Lost and Found

When man is lost, he has earned it.

When man is saved, it is a gift.

[Charles H. Spurgeon]

 

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

Acts 20:21 ... And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. ❤

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.

✫❤•°*”˜˜”*°•❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫

Do Not Listen to The Enemy!!

The Devil is a Liar.

www.ChristianPhotoshops.com

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. ❤

J.U.L.Y.

 

J. ~ Jesus first in everything.  Matthew 6:33

U. ~ Understand God's will.  Ephesians 5:17

L. ~ Let your light shine. Matthew 5:16

Y. ~ Yield your plans to God. Proverbs 16:3

Is Hell Real?

Hell exists, and everyone deserves it. When we understand God for who He is as perfectly holy, we immediately see not only who He is, but who we are utterly sinful. Some speak of hell as the absence of God, but hell is not the absence of God absolutely; indeed, it is the presence of God in wrath. Hell is the presence of God the righteous wrath of God, as unbelievers suffer the torments of their ruinous sin forever. 

The point is this: a penitent murderer goes to heaven; an impenitent orphanage founder goes to hell. All of our badness does not make us harder to save. All of our goodness does not make us easier to save. The world tends to believe that heaven is for the good, and hell is for the bad. The Bible teaches that heaven is for the penitent, and hell is for the impenitent however good or bad anyone has been. Jesus had no hesitation warning the crowds of the horrors of hell, because He, more than anyone, saw the true frightfulness of it. No one who ever lived will receive injustice from God. Some will receive mercy. The rest will receive justice. 

No one is ever treated by God unfairly. (Genesis 18:25) We tend to think that the default destiny of all people is heaven, and that hell is reserved for the particularly wicked. But in truth our default destiny is hell, and heaven is reserved for those who honestly admit their wickedness and look to Christ alone for salvation. More than likely, in the next few days, within a few miles of the spot where you are sitting right now, someone will descend into hell. We are not any further from hell if we've lived a moral life. 

We are not any closer to hell if we've lived an immoral life. Heaven is not for the deserving. It is for the repentant. Hell is not for the undeserving. It is for the unrepentant. Hell is filled with people who think they should be in heaven. Heaven is filled with people who know they should be in hell. The astonishing surprise is not that there is only one way to get to heaven. The astonishing surprise is that there is any way to get to heaven for miserable sinners such as us. 

[Dane Ortlund] 

Ephesians 2:3-5 ... Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

✫❤•°*”˜˜”*°•❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫

You are Sons and Daughters!

YHWH sent us the Spirit of His Son because He desires that we know Him as Abba-Father (or, Daddy-God). He is NOT God-too-High-or-far-off-from-us but through His Son is “God with us”. 

And with Almighty YHWH, Creator of Heaven and Earth, not just FOR US but living WITH US as Abba-YHWH, can anything be too hard or impossible for us? (Ephesians 2:13; Jeremiah 32:27; Matthew 1:23; Romans 8:31; Mark 14:36) 

And since our Daddy-God is KING of the Universe, doesn’t that make each of us either a PRINCE or PRINCESS of the universe, as well?

[Tracie Justice]

Romans 8:15 ...  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Galatians 4:6 ... And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. ❤

Healthy Bounderies

Forgiveness does not always mean reconciliation. You can forgive someone and still recognize that they no longer have a place in your life. Forgiveness is about releasing bitterness and choosing peace, not granting unlimited access to your heart or your future. We forgive and we pray for those who have hurt us, but the decision about whether someone remains in our lives belongs to us not to them, and not to the pressure of appearing humble or accommodating.

Christian faith calls us to forgive, but it does not call us to live in a victim mentality or continually place ourselves in harm’s way. Christ teaches mercy, but He also teaches wisdom, discernment, and transformation. Choosing healthy boundaries is not unchristian it is often an act of spiritual maturity.

Healthy boundaries are not a lack of grace; they are wisdom. You can walk in compassion while also protecting your well-being and the life you are building. Forgiveness releases the past, but faith calls us to grow stronger, wiser, and more faithful moving forward.

So, forgive freely, pray sincerely, refuse to live as a victim, and trust that God can bring strength, healing, and purpose out of every chapter of your life. Walk forward with courage your peace, your faith, and your future are worth protecting.

[Christopher Gregory]

 ✞  ✞   ✞ 

Luke 17:3 ... Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.

