Rescue The Perishing Dr. Paul Chappell

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Rescue the Perishing
Monday, November 23, 2020
by Dr. Paul Chappell

"So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul."

Ezekiel 33:7–9

Fanny Crosby loved sharing the Gospel with anyone who would listen. In 1869 she penned the words to “Rescue the Perishing.” When asked about the song, she explained, “It was written following a personal experience at the New York City Bowery Mission.” She went on to explain that she would go one night a week to talk to “her boys.”

One night while speaking to them, she kept having the thought that there was a boy present who had wandered away from his mother and must be rescued that night, or he would be eternally lost. She made a plea to each boy that was there that night. At the end of the service, one of the young men came forward and said, “Did you mean me, Miss Crosby? I promised my mother to meet her in Heaven, but as I am now living that will be impossible.” She prayed with him and led him to Christ. As they finished, he said, “Now I am ready to meet my mother in Heaven, for I have found God.”

There are many things in life that are important, but the greatest task we have been assigned is to do our part to rescue those who are perishing before it is eternally too late. The sacrifices that we make for the sake of the Gospel, whether they are physical or financial, are worth it. Do not allow anything to deter you from reaching those in danger of spending eternity in Hell.

Today's Growth Principle:
God has chosen you to reach others with the Gospel. Are you faithfully doing that vital work?

The Cleft of The Rock. F.B Meyer

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F.B Meyer
In a Cleft of the Rock

Exodus 33:22
And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:

That rock was Christ. In the Divine thought the position of Moses, first on the rock, and afterwards in its cleft, was a moving emblem of the position in which alone we can dare to look out on the sublime progress of God's glory.

God is always passing by.—In the great movements of history which evolve His plans, and are leading to Christ's advent; in the passage of the ages, which are His swift chariots; in storm and catastrophe, which break up old forces and forms of evil; in the goodness of His daily mercy; in the revelation of His character—we are always living in the very midst of God's presence and power.

In our condition of weakness and sinfulness we need a position of stability and shelter from which to look on God.—No man can see that face of awful holiness and love and live. Sir John Herschel says that when sweeping the heavens with his telescope the brilliant Sirius suddenly burst on his view, he nearly fainted. Who then could behold God! But in Jesus, we are stable, established in Him, accepted in the Beloved; and in Him we are covered. The full blaze of the Divine glory is tempered to our gaze; it comes to us through the medium of the pierced hand. We stand on the rock; we are hidden under the covering hand.

Our Rock was cleft.—How scarred are the great Alps! Their sides have been split by the action of tempest, avalanche, earthquake, frost, and glacier. Hence their clefts. But who shall enumerate all that has been borne by our dear Lord for us! What storms have pelted on Him, that we might have a safe hiding. On Calvary, a niche was hollowed to which a world of sinners may take shelter!

The Refiners Fire I Peter 1:7 F.B Meyer

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F.B Meyer

THE REFINER'S FIRE

"He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver."-- Mal 3:3.

"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."-- 1Pe 1:7.

NOTHING IS harder to bear than the apparent aimlessness of suffering.

They say that what breaks a convict's heart in gaol is to set him to say carry stones from one side of the prison to the other, and then back again! But we must never look upon the trials of life as punishments, because all penalty was borne by our Lord Himself. They are intended to destroy the weeds and rubbish of our natures, as the bonfires do in the gardens. Christ regards us in the light of our eternal interests, of which He alone can judge. If you and I knew what sphere we were to fulfil in the other world, we should understand the significance of His dealings with us, as now we cannot do. The Refiner has a purpose in view, of which those who stand beside Him are ignorant, and, therefore, they are unable to judge the process which He is employing.

Dare to believe that Christ is working to a plan in your life. He loves you. Be patient! He would not take so much trouble unless He knew that it was worth while. "We do not prune brambles, or cast common stones into the crucible or plough sea-sands!" You must be capable of some special service, which can only be done by a carefully-prepared instrument, and so Christ sits beside you as the Refiner, year after year, that you may miss nothing.

Whilst the Fire is hot keep conversing with the Refiner. Ponder these words: "He shall sit as a Refiner and Purifier of silver." The thought is specially suitable for those who cannot make long prayers, but they can talk to Christ as He sits beside them. Nicholas Hermann tells us that, as he could not concentrate his mind on prolonged prayer, he gave up set times of prayer and sought constant conversations with Christ. Speak to Him, then, in the midst of your daily toil. He hears the unspoken prayer, and catches your whispers. Talk to Christ about your trials, sorrows, and anxieties! Make Him your Confidant in your joy and happiness! Nothing makes Him so real as to talk to Him aloud about everything!

PRAYER

Let the Fire of Thy Love consume in me all sinful desires of the flesh and of the mind, that I may henceforth continually abide in Jesus Christ my Lord, and seek the things where He sits at Thy right hand. AMEN

Witness Act 1:8. F.B Meyer

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F.B. Meyer

WITNESS-BEARING FOR CHRIST

"Ye shall receive power, when the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."-- Acts 1:8.

ALL MACHINERY needs driving-power. A motor-car may be bright and new, the wheels tired with rubber, and it may contain the latest contrivances for speed and comfort, but it will not move an inch until the driving-power is applied. So it is with the Gospel message. Christ died and rose again, and the work of redemption was finished. His disciples were appointed to carry the tidings of salvation to the world of men, but they could do nothing until they received the power of the Holy Spirit. It is a serious question for each of us--Have I received the Holy Spirit, to be in me the source of power? (Acts 19:2). If not, is it to be wondered at that we are weak, and our testimony for Christ faltering?

Notice the circles of our life: witnesses in Jerusalem, our home; in Judea--the society in which we mingle and work; in Samaria--the city or town or village in which we live; the uttermost part of the earth, which represents the claim of the heathen world upon us all. For each of these we have some responsibility. Let us begin at Jerusalem, in our home, and God will lead us on step by step to the great world beyond. Alas, there are many who are eager enough for the "uttermost parts," while they neglect Jerusalem, and ignore the claims of Judaea!

