Little Foxes, And How To Catch Them!~Murmuring And Discontent

Each of the "little foxes" has its own peculiarity. There is something that distinguishes it from the rest.

If Selfishness is distinguished by the depth of the holes to which it retreats — then Murmuring is recognized by the peculiarly painful whine which it is constantly uttering.

You hear it almost a mile off. It falls upon the ear with a very grating, distressing sound.

I have heard it from a passer-by in the street, and I have heard it the moment I have entered a house.

Perhaps there may be some special trial, or things may be much as usual...but you still hear the old sound.

No one had ever so much to bear as I have!
 

It is a cold, bitter world, and it gets worse and worse!
 

I'm a slave to work, and there is no help for it!
 

I am the man who has seen affliction! Lamentations 3:1

In some shape like this, we often hear it, and it casts a gloom wherever it comes.

While now and then we meet with a joyful, happy spirit, who is always hoping things will mend, and sees "how much worse it might have been," and can find out a speck of blue sky in the darkest day...

There are too many, alas, who cover up their sweetest mercies beneath the bushel of fears and evil anticipations, and go on their way a misery to themselves and all about them.

I have in my mind two types of this evil. They were in very different positions in life, and their trials also were very diverse.

In one case, the trial which called forth this sin was doubtless very heavy.

A widow lady was left with an only son. He went to sea, and the vessel was lost, and she never saw him again. 

It was a terrible blow; but she nursed her sorrow and would take no comfort. 

She said God had dealt hardly with her, and she never could believe that He was a God of love.

Whatever was said to her as to God's gift of His own Son for our salvation, of His promise never to leave those who trusted in Him comfortless, it was all in vain.

She still continued repining and murmuring against God; and instead of her affliction being sanctified to her soul's profit, I fear it only led her to harden her heart against God.

The other case was a more ordinary one. It was a very old story.

A woman had a large family, but a sickly constitution, and her means were only just sufficient.

But her troubles were made a thousand-fold greater by the way she took them. 

You never saw a smile on her countenance, and you never heard her speak without complaining.

She would complain of her landlord, of her boys, her husband, her garden, and I know not what.

I knew her for years, and I think I never spoke to her but there was something of this kind. 

She buried herself in her troubles, and never looked at anything else.

So no wonder this fox of Discontent was always heard near her door.

This sin of murmuring and discontent has its root in the fallen nature of man. It tells of a wrong state of heart.

It springs from the will not being subdued to the will of God.

Men forget their own sinfulness, and that they receive far less of evil than their iniquities deserve.

They forget that, "God does according to His will in Heaven and in earth, and that He gives no account of any of His matters."

They forget that this world is not to be our Paradise, but a training school for one above.

They forget the constant mercies that a merciful Father is ever bestowing while they fix their eye on the sorrow or disappointment that has come upon them.

Often too, discontent arises from some special cause.

A man has set his heart on getting rich. All his aim and desire is to amass a fortune.

But he cannot succeed. Trade is bad, and orders do not come in. Few customers are seen at his counter, and he can only just pay his way.

Or, if his capital is invested in farming, perhaps the seasons are not good and the crops fall short. Then he murmurs.

He complains of trade or weather or whatever stands between him and success. 

If the love of money were not supreme, he would find it far easier to be content with his position: "Having food and clothing, he would be therewith content."

Or take another cause. A young person is very fond of change.

She has a good situation and a comfortable home...she has opportunities of self-improvement and a mistress who really cares for her welfare.

But she is unsettled and unhappy. Her life is too quiet...she wants more excitement. 

So she leaves her place and loses a good situation, and perhaps in a new one has temptations which lead her further and further from true peace.

Be sure that contentment can never be obtained by any change of place or circumstances.

I have heard of a rich man, in olden time, who had many country houses and used often to go from one to another.

When asked why he so often moved, he said it was to find contentment but as he never found it, he missed his aim.

I remember one morning I was just starting on a journey to see a village where I felt probably my lot might be cast for some years.

As the place was far from all old friends and in many ways a very lonely one, I was not very happy in the prospect.

But a Christian friend gave me a word that helped me, and I have never forgotten it.

