What a Solemn Thing!!

Daniel 5:1, 4-6, 26-28, 30-31. King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone. Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. His face turned pale, and he was so frightened that his knees knocked together, and his legs gave way! This is what these words mean: "God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians." That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom! 

What a solemn thing to die at such a moment! Yet how many are there, who, if not slain like him yet are called away from the midst of the mirth and pleasures of this life, as unprepared to die as this heathen king! 

 It was so at the time of the Flood! 

 It will be so at the end of the world! 

 It is so daily and hourly! 

"The foolish virgins" greatly outnumber those who are wise; and have their oil to seek when the bridegroom arrived. 

Lost sinner! Might not God justly destroy you instantly with fire, as He did Nadab and Abihu? "So, fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord!" (Leviticus 10:2) Might not God cause the earth to swallow you up, as He did to Korah and his rebellious followers? (Numbers 16:31) How many sudden deaths take place all around you, some old, some young, and some in the prime of life! Are the illnesses and accidents which you see or feel, no warnings? But you have a handwriting; yes, the handwriting of God Himself! You may see it in the Scriptures of truth. There you may see written as with a sunbeam, "God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting." 

All hope of entering Heaven will be quickly taken from you, if you do not turn unto God with your whole heart! While you are living at ease, and putting the thoughts of death far from you, God may be saying, "You fool! This night your soul shall be required of you!" And oh, how terrible would this be to you! "What hope has the godless when he is cut off, when God takes away his life?" (Job 27:8) "How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!" (Psalm 73:19)  

Your soul must be covered with the sin-atoning blood of Jesus, or your sins will infallibly plunge you into everlasting perdition! Seize then the fleeting hour. Adore your God that you have not been taken away, as thousands of your fellow-creatures have been with all your sins upon you! 

"Today, while it is called today, do not harden your heart," (Hebrews 4:7) lest you perish in impenitence and unbelief! May the Lord grant that it may never be so with us! 

[Charles Simeon]

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Pride Month

If the god you follow is okay with Gay Pride, then you are following a FALSE god that you have made up in your mind.

God is NOT okay with "pride month" and neither should we be!

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 ... Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Colossians 3:5 ... Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

Leviticus 18:22 ... Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

Romans 1:21-27 ...  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

1 Timothy 1:9-10 ... Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

Jude 7 ... Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. ❤

"God Hates"

What is God's attitude toward unregenerate man?  It has been said that God hates sin, but He loves the sinner. Is this true? 

Let us hear the voice of inspiration: 

"You hate all workers of iniquity The Lord abhors murderers and deceitful men!" Psalm 5:5, 6 

Does that express an attitude of love on God's part? 

Again, we read, "The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence, His soul hates. On the wicked He will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot!" Psalm 11:5-6 

"Because they did all these things, I abhorred them!" Leviticus 20:23 

"I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars and pile your dead bodies on the lifeless forms of your idols, and I will abhor you." Leviticus 26:30 

"And when the LORD saw it, He abhorred them!" Deuteronomy 32:19 

We read further, "God is angry with the wicked every day!" Psalm 7:11 

"The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished!" Proverbs 16:5 

God is not so meek and indulgent that nothing will arouse His indignation. He hates all that is sinful. He could not love righteousness, without hating iniquity. He could not love the righteous, without hating the wicked. To love both, would be to abolish all moral distinctions. Of the impenitent sinner it is said, "The wrath of God abides on him!" (John 3:36) 

It is only sin that renders him hateful, but man is responsible for his state of sinfulness and chooses evil; therefore, to deal with the sin, God must deal with the man. Not only does God hate man's sin, every sinful word, thought, and deed--but He also hates every evil desire. The natural man loves evil. That love of evil, which is a part of his nature God abhors! All desire that runs out after impurity or for that which is unholy merits and excites God's indignation and abhorrence. 

Every evil ambition that arises in his soul, repels God. Every evil disposition, every evil feeling, hatred, envy, malice, revenge, selfishness, pride, jealousy, deceit, hypocrisy, and all the long catalog of evil things, of which man's heart is the source are obnoxious to God. All tendency to oppose the will of God, all rebellion at His providences can only excite hatred in God. God can love only what is pure and holy. All else He hates and must hate with all the strength of His righteous character! 

