God Governing the Nations by Arthur W. Pink

“If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them” (Jer. 18:8). 

Then is no “if” in connection with what God has foreordained, and the history of nations has been as truly and definitely predestinated as the destiny of each individual. “Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world” (Acts 15:18), and they are known to Him because they were decreed by Him.

Now if God decreed an event He either foresaw what would be the issue of it or He did not. If He did not, where is His infinite wisdom and understanding? On the other hand, if He foresaw an event would not be, why did He purpose it should be?

 If God purposed a thing, then either He is able to bring it to pass by His wisdom and power, or He is not. If not, where is His omniscience and omnipotence? From the horns of that dilemma there is no escape. If God be God then there can be no failure with Him “The counsel of the LORD standeth forever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations” (Psa. 33:11).

“If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto it.” There is always an “if” in connection with human responsibility, for man is as “unstable as water” being influenced by many things both from within and without; nevertheless he is held strictly accountable unto God. Nations, equally with Christians, are responsible: the Lord is their Maker, their Ruler, their God.

His Moral Law is as binding upon kingdoms as it is upon the Church. If the rulers of the nations acknowledge God in the discharge of their office, if their laws be equitable and beneficent, maintaining a balance between justice and mercy, if the Sabbath be duly enforced, if the Lord be owned in prosperity and sought unto in adversity, then the smile of Heaven will be upon that people. But if He be slighted and defied His frown will be experienced. As effects are dependent upon the operation of causes, and the character of the one determines the nature of the other, so a course of obedience is followed by very different consequence from one of disobedience, be it the case of a nation or individual.

“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (Prov. 14:34) expresses a foundational principle and an unchanging fact. Right doing or walking according to the Divine Rule is the basic condition of national prosperity. A righteous administration of government and the public worship of God gives an ascendancy to a people over those where such things prevail not. Nothing so tends to uphold the throne, elevate the mind of the masses, promote industry, sobriety and equity between man and man, as does the genuine practice of piety, the preservation of the virtues and suppression of vice, as nothing more qualifies a nation for the favour of God. Righteousness is productive of health, of population, of peace and prosperity. But every kind of sin has the contrary tendency. “The prevalence of vice and impiety is a nation’s reproach, conduces to disunion, weakness and disgrace, and exposes any people to the wrath and vengeance of God” (Thomas Scott). When sin has become a public “reproach” then ruin is imminent.

We repeat, then, that Jeremiah 18 portrays not Jehovah as the Determiner of eternal destiny but rather as the Dispenser of temporal benefits, not as decreeing the hereafter of individuals but as distributing the portions of the kingdoms. “Thou art the God, even Thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth” (2 Kings 19:15), and as such He governs them on the basis of His moral Law and in accordance with the discharge of their responsibilities thereto. Jeremiah 18 reveals to us the fundamental principles which regulate the dealings of the Most High with the nations and the relations which He sustains to them. First, He is shown as an absolute Sovereign over Israel in particular and over all peoples in general: “as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in Mine hand, O house of Israel” (v. 6). Jehovah has the most incontestable and immediate power over them. This shows the infinite ease with which He can deal with the most fractious.

“He increaseth the nations and destroyeth them: He enlargeth the nations and straiteneth them” (Job 12:23).

Second, the Lord is here depicted as the righteous Governor of the nations, dealing with them according to their deserts. In the exercise of His high and unchallengeable authority the Most High is pleased to act according to the principles of goodness and equity. There is no arbitrary caprice in the infliction of punishment: “the curse causeless shall not come” (Prov. 26:2). The Lord “doth not afflict willingly (“from the heart,” margin) nor grieve the children of men” (Lam. 3:33), but only because they give Him occasion to and because the honour of His name requires it. “O that thou hadst hearkened to My commandments, then had thy peace been as a river and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea” (Isa. 48:18) is His own avowal. Yea, had they respected His authority “I should soon have subdued their enemies and turned My hand against their adversaries” (Psa. 81:14) He declares. Let it be definitely recognized that God’s dealings with the nation of Israel illustrate His administration of the nations today.

Third, the justice of God is tempered with mercy in His government of the nations. “The Lord is of great mercy” (Num. 14:18) and “plenteous in mercy” (Psa. 86:5), and therefore, “His tender mercies are over all His work” (Psa. 145:9). Consequently, when the dark clouds of Divine wrath gather over a kingdom, yea even when His thunderbolts have begun to be launched, genuine repentance will check the storm. When a people humble themselves beneath God’s almighty hand, evidencing the genuineness of their repentance by turning away from their wickedness and doing that which is pleasing in His sight, His judgments are turned away from them. “And the children of Israel (1) did evil in the sight of the LORD and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves. Therefore (2) the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel and He sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim and the children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight years. And (3) when the children cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them” (Judges 3:7-9). The same order-sin, punishment, penitence and merciful deliverance-is repeated again and again in the book of Judges.

