. 

We must resist the temptation of thinking that we can stand in our own strength. We must depend on the grace of the One who said, "Apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). The greatest believers are subject to great weaknesses. In no way do these truths give a license to sin; instead, they give a sober realization that by nature, "nothing good dwells in us." (Romans 7:18) 

We must distrust ourselves, bear with the weak, and hold fast to Christ. We must flee to our Great High Priest, who was tempted in all points as we are, yet never sinned. We must go to Him for grace and mercy to withstand temptations, and we must go to Him for grace and mercy if we fall.

[Nick Batzig]  

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1 Corinthians 15:10 ...  But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Psalm 119:117 ...  Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually. ❤

The True Savior

Who has the markings (literal and in character) of a real savior?

There is only one. It's easy to see Him if you just look!

Acts 4:12 ... Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

John 14:6 ...  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Romans 14:11 ... For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. ❤

God Bought You With a Very High Price!

Refresh in your souls a sense of the fact that "God bought you with a very high price!" There in the midnight hour, amid the olives of Gethsemane, kneels Immanuel the Son of God. He groans, He pleads in prayer, He wrestles. See the beady drops stand on His brow drops of sweat, but not of such sweat as pours from men when they earn the bread of life, but the sweat of Him who is procuring eternal life itself for us. It is blood! It is crimson blood! Great gouts of it are falling to the ground! 

O soul, your Savior speaks to you from Gethsemane at this hour, and He says: "Here and thus I bought you with a price!" Come, stand and view Him in the agony of the olive garden, and understand at what a cost He procured your deliverance! Track Him in all His path of shame and sorrow until you see Him at Gabbatha. Mark how they bind His hands and fasten Him to the whipping-post. See, they bring the scourges and the cruel Roman whips; they tear His flesh; the ploughers make deep furrows on His blessed body, and the blood gushes forth in streams; while rivulets from His temples where the crown of thorns has pierced them, join to swell the purple stream. 

From beneath the scourges, He speaks to you with accents soft and low, and says, "My child, it is here and thus I bought you with a very high price!" But see Him on the cross itself when the consummation of all has come. His hands and feet are fountains of blood, His soul is full of anguish even to heartbreak; and there, before the soldier pierces His side with a spear, bowing down He whispers to you and to me, "It was here and thus, I bought you with a very high price!" 

O by Gethsemane, by Gabbatha, by Golgotha, by every sacred name collected with the passion of our Lord; by sponge and vinegar, and nail and spear, and everything that enlarged the pain and increased the anguish of His death I implore you, my beloved brethren, to remember that you were "bought with a very high price," and that "you are not your own." 

[Charles H. Spurgeon] 

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1 Peter 1:18-19 ...  Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

1 Corinthians 6:20 ... For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

Acts 20:28 ... Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Titus 2:14 ... Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. ❤

Justified by Faith!!

You will never, ever measure up to God’s standards. Your holiness efforts, your works, they are all 💩. It is your faith that justifies you. Nothing else. 

We sin daily. So, what do you do with that?  The word states that we - you and I - fall short every day, because of sin. Not a lifestyle of sin, but because we are corruptible human beings. Sinless perfection will never be part of our spiritual DNA, only by faith can we please God. That's the real issue, men have attempted to surpass what Christ did already, thru works. 

When we come to Christ, we are justified by what HE did, not by what we can do. That's the real issue, understanding that in this life we will fall (sin) make mistakes, error, choose bad choices, but here's the good news, Christ took all of that upon himself, so we don't have to. 

We obey Christ by one thing only, we keep our faith specifically in the finished work of Calvary.

[Christopher Gregory]

Acts 13:39 ... And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

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What a Mystery is This! How Utterly Incomprehensible!

It is true that we must be saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone! It is equally true that faith does not save us because it produces good works. 

Jesus has, by His substitutionary and sin-atoning death, "brought in an everlasting righteousness" for His people. Hear the blessed tidings brought to us by the Prophet Isaiah, "He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes, we are healed!" (Isaiah 53:5)  

Stupendous thought! We are healed by His stripes! We are healed by stripes inflicted by Jehovah on His beloved Son! What a mystery is this! How utterly incomprehensible! Well does the Apostle say, "How unsearchable are God's judgments, and His ways past finding out!" (Romans 11:33)  

Faith saves us simply as apprehending Christ, in and through whom we are reconciled to God. But the faith which apprehends Christ aright, will always "work by love," (Galatians 5:6)   and "purify the heart," (Acts 15:9)   and "overcome the world!" (1 John 5:4-5)  

If the faith which we possess does not operate in this way, it is a mere dead faith and can no more save us than the faith of devils! Yet many rest their hope for salvation, in a mere notional faith that is unproductive of good works. God-given saving faith always unites us unto Christ, as branches to the vine; and enables us, by virtue derived from Him, to bring forth fruit to His glory!