 [Charles Naylor]

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Shana Tova

The actual translation of the greeting “Shana Tova!” is “good, sweet year.” And part of that Jewish tradition during this special occasion includes eating apples and honey. 

Pomegranates are especially abundant, said to have 613 seeds, connecting it to the 613 commandments given to Moses. Pomegranates are one of the seven items of produce that are closely associated with the Land of Israel. Before the Israelites entered the Land, they sent in a group of men to scout out the land. The men returned back to the Israelite camp with grapes, pomegranates and figs; samples of the wonderful fruits that grew in Israel. 

On this “head of the year,” Rosh Hashanah, it’s good to remember how the Lord has so graciously orchestrated the times and seasons. 

Thank you, Lord for Your amazing symphony and the redemption we have in your Son, Yeshua/Jesus. 

[Kenneth Berg]

Leviticus 23:1-4 ... And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings. These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. ❤

"His People"

How much we have to be thankful for. Everything short of Hell, is mercy! 

THE OBJECTS OF GOD'S CARE. "His people."  Those whom He has chosen for His own, and eternally set apart for His praise. Those whom He has redeemed from the claims of justice, by His blood. Those whom He has called out of the world and consecrated to His service. Those with whom He has entered into covenant, saying, "I will be your God, and you shall be My people!" (Leviticus 26:12) They are His own in the highest, holiest, and most blessed sense. 

THEIR PILGRIMAGE. They are brought into a wilderness. That is, the world becomes a wilderness to them, in consequence of His precious work within them. They have to pass through the wilderness, where they experience spiritual hunger and thirst, and are often sighing for suitable supplies. Nor hunger only, but spiritual weariness for they have little rest or repose. Many foes meet them, oppose them, and come into conflict with them. Dangers in every direction surround them, and many painful privations are felt by them. These and other things discourage them. But it is the way to the Promised Land! Egypt has been left, the wilderness is now being journeyed, and Canaan with all its glory is before us! 

THE MANNER OF GOD'S GUIDING. The Lord leads us by His servants, by His providence, and by His Word. He leads us like a faithful shepherd leads a flock with care, watchfulness, and wisdom; like a kind parent leads a little child with gentle attention and love; like a mother eagle, who teaches her young to fly watches it if there is the least danger, and darts beneath it and carries it on her wings; like only a God could whose patience, love, and grace, are as constant as the day! Thus, the Lord leads us; never taking His eye off us or remitting His care at any time for one moment. 

THE CAUSE OF GOD'S ATTENTIVE LEADING. "His mercy endures forever!" (Psalm 136:1) His mercy fixed upon them and chose them for His own. His mercy took charge of them, to conduct them to the promised land. His mercy continued with them, through the whole of the long, tedious, and trying journey. His mercy was glorified in them, in its constancy and power to supply. In His mercy, He led them to try them, to prove them, to humble them, to teach them, and to do them the greatest good. The Lord always makes the world, to be a wilderness to His people. They cannot feel at home in it, nor will it yield them suitable or sufficient supplies. In the wilderness, they learn His ways. They learn to trust in Him, to look to Him, and to expect everything from Him. In the wilderness, He becomes everything to them! 

In the wilderness, He prepares them for 'Canaan'. He weens them from the world, empties them of self, and shows them the insufficiency of all creatures! All who follow the Lord as their leader, arrive safely in their heavenly home. He does not lead them by the shortest way, nor by the easiest way but He leads them in the right way, which is the best way. Following Him, they escape dangers, find supplies, master difficulties, overcome their foes, and arrive with certainty at their journey's end! 

Reader, what is the world to you? Is it a home or a wilderness? What are you in the world? Are you a resident or a stranger and a pilgrim? Is God leading you through it or are you making your home in it? If God is leading you through the wilderness, then do not be surprised if you meet with changes, trials, difficulties, and troubles; they are wilderness fare. If you can make your home in the wilderness, then do not be surprised if you are excluded from the 'Promised Land'. For only those whom God leads through the wilderness, ever arrive safely there! 

[James Smith] 

Psalm 136:16 ...  To him which led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy endureth for ever.