God wants witnesses. A witness is not expected to reason or argue, but simply to state what he saw or heard, and to give facts. We are required to tell people what we have found Jesus to be to ourselves--to say what we have known and tasted and handled of the Word of Life (1Jn 1:1, 2, 3). Our witness-box may be the shop in which we are employed, or the position in life where we are daily called to rub shoulders with those who know not Christ. Men cannot see Him, unless they see Him in us. As the moon reflects the sun during the dark hours of the night, so the Church of Christ bears witness to her unseen Lord. In every emergency, let us lift our hearts to Christ, and ask that His Holy Spirit may enable us to be true witnesses for His glory.

PRAYER

My gracious Master and my God,

Assist me to proclaim

And spread through all the earth abroad

The honours of Thy Name. AMEN.

Beautiful Forgiveness Won 1:7 C.H Spurgeon

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C.H Spurgeon

The forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.”

Ephesians 1:7

Could there be a sweeter word in any language than that word “forgiveness,” when it sounds in a guilty sinner’s ear, like the silver notes of jubilee to the captive Israelite? Blessed, forever blessed be that dear star of pardon which shines into the condemned cell, and gives the perishing a gleam of hope amid the midnight of despair! Can it be possible that sin, such sin as mine, can be forgiven, forgiven altogether, and forever? Hell is my portion as a sinner—there is no possibility of my escaping from it while sin remains upon me—can the load of guilt be uplifted, the crimson stain removed? Can the adamantine stones of my prison-house ever be loosed from their mortices, or the doors be lifted from their hinges? Jesus tells me that I may yet be clear. Forever blessed be the revelation of atoning love which not only tells me that pardon is possible, but that it is secured to all who rest in Jesus. I have believed in the appointed propitiation, even Jesus crucified, and therefore my sins are at this moment, and forever, forgiven by virtue of his substitutionary pains and death. What joy is this! What bliss to be a perfectly pardoned soul! My soul dedicates all her powers to him who of his own unpurchased love became my surety, and wrought out for me redemption through his blood. What riches of grace does free forgiveness exhibit! To forgive at all, to forgive fully, to forgive freely, to forgive forever! Here is a constellation of wonders; and when I think of how great my sins were, how dear were the precious drops which cleansed me from them, and how gracious was the method by which pardon was sealed home to me, I am in a maze of wondering worshipping affection. I bow before the throne which absolves me, I clasp the cross which delivers me, I serve henceforth all my days the Incarnate God, through whom I am this night a pardoned soul.

 

It's Not Time Yet 1 Cor 4:5 A.B Simpson

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A.B SIMPSON
"It's Not Time Yet"

Nothing will more effectually arrest the working of the Spirit in the heart than the spirit of criticism. At the end of a meeting, a young minister came forward and told me of the great blessing he had received that afternoon and of the baptism of the Holy Spirit that had come into his heart and being, setting him free from the bondage of years. And then he added, "it all came through your answer to that question, 'Will a criticizing spirit hinder the Holy Spirit from filling the heart?'" As the question was asked and answered, he said, "I was sitting in the church criticizing much of what was going on, objecting to this thing and to that thing, finding fault with the expressions of praise and testimony and feeling thoroughly unhappy. The Lord brought the answer home to my heart and convicted me of my sin. There and then I laid it down and began to see the good instead of the evil. Blessing fell upon me, and my soul was filled with joy and praise. I saw where my error lay-that for years I had been trying to see the truth with my head instead of my heart." Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come -1 Corinthians 4:5

Thanksgiving Prayer. Gene Kissinger

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.  For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Psalms 100:4‭-‬5 KJV

Below is a Thanksgiving Prayer but before I Pray here are some thoughts on Gratitude     

      A state of gratitude. To quote the immortal theologians over at veggie tales, "A thankful heart is a happy heart" so we should thank God and others around us everyday. Think back to all the happy people you have meet over the years, without exception they are also grateful people. Now consider all of the unhappy people you have met in your life, they to person where also ungrateful. You could make the argument that this is a coincidental relationship not a causal relationship but it would be an anemic argument at best. Try it out in the lab of your life, get grateful and see if happiness doesn't drop by regularly for a visit at least.

      Contentment. "godliness with contentment is great gain was how Paul put it over 2000 years ago but this timeless truth is still a revolutionary reality  right now. Contentment doesn't mean that we don't want to better ourselves or out lot rather it is the realization that mere gain will not necessarily mean growth in our level of happiness. So if I can find joy in this moment, even if it is labeled a lack time in my life then I will also be happy if I am granted more. But if I am unhappy in my current situation I will most likely be unhappy even if granted "more".

Dear Father above we are so prone to grumble and quick to complain. Please forgive us and redirect our lips and lives to thanks and praise especially on this day.  Today as a nation we collectively gather to remember your goodness to us as a nation and in our lives. This great nation was founded to worship freely and you have blessed us beyond measure. We live in warm houses and have access to transportation.

    We want to pause our thanks to petition you to move in our national situation.  We ask for Jobs for the unemployed and housing for those who are homeless as well as healing for those who are profoundly sick from this virus and a host of other maladies. Guide out leaders to bring our nation back from the brink. Please awaken us to our need of you as individuals and as a nation.

 Thanks for even the hard things in our lives because they force us to grow. Be in a special way with those not able to gather around the family table as they are defending us or keeping us safe and secure, like the military, and first responders. Be with family that have lost loved ones this year we know these holidays can be hard on them, give a peace that passes understanding.  Help us all draw close to each other as we be never know how long we are loaned our loved ones. Most of all draw us all close to you we need you so much more than the stuff we will be buying during this next month. Help us find the truth godliness with contentment is great gain.

We ask this in the mighty name of Jesus

Amen.

Contentment. Dr. Paul Chappell

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Finding Contentment
Wednesday, November 25, 2020
by Dr. Paul Chappell

"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

Philippians 4:11–13

Many people are searching for contentment, but very few seem to find it. That is largely because most people are seeking contentment in the wrong place. It is never found in possessions or circumstances. It is never based on what is happening outside. Contentment flourishes despite circumstances either good or bad, because it grows in a grateful heart.

