To Be Like Christ Is To Forgive

Let us determine by God’s grace to forgive, even as we hope to be forgiven. This is the nearest approach we can make to the mind of Christ Jesus. This is the character which is most suitable to a poor sinful child of Adam. God’s free forgiveness of sins is our highest privilege in this world. God’s free forgiveness will be our only title to eternal life in the world to come. Then let us be forgiving during the few years that we are here upon earth.

~ J.C. Ryle

The Call of a Loving Father

In 2 Corinthians 6:16-18 we read some of the most intimate, caring, and loving aspects of our relationship with God our Father. Here, our Father calls us out of darkness to come into His light; He calls us out of uncleanness to come into His purity; He calls us out of the yoke of bondage to come into His rest; He calls us out of lawlessness to come into His righteousness; He calls us out of idolatry to come into His presence; He calls us out of Satan’s domain to come into union with His Son.

When we respond to His call upon our lives we remove our hands from all that would defile and our feet from all that would mislead. Instead, we touch mercy and grace, we seek all that is pure and holy, and we follow all that is true and good.

Hear the call of your loving Father:

I will dwell in you — the Father abides in you.
I will walk with you — the Father goes with you.
I will be your God — the Father provides for you.
You shall be mine — the Father claims you.
I will welcome you — the Father receives you.
I will be a Father to you — the Father nurtures you.
You shall be a son to Me — the Father calls you His own.
You shall be a daughter to Me — the Father calls you His own.

By Roy Lessin
(Taken from Thoughts About God)

Carry Your Cross

Sometimes we think our lot is peculiarly hard, and we compare it withthe lot of this or that other person, and wish we had his cross instead of our own. But we do not know what other people's crosses really are. If we did, we might not want to exchange. The cross that seems woven of flowers, if we put it on our shoulders, we might find filled with sharp thorns under the flowers! The cross of gold that seems so bright we would find so heavy that it would crush us! The easiest cross for each one to bear is his own!

"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

- Luke 9:23

- J. R. Miller

My Times are in Thy Hand

But I trusted in thee, O Lord, I said, Thou art my God. My times are in thy hand. Psalm 31:14-15a.

This is the portion of the Word the Lord laid on my heart for the start of 2014, so it's this particular verse and a half which was sent to the few people to whom I sent ecards this year. These are precious thoughts to start out with; no they're special truths. Hopefully, we'll all remember as we begin yet another year on this earthly journey that our times are in His hand.

The Benefits of Prayer

 Painting: George Lambert

       The benefits of prayer

        Prayer carries every burden to the Lord — -and leaves it there.
        Prayer goes to the Lord . . .
          with every need — to have it supplied;
          with every enemy — to have it conquered;
          with every corruption — to have it subdued;
          with every trouble — to have it sanctified,
          and with every promise — to have it fulfilled.
        Prayer . . .
          affects God's heart with a groan,
          opens God's hand with a cry, and
          obtains the most costly blessings with a tear!
        While a man can pray . . .
          he can never sink,
          he can never be wretched,
          he can never perish!

        Reader, get and maintain a spirit of prayer; it will . . .
          ease your mind,
          quell your fears, and
          fortify your soul against the sorest trials!



              ~ James Smith (1802—1862

God Created

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Gen. 1:1

This is God's "deed" for the whole creation; it is a statement of ownership. The whole of the first chapter tells us how He did it, but this one verse is an absolute statement of truth. It is a grand summary statement that stands independent of all the others and introduces all the teaching on creation. [Synopsis of sermon by Pastor R. yesterday.]

A few other truths from the sermon:

1. Everything we have, know and are had a beginning.

2. God had no beginning. He is eternal.

3. The eternal God brought the heavens and earth into existence out of nothing.

4. The earth is the exclusive distinct object of His purposes. He distinguishes earth from all the others.

Now you have to agree we have a mighty God. Does He not have the right to have the final say about what His creation can and cannot do?