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From Head to Toe!!

The tip of the right ear was the first place the blood was to be sprinkled, denoting that his hearing was now set apart for God, and that he was to be ever in the attitude of one listening to God alone hearing no words but His, heeding no instructions but His. 

Our ears are thus set apart to God. And if so, how wide open should they be to hear His voice; how thoroughly closed against all sinful sounds. The thumb of the right hand was the next place sprinkled, indicating the consecration of all bodily skill, and energy, and power, to the service of Jehovah. The great toe of the right foot was the third place touched with blood, signifying that his feet were to be ever ready for priestly service, that his limbs were to be employed for God, and their strength or swiftness solely dedicated to bearing His burdens or running His errands. Our feet are set apart for Him; let us run the errands of no other master, nor use our limbs in the service of the flesh, or the world, or the devil. 

The whole man, in all its faculties and powers of soul and body, was to be thus set apart for God. Our ears, our hands, our feet, are thus wholly His; not our own, not the world's, not Satan's. As those who have died and risen with Christ, we hear Him always, and listen for His words and commands, ready to put forth hands and feet, every power and faculty of soul and body in His service, to whom we are thus solemnly set apart. 

The whole man, from head to toe, becomes a sacred thing, dedicated to the service of the living God. As God's consecrated priests, His true Aarons, His true Levites, His true Israel whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, let us do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31) 

Follow the Master fully. Give Him no divided heart. Serve Him wholly. Give Him no half service. 

[Horatius Bonar] 

Leviticus 8:22-23 ... And he brought the other ram, the ram of consecration: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram.  And he slew it; and Moses took of the blood of it, and put it upon the tip of Aaron's right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot.

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The Sin Offering

SIN.  The sound is brief, but it presents a dark abyss of thought. No mind can trace its birth, no eye can see its death. Before the worlds, it scaled the heavens and dragged angels down. In life's first dawn, it entered Eden and slew innocence. It ends not with the end of time. It ever rolls on in its ever-deepening course. Reader, think much of sin! 

It is earth's death-blow. It marred the beauty of a beauteous world, and stripped it of its lovely robe. It caused the soil to harden, and the leaves to wither and decay. It turned fertility into weeds, and armed the brier with its bristling thorns. It made the clouds to blacken, and the storm to rage. It raised the tempest's roar, and plumed the lightning with its forked wings. It placed its foot upon a perfect workmanship, and left it a disordered wreck! Reader, think much of sin! It is man's ruin. Its most tremendous blight fell on our inner life. It drove the soul from peaceful fellowship with God. It changed the loving child into a hardened rebel. It robbed the mind of light. It rendered reason a bewildered maze. It made the heart a nest of unclean birds; a spring of impure streams; a whirlpool of tumultuous passions; a hot-bed of ungodly lusts; a den of God-defying schemes! 

It is the malady, the misery, the shame of our whole race! It is the spring of every tear! Each sigh which rends the bosom; each frown which ploughs the brow; each pain which racks the limbs, are cradled in its arms. It is the mother of that mighty monster--death! It digs each grave in every grave-yard. Each widow and each orphan tastes its gall. It fills each hospital with the sick. It strews the battlefield with the slain. It is the core in every grief. It is the worm which gnaws the root of peace. Reader, think much of sin! Its terrible destructions do not die in the grave. There is a region where its full-blown torments reign. It built the prison-house of Hell. It kindled quenchless flames. It forged the chains which bind lost sinners to their burning beds. It sharpened the undying sting of an upbraiding conscience. It arms the jailer, Satan, with his scourge. 

It bars the hopeless in that outer darkness, where weeping ever weeps, and wailing ever wails, and teeth forever gnash, and all is woe, which knows neither respite nor end. Reader, think much of sin! It works this bitter and eternal anguish, because God's curse attends it. It raised a rebel-hand against His will. It dared to violate His holy law. It strove to lay His honor in the dust. It trampled on the statute-book of heaven. Therefore God's anger fiercely burns against it. Hence every misery follows in its succession. He must be wretched, who has God against him! 