F. B. Meyer said, “If we would find content, let us go to homes where women are crippled with rheumatism, or dying of cancer, where comforts are few, where long hours of loneliness are not broken by the intrusion of friendly faces, where the pittance of public charity hardly suffices for necessary need, to say nothing of comfort, it is there that contentment reveals itself like a shy flower. How often in the homes of the wealthy one has missed it, to find it in the homes of the poor! How often it is wanting where health is buoyant, to be discovered where disease is wearing out the strength!”

God did not promise us that things would be easy. Some of the greatest Christians in all of history suffered great persecution, bouts of grave illness, financial lack, and times of despair. What God promised us instead was His presence, and in that presence we can find contentment regardless of what else is happening in our lives. God knows everything about your circumstances today, and nothing comes into your life that does not first pass through His hands.

Today's Growth Principle:
When you learn to accept whatever God has chosen to give you, you are on the pathway to learning true contentment.

Sacrifice Of Praise HEB 13:13-16 Dr. Paul Chappell

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The Sacrifice of Praise
Sunday, November 22, 2020
by Dr. Paul Chappell

"For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased."

Hebrews 13:14–16

What could you give to God that would express your gratitude and convey honor to Him? Hebrews 13 suggests the “sacrifice of praise.” All throughout Scripture we see people offer this sacrifice to God. Job worshipped God when he had nothing (Job 1:20–21). The book of Psalms chronicles David’s praise in both the good times and the bad. Mary expressed praise when she learned she was to be the mother of Christ (Luke 1:46–55). And one man from the group of ten lepers Jesus healed offered thanks and praise (Luke 17:15–16). From these testimonies, we see that our sacrifice of praise should be continual—not contingent on our mood or current circumstances.

A. W. Tozer said, “Gratitude is an offering precious in the sight of God, and it is one that the poorest of us can make and be not poorer but richer for having made it.” Even in times when we do not have as much as others in the way of material blessings, we still have so much for which to be thankful. And when we purposefully give thanks to God, that sacrifice of our heart is pleasing to Him.

The giving of thanks is a habit which we can develop and cultivate. By focusing on the good things we have and realizing that every one of them came from God, we find that even in times of lack we can be thankful. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). Thanksgiving requires that we set aside our pride and our desire to take credit for what we have and that we acknowledge the goodness of God in providing for us.

Today's Growth Principle:
Your praise and thanksgiving for the blessings you have received is pleasing to God.

The Joy Of Service F.B Meyer

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F.B Meyers.

THE JOY OF SERVICE

"These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be fulfilled."-- Joh 15:11 (R.V.).

"My servants shall sing for joy of heart."-- Isa 65:14.

ON THE eve of Gethsemane and the night before His crucifixion "these things" were said by our Lord: how could He have even a thought of Joy? Note how confidently He speaks of it--abiding, remaining, persistent joy! Like a hot geyser-spring, rising from unknown depths on an ice-bound world. How could He think of joy at such a moment? One answer alone seems possible. He knew that by His supreme sacrifice He was creating a well-spring of joy for all future generations. The spring of His joy was perennial because of the joy He was about to create for myriads.

This joy was characteristic of His whole ministry. It seems to have been an unfailing fountain. How could it be otherwise when He was always ministering to others, when He was for ever fulfilling His Father's loving Will for men? It is in harmony with His oft-repeated "Be of good courage," whether He was about to heal pain and disease, or proclaim the forgiveness of sin. The New Testament rings with this call to rejoice, and to rejoice greatly!

Life of Self-giving. Our joy, like Christ's, consists in self-giving. We pass on to others the joy and love with which He fills our hearts, and in doing so, we are made infinitely happy. Let us today fix these thoughts in our mind. God is Love, and that Love cannot be self-contained.

Day by day let us abide in Him, with our heart-gate open to the incoming of His love, that He may be able to speak a word to those that are weary, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound. We are not to create, but to pass on! Not to inaugurate, but to transmit! The love and grace of Christ were always expressed in acts of ministry. He was not content with speaking the word of cheer, but ministered in such a way that joy and gladness were the immediate result. We must not be well-wishers only, but well-doers, If it be only to help to lift a burden, or to guide the perplexed, or to give a caress to some lonely despairing soul. In all such acts of ministry we are giving our Saviour the opportunity of expressing Himself through us, and of fulfilling our joy.

PRAYER

O Blessed Lord, give me to know the joy that is unspeakable, the love that passeth knowledge, and the peace that passeth understanding. AMEN

A Heart Like His A.B Simpson

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A.B SIMPSON
A heart like His
Matt 7:5

Greater than the fault we condemn and criticize is the sin of criticism and condemnation. There is no time that demands such grace as when we deal with an erring one. A lady once called on me on her way to give an erring sister a piece of her mind. I advised her to wait until she could love the woman a little more. Only Jesus, who loved sinners well enough to die for them, can deal with the erring. We can never see all the heart. He does, and He can convict without condemning and reprove without discouraging. Oh, for more of the heart of Christ! Take care how you speak of another's fault. Some day soon you may be in the same or deeper condemnation. Very significantly does the Master say that the man who sees a mote in his brother's eye usually has a rafter in his own. Give me a heart like Thine, Give me a heart like Thine. By Thy wonderful power, By Thy grace every hour, Give me a heart like Thine. Cast out the beam out of thine own eye -Matthew 7:5

Marriage advice by Gene Kissinger

××××This is NOT my anniversary×××× just a post about marriage.

     I am not a marriage expert in an any stretch of the imagination, my mom and dad divorced when I was young maybe 3rd grade as I recall.  I didn't see what marriage looked like in my formative years, I missed seeing how a husband is suppose to treat a wife on a day to day basis. I realized I lacked a lot in that area, I asked God to show me and he tried when he could get my attention. 

