Though I Be Nothing

"Though I be nothing." 2 Cor 12:11

THIS was Paul's estimate of himself: less than the least of all saints, and the chief of sinners. The more we know of ourselves and of Jesus, the more shall we be humbled in the dust before God; and the lower we lie before God, the happier and holier we shall be. Man will, MUST be something; this is his pride and his misery: the Christian is willing to be nothing, that Christ may be all in all. If we daily felt that we are nothing, how many mortifications we should be spared; what admiring views of the grace of God would fill and sanctify our souls. Apart from Christ we are less than nothing, but in Christ we are something. We are empty, but He fills us; naked, but He clothes us; helpless, but He strengthens us; lost, but He finds us; ruined, but He saves us; poor but He supplies us. All we are, is by Christ; all we have, is from Christ; all we shall be, is through Christ. Believer, thou art nothing: therefore beware of thinking too highly of thyself, or fancying that you deserve more than you receive, either from God or men. Humble souls are soon satisfied.

O could I lose myself in Thee,
Thy depth of mercy prove,
Thou vast unfathomable sea
Of unexhausted love!
I loathe myself when God I see,
Content if Christ exalted be.

The Believer's Daily Remembrancer by James Smith

To a Waterfowl

 Image: Jeffrey Klinefelter

 Whither, 'midst falling dew,
While glow the heavens with the last steps of day,
Far, through their rosy depths, dost thou pursue
      Thy solitary way?

     Vainly the fowler's eye
Might mark thy distant flight to do thee wrong,
As, darkly painted on the crimson sky,
      Thy figure floats along. 

Seek'st thou the plashy brink
Of weedy lake, or marge of river wide,
Or where the rocking billows rise and sink
      On the chafed ocean side? 

      There is a Power whose care
Teaches thy way along that pathless coast,--
The desert and illimitable air,--
       Lone wandering, but not lost. 

     All day thy wings have fann'd
At that far height, the cold thin atmosphere:
Yet stoop not, weary, to the welcome land,
      Though the dark night is near. 

     And soon that toil shall end,
Soon shalt thou find a summer home, and rest,
And scream among thy fellows; reeds shall bend
      Soon o'er thy sheltered nest. 

    Thou'rt gone, the abyss of heaven
Hath swallowed up thy form; yet, on my heart
Deeply hath sunk the lesson thou hast given,
      And shall not soon depart. 

    He, who, from zone to zone,
Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight,
In the long way that I must tread alone,
      Will lead my steps aright.

1815 

By William Cullen Bryant

Inquire of the Lord

"And she went to inquire of the Lord." Gen 25:22

EXCELLENT example! Let us imitate Rebekah, for God commands us to do so. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy steps. Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. Are you in trouble? Go, and inquire of the Lord: What is the cause? Unite with holy Job, in praying, "Show me wherefore Thou contendest with me." Are you in perplexity? go, and inquire: What is the design? He will instruct thee and teach thee in the way thou shouldest go, He will guide thee with His eye. Go in an inquiring spirit. Go, persuaded whatever thy circumstances or trials may be, that, as a believer in Jesus, wrath and curse can have nothing to do with thee; they were exhausted when Jesus died in thy stead. Be assured that whatever comes from God is a blessing, a benefit, a favour, a proof of love; however painful, perplexing, or distressing it may be. Do not reason, but believe in the promise of thy God; do not despond, grieve, or complain; but go, and INQUIRE OF THE LORD; at His throne, of His word. He says, "I will be inquired of."

Prayer was appointed to convey
The blessings God designs to give;
Long as they live should Christians pray,
For only while they pray they live.

The Believer's Daily Remembrancer by James Smith

Be Not Blind

 Photo by EL.G

Be Not Blind to the Shining of His Face - Amy Carmichael

Far in the future lieth a fear;
Like a long, low, mist of gray,
Gathering to fall in dreary rain;
Thus doth thy heart within thee complain.
And even now thou art afraid, for round thy dwelling
The flying winds are ever telling
Of the fear that lieth gray
Like a gloom of brooding mist upon the way.

But The Lord is always kind;
Be not blind, be not blind To the shining of His face,
To the comforts of His grace.
Hath He ever failed thee yet?
Never, never. Wherefore fret?
O fret not thyself, nor let They heart be troubled,
Neither let it be afraid.

Near, by thy footfall, springeth a joy, Like a new-blown little flower
Growing for thee, to make thee glad.
Let thy countenance be no more sad,
But wake the voice of joy and health within thy dwelling,
And let thy tongue be ever telling,
Not of fear that lieth gray, But of little flowers beside the way.

For the Lord is always kind,
Be not blind, be not blind To the shining of His face,
To the comforts of His grace.
He hath never failed thee yet.
Never will His love forget.
O fret not thyself, nor let Thy heart be troubled,
Neither let it be afraid.

(Image Credit: Filatova Marina)

“Of man's first disobedience, and the fruit

Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste

Brought death into the world, and all our woe,

With loss of Eden, till one greater Man

Restore us, and regain the blissful seat,

Sing heavenly muse”

~John Milton, Paradise Lost

It Is Finished

For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18

Image: http://heycheng.tumblr.com

Eye Fixed on Christ

 

Keep Your Eye Fixed on Christ

Beware of hindering yourselves with any weight of earthly cares. Examine your hearts most closely, and purge out each besetting sin with a godly prayerful jealousy. Remember that blessed rule, "looking unto Jesus." Peter did run well for a time, when he left the ship to walk upon the sea to Jesus—but when he saw the waves and the storm he was afraid and began to sink. Thus many a one sets out courageously—but after a while corruptions rise high within, corruptions are strong without, the eye is drawn off Jesus, the devil gets an advantage—and the soul begins to sink. Oh, keep your eye steadily fixed on Christ, and you shall go through fire and water and they shall not hurt you.

~ J.C. Ryle

Softly and Tenderly

Could I Do More?

Must I be carried to the skies,

A flow'ry beds of ease,

While others fought to win the prize,

And sailed through bloody seas?

This stanza from the beloved hymn "Am I a Soldier of the Cross" brings tears to my eyes often when I sing or read it. Who am I that life should be so easy as a Christian? Surely I must be willing to endure SOMETHING more for the cause of Christ. We've been hearing about the latest soldier in this battle to be condemned to dare to love the Savior. I haven't been keeping up with the situation with Pastor Youcef in Iran nearly as well as I should. Certainly it's an easy task to pray for these saints. I have to admit to sometimes getting so busy with the mundane things of my life that I neglect to be more diligent even in that . Praying for the persecuted is the least we can do. But sometimes do you like I yearn to do more?

Are there no foes for me to face?

Must I not stem the flood?

Is this vile world a friend to grace,

To help me on to God?

A Birthday Prayer

Lord Thou hast been our dwelling  place in all generations. Psalm 90:1

My dwelling place, Lord, You have been,
The God who saved me from my sin.
Yet as I see the years roll by
And know that I so soon must die ,
I cannot help but make this plea
That You would give me eyes to see ;
My days to count your grace impart
That I might gain a prudent heart ;
With steadfast love please satisfy
That you alone may gratify
The deepest longings of my soul
And constitute my all and all.  

~ My Birthday Prayer

~ B. Gonzales