It was a verse of one of Guyon's poems:

While place we seek or place we shun, The soul finds happiness in none;
 

But with our God to guide our way 'Tis equal joy to go or stay.

There is a great truth in these lines. True peace and contentment is not to be found in one spot or another. 

Neither is it to be found in the removal of a particular grievance, or in some additional means of comfort or happiness.

I am quite aware that many things may aggravate the burden of our discontent, and something now and then may be found to lighten it, but the true remedy lies deeper than in anything external.

Paul gives us two or three precious lessons as to the cure of discontent.

He reminds us that "we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out."

It is all in vain to disturb our hearts with eagerness to grow rich. Such desire will pierce a man through with many sorrows. 

Nay, rather be satisfied with what is needful. Godliness is our true wealth.

It is a portion we can carry with us. As to the rest, let us leave it. "Having food and clothing, we will be content with that." (See 1 Timothy 6:6-10.)

Then, in another place, he gives us his own example, and the secret of it.

Few have had more to endure than he...few have had more privations.

He had often been "in cold and hunger and nakedness." He had often been homeless and friendless.

He had been exposed to the violence of bitter enemies, and to the fierce raging of the tempest.

He had been reviled and beaten and stoned, and often at the very gate of death.

But he had learned to take it patiently, yes, joyfully. He could truly say that he had learned "in whatever state he was, therewith to be content."

And how was this?

It was by leaning upon Christ. It was by looking to Him for grace and help.

It was by the inward might of His Spirit. It was by depending upon Him for strength continually.

Php 4:13  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Then there is one other view which he gives of this subject. It is the great motive for contentment...the loving, unchangeable presence of Christ.

A motive which ought ever to weigh with every true believer.

If a child of the world asks me how he can be contented under the losses and trials that come to him, I confess that I find it difficult to answer him.

If you have not Christ and His love, I wonder how you can be contented.

You have no true peace in your soul, you have no blessed home waiting for you above; and all the happiness you ever get will be from the poor, fading pleasures of the world...and then darkness and gloom and death and damnation.

Your only path is to humble yourself as a sinner, and seek pardon and salvation at once through Christ.

But if you are Christ's, if you have His love in your heart, you may well be content.

You have His loving, unchangeable presence. You have His sure and faithful promise: "Be content with such things as you have: for He has said: I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5.)

Brother, sister in Christ, open your eyes and see the unsearchable riches stored up for you in this promise, and in all the promises assured to you in Him. 

You have the everlasting love of the great King. You have all your need supplied out of God's full bounty.

You have a clear title to an inheritance above. You have a horizon of bliss, that stretches out farther and farther...far out of mental sight.

Think of all this, and see if you have not reason to be content.

If a man loses a shilling, and gain a thousand pounds — ought he to grieve over the shilling he has lost?

If you find a poor man and give him what is needful for his present wants, and can assure him of a great property that belongs to him, and of which he will shortly come into possession...ought he to complain and murmur if for the present moment he has much to put up with?

And is not this but a faint parallel between the Christian's present trials and future prospects?

What are all present losses, troubles, sufferings, disappointments compared with the everlasting love of God, and the blessed portion it brings?

I would give the Christian one parting word in conclusion. If you want to be a happy, contented, praising Christian, keep near to Christ and receive much from Him.

If you want a bird in a cage to sing, you must give it plenty of fresh air, suitable food, and put it in the sunshine.

If you want the soul to sing with joyfulness and praise and thanksgiving, you must act in the same way.

Let there be the balmy air of heartfelt prayer and communion with God.

Let there be the wholesome food of the promises of God and the teachings of His Word.

Let there be the sunshine of Christ's presence and love.

Abide in His love...keep in the sunshine.

Watch against all unbelief, covetousness, and earthly care. So shall you ever be contented and at rest.

If cross winds blow, if earthly gourds wither, if pleasant streams dry up, if bright flowers fade, if all joys below prove as a passing dream...you will still find peace.

Looking up to Jesus, you will be able to leave all with Him.

If You should call me to resign  what most I prize...it never was mine!
 

I only yield You what was Thine;  May Your will be done! 

~George Everard~

God Can Make You Strong

God had done great things for King Asa and Judah, but yet they were a feeble folk.