2 Corinthians 6:14 .... Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

Ephesians 5:11 ...  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. ❤

Unexpected Mercies

 The history of Israel is a series of surprises and unexpected mercies.

It has been even more so in the works of grace. See what God has done for us in His matchless mercy. After our first parents fell into sin, could any onlooking angel have imagined in all this, that God intended to display the greatness of His mercy, so that where sin abounded, grace should much more abound? Did any seraph ever imagine that the Son of God would come down to be born into this rebellious race? Did it ever enter into their conception, that He would die, the just for the unjust, to bring sinful men to God? Was it ever thought of, that wicked and rebellious men should be adopted into the family of God? This was an honor that we did not expect.

Moreover, God having made us to be His children, did we ever imagine that He would make us His heirs? Yet He says, "Now if we are children, then we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ." (Romans 8:17) Did it ever enter into an angel's mind, to conceive that every Christian would be married to Jesus, wedded to Him in bonds of everlasting love? Did it ever enter the dreams of any intelligent being, that God would lift up poor, fallen man to sit with Jesus on His throne in glory? This is astonishing!

When our Lord shall take us up into glory, how amazed we shall be! To talk about that glory now, ravishes us; but to be in it, flooded with it, filled with it, crowned with it--this will be overwhelming! Surely, we shall need stronger bodies and hearts, better than those which we now have more able to endure the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory!

How is it that we continue to be surprised at what God does for those who love Him? Because our largest conceptions of God, fall short of the infinite reality. Ah, my brother, you do not know the heights and depths, the lengths and breadths of His wondrous love. God is infinite. We are as a tiny shell on the beach; we cannot hold the ocean, and therefore the measureless sea must always be a marvel to us.

Therefore, there must be in God's workings, a great deal yet to come of which poor, short-lived insects like us, can have no idea.

[Charles H. Surgeon]

 ✞  ✞   ✞ 

Colossians 3:4 ... When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Isaiah 64:3 ...  When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.

Ephesians 3:20 ... Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, ❤

Beloved Better Than Others

Does not our Friend as far excel all other friends as Heaven exceeds earth, as eternity exceeds time, as the Creator surpasses His creatures?

See all the fullness of the Godhead dwelling in One who is as meek and mild as a child. See His countenance beaming with ineffable glories full of mingled majesty, condescension and love. Hear the soul-reviving invitations and gracious words which proceed from His lips. See that hand in which dwells everlasting strength swaying the scepter of universal empire over all creatures and all worlds. See His arms expanded to receive and embrace returning sinners. While His heart, a bottomless, shoreless ocean of benevolence overflows with tenderness, compassion, and love.

Such, O sinner, is our Beloved and such is our Friend. Will you not then embrace Him as your Friend? If you can be persuaded to do this you will find that half, nay, that the thousandth part has not been told to you! All the excellency, glory and beauty which is found in men or angels flows from Christ, as a drop of water from the ocean, or a ray of light from the sun.

If then, you supremely love the creature can you wonder that Christians should love the Creator! Can you wonder that those who behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, should be sweetly drawn to Him by the cords of love, and lose their fondness for created glories? All that you love and admire and wish for in creatures, and indeed infinitely more they find in Him!

Do you wish for a friend possessed of power to protect you? Our Friend possesses all power in Heaven and earth and is able to save even to the uttermost! Do you wish for a wise friend? In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  Do you wish for a tender, compassionate friend? Christ is tenderness and compassion itself. Do you wish for a faithful, unchangeable friend? With Christ there is no variableness nor shadow of turning. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

His unchangeable love will ever prompt Him to make His people happy!  His unerring wisdom will point out the best means to promote their happiness! His infinite power will enable Him to employ those means. In all these respects, our Beloved is more than any other beloved!

[Edward Payson]

 ✞  ✞   ✞ 

Song of Solomon 5:9-10 ... What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us? My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.

John 15:15 ... Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

Ephesians 3:17-19 ... That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. ❤

Known By ...

A man is known by the company he keeps. 