     One thing I would say to young married people is to be patient with your mate, they come from a different family and a different mini culture within that family. Give them time to develop and then when they do develop and grow give them credit for that growth.  

       Acknowledge the changes they make and the new person they become over the years. I am so far removed from the socially backward kid I was when we got married I don't even recognize that guy. A trap in marriage is to just "See" your mate as they were not as they are.

    So over the course of your life you will have many intimate relationships, the trick in a successful marriage is to make all of those intimate relationships with the same person. Fall in love with the person your mate has become.  Let them discover the new you that maturity has created in you and fall madly, passionately in love with "the new you." 

     One thing I would say that kept us together during hard times is what I call service after the sale. I explain this in a post below. Read it it just might save your marriage when Satan attacks it...and he will.

"I have been married for 36 years I call it "service after the sale". My wife took a risk marrying me I was the king of the nerds and had few prospects or skills. But I have continuously developed. Myself since that day.  Every day I look for ways to make her life better and brighter.  I want to live in such a way she will be able to say, "I chose well."  I came to understand I became a husband in 1984 but I am still "becoming" a husband 3 and a half decades later"

Impatience by Dr. Paul Chappell

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The Snare of Impatience
Monday, November 16, 2020
by Dr. Paul Chappell

"And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me."

Exodus 32:1–2

When we take matters into our own hands rather than waiting for God to work in His time, disaster follows. The children of Israel worshipped the golden calf that Aaron made because they were not willing to wait for Moses to return from Mt. Sinai where he was receiving the Law from God. Their impatience led to idolatry and immorality.

G. Campbell Morgan wrote, “Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not going to sleep. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort. Waiting for God means, first, activity under command; second, readiness for any new command that may come; third, the ability to do nothing until the command is given.”

We live in an impatient culture that prizes haste and busyness. Certainly we should not use the excuse of waiting on God to avoid doing what we already know He wants us to do. But we must also be careful not to try to provide solutions and choose directions apart from His plan. Think of the tension that still exists in the world today four thousand years after Abraham and Sarah decided to involve Hagar in producing the son God had promised to them. The enmity between the descendants of Ishmael and Isaac would not exist had they been willing to wait for God to do what He said He would do.

Today's Growth Principle:
Do not run ahead of God today—though He is not early, He is never late.

Finding God Job 23:3 C.H Spurgeon

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C.H Spurgeon

“O that I knew where I might find him!”

Job 23:3

In Job’s uttermost extremity he cried after the Lord. The longing desire of an afflicted child of God is once more to see his Father’s face. His first prayer is not “O that I might be healed of the disease which now festers in every part of my body!” nor even “O that I might see my children restored from the jaws of the grave, and my property once more brought from the hand of the spoiler!” but the first and uppermost cry is, “O that I knew where I might find Him, who is my God! that I might come even to his seat!” God’s children run home when the storm comes on. It is the heaven-born instinct of a gracious soul to seek shelter from all ills beneath the wings of Jehovah. “He that hath made his refuge God,” might serve as the title of a true believer. A hypocrite, when afflicted by God, resents the infliction, and, like a slave, would run from the Master who has scourged him; but not so the true heir of heaven, he kisses the hand which smote him, and seeks shelter from the rod in the bosom of the God who frowned upon him. Job’s desire to commune with God was intensified by the failure of all other sources of consolation. The patriarch turned away from his sorry friends, and looked up to the celestial throne, just as a traveller turns from his empty skin bottle, and betakes himself with all speed to the well. He bids farewell to earth-born hopes, and cries, “O that I knew where I might find my God!” Nothing teaches us so much the preciousness of the Creator, as when we learn the emptiness of all besides. Turning away with bitter scorn from earth’s hives, where we find no honey, but many sharp stings, we rejoice in him whose faithful word is sweeter than honey or the honeycomb. In every trouble we should first seek to realize God’s presence with us. Only let us enjoy his smile, and we can bear our daily cross with a willing heart for his dear sake.

 

Witness Act 1:8. F.B Meyer

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F.B. Meyer

WITNESS-BEARING FOR CHRIST

"Ye shall receive power, when the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."-- Acts 1:8.

ALL MACHINERY needs driving-power. A motor-car may be bright and new, the wheels tired with rubber, and it may contain the latest contrivances for speed and comfort, but it will not move an inch until the driving-power is applied. So it is with the Gospel message. Christ died and rose again, and the work of redemption was finished. His disciples were appointed to carry the tidings of salvation to the world of men, but they could do nothing until they received the power of the Holy Spirit. It is a serious question for each of us--Have I received the Holy Spirit, to be in me the source of power? (Acts 19:2). If not, is it to be wondered at that we are weak, and our testimony for Christ faltering?

Notice the circles of our life: witnesses in Jerusalem, our home; in Judea--the society in which we mingle and work; in Samaria--the city or town or village in which we live; the uttermost part of the earth, which represents the claim of the heathen world upon us all. For each of these we have some responsibility. Let us begin at Jerusalem, in our home, and God will lead us on step by step to the great world beyond. Alas, there are many who are eager enough for the "uttermost parts," while they neglect Jerusalem, and ignore the claims of Judaea!

God wants witnesses. A witness is not expected to reason or argue, but simply to state what he saw or heard, and to give facts. We are required to tell people what we have found Jesus to be to ourselves--to say what we have known and tasted and handled of the Word of Life (1Jn 1:1, 2, 3). Our witness-box may be the shop in which we are employed, or the position in life where we are daily called to rub shoulders with those who know not Christ. Men cannot see Him, unless they see Him in us. As the moon reflects the sun during the dark hours of the night, so the Church of Christ bears witness to her unseen Lord. In every emergency, let us lift our hearts to Christ, and ask that His Holy Spirit may enable us to be true witnesses for His glory.

PRAYER

My gracious Master and my God,

Assist me to proclaim

And spread through all the earth abroad

The honours of Thy Name. AMEN.

