Walking Alone With GOD

John 16:32  Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

It need not be said that to carry out conviction into action is a costly sacrifice. 

It may make necessary renunciations and separations which leave one to feel a strange sense both of deprivation and loneliness. 

But he who will fly, as an eagle does, into the higher levels where cloudless day abides, and live in the sunshine of God, must be content to live a comparatively lonely life.

No bird is so solitary as the eagle. 

Eagles never fly in flocks; one, or at most two, ever being seen at once. 

But the life that is lived unto God, however it forfeits human companionships, knows Divine fellowship.

God seeks eagle-men. 

No man ever comes into a realization of the best things of God, who does not, upon the Godward side of his life, learn to walk alone with God. 

We find Abraham alone in Horeb upon the heights, but Lot, dwelling in Sodom. 

Moses, skilled in all the wisdom of Egypt must go forty years into the desert alone with God. 

Paul, who was filled with Greek learning and had also sat at the feet of Gamaliel, must go into Arabia and learn the desert life with God. 

Let God isolate us. 

I do not mean the isolation of a monastery. 

In this isolating experience He develops an independence of faith and life so that the soul needs no longer the constant help, prayer, faith or attention of his neighbor. 

Such assistance and inspiration from the other members are necessary and have their place in the Christian’s development, but there comes a time when they act as a direct hindrance to the individual’s faith and welfare. 

God knows how to change the circumstances in order to give us an isolating experience. 

We yield to God and He takes us through something, and when it is over, those about us, who are no less loved than before, are no longer depended upon. 

We realize that He has wrought some things in us, and that the wings of our souls have learned to beat the upper air.

Wholly Taken Up With Contriving Methods Of Amusing Themselves!

Concerning the performing of 'Handel's Messiah' John Newton wrote: 

How shall we view the people of our times? 

I see the great mass of people involved in one common charge of high treason against the omnipotent God!  

They are already in a state of guilt-but have not yet been brought to their trial. 

The evidence against them is so plain, strong and pointed, that there is not the least doubt of their guilt being fully proved-and that nothing but a free pardon from God can preserve them from their deserved eternal punishment!

In this situation, it would seem in their best interest to avail themselves of every expedient in their power for obtaining God's mercy. 

But they are entirely heedless of their imminent danger, and are wholly taken up with contriving methods of amusing themselves-that they may pass away their short time on earth with as much levity as possible!

Among other resources, they call in the assistance of music-and they are particularly pleased with the performing of 'Handel's Messiah'. 

They choose to make...the solemnities of their impending judgment, the character of their Judge, the methods of His procedure, and the dreadful punishment to which they are exposed, the themes of their musical entertainment!

And, as if they were quite unconcerned in their upcoming judgment-their attention is chiefly fixed upon the skill of the composer, in adapting the style of his music to the very solemn subjects with which they are trifling!

The offended King, however, unasked by them, and out of His great mercy and compassion towards those who have no pity for themselves-sends them a gracious message. 

He assures them that He is unwilling that they should eternally perish; and that He requires-yes, He entreats them to submit to Him! 

He points out a way in which He offers them a free and a full pardon!

But, instead of taking a single step towards a compliance with His undeserved and gracious offer-they set His message to music! 

And this, together with a description of their present hopeless state, and of the fearful doom awaiting them if they continue obstinate-is sung for their entertainment, and accompanied with every kind of music!

Surely, if such a case as I have supposed could be found in real life, though I might admire the musical taste of these people-I would certainly pity their stupidity and hardness of heart!

~John Newton

The Trial Of Your Faith

1Pe 1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 

Trials and temptations are the means which God employs to manifest to the soul the reality and strength of the faith which he bestows upon it...

For there is in every trial and temptation opposition made to the faith that is in the heart; and every trial and temptation, so to speak, threaten the life of faith. 

And they threaten it in this way.... 

Under the trial God for the most part hides himself. 

He puts forth, indeed, a secret power whereby the soul is held up, or otherwise it would sink into utter despair, and be overcome and swallowed up by the power of unbelief. 

Hence comes the conflict between the trial that fights against the faith and the faith which fights against or rather under the trial. 

Now, when in this trial, in this sharp conflict, in this hot furnace, faith does not give way, is not burned up, is not destroyed...