 [Aesop Proverb]

2 Corinthians 6:14 ... Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

1 Thessalonians 5:5 ... Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

Ephesians 5:11 ... And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

 ✞ 🕊 ✞ 🕊 ✞ 🕊 ✞ 🕊 ✞ 🕊 ✞ 🕊 ✞ 🕊 ✞

Spiritual Singing

Does not one have to be in the right mood for singing, either to engage in it personally or to enjoy that of others? Such is the idea which prevails generally among professing Christians. From one standpoint, it is of course true but from another, it is not so. But surely no one sings when he is thoroughly miserable, unless he forces himself to do so. 

Ah, is not that exactly what the worldling would say? It is! and, sad to say, the great majority of church members hold the same view, which only evidences the carnality of their conceptions. Are the children of God in no better case than the children of the devil? Are they too "creatures of circumstances," swayed by the situation in which they find themselves, a prey to their feelings? But must not one be in a cheerful frame in order to really sing? 

Yes, to sing naturally. But does not the saint require to be on the mount, before he can break forth into spiritual song? Such questions indicate how unscriptural the thoughts of most people on this subject are: they reduce singing to a mere physical exercise, an outburst of their natural emotions. Christians are bidden to delight themselves in the LORD (Psalm 37:4); and if they really do so, songs of praise are bound to spring up in their hearts. That it is not God's will that His children should be miserable, is clear from the fact that the service of song is an ordinance of worship; both under the old covenant and the new. (1Chronicles 6:31, Ephesians 5:19) 

Singing is an act by which the soul renders homage, and the heart adores the glorious One 

[A. W. Pink]

                                                    Jasper Silas Neal ©2017

Psalm 96:1 ... O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth.

Psalm 28:7 ... The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

James 5:13 ...  Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. ❤

The Twin Wonder ...

One of the most soul-exhilarating truths in all of Scripture is the twin wonder of God's grace and mercy.  These two divine attributes shine brightest when viewed against the dark backdrop of our utter unworthiness.  We have willfully rebelled against our Maker, transgressed His holy Word, and loved darkness rather than light. And yet, God, in infinite love and compassion, lavishes both grace and mercy upon vessels of wrath. 

GRACE is God's freely giving salvation to un-deserving, ill-deserving and Hell-deserving sinners. It is not merely a lifting of guilt; it is the bestowing of unimaginable blessing! Grace takes a vile rebel against God and makes him a beloved son of God.  Grace does not wait for worthiness it moves toward the unworthy and brings them nearby.  As Paul wrote, "It is by grace that you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast!" (Ephesians 2:8-9) Salvation is not a reward; it is a gift.  It is God placing a crown of blessing on the head of the one who deserved nothing but chains of punishment. 

MERCY, by contrast, is God withholding damnation to un-deserving, ill-deserving and Hell-deserving sinners. "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities!" (Psalm 103:10) Every breath we take outside of Hell, is a mercy. Every morning that dawns with fresh light, is a token of God's longsuffering. It is mercy that delays judgment and gives room for repentance. It is mercy that pities the guilty and restrains wrath. Together, grace and mercy reveal the full beauty of the gospel. Grace gives Heaven. Mercy withholds Hell. 

Grace bestows riches. Mercy averts ruin. In Christ, both flow freely. The cross is where mercy and grace meet justice satisfied by the blood of the Son, and favor poured out without measure upon the utterly unworthy. There, the Hell-deserving are pardoned, adopted, and promised glory. Brethren, we have nothing to boast in. The only thing we contribute to our salvation, is our sin! And believer, never cease to marvel that you are now an heir of Heaven because God has not given you what you do deserve, and has given you what you could never deserve. Fall on your face before this God who is rich in mercy and abounding in grace. 

[Charles H. Spurgeon] 

Hebrews 4:16 ... Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

✫❤•°*”˜˜”*°•❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫

Encouragement to a Burdened Soul

My Very Dear,

Grace, mercy, and peace be with you, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, by the anointing and teaching of the Holy Comforter. "For," said our Lord, "He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatever I have said unto you." "He will guide you into all truth." "He will bring me glory by revealing to you whatever he receives from me." The Holy Spirit is the living guide to Jesus. It is He who says, with power, "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." It is He who convinces of sin, who wounds, and probes the wound, and lays open the evil of our nature, causing us to know that we are corrupt within and without. But He not only thus discovers the malady, but He also applies the remedy. He abases the sinner; and exalts the Savior. He gives the deep sense of sin that the great salvation may be more appreciated and enjoyed. We are as bad as we can be, and it is needful to know it; but the knowledge of our depravity will not save us. It is, "Look unto ME, and be saved, all the ends of the earth." Some seem to glory in their deep discoveries of depravity; but nay, rather "let him that glories, glory in the Lord."

