Dec 21
26
“The entrance of your words gives light; it gives understanding unto the simple.” –Psalm 119:130
J.C.Philpot
The word “simple” means literally something which is not folded or twisted together. But owing to the treacherous and desperately deceitful heart of man, all, without exception, in a state of nature are the reverse of this. All their plots and contrivances for worldly profit or fleshly pleasure are tangled and complicated; and they are continually twisting together some thread or other of carnal policy.
But when God the Holy Spirit begins the work of grace upon the souls of the elect, he proceeds (if I may use the expression) to untwist them. He takes hold of that rope which Satan and their own hearts have been twisting together for years, and he untwists it throughout its whole length, so as to leave the strands not intertwined as before, but sifted, separated, and isolated from each other. The light that shines into the soul out of the fullness of Jesus discovers to a man the tortuousness, the crookedness, the complicated deceit and hypocrisy of which he is guilty. A man then is made “simple,” when the folds and rumples of his heart are shaken out, and he is brought to see and feel that God looks into him; that his eye penetrates into every recess of his bosom; and that there is not a thought in his heart, nor “a word in his tongue, but the Lord knows it altogether” (Psalm 139:4).
This character is aptly represented by Nathaniel. He had gone through this untwisting work in his soul. He had been under the fig-tree, and while kneeling and praying there, the eye of God looked into him, and just as a flash of lightning runs, in a moment, through a coil of wire, so, when the eye of God looked into Nathaniel’s soul, that instantaneous flash unraveled and untwisted the devices of his heart, and made him a simple man before him–“an Israelite indeed, in whom there was no deceit” (John 1:47).
“For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.” Galatians 5:17
C.H.Spurgeon
In every believer’s heart there is a constant struggle between the old nature and the new. The old nature is very active, and loses no opportunity of plying all the weapons of its deadly armory against newborn grace; while on the other hand, the new nature is ever on the watch to resist and destroy its enemy. Grace within us will employ prayer, and faith, and hope, and love—to cast out the evil; it takes unto it the “whole armor of God,” and wrestles earnestly.
These two opposing natures will never cease to struggle so long as we are in this world. The battle of “Christian” with “Apollyon” lasted three hours—but Christian’s battle with himself lasted all the way from the Wicket Gate in the river Jordan. The enemy is so securely entrenched within us that he can never be driven out while we are in this body—but although we are often in sore conflict, we have an Almighty helper, even Jesus, the Captain of our salvation, who is ever with us, and who assures us that we shall eventually come off more than conquerors through Him. With such assistance, the new-born nature is more than a match for its foes.
Are you fighting with the adversary today? Are Satan, the world, and the flesh, all against you? Do not be discouraged nor dismayed. Fight on! For God Himself is with you; Jehovah Nissi is your banner, and Jehovah Rophi is the healer of your wounds. Fear not, you shall overcome, for who can defeat Omnipotence? Fight on, “looking unto Jesus”; and though long and stern is the conflict, sweet will be the victory, and glorious the promised reward.
“From strength to strength go on;
Wrestle, and fight, and pray,
Tread all the powers of darkness down,
And win the well-fought day.”
Phil. 3:3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
Musing upon the thought of the impartation of a new nature, I was struck with what the Bible says about the evidence of that new nature. First, there’s a new attitude toward God, “For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus.” Secondly, there’s a new attitude toward ourselves, “and have no confidence in the flesh.” And lastly, there’s a new attitude toward others, “By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another.” Thank the Lord for His marvelous grace. Marvin Stalnaker
Seek The Lord
If you are under the load of sin, burdened down by your guilt and troubled over your relation with the Holy God of Heaven, may I give you this advice: Seek the Lord! He has promised that if you seek Him with all your heart, He will be found (Jer. 29:13). Seek Christ believingly, seek Him earnestly, seek Him sincerely, seek Him only, seek Him early, Seek Him Now! Pastor Scott Richardson
Religion and Attitude
If my religion does not make me gracious, forgiving, peaceable, submissive, loving, and easy to get along with, I am sure that my religion has made me miss Christ. Pastor Frank Tate
When I become judgmental and critical I have set myself up as a judge and a critic. The reason behind that is always self-righteousness. Always tied to self-righteousness is a failure to assume personal responsibility for my own sin. Eve blamed Satan and Adam blamed Eve. I fail to see my sin as being my fault. I am a victim! I see myself in a better light than I really am. I am now competent to be the judge and critic of others. However, if all my sin is seen as all my fault I see myself as unable to be anyone’s judge or critic. And that is a good place to be! “Therefore thou art inexcusable O man, whosoever thou art that judgest, for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself: for thou that judgest doest the same things.” Pastor Todd Nibert
“It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes… I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that
thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.” (Psalm 119:71, 75).