But keeps its firm hold upon the promise and the faithfulness of him who has given it...

This trial of faith becomes very precious. 

It is precious to the soul when God again smiles upon it, and becomes thus manifest as genuine. 

It is precious in the sight of God's people, who see it and derive strength and comfort from what they witness in the experience of a saint thus tried and blessed...

And it is precious also in the sight of God himself, who crowns it with his own manifest approbation, and puts upon it the attesting seal of his own approving smile. 

But above all things, it will be found precious at the appearing of Jesus Christ...

And that not only in his various appearings in grace, but in his final appearance in glory...

For of that the Apostle mainly speaks when he says that "it may be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ."

~J. C. Philpot

Who Can Wonder?

1Ti 4:12  Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 

 

Look into some families of professors...

 

Follow them through the history of only one week, and see...
 

Their worldly-mindedness, their gaiety, their frivolity...
 

Their unsanctified tempers, their worldly reading, their amusements...
 

Their homage to talent, their low esteem of holiness...
 

Their negligence of family prayer, their neglect of godly instruction to their children...
 

And who can wonder that young people brought up amidst such scenes, do not become religiously devoted-but go off into the world or into sin?

Too often the children are like their parents, and bring into the church no higher or better kind of religion than what they have learned at home! 

 

And thus a low tone of reverence, a lukewarm Laodicean spirit-is extended and perpetuated.

There must be a revival of reverence in the parents! 

 

It is vain to expect that a worldly-minded father, whose spirituality, if he ever had any, has been utterly evaporated by the exclusiveness of concern about business and politics. 

 

Or a frivolous, pleasure-loving mother, who thinks far more about adorning the bodies of her children, than about saving their souls-should be at all concerned about the God Fearing education of their children.

Recollect what a solemn thing it is to be a parent! 

 

What a weighty responsibility attaches to those who have the immortal souls of their children committed to their care!

 

Eph 6:4  And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Satan's Baits!

Luke 18:24  And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

Luke 18:25  For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Bring up your children with low notions of the importance of riches and worldly show, and of the power which these things have either to give respectability to the character, or to procure happiness.

Do not let them hear you magnify the value of wealth by your words-nor see you do it by your actions. 

Avoid a servile attention to the rich and great...

Do not point to them as the individuals most to be admired and envied. 

Do not have an undue solicitude about grandeur of abode or furniture. 

From the time that they are capable of receiving an idea or an impression, teach them that it is godly character that constitutes true respectability.

Remind them of the danger of riches, and that they are Satan's baits to tempt men to love the world and lose their souls!

Not that you should produce a cynical disposition towards either riches or the rich; much less repress industry, and foster indolence. No..., 

But encourage them to consider and seek wealth, rather as a means of usefulness, than a source of personal gratification.

1Ti 6:9  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

1Ti 6:10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

~John Angell James

Fret Not Over Evil-Doers!

Do not get into a perilous heat about things. 

If ever heat were justified, it was surely justified in the circumstances outlined in the Psalm. 

Evil-doers were moving about clothed in purple and fine linen, and faring sumptuously every day.

"Workers of iniquity" were climbing into the supreme places of power, and were tyrannizing their less fortunate brethren. 

Sinful men and women were stalking through the land in the pride of life and basking in the light and comfort of great prosperity, and good men were becoming heated and fretful.

"Fret not thyself." Do not get unduly heated! Keep cool! 

Even in a good cause, fretfulness is not a wise help-meet. 

Fretting only heats the bearings; it does not generate the steam. 

It is no help to a train for the axles to get hot; their heat is only a hindrance. 

When the axles get heated, it is because of unnecessary friction; dry surfaces are grinding together, which ought to be kept in smooth co-operation by a delicate cushion of oil.

And is it not a suggestive fact that this word "fret" is closely akin to the word "friction," and is an indication of absence of the anointing oil of the grace of God?

In fretfulness, a little bit of grit gets into the bearings-some slight disappointment, some ingratitude, some discourtesy-and the smooth working of the life is checked. 

Friction begets heat; and with the heat, most dangerous conditions are created.

Do not let thy bearings get hot. 