[Charles Simeon]

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Success is ...

 Success is when the Lord Jesus Christ writes the names of your children and your grandchildren in His Book of Life!

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Acts 16:31 ... And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Revelation 21:27 ... And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. ❤

Common Mercies

That sun which shines unremittingly every day, is a stupendous exertion of God's power an astonishing exhibition of His omnipotence! In adoring the providence of God, we are apt to be struck with what is new and out of the usual course, while we often overlook long, habitual, and uninterrupted mercies. But common mercies, if less striking, are more valuable because we always have them. 

The ordinary blessings of life are overlooked for the very reason for which they ought to be most prized because they are Divinely bestowed every moment. Common mercies are most essential to our being. And when once they are withdrawn, we then find that they are also most essential to our comfort. 

Nothing raises the price of a blessing like its removal, whereas it was its continuance which should have taught us its value. Novelties usually awaken our gratitude, not considering that it is the duration of the common mercies which enhances their value. We desire fresh excitements. 

We take for granted common mercies, as things to which we have a sort of presumptive claim; as if God had no right to withdraw what He has once bestowed, as if He were obliged to continue what He has once been pleased to confer. 

[Hannah More]

Acts 14:17 ... Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.

Psalm 103:1-2 ... Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

Psalm 116:12 ... What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? ❤

The Man Who Never Smiles ...

The Wise Man says that there is "a time to laugh." That is, there is a time when laughter is right, when it is a duty and when it would be wrong not to laugh. Perhaps we have not been accustomed to think of laughter in this way. We regard it as an agreeable exercise but are not apt to class it among duties, like honesty or kindness. It would be a sad thing, however, if laughter would be altogether crowded out of life. 

Think of a world of human beings with no laughter men and women always wearing grave, serious, solemn faces. Think of the laughter of childhood departing from the world how dull and dreary life would be!  Nothing on earth is more beautiful, than the merry laugh of childhood. Laughter has its place in every wholesome, healthy, holy life. 

The man who never smiles is morbid! He has lost the joy-chords out of his life. He has trained himself to think only of unpleasant things, to look only and always at the dark side. He has accustomed himself so long to sadness that the muscles of his face have become set in hard, fixed lines and cannot relax themselves. His thoughts of life are gloomy, and the gloom has entered his soul and darkened his eyes! Where there is no laughter all evils nest. Demons do not laugh! 

The man who never laughs, must not blame his fellows if they think there is something wrong with his life something dark within. If the streams which flow out are only bitter the fountain cannot be sweet! 

[J.R. Miller]

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Acts 13:52 ...  And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.

Proverbs 15:13 ... A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

Philippians 4:4 ... Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. ❤

Genuine Faith!!

Do not suppose that genuine faith in Christ, is a mere assent to Scripture truths which you have been taught by your parents! If you would not eternally perish, I charge you before God, to dismiss from your minds all such delusive expectations, and to seek from God that genuine faith which alone can save and sanctify the soul. True "faith is the gift of God!" (Ephesians 2:8) 

Nothing but the almighty power of God can form genuine faith in the soul. If ever you have believed to the saving of your soul, it must have been through the operation of divine grace! If we possess saving faith, then Christ will become our meditation and delight. The height and depth, and length and breadth of His unsearchable love will occupy our minds and inflame our hearts with love to Him! 

Genuine faith will always "work by love." Galatians 5:6 

Genuine faith will always "overcome the world." 1 John 5:4 

Genuine faith will always "purify the heart." Acts 15:9 

See then, whether your faith produces these effects! For, if it does not, it is but "a dead faith" and "the faith of devils!" (James 2:19) If your faith is not "the faith of God's elect," (Titus 1:1) then it will only deceive you to your everlasting ruin. If God has indeed granted saving faith to you, then you have the greatest gift that you can ever possess, in this world or the next. Crowns and kingdoms, in comparison with it are no more than a speck of dust on a scale! 

If God has indeed granted saving faith to you then you have obtained the forgiveness of all your sins! If God has indeed granted saving faith to you then you have within your own bosom a sanctifying principle which shall progressively transform you into the very image of the Lord Jesus! If God has indeed granted saving faith to you--then you have "a priceless inheritance, an inheritance that is reserved in Heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay!" (1 Peter 1:4) 

[Charles Simeon] 

James 2:19 ... Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 

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He is Risen!! ✞

Rejoice, Rejoice, Rejoice!

Happy Resurrection Day 2024!

Acts 2:23-24 ... Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:  Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.   ✞