Reader, here is a picture in which all horrors meet! Regard it with an earnest eye. No fiction colors it. No power can over-paint the terrible reality. No artist's skill can represent a flame. The dreadful truth exceeds description. The lost writhe out eternity in fully learning the deserts of sin! 

Reader, receive the soul-reviving voice: Though sin is death, the sinner need not die. There is a fortress of escape. There is a remedy to heal these wounds. What though your sins are as countless as the sands? They all may disappear. What though the dye of each sin is double crimson? Each may be washed away. The filth may all be cleansed. The debts may be wiped out. The soul may meet Jehovah's eye without one stain. There is a way, by which the vilest may stand pure. God's love decreed a plan. He willed a ransom, and His Son achieved it. Let us draw nearer to the amazing sight! Each sin must bear its merited load of woe. Each curse must be endured. Each violation of the holy law must drink the dregs of condemnation. Jesus comes forth to help! The guiltless One takes the guilty place. 

The God-man represents His chosen flock. He stands as their complete sin-offering. He pays in anguish and in blood, their every due. Their wrath is endured. Their penalties are paid. Their sufferings are suffered. Their agonies are agonized. The saving work requires infinity of woe. Infinity of woe is borne by Him. His Deity enables, His manhood qualifies. Thus their sin is fully punished thus the redeemed are fully saved! 

 [Henry Law] 

Leviticus 4:3 ...  If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the Lord for a sin offering.

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Jubilee

Leviticus 25:10 … And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.

Jubilee [English version Hebrew word Yobel] ~ Shout of joy ✿

COVID-19 Quarantine

Stay Home.
Practice Social Distancing.

Moreover he that goeth into the house all the while that it is shut up shall be unclean until the even. Leviticus 14:46 ❤

The 10 Virtues of the Proverbs 31 Woman

1. Faith - A Virtuous Woman serves God with all of her heart, mind, and soul. She seeks His will for her life and follows His ways. (Proverbs 31: 26, Proverbs 31: 29 – 31, Matthew 22: 37, John 14: 15, Psalm 119: 15

2. Marriage – A Virtuous Woman respects her husband. She does him good all the days of her life. She is trustworthy and a helpmeet. (Proverbs 31: 11- 12, Proverbs 31: 23, Proverbs 31: 28, 1 Peter 3, Ephesians 5, Genesis2: 18)

3. Mothering - A Virtuous Woman teaches her children the ways of her Father in heaven. She nurtures her children with the love of Christ, disciplines them with care and wisdom, and trains them in the way they should go. (Proverbs 31: 28, Proverbs 31: 26, Proverbs 22: 6, Deuteronomy 6, Luke 18: 16)

4. Health – A Virtuous Woman cares for her body. She prepares healthy food for her family. (Proverbs 31: 14 – 15, Proverbs 31: 17, 1 Corinthians 6: 19, Genesis 1: 29, Daniel 1, Leviticus 11)

5. Service - A Virtuous Woman serves her husband, her family, her friends, and her neighbors with a gentle and loving spirit. She is charitable. (Proverbs 31: 12, Proverbs 31: 15, Proverbs 31: 20, 1 Corinthians 13: 13)

6. Finances - A Virtuous Woman seeks her husband’s approval before making purchases and spends money wisely. She is careful to purchase quality items which her family needs. (Proverbs 31: 14, Proverbs 31: 16, Proverbs 31: 18, 1 Timothy 6: 10, Ephesians 5: 23, Deuteronomy 14: 22, Numbers 18: 26)

7. Industry – A Virtuous Woman works willingly with her hands. She sings praises to God and does not grumble while completing her tasks. (Proverbs 31: 13, Proverbs 31: 16, Proverbs 31: 24, Proverbs 31: 31, Philippians 2: 14)

8. Homemaking – A Virtuous Woman is a homemaker. She creates an inviting atmosphere of warmth and love for her family and guests. She uses hospitality to minister to those around her. (Proverbs 31: 15, Proverbs 31: 20 – 22, Proverbs 31: 27, Titus 2: 5, 1 Peter 4: 9, Hebrews 13: 2)

9. Time - A Virtuous Woman uses her time wisely. She works diligently to complete her daily tasks. She does not spend time dwelling on those things that do not please the Lord. (Proverbs 31: 13, Proverbs 31: 19, Proverbs 31: 27, Ecclesiastes 3, Proverbs 16: 9, Philippians 4:8 )

10. Beauty – A Virtuous Woman is a woman of worth and beauty. She has the inner beauty that only comes from Christ. She uses her creativity and sense of style to create beauty in her life and the lives of her loved ones. (Proverbs 31: 10Proverbs 31: 21 – 22, Proverbs 31: 24 -25, Isaiah 61: 10, 1 Timothy 2: 9, 1 Peter 3: 1 – 6)

Free Printable:

A Virtuous Woman

Better To Stay At Home!