Let the oil of the Lord keep thee cool, lest by reason of an unholy heat thou be reckoned among the evil-doers.

~The Silver Lining

Dear restless heart, be still; don't fret and worry so, God has a thousand ways His love and help to show...

Just trust, and trust, and trust, until His will you know.

Dear restless heart, be still, for peace is God's own smile, His love can every wrong and sorrow reconcile... 

Just love, and love, and love, and calmly wait awhile.

Dear restless heart, be brave; don't moan and sorrow so, He hath a meaning kind in chilly winds that blow...

Just hope, and hope, and hope, until you braver grow.

Dear restless heart, repose upon His breast this hour, His grace is strength and life, His love is bloom and flower...

Just rest, and rest, and rest, within His tender power.

Dear restless heart, be still! 

Don't struggle to be free; God's life is in your life, from Him you may not flee...

Just pray, and pray, and pray, till you have faith to see.

~Edith Willis Linn

A Test For Forsaking Selfishness

Another principle for the Death Of Selfishness is to seek in everything to be Child-like...

And extremely Simple in our manners, words, dress, tastes, and interior experiences. 

Self naturally Feeds on Complexity and things Grand and Large and Loud. 

Christ is the very embodiment of Divine and Eternal Simplicity. 

The more we become selfless...

The more we become Disappointing to the people. 

Our learning, or talents will not Show Off to such fine advantage. 

We talk less. 

We live more Quietly. 

Our labors are less designed to Impress or Attract notice.

We employ Prayer and Faith in God more than Showy methods. 

We love to live like God, a profound Hidden life, in which people think we don't amount to very much. 

This is one of the tests for forsaking selfishness. 

~G. D. Watson~

Rejoice In The Flood!

Psalm 66:6  He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him.

It is a striking assertion, "through the floods" (the place where we might have expected nothing but trembling and terror, anguish and dismay) "there," says the Psalmist, "did we rejoice in him!"

How many there are who can endorse this as their experience: that "there," in their very seasons of distress and sadness, they have been enabled, as they never did before, to triumph and rejoice.

How near their God in covenant is brought! 

How brightly shine His promises! 

In the day of our prosperity we cannot see the brilliancy of these. 

Like the sun at noon, hiding out the stars from sight, they are indiscernible...

But when night overtakes, the deep, dark night of sorrow, out come these clustering stars-blessed constellations of Bible hope and promise of consolation.

Like Jacob at Jabbok, it is when our earthly sun goes down that the Divine Angel comes forth, and we wrestle with Him and prevail.

It was at night, "in the evening," Aaron lit the sanctuary lamps. 

It is in the night of trouble the brightest lamps of the believer are often kindled.

It was in his loneliness and exile John had the glorious vision of his Redeemer. 

There is many a Patmos still in the world, whose brightest remembrances are those of God's presence and upholding grace and love in solitude and sadness.

How many pilgrims, still passing through these Red Seas and Jordans of earthly affliction, will be enabled in the retrospect of eternity to say-full of the memories of God's great goodness-We went through the flood on foot...

There-there, in these dark experiences, with the surging waves on every side, deep calling to deep, Jordan, as when Israel crossed it, in 'the time of the overflowing' (flood), yet, 'there did we rejoice in Him!

~Dr. Macduff

Hosea 2:15  And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

Regulated Chastisement

Jer 30:11  For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.

To be left uncorrected would be a fatal sign...

It would prove that the LORD had said, "He is given unto idols, let him alone." 

God grant that such may never be our portion! 

Uninterrupted prosperity is a thing to cause fear and trembling. 

As many as God tenderly loves He rebukes and chastens...

Those for whom He has no esteem He allows to fatten themselves without fear, like bullocks for the slaughter. 

It is in love that our heavenly Father uses the rod upon His children. 

Yet see, the correction is in measure...

He gives us love without measure but chastisement "in measure." 

As under the old law no Israelite could receive more than the "forty stripes save one," which ensured careful counting and limited suffering...

So is it with each afflicted member of the household of faith-every stroke is counted. 

It is the measure of wisdom, the measure of sympathy, the measure of love, by which our chastisement is regulated. 

Far be it from us to rebel against appointments so divine. 