Their feet were very tottering in the ways of the LORD, and their hearts very hesitating, so that they had to be warned that the LORD would be with them while they were with Him, but that if they forsook Him He would leave them. 

They were also reminded of the sister kingdom, how ill it fared in its rebellion and how the LORD was gracious to it when repentance was shown.

The LORD's design was to confirm them in His way and make them strong in righteousness. 

So ought it to be with us. God deserves to be served with all the energy of which we are capable.

If the service of God is worth anything, it is worth everything.

We shall find our best reward in the LORD's work if we do it with determined diligence. 

Our labor is not in vain in the LORD, and we know it.

Halfhearted work will bring no reward; but when we throw our whole soul into the cause, we shall see prosperity.

This text was sent to the author of these notes in a day of terrible storm, and it suggested to him to put on all steam, with the assurance of reaching port in safety with a glorious freight.

~Charles Spurgeon~

Rejoice In The LORD Through It All!

Php 4:4  Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

It is a good thing to “rejoice in the Lord.”Perhaps you have tried it but seemed to fail at first.

Don’t give it a second thought, and forge ahead.

Even when you cannot feel any joy, there is no spring in your step, nor any comfort or encouragement in your life, continue to rejoice and “consider it pure joy”.

Jas 1:2  My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

Whenever you face trials of many kinds regard it as joy,
delight in it,  and God will reward your faith.

Do you believe that your heavenly Father will let you carry the banner of His victory and joy to the very front of the battle, only to calmly withdraw to see you captured or beaten back by the enemy?

NEVER!

His Holy Spirit will sustain you in your bold advance and fill your heart with gladness and praise.

You will find that your heart is exhilarated and refreshed by the fullness within.

Lord, teach me to rejoice in You...to “be joyful alway."

1Th 5:16  Rejoice evermore.

~Selected~

The weakest saint may Satan rout, Who meets him with a praiseful shout.

Be filled with the Spirit.

Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.

Eph 5:18  And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

Eph 5:19  Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

In these verses, the apostle Paul urges us to use singing as inspiration in our spiritual life.

He warns his readers to seek motivation not through the body but through the spirit, not by stimulating the flesh but by exalting the soul.

Sometimes a light surprises The Christian while he sings.

Let us sing even when we do not feel like it, for in this way we give wings to heavy feet and turn weariness into strength.

~John Henry Jowett~

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing
hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to
them.

Act 16:25  And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

O Paul, what a wonderful example you are to us!

You gloried in the fact that you “bear on [your] body the marks of Jesus”

Gal 6:17  From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.

You bore the marks from nearly being stoned to death, from three times being “beaten with rods", from receiving 195 lashes from the Jews,and from being bloodily beaten in the Philippian jail.

2Co 11:25  Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;

Surely the grace that enabled you to sing praises while enduring such suffering is sufficient for us.

~J. Roach~

Oh, let us rejoice in the Lord, evermore, When darts of the Tempter are flying...

For Satan still dreads, as he oft did before, Our singing much more than our crying.

"Sail On" In Faith

Joshua 3:13  And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.

The Israelite's were not to wait in the camp until the Jordan was opened but to “walk by faith”.

2Co 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight

They were to break camp, pack up their belongings, form a marching line, and actually step into the river before it would be opened.

If they had come down to the riverbank and then stopped, waiting for the water to divide before stepping into it, they would have waited in vain.

They were told to “set foot in the Jordan” before “its waters will be cut off.”

We must learn to take God at His word and walk straight ahead in obedience, even when we can see no way to go forward.

The reason we are so often sidetracked by difficulties is that we expect to see barriers removed before we even try to pass through them.

If we would only move straight ahead in faith, the path would be opened for us.

But we stand still, waiting for the obstacle to be removed, when we ought to go forward as if there were no obstacles at all.

~From Evening Thoughts~

What a lesson Christopher Columbus taught the world - a lesson of perseverance in the face of tremendous difficulties!

Behind him lay the gray Azores, Behind the gates of Hercules;

Before him not the ghost of shores, Before him only shoreless seas.

The good Mate said: Now we must pray, For lo! the very stars are gone.