The end of a thing is better than the beginning: the beginning of the Lord's teaching is to know ourselves; the end to know Him, whom to know is life eternal, and happy is it for those who tarry not in all the plain, but amidst all the sense of sin and the loathing of self, are kept pressing on, crying, "That I may know Him;" "that I may find Him;" "that I may be found in Him;" "I press towards the mark;" "I long for the prize."

We read, Luke 6:19, "The whole crowd was trying to touch Him, because power was coming out from Him and healing them all." Their miseries pressed them on to seek His mercies; and so, the poor woman with the issue of blood; it seemed incurable; it made her unclean. How dare she approach the Holy Jesus? How dare she presume to touch His unspotted garment? Ah, but she believed that He had power, and that that power was to be received by faith; and thus, she obtained the cure. "Somebody did touch Me; I know that power has gone out from Me." She had believed with the heart, and thus He drew her on to confess with the mouth, and then He openly gave her the full reward of her faith "Daughter, be of good comfort: your faith had made you whole; go in peace." (Luke 8:43-48)

Ah, many are now thronging and pressing Jesus by noisy profession, but only a few are getting the healing virtue, and those are unclean diseased ones who think themselves most unlikely of all. But of Him they hear; and "faith comes by hearing." To Him they are brought, for "all that the Father gives me shall come to me." And they do not come in vain, for "he who comes to me I will never cast out." "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." Yes, power to forgive sins also. Yes, my precious Savior, with hand and heart do I subscribe thus--You have power to save those whom no one else could or would; for You have clothed such a vile sinner as I am with the garments of salvation. You have covered me with the robe of righteousness. Therefore, my soul does greatly rejoice in the Lord and is joyful in my God. Oh, those words, "My God!" when lawfully and feelingly uttered, have in them a world of blessedness!

Well, you see how it is with me. I am still delighting in the love of the altogether lovely Jesus; but not half enough. What do you think of Christ? Surely my heart's desire is, that He may be enthroned in your affections, for "He is worthy," and the more unworthy you feel, the better He will suit you! In your flesh "dwells no good thing." While you dwell in that tent you will find evil, only evil. Like the father of the faithful, you will have to go forth into the land (Deuteronomy 8:7-9) which the Lord will show you; but He must order all your journeying, as He says, "I will guide you with my eye, I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go."

It seems, however, that at present you are under the ministry of condemnation, because you are resting in your own righteousness, which you will never establish, as it is contrary to the law of faith. (Romans 10:3) The contrast is, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not alter the flesh, but after the Spirit." This is the ministry of righteousness which follows the other and exceeds in glory; for the work of righteousness is peace, "and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever." Here is that which establishes us. "You have set my feet upon a rock and established my goings." "Believe in the Lord your God, so shall you be established." (2 Chronicles 20:20) "In righteousness shall you be established." (Isaiah 54:14) "He that establishes us in Christ and has anointed us is God, (2 Corinthians 1:21) who also seals us with that Holy Spirit of promise, who is the pledge of our inheritance." (Ephesians 1:13, 14)

All the operations of that Spirit in the soul are either to make known or make way for Christ; the latter seems at present His work in your heart. He is discovering your evil and shaking your movable things. (Hebrews 12:27) Like John, He goes before the Lord to prepare His way. Be of good cheer, this Divine Messenger betokens that the Lord is at hand. He would not have showed you all these things if He meant to destroy you. "I commend you to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified" "through faith which is in Christ Jesus."

The Lord blesses you and grants you the instructions of wisdom for the training of your dear child, and all else you are called to. And now, farewell! May you be brought home at the appointed season in safety, and with dew resting upon your branch. As your husband is a lover of husbandry, he perhaps will not be offended with the Christian love and greeting of a gleaner, who can feelingly say, "The Lord bless you," (Ruth 2:4) and make you a blessing. (Micah 5:7) This is the true wish of my heart for you both.

Your very affectionately,
Ruth

✫❤•°*”˜˜”*°•❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫...•°*”˜˜”*°•.❤✫

Sincere Prayer ...