This command is so plain, that it requires no interpreter.  Righteousness and wickedness;  light and darkness;  Christ and the Devil;  God's temple and idols.

What do they have in common?

This is a call to godly separation. This passage gives utterance to a Divine exhortation for those belonging to Christ to hold aloof from all intimate associations with the ungodly. It expressly forbids them entering into alliances with the unconverted. It definitely prohibits the children of God walking arm-in-arm with worldlings. It is an admonition applying to every phase and department of our lives, religious, domestic, social, commercial. And never, perhaps, was there a time when it more needed pressing on Christians, than now. The days in which we are living are marked by the spirit of compromise. On every side we behold unholy mixtures, ungodly alliances, and unequal yokes. Many professing Christians appear to be trying how near to the world they may walk and yet go to Heaven!

To Israel, God said, "So do not act like the people in Egypt, where you used to live, or like the people of Canaan, where I am taking you. You must not imitate their way of life. You must obey all My regulations and be careful to keep My laws, for I, the Lord, am your God!" (Leviticus 18:3-4) And again, "Do not live by the customs of the people whom I will expel before you. It is because they do these terrible things that I detest them so much!" (Leviticus 20:23) It was for their disregard of these very prohibitions, that Israel brought down upon themselves such severe chastisements.

God's call to His people in Babylon is, "Come out of her, My people! Do not take part in her sins!" (Revelation 18:4) No one can be a whole-hearted follower of the Lord Jesus who is, in any way, "yoked" to His enemies!

"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers." This applies first to our religious connections. How many Christians are members of so-called "churches," where much is going on which they know is at direct variance with the Word of God either the teaching from the pulpit, the worldly attractions used to draw the ungodly, and the worldly methods employed to finance it, or the constant receiving into its membership of those who give no evidence of having been born again. Believers in Christ who remain in such "churches" are dishonoring their Lord.

Should they answer: "Practically all the churches are the same, and were we to resign, what would we do? We must go somewhere on Sundays!" Such language would show they are putting their own interests, before the glory of Christ. It is better to stay at home and read God's Word than fellowship with that which His Word condemns!

[Arthur Pink]

2 Corinthians 6:14-16 …   Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?   And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?   And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

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The Family Disease!

The sin which our Lord here denounces, is "self-righteousness."  We are all naturally self-righteous. It is the family disease of all the children of Adam. From the highest to the lowest, we think more highly of ourselves than we ought to. We secretly flatter ourselves that we are not as bad as some, and that we have something to merit the favor of God.

We forget the plain testimony of Scripture:  "Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins."  "What is man, that he could be pure; or one born of woman, that he could be righteous?"  "There is no one righteous, not even one!"

[J. C. Ryle]

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Leviticus 13:45 … And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean.

Romans 3:10 … As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Luke 5:32 … I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Romans 5:6 … For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.❤

Sin!

The sound is brief but it presents a dark abyss of thought.  No mind can trace its birth, no eye can see its death.  Before the worlds it scaled the heavens, and dragged angels down.  In life's first dawn it entered Eden and slew innocence.

It ends not with the end of time.  It ever rolls on in its ever-deepening course.

Reader, think much of sin! It is earth's death-blow.  It marred the beauty of a beauteous world, and stripped it of its lovely robe.  It caused the soil to harden, and the leaves to wither and decay.  It turned fertility into weeds, and armed the brier with its bristling thorns. It made the clouds to blacken, and the storm to rage.  It raised the tempest's roar, and plumed the lightning with its forked wings.  It placed its foot upon a perfect workmanship, and left it a disordered wreck!