Brave Admiral, speak, what shall I say?

Why, say,‘Sail on! sail on! and on!’

My men grow mutinous day by day;

My men grow ghastly pale and weak!

The strong Mate thought of home; a spray Of salt wave washed his sunburned cheek.

What shall I say, brave Admiral, say, If we sight only seas at dawn?

Why, you shall say at break of day, Sail on! sail on! sail on! and on!’

They sailed.They sailed.Then spoke the Mate: This mad sea shows its teeth tonight.

He curls his lip, he lies in wait, With lifted teeth, as if to bite!

Brave Admiral, say but one good word; What shall we do when hope is gone?

The words leapt like a leaping sword: Sail on! sail on! sail on! and on!

Then, pale and worn, he kept his deck And peered through darkness.

Ah! that night Of all dark nights!

And then a speck...A light!

A light! A light! A light!

It grew, a starlit flag unfurled!

It grew to be Time’s burst of dawn.

He gained a world; he gave that world Its grandest lesson: “On! sail on!”

~J. R. Miller~

Faith that goes forward triumphs.

He Has A Perfect Knowledge Of All His Subjects!

Oh, brethren, earthly kings and princes do not know all their subjects; nay, they know very few.

Alas! they do not know a quarter of them!

They are not acquainted with all the troubles, and needs, and miseries that their poor subjects lie under.

The Lord Jesus infinitely excels all other kings-in that He has a perfect knowledge of all His subjects!

He knows them all by name.

He knows all their thoughts, all their needs, all their ways, all their conditions.

So say I to you, brethren, Your King knows all your necessities, all your sufferings, all your troubles, all your fears!
 
Yes, and "My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus!".

Php 4:19  But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Oh, this is a sweet Scripture!
 
Oh, poor souls, Christ knows everything about you!

This is our great happiness, that we have a King who knows us so well.

Oh, here is the excellency of our King!

~William Dyer~

The Lord thinks as much of one of His people-as if there were nobody else for Him to think upon!

Poor needy one, the Lord thinks upon you as intensely as if you were the only being now existing!
 
The Lord has such an infinite capacity, that each one of us may be the center of God's thoughts-and yet He will not be forgetting any other beloved one!
 
The Lord's tenderness and His care for His people, baffle all our thoughts and expectations!
 
1Pe 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

~Charles Spurgeon~

Grow Up

Mal 4:2  But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

Yes, when the sun shines, the sick quit their chambers and walk abroad to breathe the fresh air.

When the sun brings spring and summer, the cattle quit their stalls and seek pasture on the higher Alps.

Even thus, when we have conscious fellowship with our LORD, we leave the stall of despondency and walk abroad in the fields of holy confidence.

We ascend to the mountains of joy and feed on sweet pasturage which grows nearer heaven than the provender of carnal men.
To "go forth" and to "grow up" is a double promise.

O my soul, be thou eager to enjoy both blessings! 

Why shouldst thou be a prisoner?

Arise, and walk at liberty. 

Jesus saith that His sheep shall go in and out and find pasture; go forth, then, and feed in the rich meadows of boundless love.
Why remain a babe in grace?

Grow up.

Young calves grow fast, especially if they are stall fed; and thou hast the choice care of thy Redeemer.

Grow, then, in grace and in knowledge of thy LORD and Savior, Be neither straitened nor stunted. 

The Sun of Righteousness has risen upon thee Answer to His beams as the buds to the natural sun. 

Open thine heart; expand and grow up into Him in all things.

~Charles Spurgeon~

The Vision Is Always Enlarged Upwards

Abraham had a vision of “the city which hath foundations” and he looked for it, but he never found it on earth.

He found it at last in heaven, but only as the climax of a walk which was ever upward.

Ezekiel was another man of vision. 

In his “visions of God” he saw the glory lifting from the earthly scene and moving up and on, finally culminating in a spiritual house and river which find their counterpart in the final revelation given to John.

It was heavenly, spiritual, universal.

What a significant phrase that is about the house seen by Ezekiel, “there was an enlargement upward” (Ezekiel 41:7). 

Eze 41:7  And there was an enlarging, and a winding about still upward to the side chambers: for the winding about of the house went still upward round about the house: therefore the breadth of the house was still upward, and so increased from the lowest chamber to the highest by the midst.