Prayer is a sincere, affectionate pouring out of the soul to God, through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Spirit, for such things as God has promised in His Word.  Prayer opens the heart to God, and it is the means by which the soul, though empty, is filled with God's grace. 

The truths that I know best, I have learned on my knees. I never know a thing well, until it is burned into my heart by prayer.  Sincere prayer is a shield to the soul, a scourge to Satan, and a fragrant and pleasing sacrifice to God. 

Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer. When you pray, rather let your heart be without words than your words be without heart. 

[John Bunyan]

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ... Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing.  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Ephesians 6:18 ... Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Mark 11:24 ... Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. ❤

Love Speech ...

 Biblical truth is not hate speech.  

It's LOVE speech.

Truth is only considered hate from those that hate the truth.

✞  ✞   ✞ 

Amos 5:10 ...  They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.

Galatians 4:16 ... Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?

Ephesians 4:15 ... But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: ❤

Valuable Bread

We ask the reader: ought not the doctrine of election to be plainly and freely proclaimed? 

If God's Word is full of this precious doctrine, if the gospel cannot be Scripturally preached without it, if the grace of God cannot be maintained when it is suppressed, if the proclamation of it abases man into the dust, if it is a divinely appointed means of faith, if it is a powerful incentive unto the promotion of holiness, if it stirs up the spirit of praise in the soul, if it establishes the Christian in his eternal security, if it is such a source of stability to the child of God, if it supplies encouragement to praying souls, if it works in us a sweet submission to the divine will then shall we refuse to give God's children this valuable bread, merely because dogs snap at it! 

Shall we withhold from the sheep this vital ingredient of their food, simply because the goats cannot digest it! 

[A. W. Pink]

 ✞  ✞   ✞ 

Romans 9:10-13 ...  And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

Ephesians 1:4-6 ... According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. ❤

Love is Best Understood Through the Cross

The cross was certainly the most visible act of God’s love towards us. It was also planned. It wasn’t an accident. I think sometimes people think that Jesus was this man on earth and he was kind of like a leaf on a river and got carried to and from and somehow ended up on the cross, got lucky and paid for everyone’s sin, or maybe unlucky, depending on how you look at that. That’s not actually what it was. Yes, people made choices and decisions that resulted in Christ going to the cross, but the decision made before the world was created was that Christ would go to the cross to pay for sin, so what we see is this act of love on the cross was intentional. It was planned. 

Also though, the cross was about God, primarily. We often think of the cross as being about us. Now, we are beneficiaries of the work that was done there, but the cross, first and foremost, was God glorifying himself in the creation of a people for himself, doing something only he could do. So, when we want to understand love let’s understand that its planned, it’s about God, but it’s also about people. It’s about us. The cross is the way in which God shows his love for us, so love has a God-facing component, it often has a man- or woman-facing component, but the cross was also sacrificial. It was undeserved and costly. 

The last point is that it was an objective good. God said the cross was good. God said the cross accomplished his plan, so love is something that has a right answer. It has a God-grounded right answer, so the things we can learn just briefly by looking at the cross: Love is planned, love is about God, love is about man, love is sacrificial, and there is a right answer to this question, but love is best understood through the cross.

[Excerpt from First Baptist Church New Smyrna Beach Fl.)

John 3:16 ... For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Ephesians 5:2 ... And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

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

God Causes the Temptations of the Godly

Among the many trials the Lord appoints for His people, few are as relentless and distressing as temptation. The Christian is not merely opposed by the world and the flesh; but by a personal, malicious enemy. Satan is rightly called "the tempter." (Mark 4:15) He is restless, strategic, and cruel, ever watching, ever waiting, ever laying snares for the saints. Yet even here, Scripture speaks with settled certainty: temptation itself, is sovereignly overruled by God for the good of those who love Him. 

The devil's methods are both violent and subtle. As a dragon, he assaults the soul with fiery darts, blasphemous thoughts, doubts of God's goodness, and suggestions that strike at the very foundations of faith.  (Ephesians 6:16) Like the old serpent, he is cunning beyond measure. He studies temperament, times his attacks, disguises sin in religious language and sometimes delivers poison in a golden cup! (2 Corinthians 11:14) Yet for all his craft, Satan remains a creature under restraint. He can propose objects, stir the imagination, and excite remaining corruption but he cannot force the will, nor can he move one inch beyond the limits God has set. (Job 1:12)

Here the comfort of Romans 8:28 shines with peculiar brightness. Temptation does not escape God's providence. The same Lord who permits the assault, also governs its outcome. Like a tree shaken by fierce winds, the believer becomes more deeply rooted. What Satan intends for ruin, God intends for refinement. 