LORD, if Thou standest by to measure the bitter drops into my cup, it is for me cheerfully to take that cup from Thy hand and drink according to Thy directions, saying, "Thy will be done."

~Charles Spurgeon

Stumbling Blocks

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

There are weights which are not sins in themselves, but which become distractions and stumbling blocks in our Christian progress. 

One of the worst of these is despondency. 

The heavy heart is indeed a weight that will surely drag us down in our holiness and usefulness.

The failure of Israel to enter the land of promise began in murmuring, or, as the text in Numbers literally puts it, “as it were murmured.” 

 

Just a faint desire to complain and be discontented. 

 

This led on until it blossomed and ripened into rebellion and ruin.

 

Let us give ourselves no liberty ever to doubt God or His love and faithfulness to us in everything and forever.

 

We can set our will against doubt just as we do against any other sin...

 

And as we stand firm and refuse to doubt, the Holy Spirit will come to our aid and give us the faith of God and crown us with victory.

 

It is very easy to fall into the habit of doubting, fretting, and wondering if God has forsaken us and if after all our hopes are to end in failure. 

 

Let us refuse to be discouraged. 

 

Let us refuse to be unhappy. 

 

Let us “count it all joy” when we cannot feel one emotion of happiness. 

 

Let us rejoice by faith, by resolution, by reckoning, and we shall surely find that God will make the reckoning real.
 

~Selected

 

The devil has two master tricks. 

 

One is to get us discouraged; then for a time at least we can be of no service to others, and so are defeated. 

 

The other is to make us doubt, thus breaking the faith link by which we are bound to our Father. 

 

Lookout! Do not be tricked either way.
 

~G.E.M.

 

Gladness! I like to cultivate the spirit of gladness! 

 

It puts the soul so in tune again, and keeps it in tune, so that Satan is shy of touching it..

 

The chords of the soul become too warm, or too full of heavenly electricity, for his infernal fingers, and he goes off somewhere else! 

 

Satan is always very shy of meddling with me when my heart is full of gladness and joy in the Holy Ghost.

 

My plan is to shun the spirit of sadness as I would Satan; but, alas! 

 

I am not always successful. 

 

Like the devil himself it meets me on the highway of usefulness, looks me so fully in my face, till my poor soul changes color!

 

Sadness discolors everything...

 

It leaves all objects charmless...

 

It involves future prospects in darkness...

 

It deprives the soul of all its aspirations...

 

Enchains all its powers...

 

And produces a mental paralysis!

 

An old believer remarked, that cheerfulness in religion makes all its services come off with delight...

 

And that we are never carried forward so swiftly in the ways of duty as when borne on the wings of delight...

 

Adding, that Melancholy clips such wings...

 

Or, to alter the figure, takes off our chariot wheels in duty, and makes them, like those of the Egyptians, drag heavily.

Busy Here And There, And Life Is Gone.

1Ki 20:39  And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.

1Ki 20:40  And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it.

THIS was likely enough to happen on a battlefield. 

It would not be possible to hold your prisoner, and to busy yourself about other things at the same time. 

This man, in the prophet's parable, made a great mistake to concern himself about a number of trifles, when so serious a matter as his own life depended on giving all his attention to the custodianship of the prisoner entrusted to his care. 

But is it not thus that men miss the main end of life?

Many spend their days in mere trivialities. 

Like children they dig in the sand; like the butterfly, they flit from flower to flower. 

A round of visits, a few novels, a good many hours of light gaiety; vanity, fashion, and amusement these fill their hours, the days flash by, and life is gone. 

They Have Nothing To Show For It. 

Busy here and there, and the chance of saving others is gone. 

Lives touch lives, for the chief purpose that one should influence the other. 

But too often we deal only with superficiality, busying ourselves in the slightest interests, but not seeking the salvation of those with whom we associate. 

The dance, the game, the business relationship, monopolize our thought, and our friends are swept from us in the eddying whirl of life's battle, and are gone.

Busy here and there, and the knowledge of God is gone. 

Remember how the birds caught away the seed of the Kingdom; and be sure that, in the same way, the cares and riches of this world, and the lusts of other things may enter in, and destroy the impression made on the heart. 

The short lived interests of life press hard on its Real Interests. 

