I have loved to hear\nmy Lord spoken of; now I am going to see Him. I have seen the print of His shoe\non the earth; now I am going to sit at His feet. I have read His Word; now I am\ngoing to hear His voice. I have beheld His world; now I am going to dwell in\nHis heaven where sin can never\nenter. \n ~John Bunyan<\/p>\n\n\n\n
THE FAMILY OF GOD <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“For this cause I bow my\nknees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Of whom the whole family in\nheaven is named” (Ephesians 3:13-14).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to be a member of the\nfamily of God don’t you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How can a person be made to be a\nmember of any family here on this earth? There are three ways that I can think\nand none of those ways include, making a decision to be a member or working\nyour way into being a member. When it comes to earthly families we can either\nbe born into them, adopted into them, or married into them, and all three of\nthose ways apply to every member of God’s family. Every soul in glory will say,\n“I was born of the Spirit of God (John 3:5). I was adopted by the purchase\nof the blood of the son of God, (Ephesians 1:5-6). And I was hand selected to\nbe the bride of Christ by the Father of God, (Revelation 21:2, 9).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All of three of those forms of\nunion were accomplished in the will and purpose of God before the world began.\nAnd in the time all three of those forms of union will be revealed to every\nsoul who is called into the knowledge of their eternal home. In every way\npossible, God has secured His chosen people into His family. For this cause we\nbow our knees to Him!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabe Stalnaker<\/p>\n\n\n\n
GOD\u2019S GOSPEL<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018That gospel of the glory of the\nblessed God\u2019 (I Tim. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
1:11), in the salvation of sinners is\nthe most wonderful, the <\/p>\n\n\n\n
most amazing, and the most glorious\n\u201cGood News\u201d which <\/p>\n\n\n\n
ever fell upon human ear! It is in\nevery way characteristic of <\/p>\n\n\n\n
its Author and suitable to the\ndesperate need of spiritually <\/p>\n\n\n\n
dead sinners (Eph. 2:1-7). It\nmanifests the holiness and <\/p>\n\n\n\n
righteousness of God in justifying the\nunholy and <\/p>\n\n\n\n
unrighteous, the infinite love of God\nin saving those who are <\/p>\n\n\n\n
altogether unlovable, and the infinite\npower of God in <\/p>\n\n\n\n
creating life in those who are \u201cdead\nin trespasses and in <\/p>\n\n\n\n
sins.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This salvation is fully\naccomplished by the Lord Jesus <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christ for His people, for sinners.\nThere is FULL! FREE! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
ETERNAL! salvation for lost,\nundeserving, hell-deserving <\/p>\n\n\n\n
sinners in the Lord Jesus Christ! This\nsalvation comes to <\/p>\n\n\n\n
sinners freely, by grace, through\nfaith (Eph. 2:8, 9). They <\/p>\n\n\n\n
hear the \u201cGood News;\u201d they believe the\nword spoken; they <\/p>\n\n\n\n
trust in the Lord Jesus Christ through\nthe Word \u2013 and they <\/p>\n\n\n\n
have Christ! and they have life! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When food and drink is set\nbefore the hungry and thirsty, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
they eat and drink with thanksgiving.\nWhen Christ and life is <\/p>\n\n\n\n
set forth before (declared, Gal. 3:1)\nlost, guilty, condemned, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
hell-deserving, dying sinners, they\nembrace Him and live <\/p>\n\n\n\n
upon Him with thanksgiving unto the\ntriune God. They <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cworship God in the Spirit, and\nrejoice in Christ Jesus, and <\/p>\n\n\n\n
have no confidence in the flesh\u201d\n(Phil. 3:3).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dear believing sinner, rejoice\nwith thanksgiving and <\/p>\n\n\n\n
praise unto our great God and Saviour.\nDear lost, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
unbelieving sinner, \u201cBelieve on the\nLord Jesus Christ, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