Forgive and Forget by Dr Paul Chappell

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Forgiving and Forgetting

by Dr. Paul Chappell

Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

Matthew 18:21–22

Clara Barton, who helped save the lives of many soldiers and bring relief to those suffering from disaster and tragedy as the founder of the American Red Cross, suffered a number of attacks. When someone reminded her of one of them, she acted as though it had never happened. “Don’t you remember that?” the friend asked. “No,” Barton replied, “I distinctly remember forgetting it.”

It is not possible for us to fully forget what has happened, but we do not have to allow it to dominate our thoughts and actions. The key to forgiveness begins when we stop keeping track of wrongs done to us. Peter seemed to think he was going above and beyond the call of duty by forgiving someone who sinned against him seven times. Jesus went far beyond what Peter expected by setting the standard at 490 times. Of course the point of that is not that we count until we get close to 500, but that we keep on forgiving.

God freely forgives us. Ephesians 4:32 says, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” God forgave us because of the sacrifice Jesus made for us—and based on His forgiveness He expects us to extend forgiveness to others. We do not forgive others because they deserve it. Instead, we forgive them because it is right. If you are holding tightly to wrongs done against you in the past, you will never experience the freedom and joy that comes with letting go. Each time you are reminded of what happened, remind yourself that you have already forgiven that and let it go.

Today's Growth Principle:
Nothing that has been done to you is beyond forgiving if you trust God enough to obey.

Contemplate C.H Spurgeon

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Contemplation
C.H Spurgeon
Thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty.”

Isaiah 33:17

The more you know about Christ the less will you be satisfied with superficial views of him; and the more deeply you study his transactions in the eternal covenant, his engagements on your behalf as the eternal Surety, and the fulness of his grace which shines in all his offices, the more truly will you see the King in his beauty. Be much in such outlooks. Long more and more to see Jesus. Meditation and contemplation are often like windows of agate, and gates of carbuncle, through which we behold the Redeemer. Meditation puts the telescope to the eye, and enables us to see Jesus after a better sort than we could have seen him if we had lived in the days of his flesh. Would that our conversation were more in heaven, and that we were more taken up with the person, the work, the beauty of our incarnate Lord. More meditation, and the beauty of the King would flash upon us with more resplendence. Beloved, it is very probable that we shall have such a sight of our glorious King as we never had before, when we come to die. Many saints in dying have looked up from amidst the stormy waters, and have seen Jesus walking on the waves of the sea, and heard him say, “It is I, be not afraid.” Ah, yes! when the tenement begins to shake, and the clay falls away, we see Christ through the rifts, and between the rafters the sunlight of heaven comes streaming in. But if we want to see face to face the “King in his beauty” we must go to heaven for the sight, or the King must come here in person. O that he would come on the wings of the wind! He is our Husband, and we are widowed by his absence; he is our Brother dear and fair, and we are lonely without him. Thick veils and clouds hang between our souls and their true life: when shall the day break and the shadows flee away? Oh, long-expected day, begin!

 

Desire A.B Simpson

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A.B Simpson

0 man of desires was the divine character given to Daniel. The thought is translated in the King James version, A man greatly beloved. But it literally means, 0 man of desires. Desire is a necessary element in all spiritual forces. It is one of the secrets of effectual prayer. What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them (Mark 11:24). The element of strong desire gives momentum to our purposes and prayers. Indifference is an unwholesome condition; indolence and apathy are offensive both to God and nature. So it is in our spiritual lives: God often has to wake us up by the presence of trying circumstances and push us into new places of trust by forces that we must subdue. There is no factor in prayer more effectual than love. if we are intensely interested in an object or an individual, our petitions become like living forces. Not only do they convey their wants to God, but in some sense they convey God's help back to us. May God so fill us today with the heart of Christ that we may glow with the divine fire of holy desire. 0 man of desires (margin) -Daniel 10:11

Ever Present by Knowing Jesus

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Ever present

From Website Knowing Jesus.

2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee Isa 43:2

"Verse Thoughts
The Lord has promised never to leave us nor forsake us, no matter what life my throw at us. We are redeemed by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have been bought with a price and we belong to the Father and His favour is upon all His children. He has promised to cover us with His gentle calm and protect us by His perfect peace, when our hearts rest in Him.

We have an assurance that the promises of God’s protection and His help are available for all who trust in the His name. The children of Israel walked through the Red Sea on dry land and yet the same waters submerged the enemies of the Lord. The flames that were heated seven time hotter did not singe a single thread on the garments of Daniel’s three companions - and yet they consumed those that would throw them into the flames.

The children of Israel faced a physical enemy and God protected them. We face a spiritual enemy, but His protection and help is equally sure and steadfast for all who are called by His name. Let us trust God at His word – let us believe what God has said and rest in the knowledge that it is the God of the universe Who says to each one of us - When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you. When rivers of difficulty swirl around, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up and the fiery flames will not consume you. 

The truth of God’s Word has been tried and tested by a myriad of saints down through the centuries, who not only trusted Him for their salvation but continued to trust Him through all the circumstances of life - for He has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake - let us trust in the God of our salvation

My Prayer
Loving Lord, as I face the storms and flames of life that appear to be so overwhelming – may I remember Your Word of truth. Help me to recall Who You are and what You have promised to all Your children. Help me to secure my hope in You. Thank You that You have promised to be with me in all the scenes and circumstances of life – for You are the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-gracious God, Who loves me with an everlasting love – praise Your holy name, in Jesus name I pray, AMEN."

Source: https://dailyverse.knowing-jesus.com/isaiah-43-2

The Divne Dance Of Intimacy by Gene Kissinger

I wrote this to a believer who was struggling to understand God and what he is doing.  Why some prayers are granted and others denied. 

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The divine dance of intimacy.

We were created to be in a deep, dependant, intimate relationship with God. While it is true we were made in the image of God and have some of his transferable attributes we are so much less than him. As a one celled ameba is to us so we are to God. His ways are not our ways and his thoughts are not our thoughts.  God is so totally "other" that we can't comprehend Him apart from his divine revelation.  Even that revelation requires a new birth and the aide of the Holy Spirit to understand properly.  