Like boys, we squander in trifling the hours given to Prepare for an Examination on which All The Future Must Turn.

~F. B. Meyer

When The LORD Gives A Command, OBEY It!

                                               

 

1Ki 13:21  And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee,

1Ki 13:22  But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the LORD did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.

WE are inclined at first sight to pity this unknown prophet, and to justify his return...

But...as we look closer into the story, we not only discover the reason for the severe penalty that overtook him, but we are warned lest we make a similar mistake. 

When we have received a direct command fresh from the lips of Christ, we must act on it...

And Not be turned aside by a different suggestion, made to us through the lips of professing Christians. 

God does not vacillate or alter in the thing which proceeds from his mouth. 

When we know we are in the line of his purpose, we must not allow ourselves to be diverted by any appeal or threat, from whomsoever it may emanate. 

Deal with God at first hand.

The rule for determining the true worth of the advice which our friends proffer us, is to ask, first, whether it conflicts with our own deep seated conviction of God's will...

And, secondly, whether it tends to the ease and satisfaction of the flesh, as the old prophet's suggestion certainly did. 

Beware of any one who allures you with the bread and water that are to break your fast. 

That bait is likely enough to disturb the balance of your judgment. 

When a voice says spare thyself, be on the Alert; it savours the things that be of man, not of those that be of God.

Learn to deal with God at first hand. 

Do not run hither and thither to human teachers, or to the Church. 

Be still before God, and what He says in the depths of thy soul, do. 

His Holy Spirit shall guide you into all truth...

And when once his way has been revealed to thee, go straight on, listening to no other voice, however much it professes Divine inspiration.

~F. B. Myer

The True Testimony And The False

And then we have this word which says there are those who "say they are Jews, and they are not", but are "of the synagogue of Satan" implying that there is something which seeks to simulate and represent what is of God, but which is not true and not pure. 

That is why the Lord introduces Himself as the One that is holy and the One that is true, in contrast to that which is false and impure, which is not transparent, which will not stand up to the scrutiny of those eyes of flame, with which He is presented to us at the beginning of these messages to the churches. 

He is looking through and exposing the false. 

But a true testimony will find it is based upon something that is true, as over against the seeming true which is false, savouring of that which is a lie - a synagogue of Satan, a legalistic system in antagonism to a pure, clear, full, free testimony of the Lord Jesus. 

That is how it may be in any expression in fullness of the Lord's mind towards the end. 

It is not going to be popular and have all the doors open in all directions, with everyone acclaiming and sponsoring. 

It is going to feel very much shut out and find many doors closed. 

Never mind, says the Lord; 'I know, I have the key. 

The issue is with Me. 

~T. Austin Sparks

To The Sufferer God Seems To Move So Slowly!

Luke 8:41  And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus' feet, and besought him that he would come into his house:

Luke 8:42  For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him.

It was not far from the shore to Jairus house, but it never seemed so long to Jairus as that morning. 

The news soon spread up the street that Jesus was back...

At every turning the crowd gathered and grew, until at last, the way was almost blocked, and Jairus almost in despair. 

Then came an unexpected interruption. 

A poor sick woman had touched the tassel of Jesus' robe and had been healed...

And Jesus had to halt and call her forth, and teach her that there was no magic in the tassel, but that her faith had healed her. 

And all this took so long-or seemed to Jairus to take so long-that when he saw a movement in the crowd, and caught sight of his servant forcing his way through, he knew in a moment that his daughter was dead. 

How slow God often seems! 

How hard it often is to wait with Christ! 

I saw a little girl once playing on the seashore at building castles. 

She built her fort and dug her trenches, and then waited for the waves to fill them. 

But the waves were so long in coming that the little girl lost patience, and in a fit stamped down her battlements and went away. 

And all the time, ceaseless and irresistible, the ocean was creeping up. 

Invisible fingers were drawing the whole sea up to her moat. 

I think she would have waited had she been sure of that. 

So Jairus and you and I must wait. 

Things seem all wrong sometimes. 

We cannot understand why Christ delays. 

Fear not, believe only, and she shall be made whole.   

The Shaking Of The Earthly

Mat 24:1  And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

How does that strike you? 