Reader, think much of sin! It is man's ruin.  Its most tremendous blight fell on our inner life.  It drove the soul from peaceful fellowship with God.  It changed the loving child into a hardened rebel.  It robbed the mind of light.  It rendered reason a bewildered maze.  It made the heart a nest of unclean birds; a spring of impure streams; a whirlpool of tumultuous passions; a hot-bed of ungodly lusts; a den of God-defying schemes!

It is the malady, the misery, the shame of our whole race!  It is the spring of every tear!  Each sigh which rends the bosom; each frown which ploughs the brow; each pain which racks the limbs are cradled in its arms.  It is the mother of that mighty monster; death!  It digs each grave in every grave-yard.  Each widow and each orphan tastes its gall. It fills each hospital with the sick. It strews the battlefield with the slain. It is the core in every grief.

It is the worm which gnaws the root of peace.

Reader, think much of sin!  Its terrible destructions do not die in the grave. There is a region where its full-blown torments reign. It built the prison-house of Hell.  It kindled quenchless flames. It forged the chains which bind lost sinners to their burning beds.  It sharpened the undying sting of an upbraiding conscience.   It arms the jailer, Satan, with his scourge.   It bars the hopeless in that outer darkness, where weeping ever weeps,  and wailing ever wails,  and teeth forever gnash, and all is woe, which knows neither respite nor end.

Reader, think much of sin!  It works this bitter and eternal anguish, because God's curse attends it.  It raised a rebel-hand against His will. It dared to violate His holy law. It strove to lay His honor in the dust.  It trampled on the statute-book of heaven. Therefore God's anger fiercely burns against it. Hence every misery follows in its succession.  He must be wretched, who has God against him!

Reader, here is a picture in which all horrors meet! Regard it with an earnest eye. No fiction colors it. No power can over-paint the terrible reality.  No artist's skill can represent a flame.  The dreadful truth exceeds description. The lost writhe out eternity in fully learning the deserts of sin!

Reader, receive the soul-reviving voice: Though sin is death, the sinner need not die. There is a fortress of escape. There is a remedy to heal these wounds. What though your sins are as countless as the sands? They all may disappear. What though the dye of each sin is double crimson? Each may be washed away.

The filth may all be cleansed. The debts may be wiped out. The soul may meet Jehovah's eye without one stain. There is a way, by which the vilest may stand pure.  God's love decreed a plan.  He willed a ransom, and His Son achieved it.

Let us draw nearer to the amazing sight!  Each sin must bear its merited load of woe.  Each curse must be endured. Each violation of the holy law must drink the dregs of condemnation.

Jesus comes forth to help!  The guiltless One takes the guilty place. The God-man represents His chosen flock.  He stands as their complete sin-offering.  He pays in anguish and in blood, their every due.  Their wrath is endured.  Their penalties are paid.  Their sufferings are suffered.  Their agonies are agonized. The saving work requires infinity of woe. Infinity of woe is borne by Him. His Deity enables His manhood qualifies.  Thus their sin is fully punished thus the redeemed are fully saved!

[Henry Law]

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Leviticus 4:3 … If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the Lord for a sin offering.

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

Hebrews 9:12 … Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.❤

God's Attitude

What is God's attitude toward unregenerate man?   It has been said that God hates sin, but He loves the sinner. Is this true?   Let us hear the voice of inspiration: "You hate all workers of iniquity.  The Lord abhors murderers and deceitful men" (Psalm 5:5, 6). Does that express an attitude of affection on God's part? 

Again, we read, "The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence, His soul hates. On the wicked He will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot!" (Psalm 11:5-6).

"Because they did all these things, I abhorred them!" (Leviticus 20:23).

"I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars and pile your dead bodies on the lifeless forms of your idols, and I will abhor you." (Leviticus 26:30).

"And when the LORD saw it, He abhorred them!" (Deuteronomy 32:19).

We read further, "God is angry with the wicked every day!" (Psalm 7:11).

"The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished!" (Proverbs 16:5)

God is not so meek and indulgent that nothing will arouse His indignation. He hates all that is sinful. He could not love righteousness, without hating iniquity. He could not love the righteous, without hating the wicked. To love both, would be to abolish all moral distinctions. Of the impenitent sinner it is said, "The wrath of God abides on him" (John 3:36). It is only sin that renders him hateful, but man is responsible for his state of sinfulness and chooses evil; therefore to deal with the sin, God must deal with the man.