Prayer on Suffering

 (Painting by Joseph DeCamp)

From Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss, we read in Katherine's journal entry for January 15, 1832:

"January 15. I have come to another birthday. I am seventeen. Mother has celebrated it just as usual, though I know all these anniversaries which used to be so pleasant must be sad days to her now that my dear father has gone. She has been cheerful and loving, and entered into all my pleasures exactly as if nothing had happened." 

I was reading Elisabeth Eliott's comments on this entry. She made these comments on her "Gateway to Joy" radio broadcast some years ago, but they're ever profound:

"Entered into all my pleasures as if nothing had happened." That's unselfishness. That is the new self. That's not natural for the old self. What can we learn from that mother's example of joy in sorrow? Joy is not incompatible with sorrow. We can be sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. What was the secret of her strength? I believe it was a pure heart. A heart given to God, resting in Him and therefore a heart able to give herself in love to her daughter, rather than giving way selfishly to her own sorrows" 

She also read a prayer that was written by someone else, as follows:

"Dear Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I hold up all my weakness to Your strength, my failure to Your faithfulness, my sinfulness to Your perfection, my loneliness to Your compassion, my little pains to Your great agony on the cross. I pray that You will cleanse me, strengthen me, guide me, so that in all ways my life may be lived as You would have it lived, without cowardice and for You alone. Show me how to live in true humility, true contrition and true love. Amen."

Something for us all to consider no matter what we're going through.

Christ Exalted

"In this also Christ appeared gloriously above the guilt of men. For he offered a sacrifice that was sufficient to do away all the guilt of the whole world. Though the guilt of man was like the great mountains, whose heads are lifted up to the heavens; yet his dying love, and his merits, appeared as a mighty deluge that overflowed the highest mountains, or like a boundless ocean that swallows them up, or like an immense fountain of light that with the fullness and redundancy of its brightness, swallows up men’s greatest sins, as little motes are swallowed up and hidden in the disk of the sun.

"In this Christ appeared above all the corruption of man, in that hereby he purchased holiness for the chief of sinners. And Christ in undergoing such extreme affliction, got the victory over all misery; and laid a foundation for its being utterly abolished, with respect to his elect. In dying he became the plague and destruction of death. When death slew him, it slew itself. For Christ, through death, destroyed him that had the power of death, even the devil (Heb. 2:14). By this he laid the foundation of the glorious resurrection of all his people to an immortal life."

~ From "Christ Exalted" by Jonathan Edwards 

Hallelujah. Meditate on this during this holy weekend.

I Will Wait Upon the Lord

Believers daily Remembrance - james smith
"I will wait upon the Lord." Isa 8:17

THE Lord hath concealed His face, His favour could not be discovered, but marks of displeasure appeared; yet the church determines not to despond or yield to fear, but to wait upon the Lord who was hiding Himself from the house of Israel, and to look for Him. It is a great trial to a real believer for his God to hide His face: but it is still his privilege to wait daily at His gates, and to watch at the post of His doors, persuaded that He will turn again and display His forgiving love. We must not give up hope, nor abandon the Lord's ways, nor restrain prayer before Him; but we must wait in faith, believing His word—in expectation, trusting His faithfulness. Nothing should be allowed to weaken our faith in God's word, or drive our souls from His throne. He waits for the fittest time to be gracious; and we should wait His time to be comforted, or delivered. Wait on the Lord and KEEP HIS WAY. Wait as a servant for his master's return—as a child for his father's blessing; as a bride for the tokens of her bridegroom's love. He says, "Behold, I come quickly; blessed is he that watcheth."

Still nigh me, O my Saviour, stand,
And guard in fierce temptations's hour;
Hide in the hollow of Thy hand,
Show forth in me Thy saving power,
Still be Thine arm my sure defence,
Nor earth nor hell shall pluck me thence

The Measure of Days and Years

 

(Photo by letoirina)

For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. Psalm 90:4

"The Holy Ghost expresseth himself according to the manner of men, to give us some notion of an infinite duration, by a resemblance suited to our capacity. If a thousand years be but a day to the life of God, then as a year is to the life of man, so are three hundred and sixty-five thousand years to the life of God: and as seventy years are to the life of man, so are twenty-five millions five hundred fifty thousand years to the life of God. Yet still, since there is no proportion between time and eternity, we must dart our thoughts beyond all these, for years and days measure only the duration of created things, and of those only that are material and corporeal, subject to the motion of the heavens, which makes days and years."