The disciples wanting to take the Lord Jesus on a sightseeing trip, and show Him the buildings of the temple! 

That is where their eyes are, that is what they are thinking to be important, that is their idea of impressiveness, importance, greatness and grandeur.... 

You know what follows through Matthew 24. 

We see that material and temporal things according to this world’s ideas and standards of greatness and even of the religious world’s standards, are the things which govern the mentality of these disciples after all this time. 

There is something there so deep-rooted, so inveterate, so persistent. 

We do not judge them, we are just like them. 

However spiritual we may think we are, the fact remains that we are tremendously influenced by temporal standards. 

It is a continuous battleground as to how things stand in this world before men, and even as to what the great religious leaders, and even evangelical leaders of our time regard as the important thing. 

It has a good deal of influence with us.

The Lord makes His pronouncement about that. 

The whole thing is going to be completely disintegrated. 

And it is on a mountain that He takes up this whole question, and you cannot get away from the fact-however it may be chopped up by those who are interested in these things-that at least the first part of this chapter relates to Jerusalem, and what comes out is that it is going to be broken up, shaken to its foundations and will totter to the ground. 

All that which they thought so great and so permanent is going. 

All that which they thought so established here will not have one stone left upon another. 

On the Mount He begins to show the disintegration of the one in order to make room for the other. 

On the Mount heaven touches earth and from there the heavenly dispensation is clearly in view.

~T. Austin Sparks

No Good Thing In Us EXCEPT Christ!

Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

What does this mean? 

Not that I come before God saying, “I have had pure motives; I have been very honest, earnest and conscientious, and my intentions have all been of the best.” 

Let us stop talking nonsense. 

It is utter folly to talk like that. 

We do not know ourselves. 

Only God knows the truth about us, and none of that finds a place with Him or counts with Him for a moment. 

The point is, have I recognized that the Cross of the Lord Jesus was the smashing and ending of me, good and bad, so that I am not holding up before the Lord anything? 

I am as capable of the worst as any being in God’s creation is. 

For anybody to take the attitude that they are not capable of the worst is an attitude of the deepest deception. 

We do not know the power in our beings until we are put to it. 

If we have never committed the worst, it is because we have never been put to it in the mercy of God, but it is all there. 

The Lord puts His finger upon it in principle when He says, “He that hates his brother is a murderer.” 

It is the same spirit. 

You have only to extend that, provoke that anger enough, put that nature into certain circumstances, and you will discover that you are capable of things of which you would have stood in utmost horror at one time.

You and I have got to come down before God and admit that we are capable of the worst, not standing on the ground of our right. 

The only right one is Christ from God’s standpoint. 

The only safe one is Christ, and therefore the only one who stands in God’s eyes is Christ...

And it is as you and I, in all the brokenness, frailty, conscious weakness and humility of our own beings, by faith cling to Christ that we shall find the way out, the deliverance, the salvation. 

We must look behind God’s words to see bigger things than words on the surface indicate. 

To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that trembles at My word. 

That statement embodies all that we are saying. 

To what one will He look? 

To the one who never says, “I am right!”...

But to the one who says, “I may be as wrong as ever a man or woman was wrong, there is nothing of which I am not capable...

My only ground is Christ; so help me God, Christ is my ground!

To stand on Christ is to stand always in the consciousness and recognition that this other ground, ourselves at any point, is dangerous ground.  

He is so Other, and there is the great divide, there is no overlapping. 

Between Christ and us there is a gaping chasm. 

God never sees that bridged, but thank God He will put Christ into us by the Holy Spirit...

And while the two will ever remain apart, the old creation will go one day and that which is of Christ, as wrought into us, will abide.

~T. Austin Sparks

This Flattering Enemy!

James 4:4  Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

The world is a deadly enemy.

This enemy courts us.

It smiles - that it may deceive.

It kills - by embracing!

The world's music enchants us.

It has a golden apple in one hand and a dagger in the other hand!

Riches are but golden dust, which will sooner choke us, than satisfy us.

Riches are called thick clay, which will sooner break our back, than lighten our heart.

Marcia gave poison in sweet wine, to the emperor Commodus.

Such an aromatic cup does the world present us with - that we may drink and die.