Not only does God hate man's sin, every sinful word, thought, and deed--but He also hates every evil desire.

The natural man loves evil. That love of evil, which is a part of his nature. God abhors. All desire that runs out after impurity or for that which is unholy merits and excites God's indignation and abhorrence. Every evil ambition that arises in his soul, repels God. Every evil disposition, every evil feeling, hatred, envy, malice, revenge, selfishness, pride, jealousy, deceit, hypocrisy, and all the long catalog of evil things, of which man's heart is the source are obnoxious to God. All tendency to oppose the will of God, all rebellion at His providences can only excite hatred in God.

God can love only what is what is pure and holy. All else He hates, and must hate with all the strength of His righteous character!

[Charles Naylor]

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Strewing Flowers on a Dead Corpse!

External morality is not heart-purity. A person may be clothed with great moral virtues, such as justice, charity, prudence, and temperance and yet go to Hell.

We must not rest in mere outward morality. A swine may be washed yet be a swine still. Morality does but wash a man, grace changes him.  Morality may shine in the eyes of the world but it differs as much from purity, as a pebble differs from a diamond!

Morality is but strewing flowers on a dead corpse! A man who is but highly moral is but a tame devil!  How many have made 'morality' their savior!  Morality will damn as well as vice!  A boat may be sunk with gold as well as with dung!

The moral person, though he will not commit gross sins yet he is not sensible of heart sins. He is not troubled for unbelief, hardness of heart, vanity of thoughts. He abhors gross-sins not gospel-sins.

The snake has a fine appearance but has a deadly sting! Just so, the moral man is fair to look on but has a secret antipathy against the holy ways of God. Morality is not to be rested in. The heart must be pure. God would have Aaron wash the inner parts of the sacrifice.  Morality does but wash the outside, the inside must be washed.

[Thomas Watson]

Leviticus 9:14 ... And he did wash the inwards and the legs, and burnt them upon the burnt offering on the altar.


2 Corinthians 4:16 ... For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

Matthew 5:8 ...  Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.❤

Your Purifier

The love of Jesus will not preserve His people from trials but rather, assures them of trials! All whom He loves He chastens! He has a furnace to purge our dross, and refine our souls. His Word and the Spirit reveal to us our defilement and impurity and His grace and providence co-operate to remove them.

It is divine love which prepares the furnace, kindles the flame, brings the Christian into it, superintends the whole process, and brings him out as gold, seven times purified!

He cleanses them in the laver of the Word by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit. But He also cleanses them by a variety of afflictive dispensations, through which He causes them to pass.

Our sin calls for trials His love sends them!

Our nature repines at trials but grace submits to them!

Our flesh is enraged at trials but the Spirit sanctifies them to our good, and our Savior's glory.

He makes His people choice ones in the "furnace of affliction!" He says, "I will put you into the fire and will purely purge away your dross."

Believer, never repine at your trials, nor be over-anxious for their removal. They are appointed by Jesus as your Purifier and are choice blessings in disguise!

Seek their sanctification, wrestle with God that you may see His love in every stroke, and look to Jesus that you may enjoy His presence when passing through the flame!

Nothing can hurt you while Jesus is near you; and He is never nearer to you than when you are in the furnace! For He sits right there as the Refiner watching the process, regulating the heat, and waiting to effect a gracious deliverance when the ends of His love are answered.

He is only preparing you for fresh manifestations of His glory and fitting you for larger communications of His love.

In the furnace, you will lose nothing that is worth keeping but you will obtain what is truly valuable!

The flesh and the soul need constant cleansings for corruption is so deeply rooted in our nature, that it takes a long and painful process to purge it out! But in reference to the furnace, your Lord says, "The Lord did this to purge Israel's wickedness, to take away all her sin!"

[James Smith]

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Leviticus 20:8 ... And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the Lord which sanctify you.

Ezekiel 36:25 ... Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

Proverbs 25:4 ... Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.

Isaiah 48:10 ... Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.❤