and thou SHALT be saved\u201d (Acts\n16:31). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maurice Montgomery<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“God is jealous.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nahum 1:2<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your Lord is very jealous of your\nlove, O believer. Did he choose you? He cannot bear that you should choose\nanother. Did he buy you with his own blood? He cannot endure that you should\nthink that you are your own, or that you belong to this world. He loved you\nwith such a love that he would not stop in heaven without you; he would sooner\ndie than you should perish, and he cannot endure that anything should stand\nbetween your heart’s love and himself. He is very jealous of your trust. He\nwill not permit you to trust in an arm of flesh. He cannot bear that you should\nhew out broken cisterns, when the overflowing fountain is always free to you.\nWhen we lean upon him, he is glad, but when we transfer our dependence to\nanother, when we rely upon our own wisdom, or the wisdom of a friend\u2014worst of\nall, when we trust in any works of our own, he is displeased, and will chasten\nus that he may bring us to himself. He is also very jealous of our company.\nThere should be no one with whom we converse so much as with Jesus. To abide in\nhim only, this is true love; but to commune with the world, to find sufficient\nsolace in our carnal comforts, to prefer even the society of our fellow\nChristians to secret intercourse with him, this is grievous to our jealous\nLord. He would fain have us abide in him, and enjoy constant fellowship with\nhimself; and many of the trials which he sends us are for the purpose of\nweaning our hearts from the creature, and fixing them more closely upon\nhimself. Let this jealousy which would keep us near to Christ be also a comfort\nto us, for if he loves us so much as to care thus about our love we may be sure\nthat he will suffer nothing to harm us, and will protect us from all our\nenemies. Oh that we may have grace this day to keep our hearts in sacred\nchastity for our Beloved alone, with sacred jealousy shutting our eyes to all\nthe fascinations of the world!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-copied<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What a holy, happy\nlife is this!<\/strong>
\n
\n(Octavius Winslow<\/a>,\n“The Lord’s Prayer” 1866)
\n
\n“Give us this day<\/strong> our daily<\/strong> bread.”\nMatthew 6:11
\n
\nGod will have us live a life of daily faith<\/em> upon His
\nbounty. If we would live a life of holy victory amid
\nthe daily conflict of the flesh we must live a life
\nof daily faith upon Jesus, a life of daily waiting
\nupon God.
\n
\n“THIS day, my Father! The supplies of yesterday<\/em>
\nare exhausted; those of tomorrow <\/em>I leave with
\nYou. Give me this day all that its circumstances
\nmay demand. Give me . . .<\/strong>
\n the clearness of judgment,
\n the soundness of decision,
\n the resoluteness of will,
\n the integrity of principle,
\n the uprightness of heart,
\n the moral courage,
\n the Christlike meekness,
\n the holy love,
\n the watchfulness and prayerfulness,
\n the integrity and consistency,
\nits yet unshaped history may require.
\nI know not . . .<\/strong>
\n what temptations I shall be exposed to,
\n what foes I shall be assailed by,
\n what trials I shall pass through,
\n what clouds will shade,
\n what sorrows will embitter,
\n what circumstanceswill wound my spirit.
\nLord, give me . . .<\/strong>
\n grace,
\n strength,
\n love,
\n guidance,
\n faith.
\nGive me this day my daily bread.”
\n
\nWhat a holy, happy life is this!<\/strong>
\n
\nIt removes all care from the mind but the
\npresent; and for that present, the believer
\nhangs upon a Father’s care!
\n
\nThus begin and continue your day
\nwith God. Its history is all . . .
\n undeveloped,
\n uncertain, and
\n untraced.
\nYou cannot . . .
\n foresee one step,
\n be certain of one circumstance,
\n or control one event.
\n
\nLet your prayer be, “Give me, Lord, all
\nsupplies for this day. I may have . . .
\n trials of my judgment,
\n trials of my affections,
\n trials of conscience,
\n trials of my principles,
\n trials from those I most tenderly love.
\nLord, be with me,
\nguide me with Your counsel,
\nhold up my steps that they slide not,
\nlet Your comforts delight my soul.”
\n
\nDay by day is the life of faith you are
\nto live upon Jesus. It is DAILY bread . . .
\n Jesus for each and for every day.
\n Jesus for each day’s needs.
\n Jesus for each day’s trials.
\n Jesus for each day’s sins.
\n Jesus for life.
\n Jesus for death.
\n Jesus forever!<\/p>\n\n\n\n