God-given vision is always heavenly and always moves away from the merely temporal and earthly.

To understand this is to be found in ways of vital fruitfulness.
God never works for reduction or limitation, even though at times He may seem to be doing so.

When we are able to see as He sees we find that what looks like trimming and reduction is really His way of leading to more spiritual and heavenly enlargement.

It was “the God of glory” who appeared to Abraham (Acts 7:2). 

Act 7:2  And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,

It was “the pattern in the heavenlies” that was shown to Moses (Hebrews 8:5).

Heb 8:5  Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

It was "above the firmament a throne and upon the throne a man above upon it” that Ezekiel saw (Ezekiel 1:26).

Eze 1:26  And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.

It was that “the heavens do rule” that Daniel apprehended (Daniel 4:26).

Dan 4:26  And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule.

These are not only sovereign factors in government, but heavenly conceptions in the nature of things.

What could have been voluntary with a minimum of loss has often had to be made compulsory with gains that are less than they could have been.

This is because we do not from time to time stand back and in detachment wait upon God so that He can adjust and enlarge our vision.

Many a work which has mightily served the Lord and been a great spiritual testimony has lost much of its glory and impact by becoming an organized routine which has made no provision for the further light from God which could have come from periods of retreat and waiting upon Him.

Without renewed vision there can so easily be a leakage of spiritual power.

~T. Austin Sparks~

Care Of Our Feet

The way is slippery and our feet are feeble, but the LORD will keep our feet.

If we give ourselves up by obedient faith to be His holy ones, He will Himself be our guardian.

Not only will He charge His angels to keep us, but He Himself will preserve our goings.

He will keep our feet from falling so that we do not defile our garments, wound our souls, and cause the enemy to blaspheme.

He will keep our feet from wandering so that we do not go into paths of error, or ways of folly, or courses of the world's custom.

He will keep our feet from swelling through weariness, or blistering because of the roughness and length of the way.

He will keep our feet from wounding: our shoes shall be iron and brass so that even though we tread on the edge of the sword, or on deadly serpents, we shall not bleed or be poisoned.

He will also pluck our feet out of the net. 

We shall not be entangled by the deceit of our malicious and crafty foes.

With such a promise as this, let us run without weariness and walk without fear.

He who keeps our feet will do it effectually.

~C.H. Spurgeon~

Whatever The Cost

Gen 22:16  And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
 
Gen 22:17  That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
 
Gen 22:18  And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

And from that day to this, men have been learning that when, at God's voice, they surrender up to Him the one thing above all else that was dearest to their very hearts, that same thing is returned to them by Him a thousand times over.

Abraham gives up his one and only son, at God's call, and with this disappear all his hopes for the boy's life and manhood, and for a noble family bearing his name.

But the boy is restored, the family becomes as the stars and sands in number, and out of it, in the fullness of time, appears Jesus Christ.

That is just the way God meets every real sacrifice of every child of His.

We surrender all and accept poverty; and He sends wealth.

We renounce a rich field of service; He sends us a richer one than we had dared to dream of.

We give up all our cherished hopes, and die unto self; He sends us the life more abundant, and tingling joy.

And the crown of it all is our Jesus Christ.

For we can never know the fullness of the life that is in Christ until we have made Abraham's supreme sacrifice.

The earthly founder of the family of Christ must commence by losing himself and his only son, just as the Heavenly Founder of that family did.

We cannot be members of that family with the full privileges and joys of membership upon any other basis.

~C. G. Trumbull~

We sometimes seem to forget that what God takes He takes in fire; and that the only way to the resurrection life and the ascension mount is the way of the garden, the cross, and the grave.

Think not, O soul of man, that Abraham's was a unique and solitary experience. 

It is simply a specimen and pattern of God's dealings with all souls who are prepared to obey Him at whatever cost. 

After thou hast patiently endured, thou shalt receive the promise.

The moment of supreme sacrifice shall be the moment of supreme and rapturous blessing.

God's river, which is full of water, shall burst its banks, and pour upon thee a tide of wealth and grace.

