Jun 26
10
1John 1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
1John 1:4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
Phil. 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
Phil. 4:5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
Phil. 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Phil. 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Phil. 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Prov. 7:1 My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
Prov. 7:2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.
Prov. 7:3 Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.
Prov. 7:4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:
Prov. 7:5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.
Prov. 7:24 Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.
Prov. 7:25 Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.
Prov. 7:26 For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.
Prov. 7:27 Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.
The believer is perfect in Christ, but in himself is a poor feeble creature, ever liable to fall. Oh, the blessedness of having One who can manage all his affairs for him at the right hand of the Majesty in the Heavens: One who upholds him continually by the right hand of His righteousness: One who will never let him go: One who is able to save to the uttermost: One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever: One who will bear him triumphantly through all the difficulties and dangers that surround him and finally, present him faultless before the presence of His Glory with exceeding joy. Blessed forever be the grace that has made such ample provision for all our sins in the Blood of a spotless victim and the intercession of a Divine High Priest.
Scott Richardson
“Have you repented of all your sins?”
By asking that question, you have reminded me that God has, in fact, given me the spirit of repentance. He has “changed my mind” about the true nature of my sin. There was a time when I believed that sin was just a behavioural problem that I could bring to repentance. I believed that if I worked hard enough on that list, I could become less sinful and more holy. I thought that God’s forgiveness was at least in part dependent upon my repentance. Now I know the truth about my sin. My sin goes far deeper than I can see to list. My sin is what I am. All my righteousnesses are as filthy rags before God. The best part of me is altogether vanity. I am a much greater sinner than I could possibly know. God has made Christ to be all of my righteousness. I trust Him as my successful Saviour in bearing all my sin in His body upon that tree and putting them away by the sacrifice of Himself. So yes, I have repented of all my sins. Have you?
Greg Elmquist
“To Seek and To Save” – Luke 19:10
As the Lord says in this verse, He does both the seeking and the saving. If the great Shepherd doesn’t seek his sheep, they will never be found. And if after finding His sheep, He doesn’t save them, they will never be saved. Thank God that Jesus Christ does both the seeking and the saving. And He does both successfully. All those He seeks, He finds. And all those He finds, He saves. And everyone He seeks and saves, He will bring to glory to present them faultless before the throne of God. The longer I live, the more convinced I am that “Salvation is of the Lord.” And I am so thankful that it is.
Larry Criss
God Never Asks and Never Apologises
God never asked Job for permission to take away all that he had, nor did He apologise when it was gone. When God finally spoke to Job, His words were direct and commanding… “Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me” (Job 38:3). There was not a single word of apology. Why? Because God had not wronged Job. God is never unjust in His dealings. In fact, Job was blessed beyond measure, but not in the way we would think. His blessings was not merely in what he had or even what was restored to him, but in what he came to see and understand about God. Job himself explains it best… “I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee. Wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5-6). This is the true blessing – to go from simply hearing about God to truly seeing Him. To be brought to a place of humility, repentance, and deeper knowledge of God is a gift beyond all earthly possessions. How blessed it is for a person to be brought to this place before they die.
John Chapman
Ask Him
Luke 11:9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Luke 11:10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Luke 11:11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
Luke 11:12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
“Ask Him” the vitally essential gift of the Holy Spirit is given to those asking Him – this specific Him, who is the Heavenly Father who sent the Lord Jesus Christ into this world to finish the work given Him. Multitudes pray ‘to a god that cannot save’ Isaiah 45:20 – a ‘god’ who cannot give.
“Ask Him” Whose name is hallowed, Who has a Kingdom, Who has a will which is done.
Luke 11:2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Luke 11:3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
Luke 11:4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
“Ask Him” who sees all the hearts of all men and declares of these apostles ‘you being evil’ – not “you doing evil” but “you being evil.” I’m asking this particular Father Who alone can give the blessed Holy Spirit, and I’m asking repeatedly for myself and for you to ask and receive. Without the Holy Spirit there is no life from heaven, no seeing the glory of Christ, no believing to the saving of your eternal soul. Without the Holy Spirit there is no Christ in you the hope of glory.
Why Ask?
Ezek. 36:37 Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock.
Ezek. 36:22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake.
For His holy name’s sake – the hallowed name of the One who alone gives.
The enlightening ministry of the Holy Spirit
By Charles Spurgeon
Without the illuminating power of the Spirit, we cannot rightly understand God’s Word. We are as . . .
ships without wind,
branches without sap,
and coals without fire.
We are spiritually blind until the Spirit takes the scales from our eyes.
We are spiritually deaf until He unstops our ears.