We look for ways of understanding God that can satisfy our need for explanations and understanding. We want a systematized way to relate with this "Divine Other". With humans we can set up some basic guidelines because we are at least similar enough to sense what is needed and what is expected in the relationships. These are all relationships of equals.  Our relationship with God is singular. He is our creator (we really don't have a human parallel that we liken this relationship.) He is our Father (we at least have parents and we can make some inferences about what it means that he is our Father) he is our Master and on we could go listing types of relationships that describe this divine dance of intimacy.

He created us to be close and intimate with him which necessitated a free will and the ability to choose not to be close and intimate.  This is where sin came in and damaged the original dance. The original dance was innocent and pure we flung ourselves into that arms of a God who delighted in our innocence. But then SIN...we fled from him and his presence we broke the intimacy and created a problem we were now unfit to be in his presence much less be intimate with Him.

But God had a plan, before there Was guilt there was grace, before there was sin there was a saviour. He was a lamb slain from before the foundation of the world. Before we ever got into our mess he was the mercy of God personified.  He died after living a sinless life that we might live with Him Forever in a sinless innocent state with God forever.

It is described in a beautiful way in this song. "Lord Of The Dance"

"Lord of the Dance" is a hymn with words written by English songwriter Sydney Carter in 1963. It follows the idea of a traditional English carol, "Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day" which tells the gospel story in the first person voice of Jesus of Nazareth with the device of portraying Jesus' life and mission as a dance.

"I danced in the morning when the world was begun,

And I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun,

And I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth:

At Bethlehem I had my birth.

Dance, then, wherever you may be,

I am the Lord of the dance, said he,

And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,

And I'll lead you all in the dance, said he.

I danced for the scribe and the Pharisee,

But they would not dance and they wouldn't follow me;

I danced for the fishermen, for James and John;

They came with me and the dance went on:

Dance, then, wherever you may be,

I am the Lord of the dance, said he,

And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,

And I'll lead you all in the dance, said he.

I danced on the Sabbath and I cured the lame:

The holy people said it was a shame.

They whipped and they stripped and they hung me on high,

And they left me there on a cross to die:

Dance, then, wherever you may be,

I am the Lord of the dance, said he,

And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,

And I'll lead you all in the dance, said he.

I danced on a Friday when the sky turned black;

It's hard to dance with the devil on your back.

They buried my body and they thought I'd gone;

But I am the dance, and I still go on:

Dance, then, wherever you may be,

I am the Lord of the dance, said he,

And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,

And I'll lead you all in the dance, said he.

They cut me down and I leapt up high;

I am the life that'll never, never die.

I'll live in you if you'll live in me:

I am the Lord of the dance, said he.

Dance, then, wherever you may be,

I am the Lord of the dance, said he,

And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,

And I'll lead you all in the dance, said he.

Hear it here

https://youtu.be/YV15StV6TK0

Now we enter the Divine Dance of intimacy at the moment of new birth but we are hindered by a kind of paralysis that makes our part of the dance damaged. It is our old nature trying to assert itself, or maybe the siren song of this world system that steals us away from our rightful partner or even Satan intentionally trying to trip us up in the dance to make us look the fool before our creator and redeemer.

All I really know is for God to interact with fallen humanity it has to be on his terms as He is exercising sovereignty while maintaining our Free will to dance with Him or not. So there may be many unanswered questions, we may have no idea why he is doing what he is doing but I hold tight to a tremendous truth taught by Spurgeon "When you can't trace God's hand you can TRUST God's heart" there is so much I don't understand but I know I will trust and obey till I can do the divine Dance of intimacy in Heaven in a perfected form. Till them I am trying to live a lifestyle of acceptance with Joy.

Changing what I can and trusting God for the rest.

Trying of your Faith 1 Peter 1:7 C.H Spurgeon

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C.H Spurgeon
The trial of your faith.”

1 Peter 1:7

Faith untried may be true faith, but it is sure to be little faith, and it is likely to remain dwarfish so long as it is without trials. Faith never prospers so well as when all things are against her: tempests are her trainers, and lightnings are her illuminators. When a calm reigns on the sea, spread the sails as you will, the ship moves not to its harbour; for on a slumbering ocean the keel sleeps too. Let the winds rush howling forth, and let the waters lift up themselves, then, though the vessel may rock, and her deck may be washed with waves, and her mast may creak under the pressure of the full and swelling sail, it is then that she makes headway towards her desired haven. No flowers wear so lovely a blue as those which grow at the foot of the frozen glacier; no stars gleam so brightly as those which glisten in the polar sky; no water tastes so sweet as that which springs amid the desert sand; and no faith is so precious as that which lives and triumphs in adversity. Tried faith brings experience. You could not have believed your own weakness had you not been compelled to pass through the rivers; and you would never have known God’s strength had you not been supported amid the water-floods. Faith increases in solidity, assurance, and intensity, the more it is exercised with tribulation. Faith is precious, and its trial is precious too.

Let not this, however, discourage those who are young in faith. You will have trials enough without seeking them: the full portion will be measured out to you in due season. Meanwhile, if you cannot yet claim the result of long experience, thank God for what grace you have; praise him for that degree of holy confidence whereunto you have attained: walk according to that rule, and you shall yet have more and more of the blessing of God, till your faith shall remove mountains and conquer impossibilities.

 

Like Jesus Matt. 10:25 C.H Spurgeon

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C.H Spurgeon

Like Jesus

It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master.”