First, temptation drives the soul to prayer. When the enemy presses hard, the saint flees faster to the throne of grace. "For this I implored the Lord three times," Paul says of Satan's buffeting. (2 Corinthians 12:8) Temptation exposes our weakness, strips away self-confidence, and teaches us to cry, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." (Matthew 6:13) That which sends us to prayer cannot ultimately harm us. 

Second, temptation strengthens resistance to sin. The more fiercely the devil urges, the more clearly the believer learns to hate the evil set before him. Joseph's refusal was sharpened, not softened, by the persistence of temptation. (Genesis 39:9) God turns Satan's spur into a bridle, making the soul recoil from the very sins it is urged to commit. 

Third, temptation humbles pride. Paul's "thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan" was given was given so that he would not exalt himself. (2 Corinthians 12:7) Far better to be humbled by temptation, than proud of success. God will sooner allow a saint to feel their frailty than to trust their own strength. 

Fourth, temptation tests and proves grace. The devil tempts to destroy, but God permits temptation to reveal sincerity. Faith is shown not in the absence of battle, but in steadfast resistance. Courage shines brightest when the conflict is fiercest. (James 1:12)  

Fifth, temptation equips believers to comfort others. Those who have wrestled with the enemy are best suited to warn, guide, and encourage fellow pilgrims. "We are not ignorant of his schemes." (2 Corinthians 2:11) The scars of battle become instruments of mercy. 

Sixth, temptation draws forth the tender compassion of Jesus. "He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered; He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted." (Hebrews 2:18) When the soul is bruised, Christ intercedes; when the battle rages, grace is supplied. 

Seventh, temptation loosens our attachment to this world and makes us long for Heaven. Here on earth the fight never ends; there the enemy is forever silenced. The weary soldier looks for the crown. (2 Timothy 4:7-8) Even when a believer is temporarily overcome, it works for his spiritual good. Peter's fall shattered his pride and produced deeper humility, greater watchfulness, and truer dependence on Jesus. (Luke 22:62; John 21:15-17)

Thus, the old serpent is continually outwitted by divine wisdom. Temptation becomes a crosswind that carries the saints toward glory. The enemy rages, but Jesus reigns. And the God who permits the battle, ensures the victory. 

[Thomas Watson] 

 ✞  ✞   ✞ 

1 Corinthians 15:57 ... But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:28 ...  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. ❤

Standing in Grace!!

Every man by nature is under the law, bound to obey its precepts, and pay its penalty; and unless its requirements are fully met, the law can never justify us. But the gospel invites us to leave the law and come to the Savior; and coming to the Savior we are delivered from the law; it has no more power over us than if it had executed the sentence of death on us, it having put Christ to death in our stead. We are dead to the law, and the law is dead to us.  We are not under the law but under grace; Jesus has died for our offences and has been raised again for our justification. Our privilege is great; our state is most blessed. We stand in grace, according to Paul's words, who speaks of "this grace wherein we stand." (Romans 5:2) 

Grace is favor; law is requirement; we are not under requirement therefore but under favor. We will look at our Privileged State. We are JUSTIFIED. Justified by his grace. Justified by the blood of Jesus. Justified by faith in Christ. We are reconciled to God, who meets us at the cross, holds out the hand, and reconciles us to himself. We are not only reconciled but are become intimate friends and are treated as such. Not only intimate friends but special favorites, and are therefore allowed to come to God when we will, and wherever we will; to walk with God all the day, and every day; to commune with God on all that interests us; to commit our all to God; to be preserved and kept safe; to leave our all with God, without anxiety or perplexity; to expect from God all he has promised, and all we ask in faith. 

Yes, we may expect sympathy in all our sufferings; supply of all our wants; and support under all our troubles. Can any state be more blessed? Could we be more highly privileged? For us all the demands of the law are met. To us all the blessings of the gospel are given. We are savingly interested in God's highest love. We may claim all the merit of the life and death of his Son. We may look for all the grace and comfort of the Holy Spirit. We STAND in this State. 