The ivy, while it clasps about the oak, sucks away the heart of it; such are the world's embraces.

Like Judas, whom the world kisses - it betrays.

The world is a silken halter.

The world is a golden fetter.

Some have been drowned in the sweet waters of pleasure! 

Others have been choked in silver mines! 

Oh - ARM, ARM - against this flattering enemy!

~Thomas Watson~

MARVELOUS GOD!

Isa 18:4  For so the LORD said unto me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.

Assyria was marching against Ethiopia, the people of which are described as tall and smooth. 

And as the armies advance, God makes no effort to arrest them...

It seems as though they will be allowed to work their will. 

He is still watching them from His dwelling place, the sun still shines on them...

But before the harvest, the whole of the proud army of Assyria is smitten as easily as when sprigs are cut off by the pruning hook of the husbandman.

Is not this a marvelous conception of God-being still and watching?

His stillness is not acquiescence...

His silence is not consent...

He is only biding His time, and will arise, in the most opportune moment, and when the designs of the wicked seem on the point of success, to overwhelm them with disaster. 

As we look out on the evil of the world;...

As we think of the apparent success of wrong-doing...

As we wince beneath the oppression of those that hate us...

Let us remember these marvelous words about God being still and beholding.

There is another side to this.  

Jesus beheld His disciples toiling at the oars through the stormy night...

And watched though unseen, the successive steps of the anguish of Bethany, when Lazarus slowly passed through the stages of mortal sickness, until he succumbed and was borne to the rocky tomb. 

But He was only waiting the moment when He could interpose most effectually.

Is He still to thee? 

He is not unobservant...

He is beholding all things...

He has His finger on thy pulse, keenly sensitive to all its fluctuations. 

He will come to save thee when the precise moment has arrived.
 
~Daily Devotional Commentary

Whatever His questions or His reticences, we may be absolutely sure of an unperplexed and undismayed Saviour.
 
O troubled soul, beneath the rod, Thy Father speaks, be still, be still...
 
Learn to be silent unto God, And let Him mold thee to His will.
 
O praying soul, be still, be still,  He cannot break His plighted Word;
 
Sink down into His blessed will, And wait in patience on the Lord.
 
O waiting soul, be still, be strong, And though He tarry, trust and wait...
 
Doubt not, He will not wait too long...
 
Fear not, He will not come too late.

Observe That A Man's Temporal Condition Is No Test To The State Of His Soul.

There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.

The rich man in the parable appears to have been the world's pattern of a prosperous man. 

If the present life were all...he seems to have had everything that heart could wish. 

We know that he was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day...

We need not doubt that he had everything else which money could procure. 

The wisest of men had good cause for saying, "Money answers all things;" "The rich has many friends".

Ecc 10:19  A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things. 

Pro 14:20  The poor is hated even of his own neighbour: but the rich hath many friends.

But who that reads the story through to the end, can fail to see that in the highest and best sense - the rich man was pitiably poor? 

Take away the good things of this life, and he had nothing left...

Nothing after death...

Nothing beyond the grave...

Nothing in the world to come. 

With all his riches - he had no treasure laid up in Heaven. 

With all his purple and fine linen - he had no 'garment of righteousness'. 

With all his admiring companions - he had no Friend and Advocate at God's right hand. 

With all his sumptuous fare - he had never tasted the bread of life. 

With all his splendid palace - he had no home in the eternal world. 

Without God,...

Without Christ...

Without faith...

Without grace...

Without pardon...

Without holiness...

He lives to himself for a few short years...

And then goes down hopelessly into the pit of Hell! 

How hollow and unreal was all his prosperity! 

Reader, judge what I say - The rich man was very poor! 

At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. 

Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

Lazarus appears to have been one who had literally nothing in this world. 

It is hard to conceive a case of greater misery and destitution than his. 

He had neither house, nor money, nor food, nor health, nor, in all probability, even clothes. 

His picture is one that can never be forgotten. 

He lay at the rich man's gate, covered with sores; he desired to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table; moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. 

Truly the wise man might well say, "The poor is hated even of his neighbor." "The destruction of the poor is their poverty." (Pro 10:15)

Pro 14:20  The poor is hated even of his own neighbor: but the rich hath many friends

Pro 10:15  The rich man's wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty.