Matthew 10:25

No one will dispute this statement, for it would be unseemly for the servant to be exalted above his Master. When our Lord was on earth, what was the treatment he received? Were his claims acknowledged, his instructions followed, his perfections worshipped, by those whom he came to bless? No; “He was despised and rejected of men.” Outside the camp was his place: cross-bearing was his occupation. Did the world yield him solace and rest? “Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” This inhospitable country afforded him no shelter: it cast him out and crucified him. Such—if you are a follower of Jesus, and maintain a consistent, Christ-like walk and conversation—you must expect to be the lot of that part of your spiritual life which, in its outward development, comes under the observation of men. They will treat it as they treated the Saviour—they will despise it. Dream not that worldlings will admire you, or that the more holy and the more Christ-like you are, the more peaceably people will act towards you. They prized not the polished gem, how should they value the jewel in the rough? “If they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?” If we were more like Christ, we should be more hated by his enemies. It were a sad dishonour to a child of God to be the world’s favourite. It is a very ill omen to hear a wicked world clap its hands and shout “Well done” to the Christian man. He may begin to look to his character, and wonder whether he has not been doing wrong, when the unrighteous give him their approbation. Let us be true to our Master, and have no friendship with a blind and base world which scorns and rejects him. Far be it from us to seek a crown of honour where our Lord found a coronet of thorns.

 

CHRIST THE SOURCE JN 14:19 A.B SIMPSON

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A.B SIMPSON
Christ The Source

After having become adjusted to our Living Head and the source of our life, our business now is to abide, absorb and grow. We do this by leaning on Christ's strength, drinking in His life, feeding on Him as the Living Bread and drawing all of our resources from Him in continual dependence and communion. The Holy Spirit will be the great Teacher and Minister in this blessed process. He will take of the things of Christ and show them to us, and He will impart them through all the channels and functions of our spiritual lives. As we yield ourselves to Him He will breathe His own prayer of communion, drawing out our hearts in longings and hungerings, which are the pledge of their own fulfillment, calling us apart in silent and wordless prayer, and opening every sense and sensibility of our spiritual beings to take in His life. As the lungs absorb the oxygen from the atmosphere, as the senses breathe in the sweet odors of the garden, so the heart instinctively receives and rejoices in the affection and fellowship of the beloved One by our sides. Thus each of us becomes like a tree planted by the rivers of water (Psalm 1:3). Because I live, ye shall live also -John 14:19

The Leading Of The Holy Spirit F.B Meyer

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F.B Meyer
THE LEADING OF THE SPIRIT

"Teach me to do Thy Will; for Thou art my God: Thy Spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness."-- Ps 143:10.

TEACH ME to do Thy Will, i.e. throw the responsibility of your life back on God. The one important thing for you to be absolutely sure about is that you desire, at all costs, to do God's Will. If you do not so desire, at least you must be willing to be made willing. Cast on God this burden of making you willing, and believe that He undertakes it. His people shall be made willing in the day of His power. When this point is settled, then God by His Holy Spirit will sooner or later teach you what He wants to be done, and enable you to do it. Like Samuel, if you say: Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth, you will hear the Voice behind you saying, This is the way, walk in it; this must be said, say it; this needs to be done, do it; and as you endeavour to obey the gentle promptings of the Spirit, you will discover that adequate strength and grace are being poured into your soul.

"Thy Spirit is good." There is our only hope. If it were not for the infinite goodness, the patient gentleness, the loving forbearance of the Holy Spirit, we could have no chance, for nothing but infinite Goodness could bear with our frailties and backslidings, our lapses into coldness and indifference, our perverseness and obstinacy. But because God's Spirit is good, we may reckon on Him pervading us with His holy influence till our evil nature is overcome by His goodness, and we also in our measure become good. It is said of Barnabas that he was a "good man," because he was full of the Holy Ghost and of faith.

"Lead me." The Psalmist's prayer is--Teach me, lead me, quicken me. Let us make this prayer our own. What better guarantee of being led aright than for us to yield ourselves to our gentle gracious Guide. We are like little children that require to be led, as the mother or nurse takes the child by the hand and leads him to the school-house, and fetches him again. Some of us are blind, and need a kindly hand to guide us as we grope in the dark. Let us walk in the Spirit, be led by the Spirit, and be very sensitive to the Spirit. Then we shall instinctively know God's Will, and do it.

PRAYER

I need a hand to lead me through the darkness,

For I am weak and helpless as a child;

And if alone I have to take my journey,

My feet will stumble on the mountains wild.

AMEN.

God Has Got This. Gene Kissinger

God has Got this. He has never dropped the ball he will execute his perfect will. Trust him. We are seeing numerous biblical end time prophetic warnings manifest right before our eyes. God can take the labor pains of a woman and bring new life out of that near death experience and he can get us through the birth pangs that will usher in the second coming of Christ.  Look up your redemption draweth nigh

Drink Up Jn 4: 14 F.B Meyer

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F.B Meyer
THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE

"Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up into eternal life."-- Jn 4:14.

ONE MORNING, when the land was carpeted with flowers of spring, a woman awoke in the little town of Sychar that lay in the lap of the twin mountains, Ebal and Gerizim. She little realised that that day would revolutionise, not her own life only, but that of untold thousands. Throughout its happenings her story would be embalmed in the history of the race, and she would take the first step which, as tradition says, ended in martyrdom.

Her nature was passionate and intense. The well was deep! She had sought to satisfy her heart with human love, but in vain, and she had ceased to believe in love. Her character was gone, and her neighbours would not tolerate her presence at the ancient well, so that she had no alternative but to carry her pitcher hither in the sultry noon, instead of in the cool of the late afternoon, when the women came to draw their water.

She was not destitute of religion. There was the ancient tradition of Jacob's faith, for he had lived within sight of these hills and had drunk of that well. She believed in this ancestral religion, which had existed in its sublime simplicity before the division arose between Jew and Samaritan, and had listened to many discussions as to the rival claims of the temples at Jerusalem and Gerizim. She also believed that some day the long-looked for Messiah would appear, and explain all things. In the meanwhile, however, she was sick and weary at heart. Her daily lonely visit to the well seemed to epitomise her inner experience. "Give me, Stranger," she seemed to say, "anything that will appease this soul-thirst, and restore to me the years that the locust and cankerworm have eaten. Then I shall cease to thirst and come all the way hither to draw!"