Our standing is firm, for there is to us, no condemnation. We shall stand to the last, for we shall suffer no inglorious defeat. Our condition is stable, for we build on a rock. Our privilege is permanent, for grace never changes. The oath, the promise, and the unchangeable love of God secures us. Being in Christ now we shall be in Christ forever. Being united to Christ now we shall never be severed from him. Our standing is from grace, grace in God's heart, he had free favor towards us. Our standing is of grace, or it is entirely gratuitous. Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:9)

Our standing is to the glory of grace. As Adam's fall proved the weakness of standing in law, so the standing of the whole church proves the strength of standing in grace. From this rock no waves can wash us, no hurricane can blow us, no power, either human or infernal, can remove us! Here grace placed us, here grace preserves us, and here glory will find us! Blessed be God for grace, free grace, omnipotent grace, immutable grace! Blessed be God that we ever heard of grace, that we ever felt the power of grace, that we stand in grace! 

Observe, Christ opened the way for us, therefore it is said of him, "By whom we have access into this grace wherein we stand." (Romans 5:2) Jesus removed every impediment and became the way to the Father the way to the Father's love, mercy, and grace; the way to the Father's heart. Faith leads us into that way, along that way, to the end of that way; as it is written, "By whom we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand." Not by works of righteousness, not by pleasant or painful feelings but by faith alone. 

Therefore, it is of faith, that it might be by grace. Faith excludes works, as grace excludes desert. Neither on the ground of doing or deserving but on the ground of faith alone are we justified, reconciled, and accepted of God.  Glory crowns it, hence, it is added, "and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." We rejoice in the hope that God will be glorified in our being thus privileged; and we rejoice in hope of being glorified with God and with Christ forever. Let us take care then, that we do not get back under the law but let us stand fast in the liberty with which Christ has made us free, and not be entangled again with the yoke of bondage. (Galatians 5:1)

The law being satisfied, having received all it can demand can now only be a rule, pointing out what God approves, and directing us how to walk and to please God. But let us take care that we do not get to dealing with God on the ground of works. We come not to the bar of justice but to the throne of grace. We come not to bring a price, that we may purchase or procure some good thing; but that we may obtain mercy, mid find grace to help us in time of need. Let us take care not to block up the way to this grace, it is open to all, free for all, and alike easy to all. There is no difference between Jew or Gentile, bond or free, black or white; all have sinned and therefore deserve to die but all are invited to Jesus, and therefore may be pardoned, reconciled, and saved. 

Under the law, we are all enemies to God; but through the gospel, coming under grace, we become the friends and favorites of God. He treats us, not as the lawgiver treats law breakers; but as a kind and loving Father treats his tenderly beloved children. Blessed, forever blessed be God, for "this grace wherein we stand." 

[James Smith]

Romans 5:1-2 ... Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ❤

The Great Artist's Chisel!

Jesus taught the disciples humility, by His humility. He taught them gentleness, by His gentleness. He did not point out their defects in words. He did not dwell upon their errors, but He rather let them see their own spots by His purity, and their own defects by His perfection. Oh, the marvelous tenderness of Christ, who so paternally pitied those who feared Him! 

Remember that your brethren and sisters in Christ, with whom you find so much fault, are God's elect. And if He chose them, why do you reject them? They are bought with Christ's blood; why do you think so little of them? Recollect too, that with all their badness, there are some good points in them in which they excel you. They do not know so much; but perhaps they act better than you. It may be that they are faultier in pride; but perhaps they excel you in generosity. Or if perhaps one man is a little quick in temper; yet he is more zealous than you. 

Look at the bright side of your brother, and the black side of yourself; instead of reversing the order as many do. The drift of this lesson is this: as your heavenly Father has pity on you, have pity on one another. Jesus, the Compassionate One, covers our sins with the mantle of His love! Be as tender towards those who sin, as the Master was. He remembers that we are dust; remember this of others. I will not find fault with you, my friend, if I can help it, because you will one day be without fault before the throne of God! 

If God will so soon remove your faults, then why should I take note of them? I will not peevishly complain of the 'rough stone'; for I see it is under the Great Artist's chisel, and I will tarry till I see the beauty which He brings out of it. 

[Charles H. Spurgeon] 

 ✞  ✞   ✞ 

Psalm 103:13-14 ... Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

Ephesians 4:32 ...  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Colossians 3:12 ... Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; ❤