But who that reads the parable to the end, can fail to see that in the highest sense Lazarus was not poor - but rich? 

He was a child of God. 

He was an heir of glory. 

He possessed durable riches and righteousness. 

His name was in the book of life. 

His place was prepared for him in Heaven. 

He had the best of clothing - the righteousness of a Savior. 

He had the best of friends - God Himself was his portion. 

He had the best of food - he had food to eat which the world knew nothing of. 

And, best of all, he had these things forever! 

They supported him in life...

They did not leave him in the hour of death. 

They went with him beyond the grave - they were his to eternity. 

Surely in this point of view, we may well say, not "poor Lazarus," but "rich Lazarus!"

Reader, you would do well to measure all men by God's standard...

To measure them not by the amount of their income -but by the condition of their souls. 

When the Lord God looks down from Heaven upon men, He takes no account of many things which are highly esteemed by the world. 

He looks not at men's money, or lands, or titles. 

He looks only at the state of their souls - and reckons them accordingly. 

Oh, that you would strive to do likewise! 

Oh, that you would value grace above titles, or intellect, or gold! 

Often, far too often, the only question asked about a man is, "How much is he worth?" 

It would be well for us all to remember that every man is pitiably poor - until he is rich in faith, and rich toward God.

As astonishing as it may seem to some — all the money in the world is worthless in God's balances, compared to grace! 

As hard as the saying may sound - I believe that a converted beggar is far more important and honorable in the sight of God - than an unconverted king. 

The king may glitter like the butterfly in the sun for a little season, and be admired by an ignorant world...

But his latter end is darkness, and misery forever! 

The beggar may crawl through the world like a crushed worm, and be despised by every one who sees him...

But his latter end is a glorious resurrection and a blessed eternity with Christ! 

Of him the Lord says, "I know your poverty but you are rich!" (Rev. 2:9).

Rev 2:9  I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

King Ahab was ruler over the ten tribes of Israel. 

Obadiah was nothing more than a servant in his household. 

Yet who can doubt which was most precious in God's sight -  the servant or the king?

Ridley and Latimer were deposed from all their dignities, cast into prison as malefactors, and at length burned at the stake. 

Bonner and Gardiner, their persecutors, were raised to the highest pitch of ecclesiastical greatness, enjoyed large incomes, and died unmolested in their beds. 

Yet who can doubt which of the two parties was on the Lord's side?

Richard Baxter, the famous divine, was persecuted with savage malignity, and condemned to a long imprisonment by a most unjust judgment. 

Jeffreys, the Lord Chief Justice, was a man of infamous character, without either morality or religion. 

Baxter was sent to jail and Jeffreys was loaded with honors. 

Yet who can doubt who was the good man of the two, the Lord Chief Justice or the author of "The Saint's Everlasting Rest?"

Reader, be very sure that riches and worldly greatness are no certain marks of God's favor. 

They are often, on the contrary - a snare and hindrance to a man's soul. 

They make him love the world and forget God. 

What says Solomon? "Labor not to be rich!" (Proverbs 23:4). 

Pro 23:4  Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.

What says Paul? But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.  (1 Tim. 6:9).

Reader, be no less sure that poverty and afflictions are no certain proof of God's displeasure. 

They are blessings in disguise!  

They are always sent in divine love and wisdom. 

They often serve to wean man from the world;;;

They teach him to set his affections on things above. 

They often show the sinner his own heart...

They often make the saint fruitful in good works. 

What says the book of Job? Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:  (Job 5:17). 

What says Paul? For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. (Hebrews 12:6).

One great secret of happiness in this life is to be of a patient, contented spirit. 

Strive daily to realize the truth that this present life is not the place of reward. 

The time of retribution and recompense is yet to come! 

Do not judge anything hastily before that time. 

Remember the words of the wise man: If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.  (Eccles. 5:8). 

Yes, there is a day of judgment yet to come! 

That day shall put all in their right places. 

At last, a mighty difference there shall be seen between him who fears God and him who does not fear God. 

The children of Lazarus and the children of the rich man, shall at length be seen in their true colors...

And everyone shall receive according to his works.

~J. R. Miller