There is nothing, indeed, which God will not do for a man who dares to step out upon what seems to be the mist; though as he puts down his foot he finds a rock beneath him.

~F. B. Meyer~

You Are Walking In The Midst Of Snares And Traps!

Eph 5:15  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

Eph 5:16  Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

To honor Jesus in your thoughts, words, and every action should be your constant aim. 

You are in an enemy's land; surrounded by temptations; 

This present world is not your home! 

Satan's family are not to be your intimate friends. 

Riches, honors, or pleasure are not to be your objects of pursuit.

You are walking in the midst of snares and traps!

Be watchful, prayerful, depending upon Jesus, and cultivating fellowship with Him. 

O keep your eye on Jesus, as your example! 

Walk by His Word as your rule. 

Do not be venturesome or presumptuous, but avoid the very appearance of evil. 

Never leave the Lord's ways to join the world's vanities or to please a carnal lust. 

Keep close to Jesus and follow on to know the Lord. 

Walk as a beloved child, who is going home to his loving Father's house!

Be very careful, then, how you walk! 

~James Smith~

If GOD Had Not Helped Us!

The psalmist had been reviewing his toils, his trials, and his dangers; he commemorates his deliverances, his conquests, and his triumphs; and he ascribes the whole, to the help of God! 

If God had not helped him his faith would have failed, his expectations would have been disappointed, and his foes would have prevailed.

Through the Lord, he did valiantly; and now, with joyful heart, he records the loving-kindness of the Lord.

How sweet to look back upon the rough road, the bloody battle-field, the scenes of peculiar trial.

Then, if ever, gratitude will work within us, and praises will flow from our tongues and hearts.

Delivered from the mouth of the lion, and the paw of the bear we thankfully acknowledge, "The Lord helped me!" 

In looking back we see that we have needed help and more help than any mere creature could afford us!

The daily cross, the inward conflict, the domestic troubles, the perplexities of business, the state of the church, the affairs of the world - have all combined to teach us that Divine help was necessary! 

If God had not helped us we would have fallen into sin, we would have disgraced our profession, we would have been crushed by our foes, we would have fainted under our trials, we would have apostatized from the faith!

God alone knows what would have been the result if we had been left to our own resources.

We needed help in infancy, in youth, in manhood.

We needed help in prosperity and in adversity!

We needed help in temporals and spirituals.

We found our own strength to be weakness, and our own wisdom to be folly.

The feeblest of our foes would have been more than a match for us!

The least corruption in our hearts would have overcome us!

And we need help now as much as we ever did;

For, unless the Lord helps us our foes will yet triumph over us, our crosses will yet prove to be too much for us, and we shall yet faint in the day of adversity!

The Lord has promised help. He has said, "Fear not for I am with you; be not dismayed for I am your God!

I will strengthen you; yes, I will help you; yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness!

And because His people feel themselves to be vile, weak, and incompetent;

He stoops to speak to them according to their own views of themselves and says, "Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel for I Myself will help you!

Declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel!

Oh, precious promise, of a good and gracious God!

It extends to all times, it embraces all circumstances, it belongs to all believers, and it ensures us triumph over all our foes! 

Yes, the strength of Jesus has been perfected in our weakness!

We have found His grace to be sufficient for us; and to the praise of His glorious grace, in reference to all our trials, troubles, and conflicts we can truly say, "The Lord helped me!" 

Oh, beloved, it is an unspeakable mercy to have God for our helper! 

~James Smith~

Step Out Boldly

Pro 4:12  When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.

The Lord never builds a bridge of faith except under the feet of the faith-filled traveler.

If He builds the bridge a rod ahead, it would not be a bridge of faith.

That which is of sight is not of faith.

There is a self-opening gate which is sometimes used in country roads. It stands fast and firm across the road as a traveler approaches it.

If he stops before he gets to it, it will not open.

But if he will drive right at it, his wagon wheels press the springs below the roadway, and the gate swings back to let him through.

He must push right on at the closed gate, or it will continue to be closed.

This illustrates the way to pass every barrier on the road of duty.

Whether it is a river, a gate, or a mountain, all the child of Jesus has to do is to go for it. 

If it is a river, it will dry up when you put your feet in its waters.