Many years ago, Martin Luther was going through a great and heavy trial for the sake of the Gospel of Christ. He read these verses and cried out, “Strike on Oh Lord, strike on! For I know, now, that thou lovest me!” What a terrible thing to miss the faithfulness of our Lord by shunning and murmuring at the afflictions He has sent – in His infinite Love and Grace to His child! In doing so, we avoid the blessing. Lord, give us the faith to trust and believe you! To cry out, “Strike on Lord, Strike on!” That we might see your love, faithfulness, and righteousness once more! Pastor Kevin Thacker
~~~~~~~O~~~~~~~
LOVE BEARETH ALL THINGS (I Corinthians 13:7)
The word bear is the verb form of the word roof. It roofs over all things. It covers with silence all things. “Love covereth all transgressions” (Proverbs 10:12). “He that covereth a transgression seeketh love” (Proverbs 17:9). The Lord covers with silence all things of those He loves. His blood covers our sins so there is nothing to expose. Our sins are non-existent! He would never expose sin because He loves us and because of the covering of His blood, there is nothing to expose. When one person wishes to expose another person so that others will see their sins, faults, and flaws, there is only one reason – the absence of love for that person. Love covers with silence all things. It builds a roof so the sins of the object of its love cannot be seen. Pastor Todd Nibert
Solving the great problem of fretful,
careworn, restless, suffering humanity?
(MacDuff, “Memories of Gennesaret” 1887)
The world resorts to many expedients for
the improvement of man, solving the great
problem of fretful, careworn, restless,
suffering humanity apart from the gospel.
The philosopher may dream of visionary
earthly antidotes.
The politician may see in some cold, frigid,
intellectual training a panacea for human wrongs.
The moralist may discourse on human virtue,
and the self rectifying power of human goodness.
The socialist may dare to propound his damning
theories as the pioneers of the halcyon reign of
unbounded liberty.
But we have boldness and confidence that Christ,
and Him crucified, and the new life which this
Lord of life has to impart, are the true and only
secrets of peace on earth and good will to men.
“The one who does not love—does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:8
C.H.Spurgeon
The distinguishing mark of a Christian is his confidence in the love of Christ—and the yielding of his affections to Christ in return. First, faith sets her seal upon the man by enabling the soul to say with the apostle, “Christ loved me—and gave Himself for me!” Then love gives the countersign, and stamps upon the heart gratitude and love to Jesus in return. “We love Him—because He first loved us.”
In those grand old ages, which are the heroic period of the Christian religion, this double mark was clearly to be seen in all believers in Jesus; they were men who knew the love of Christ, and rested upon it as a man leans upon a staff whose trustiness he has tried. The love which they felt towards the Lord was not a quiet emotion which they hid within themselves in the secret chamber of their souls, and which they only spoke of in their private assemblies when they met on the first day of the week, and sang hymns in honor of Christ Jesus the crucified—but it was a passion with them of such a vehement and all-consuming energy, that it was visible in all their actions, spoke in their common talk, and looked out of their eyes even in their commonest glances. Love to Jesus was a flame which fed upon the core and heart of their being; and, therefore, from its own force—it burned its way into the outer man, and shone there. Zeal for the glory of King Jesus—was the seal and mark of all genuine Christians. Because of their dependence upon Christ’s love—they dared much; and because of their love to Christ—they did much, and it is the same now.
The children of God are ruled in their inmost powers by love—the love of Christ constrains them; they rejoice that divine love is set upon them, they feel it shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Spirit, who is given unto them, and then by force of gratitude they love the Savior with a pure heart, fervently. My reader, do you love Him? Before you sleep—give an honest answer to a weighty question!
The Almighty is a weak babe!
(Henry Law, “Christ is All” 1854)
“Unto you is born a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
Wonder of wonders! The mighty God, without
ceasing to be God, becomes man to redeem us!
Let the greatest king become the lowest beggar;
let the richest prince leave his palace for the vilest
cell of a loathsome prison; it is as nothing compared
to the act of Jesus, when He left heaven to put on
the rags of our mortality!
The Creator of all things becomes a creature!
The Almighty is a weak babe!
The Eternal is a child of time!
The Infinite is contracted into the limits of poor flesh!
Is not this the wonder of wonders?
Is not this grace which has no bounds?
“We love Him—because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19
C.H.Spurgeon
There is no light in the planet—but that which proceeds from the sun; and there is no true love to Jesus in the heart—but that which comes from the Lord Jesus himself. From this overflowing fountain of the infinite love of God—all our love to God must spring. This must ever be a great and certain truth—that we love Him for no other reason than because He first loved us. Our love to Him is the lovely offspring of His love to us. Cold admiration, when studying the works of God, anyone may have—but the warmth of love can only be kindled in the heart by God’s Spirit. How great the wonder—that such as we should ever have been brought to love Jesus at all! How marvelous that when we had rebelled against Him—He should, by a display of such amazing love, seek to draw us back. No! never would we have had a grain of love towards God—unless it had been sown in us by the sweet seed of His love to us.
Love to Jesus, then, has for its parent—the love of God shed abroad in the heart—but after it is thus divinely born, it must be divinely nourished. Love is an exotic; it is not a plant which will flourish naturally in human soil, it must be watered from above. Love to Jesus is a flower of a delicate nature, and if it received no nourishment but that which could be drawn from the rock of our hearts—it would soon wither. As love comes from heaven—so it must feed on heavenly bread. It cannot exist in the wilderness, unless it be fed by manna from on high. Love must feed on love. The very soul and life of our love to God—is His love to us.
WHICH IS THE GREAT COMMANDMENT?
There has never been a single moment in my life that I have loved the Lord, as He ought to be loved. However, at the same time, there has never been a single moment in time when Christ did not love the Lord His God, His Father, with all His heart, soul, mind and strength.
In Christ, and with Him as my Substitute, I have kept the greatest commandment of all. Matter of fact, in Christ, I have kept “every commandment of God” perfectly and completely. My salvation has nothing to do with my works, my faithfulness, or my righteousness. My salvation has everything to do with His! David Eddmenson