Is she not the type of myriads? Some among my readers have drunk of all the wells sunk by human hands, and have found them brackish or empty. They have turned from them all with the ancient verdict: "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." Is it thus with you, my friend? Then, it may be, that He who came far out of His usual way to find and help this distraught soul, is near to you also, waiting to open those hidden springs of which, if a man drink, he shall never thirst again.

PRAYER

O Christ, Who didst sit at Jacob's well, give me to drink of the water of life, and to hear Thy voice, which is as music; let that spring, of which Thou didst speak to the woman, rise up within my heart unto eternal life. AMEN.

Plenty Of Room A.B Simpson

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A.B SIMPSON

Plenty of ROOM

If we would be enlarged to the full measure of God's purpose, let us endeavor to realize something of our own capacities for His filling. We little know the size of a human soul and spirit. Never, until He renews, cleanses and enters the heart, can we have any adequate conception of the possibilities of the being whom God made in His very image, and whom He now renews after the pattern of the Lord Jesus Himself. We know, however, that God has made the human soul to be His temple and abode. God knows how to make the house that can hold His infinite fullness. We know something of this as all our nature quickens into springtime life at the coming of the Holy Spirit. We know it as from time to time new baptisms awaken the dormant powers and susceptibilities that we did not realize we possessed. Let us give God the right to make the best of us. Filled with wonder, we shall some day behold the glorious temple that He has built and say, Lord, what is man, that thou art mindful of him? (Psalm 8:4). I in them, and thou in me -John 17:23

Prayer Power C.H Spurgeon

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Prayer Power
C.H Spurgeon

Their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place, even unto heaven.”2 Chronicles 30:27

Prayer is the never-failing resort of the Christian in any case, in every plight. When you cannot use your sword you may take to the weapon of all-prayer. Your powder may be damp, your bow-string may be relaxed, but the weapon of all-prayer need never be out of order. Leviathan laughs at the javelin, but he trembles at prayer. Sword and spear need furbishing, but prayer never rusts, and when we think it most blunt it cuts the best. Prayer is an open door which none can shut. Devils may surround you on all sides, but the way upward is always open, and as long as that road is unobstructed, you will not fall into the enemy's hand. We can never be taken by blockade, escalade, mine, or storm, so long as heavenly succours can come down to us by Jacob's ladder to relieve us in the time of our necessities. Prayer is never out of season: in summer and in winter its merchandise is precious. Prayer gains audience with heaven in the dead of night, in the midst of business, in the heat of noonday, in the shades of evening. In every condition, whether of poverty, or sickness, or obscurity, or slander, or doubt, your covenant God will welcome your prayer and answer it from His holy place. Nor is prayer ever futile. True prayer is evermore true power. You may not always get what you ask, but you shall always have your real wants supplied. When God does not answer His children according to the letter, He does so according to the spirit. If thou askest for coarse meal, wilt thou be angered because He gives thee the finest flour? If thou seekest bodily health, shouldst thou complain if instead thereof He makes thy sickness turn to the healing of spiritual maladies? Is it not better to have the cross sanctified than removed? This evening, my soul, forget not to offer thy petition and request, for the Lord is ready to grant thee thy desires.

 

Let God A.B Simpson

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A.B SIMPSON

If we would abide in Christ we must have no confidence in self. Self-repression must be ever the prime necessity of divine fullness and efficiency. How quickly we want to spring to the front when any emergency arises. When something in which we are interested comes up, we say what we think under some sudden impulse. Then perhaps there are weeks of taking back our thoughts and taking the Lord's instead. It is only when we get out of the way of the Lord that He can use us. So, let us leave self behind us, always suspending our will about everything until we have looked at the issue and said: "Lord, what is Your will? What is Your thought about it?" Those who thus abide in Christ have the habit of reserve and quiet; they are not rattling and reckless talkers, they will not always have an opinion about everything-and they will not always know what they are going to do. There will be a deferential holding back of judgment and walking softly with God. It is our headlong, impulsive spirit that keeps us so constantly from hearing and following the Lord. Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ -2 Corinthians 10:5

The Refiners Fire I Peter 1:7 F.B Meyer

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F.B Meyer

THE REFINER'S FIRE

"He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver."-- Mal 3:3.

"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."-- 1Pe 1:7.

NOTHING IS harder to bear than the apparent aimlessness of suffering.

They say that what breaks a convict's heart in gaol is to set him to say carry stones from one side of the prison to the other, and then back again! But we must never look upon the trials of life as punishments, because all penalty was borne by our Lord Himself. They are intended to destroy the weeds and rubbish of our natures, as the bonfires do in the gardens. Christ regards us in the light of our eternal interests, of which He alone can judge. If you and I knew what sphere we were to fulfil in the other world, we should understand the significance of His dealings with us, as now we cannot do. The Refiner has a purpose in view, of which those who stand beside Him are ignorant, and, therefore, they are unable to judge the process which He is employing.

Dare to believe that Christ is working to a plan in your life. He loves you. Be patient! He would not take so much trouble unless He knew that it was worth while. "We do not prune brambles, or cast common stones into the crucible or plough sea-sands!" You must be capable of some special service, which can only be done by a carefully-prepared instrument, and so Christ sits beside you as the Refiner, year after year, that you may miss nothing.

Whilst the Fire is hot keep conversing with the Refiner. Ponder these words: "He shall sit as a Refiner and Purifier of silver." The thought is specially suitable for those who cannot make long prayers, but they can talk to Christ as He sits beside them. Nicholas Hermann tells us that, as he could not concentrate his mind on prolonged prayer, he gave up set times of prayer and sought constant conversations with Christ. Speak to Him, then, in the midst of your daily toil. He hears the unspoken prayer, and catches your whispers. Talk to Christ about your trials, sorrows, and anxieties! Make Him your Confidant in your joy and happiness! Nothing makes Him so real as to talk to Him aloud about everything!

PRAYER

Let the Fire of Thy Love consume in me all sinful desires of the flesh and of the mind, that I may henceforth continually abide in Jesus Christ my Lord, and seek the things where He sits at Thy right hand. AMEN