~ Stephen Charnock

As the Lord has been our stay for 2012, may He again be so for 2013. Have a blessed and Christ-filled New Year.

He Will Yet Deliver Us

Believers daily Remembrance - james smith
"He will yet deliver us." 2 Cor 1:10

HOW many times has our God delivered us, from how many dangers, in how many ways; and He who hath delivered, doth deliver, and in Him we trust that He will yet deliver us. He delivered us from spiritual death, by the operations of His Holy Spirit, and from eternal death, by the sacrifice of His Son. We were dead, but we are now alive unto God, through Jesus Christ our Lord; and He who delivered from the greatest evil, spiritual death, will not refuse to deliver us from any lesser danger. Let us trust in Him, rely upon Him, and expect Him to deliver. It is written, " Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all." He knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation. Let us triumph with Paul, "The Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion; and the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." If He had not intended to carry on the work, He would not have begun it, for He well knew what opposition it would meet with: but He that began will perfect it in the day of Jesus Christ.

Yet I must fight, if I would reign:
Increase my courage, Lord!
I'II bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by Thy word.

He'll Keep Us

I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. John 17:15

Painting by Stanley M. Brice

If we have any hope that we are Christ's true disciples, let us be satisfied that Christ knows better than we do what is for our good. Let us leave "our times in His hand," and be content to abide here patiently as long as He pleases, however hard our position, so long as He keeps us from evil. That He will so keep us we need not doubt, if we ask Him, because He prays that we may be "kept." Nothing, we may be sure, glorifies grace so much as to live like Daniel in Babylon, and the saints in Nero's household, -- in the world and yet not of the world, --tempted on every side and yet conquerors of temptation, not taken out of the reach of evil and yet kept and preserved from it's power. ~ J.C. Ryle

Godly Fear

Believers daily Remembrance - James Smith
"Happy is the man that feareth alway." Prov 28:14

GODLY fear flows from grace, and is always connected with spiritual knowledge. It is the fear of a tender child, who would not on any account grieve a kind and loving parent. It is a covenant blessing. Our God bestows it on all whom He loves; and they consequently fear to offend Him, their Father; dishonour their gracious Saviour, or grieve the Holy Comforter. They fear lest they should be led astray from God by their own hearts, by Satan, by professors, by the world, or any of the dispensations of providence. They fear to trust their own judgments, they reverence God's word, and dread a lukewarm state. Happy is the man who thus feareth alway; he happily preserves a tender conscience, a humble mind, and a consistent walk. He proves his interest in all new-covenant blessings; has much to do with the blood of atonement; and enjoys a solid peace. He is in a happy state, standing high in the favour of God, walking in the comforts of the Holy Ghost, and keeping himself unspotted from the world. Oh, for godly fear to rule my heart, and preserve my goings!

This fear's the spirit of faith,
A confidence that's strong;
An unctious light to all that's right,
A bar to all that's wrong.

He That Toucheth You

"He that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of His eye" Zech 2:8

HOW infinitely tender is Jehovah of His people! They had lately been visited with sore judgments; reduced to great straits; appeared to be neglected of God; were generally despised; had only just escaped from the enemy's land; and returned with weeping and supplication, like brands plucked from the burning, to their own country. And now the Lord says, "He that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of His eye." How wonderful the ways of God! As the wise physician, He will touch to cure; but He will not allow others to touch to hurt. Like the tender mother, He can correct His children Himself; but will not allow others to do so. How close the union! How peculiar the affection! How tender the sympathy! How kind the care! How constant the attention! How merciful the provision! How safe and how happy they are! Beloved, take encouragement under all your persecutions and trials; be comforted in all your afflictions; you are as near and dear to Jehovah as the apple of His eye; and you are hid under the shadow of His wings. Holy Spirit, help me daily to realize this truth!

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine.
Bold I approach the eternal throne,
And claim the crown thro' Christ my own.

The Believer's Daily Remembrancer by James Smith