If it is a gate, it will fly open when you are near enough to it, and are still pushing on.

If it is a mountain, it will be lifted up and cast into a sea when you come squarely up, without flinching, to where you thought it was.

Is there a great barrier across your path of duty just now?

Just go for it, in the name of the Lord, and it won't be there.

~Henry Clay Trumbull~

We sit and weep in vain.

The voice of the Almighty said, "Up and onward forevermore."

Let us move on and step out boldly, though it be into the night, and we can scarcely see the way.

The path will open, as we progress, like the trail through the forest, or the Alpine pass, which discloses but a few rods of its length from any single point of view.

Press on! 

If necessary, we will find even the pillar of cloud and fire to mark our journey through the wilderness. 

There are guides and wayside inns along the road.

We will find food, clothes and friends at every stage of the journey, and as Rutherford so quaintly says: "However matters go, the worst will be a tired traveler and a joyful and sweet welcome home."

I'm going by the upper road, for that still holds the sun, I'm climbing through night's pastures where the starry rivers run:

If you should think to seek me in my old dark abode, You'll find this writing on the door, "He's on the Upper Road."

~Selected~

We Must Either Leap Over Them, Or Tread Upon Them!

A man's enemies will be the members of his own household.

Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me;

And anyone who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. 

Mat 10:36  And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.

Mat 10:37  He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Mat 10:38  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

Take heed of the snare in your family!

It is one of the Devil's great subtleties...to hinder us from piety by our nearest relations...and to shoot us with our own rib!
 
He tempted Adam by his wife.

Who would have suspected the Devil there?

He tempted Job by his wife, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!"

Job 2:9  Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
 
Thus would the Devil have cooled Job's love for God; but the shield of his faith quenched this fiery dart! 

Take heed of such tempters!

It is better to go to Heaven with their hatred-than to Hell with their love!

If our dearest friends and family lie in our way to Heaven...we must either leap over them, or tread upon them!

~Thomas Watson~
 

The Land We Are To Possess

Deu 11:11  But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven:

Deu 11:12  A land which the LORD thy God careth for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.

Today we stand at the threshold of the unknown.

Before us lies a new year, and we are going forward to take possession of it.
 
Who knows what we will find? What new experiences or changes will come our way? What new needs will arise?

In spite of the uncertainty before us, we have a cheerful and comforting message from our heavenly Father:

The Lord your God cares for [it]; the eyes of the Lord are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.
 
The Lord is to be our Source of supply. In Him are springs, fountains, and streams that will never be cut off or run dry.

To those who are anxious comes the gracious promise of our heavenly Father: 

If He is the Source of our mercies, mercy will never fail us. 

No heat or drought can dry the “river whose streams make glad the city of God."

Psa 46:4  There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

Yet the land we are to possess is a land of valleys and hills. It is not all flat or downhill.

If life were always smooth and level, the boring sameness would weigh us down.

We need the valleys and the hills.

The hills collect the rain for hundreds of fruitful valleys. And so it is with us!

It is the difficulty encountered on the hills that drives us to the throne of grace and brings the showers
of blessing.

Yes, it is the hills, the cold and seemingly barren hills of life that we question and complain about, that bring down the showers.

How many people have perished in the wilderness valley, buried under its golden sand, who would have thrived in the hills?

And how many would have been killed by the cold, destroyed or swept desolate of their fruitfulness by the wind, if not for the hills-stern, hard, rugged, and so steep to climb?

God’s hills are a gracious protection for His people against their foes!

We cannot see what loss, sorrow, and trials are accomplishing.

We need only to trust.

The Father comes near to take our hand and lead us on our way today.

It will be a good and blessed New Year!
 
He leads us on by paths we did not know;

Upward He leads us, though our steps be slow, Though oft we faint and falter on the way,
 
Though storms and darkness oft obscure the day; Yet when the clouds are gone, We know He leads us on.
 
He leads us on through all the unquiet years; Past all our dreamland hopes, and doubts and fears, 

He guides our steps, through all the tangled maze Of losses, sorrows, and o’er clouded days; We know His will is done;
 
And still He leads us on.

~Nicholaus Ludwig Zinzendorf~