We are spiritually dead until He gives us life.
The Spirit of God first imparts light to the soul, by which we see . . .
ourselves,
our sin,
our Saviour,
and His method of salvation.
The Holy Spirit reveals to us our need of Christ, and leads us to Him—opening our blind eyes to see the beauty of the Saviour.
The Spirit does not merely give us light—but opens our hearts to receive it, enabling us to comprehend and embrace divine truth.
The Word of God is the chisel, but the Spirit is the sculptor who shapes the soul into Christ’s image.
The Spirit does not reveal new truths, but He illuminates our minds to understand the truths already written.
The Spirit’s enlightenment turns mere head knowledge into heart knowledge, kindling a fire of devotion to God.
The Holy Spirit is the one who makes us see our sin as exceedingly sinful, and Jesus as altogether lovely.
It is the Spirit of God who . . .
convinces us of our spiritual ignorance,
leads us into all truth,
and then lights up that truth with heavenly radiance.
The Holy Spirit is the great revealer of Christ to the soul, making Him known, loved, and adored—where He was once despised.
In the hands of the Spirit, the Word of God is not a dead letter—but a living, life-changing force.
The Spirit’s light makes the Word personal, shining upon the page until it speaks directly to our hearts.
The Spirit illuminates not only our minds—but also our paths, guiding us into all righteousness and truth.
The enlightening work of the Spirit enables us to see the folly of sin, and the loveliness of Christ!
The Holy Spirit makes the difference between mere head-knowledge of the Bible—and a deep, living experience of its power.
By the Spirit’s illumination, we do not merely know about God—we come to know Him in intimate fellowship and love.
The Spirit does not add to the Word, but illumines it—so that the truth becomes radiant and irresistible.
When the Spirit unveils Christ as . . .
our wisdom,
our righteousness,
our sanctification,
and our redemption,
every truth becomes centred in Him.
The Spirit alone can take the things of Christ and make them clear to the soul—turning head-knowledge into spiritual understanding.
Just as light dispels darkness, the Spirit chases away ignorance and error, filling the soul with truth and joy.
The Spirit’s illumination makes us taste the sweetness of Christ, and feel the weight of eternal realities!
By the Spirit’s light, we see . . .
the glory of the cross,
the beauty of holiness,
and the hope of Heaven,
as never before!
Simply Preach Him
The message of the Gospel is a very narrow message that encompasses the breadth or the span of God himself. It is narrow in the sense that Christ is its only object. There is nothing that I can preach from the Scriptures that will not find its beginning and end all redounding to the glory and honour of Christ. Any message that focuses on anything but Him misses the Gospel.
Marvin Stalnaker
HE LOVES ME
Some of our dear friends have been through some severe trials, and others are now suffering in heart and body. All of us wish to witness a good confession and maintain an attitude and conversation which will help and inspire others and glorify our Lord. But pain is pain. The loss of a dear child or mate is overwhelming, and we are still in this body of flesh. Therefore, let it be known to all that we believe and are sure that our Lord is the first cause of all things, and we bless His name and trust His word whatever the circumstances. The following words by CHARLES SPURGEON sum up our confession!
“The Christian knows no change with regard to God. He may be rich today and poor tomorrow; he may be sickly today and well tomorrow; he may be in happiness today and tomorrow be in distress; but THERE IS NO CHANGE WITH REGARD TO HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. If He loved me yesterday, He loves me today. I am neither better nor worse in God than I ever was. Let prospects be blighted, let hopes be blasted, let joy be withered, let mildews destroy everything; I HAVE LOST NOTHING OF WHAT I HAVE IN GOD! Henry Mahan
That Heavenly Teacher
(J.C.Philpot, “Daily Words for Zion’s Wayfarers”)
We do not learn that we are sinners merely by reading it in the Bible. It must be wrought, I might say, burnt into us.
Nor will anyone sincerely and spiritually cry for mercy, until sin is spiritually felt and known . . .
in its misery,
in its dominion,
in its guilt,
in its entanglements,
in its wiles and allurements,
in its filth and pollution, and
in its condemnation.
Where the Holy Spirit works, He kindles . . .
sighs,
groans,
supplications,
wrestlings, and
pleadings
to know Christ, feel His love, taste the efficacy of His atoning blood, and embrace Him as all our salvation and all our desire.
And though there may, and doubtless will be, much barrenness, hardness, deadness, and apparent carelessness often felt; still that heavenly Teacher will revive His work, though often by painful methods; nor will He let the quickened soul rest short of a personal and experimental enjoyment of Christ and His glorious salvation.