MAKE ME A CAPTIVE, LORD<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Make me a captive, Lord,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then I shall be free;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Force me to render up my sword,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I shall conqu\u2019ror be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I sink in life\u2019s alarms<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When by myself I stand;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Imprison me within Thine arms,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And strong shall be my hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My heart is weak and poor<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Until it master find;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It has no spring of action sure,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It varies with the wind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It cannot freely move<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Till Thou has wrought its chain;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Enslave it with Thy matchless love,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And deathless it shall reign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My pow\u2019r is faint and low<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Till I have learned to serve;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It lacks the needed fire to glow,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It lacks the breeze to nerve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It cannot drive the world<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Until itself be driv\u2019n;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Its flag can only be unfurled<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Thou shalt breathe from\nheav\u2019n.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My will is not my own<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Till Thou hast made it Thine;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If it would reach a monarch\u2019s\nthrone,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It must its crown resign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It only stands unbent<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amid the clashing strife,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When on Thy bosom it has leant,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And found in Thee its life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
George Matheson<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(1842-1906)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That which makes Christ Jesus most\nprecious to me and His <\/p>\n\n\n\n
robe of righteousness most needful is\nnot the preaching of what I <\/p>\n\n\n\n
am not, but the preaching of who and\nwhat He is!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Henry Mahan<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1895, the pastor and writer, Andrew\nMurray, was in England suffering from a terribly painful back, the result of an\ninjury he had incurred years before. One morning while he was eating breakfast\nin his room, his hostess told him of a woman downstairs who was in great\ntrouble and wanted to know if he had any advice for her. Murray handed her a\npaper he had been writing on and said, \u201cJust give her this advice I\u2019m writing\ndown for myself. It may be that she\u2019ll find it helpful.\u201d This is what he had\nwritten:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn time of trouble, say, \u2018First, He\nbrought me here. It is by His will I am in this strait place; in that I will\nrest.\u2019 Next, \u2018He will keep me here in His love, and give me grace in this trial\nto behave as His child.\u2019 Then say, \u2018He will make the trial a blessing, teaching\nme lessons He intends me to learn, and working in me the grace He means to\nbestow.\u2019 And last, say, \u2018In His good time He can bring me out again. How and\nwhen, He knows.\u2019 Therefore, say \u2018I am here (1) by God\u2019s appointment, (2) in His\nkeeping, (3) under His training, (4) for His time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Real Redemption<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are those who believe that\nJesus Christ died so man would have a chance of being saved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I do not know that I hate anything\nmore in my soul than to hear someone say that Jesus Christ died so as to make\nsalvation a possibility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It makes Jesus Christ so little,\nthat He should do so much, and after all, only give us a chance of being saved.\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What an insult it is to the Lord\nJesus Christ to fix the eternal honor of God in the salvation of sinners upon\nchance, and that chance to be managed by a poor sinful creature. No, no.\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thanks be to God for immortal\nrealities and certainties. What is said concerning what Christ has done?\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He has \u201cput away sin by the\nsacrifice of Himself\u201d (Hebrews 9:26). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe redeemed us from the curse of\nthe law\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Galatians 3:13). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He has \u201cobtained eternal redemption\nfor us\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Hebrews 9:12). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe has redeemed us to God\u201d\n(Revelation 5:9). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To the honor of the Eternal\nTrinity, it is said, not that the redeemed shall have a chance, but that \u201cthe\nredeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and\neverlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy;\nand sorrow and mourning shall flee away\u201d (Isaiah 51:11). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Lord Jesus Christ has done this\ngreat work and He is gone to heaven shouting \u201cvictory\u201d for \u201cGod is gone up with\na shout; the Lord with the sound of a trumpet\u201d (Psalm 47:5). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He rose from the grave as a\ndemonstrative proof that sin was destroyed, law satisfied, God honored, and His\npeople eternally and everlastingly saved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
William Gadsby<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Poor, naked, penniless,\nworthless!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n (Octavius Winslow<\/a>, “Morning Thoughts”) <\/p>\n\n\n\n “Verily, verily, I say unto\nyou, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead<\/em> will hear\nthe voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live!<\/em>”\nJohn 5:25<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is the special, direct,\nand effectual call of the Spirit in the\nelect of God, without which all other calling is in vain. The Spirit effectually<\/em> works\nin the soul with an inward, supernatural, secret power. There is an energy put\nforth with the call, which . . . Mark the blessed effects . . . The sinner sees himself as . . . Dreadful condition!<\/p>\n\n\n\n “What shall I do to be\nsaved?” is his cry! “I am a wretch undone! But, blessed be God, no poor soul\nthat ever uttered such language, prompted by such feelings\u2014ever died in\ndespair! That faithful Spirit who begins<\/em> the good\nwork\u2014effectually carries<\/em> it on, and completes<\/em> it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Presently He leads him to the\ncross of Jesus and unveils to his glimmering eye of faith a . . . That Saviour speaks; oh, did ever\nmusic sound so melodious? “Lord, I believe!”\nexclaims the poor convinced soul. Thus effectually does the blessed\nSpirit call a sinner\u2014by His especial,\ninvincible, and supernatural power; out of darkness into marvelous light!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n awakens the conscience,
\n breaks the heart,
\n convinces the judgment,
\n opens the eye of the soul, and
\n pours a new and an alarming sound upon the hitherto deaf ear!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n the scales fall from the eyes<\/em>,
\n the veil is torn from the mind<\/em>,
\n the deep fountains of evil in the heart<\/em> are broken up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n lost and undone,
\n without pardon,
\n without a righteousness,
\n without acceptance,
\n without a God,
\n without a Saviour,
\n without a hope!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n I look within<\/em> me\u2014all is dark and vile.
\n I look around<\/em> me\u2014everything seems but the image of my\nwoe.
\n I look above<\/em> me\u2014I see only an angry God.
\nWhichever way I look, is Hell!
\nAnd were God now to send me there\u2014just and right would He be.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n suffering,
\n wounded,
\n bleeding,
\n dying Saviour;
\nand yet a Saviour with outstretched arms!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n“All this I do for you . . .
\n this cross<\/em> for you,
\n these sufferings<\/em> for you,
\n this blood<\/em> for you,
\n these stretched out arms for you.
\nCome unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
\nLook unto Me, and be saved!
\nAre you lost? I can save you!
\nAre you guilty? I can cleanse you!
\nAre you poor? I can enrich you!
\nAre you sunk low? I can raise you!
\nAre you naked? I can clothe you!
\nHave you nothing to bring with you?
\n No price?
\n No money?
\n No goodness?
\n No merit?
\nI can and will take you to Me, just as you are . . .
\n poor,
\n naked,
\n penniless,
\n worthless;<\/strong>
\nfor such I came to seek,
\nfor such I came to die!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n“You are just the Savior that I need.
\nI needed one that could and would save me . . .
\n with all my vileness,
\n with all my rags,
\n with all my poverty.
\nI needed one that would . . .
\n save me fully,
\n save me freely,
\nsave me as an act of mere unmerited, undeserved grace!
\nI have found Him whom my soul loves; and will be His through time, and His\nthrough eternity!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n