That these principles of the Divine administration apply to the Gentiles, equally with the Jews, is unmistakably clear from the case of Nineveh a heathen city, concerning which the Lord said “their wickedness is come up before Me” (Jonah 1:2). Unto the vast metropolis the Prophet was sent, crying, “Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown” (3:4). But note well the sequel: “So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them... And he (the king) caused it to be proclaimed . . . Let neither man nor beast, herd or flock, taste anything: let them not feed nor drink water . . . let them cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from His fierce anger, that we perish not? And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil that He had said that He would do unto them, and He did it not” (Jonah 3:5-10).

“Repent ye, and believe the Gospel” (Mark 1:15): “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). Unless there be both repentance and faith there is no forgiveness of sins for any soul, yet there are comparatively few passages in which both of them are expressly mentioned. In Luke 13:3; Acts 2:38 and 17:30 “repentance” alone is inculcated. In John 3:15; Romans 1:16 and 10:4 only “believing” is specified. Why is this? Because the Scriptures are not written as lawyers draw up documents, wherein terms are needlessly repeated and multiplied.

Each passage of the Word must be interpreted in the light of and consistently with “the Analogy of Faith” (Rom. 12:6, Greek)-the general tenor of Scripture-and none made exceptional to the general rule. Thus concerning the above references: where only “repentance” is mentioned, “believing” is implied, and when “believing” is found alone, “repentance” is presupposed.

The God Who Is Never Frustrated by W. F. Bell

"He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise." (Job 5:12)

"The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to naught. he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. " (Psalm 33:10)

What kind of God do you believe in? Is He the God of the Bible, or the "god" of your own imagination? Is He all-powerful and able to carry out His purposes and desires, or is he a weakling that is constantly being defeated by his rebellious creatures? Does your "god" ever get frustrated? If so, let me tell you of my God, One who frustrates others, but is never frustrated Himself!

DEFINITION

Webster's Dictionary defines "frustrate" as meaning: "to balk or defeat in an endeavor; to induce feelings of discouragement in; to bring to nothing; to make invalid or of no effect: NULLIFY, THWART, FOIL, BAFFLE, BALK, CIRCUMVENT, OUTWIT."

With these definitions in mind, is it really possible for Almighty God to be frustrated? Certainly not! Positively no! Let the thought be forever banished! If God could be frustrated, He could be deposed from off His throne. But, praise His adorable name, that shall never be! See Psalm 66:7; 97:1; 103:19.

The word "frustrate" is used only twice in all of the Bible (KJV) and the word (frustrateth) occurs only once. Let us look at these verses: Ezra 4:5 - "And hired counselors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius the king of Persia."

Here we read of certain "adversaries of Judah and Benjamin" (Ezra 4:1) desiring to bring to nought the efforts of the "children of the captivity" in the rebuilding of the Jewish temple at Jerusalem. These enemies of God "weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, and hired counselors against them, to frustrate their purpose." (Ezra 4:4-5) Were God's people defeated in the rebuilding of their temple? We know that they were not. Here then, is a good illustration of what "frustrate" means.

Galatians 2:21 - "I do not ftustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain."

The Apostle Paul declares that he does not "make void" or "set aside" the grace of God, by preaching "righteousness by the law." He says that "Christ died without cause," if men are made righteous before God by the law." "No," Paul says, "it is God's grace that saves us, and I do not make grace of none effect by preaching that righteousness comes by the law, for then Christ would have died a meaningless death. Here again, we have the definition of "frustrate."

2 Chronicles 9: 1-12

¹And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.

²And Solomon told her all her questions: and there was nothing hid from Solomon which he told her not.

³And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built,

⁴And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel; his cupbearers also, and their apparel; and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her.

⁵And she said to the king, It was a true report which I heard in mine own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom:

⁶Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the one half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: for thou exceedest the fame that I heard.

⁷Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom.

⁸Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee to set thee on his throne, to be king for the LORD thy God: because thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore made he thee king over them, to do judgment and justice.

⁹And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices great abundance, and precious stones: neither was there any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave king Solomon.

¹⁰And the servants also of Huram, and the servants of Solomon, which brought gold from Ophir, brought algum trees and precious stones.

¹¹And the king made of the algum trees terraces to the house of the LORD, and to the king's palace, and harps and psalteries for singers: and there were none such seen before in the land of Judah.

¹²And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which she had brought unto the king. So she turned, and went away to her own land, she and her servants.

 

I HAVE STUCK UNTO THY TESTIMONIES...

 JOSEPH CHARLES PHILPOT (1802-1869)

Ps 119:31

I know by soul experience that sticking to God’s testimonies has kept me from many errors. When I have been placed, years back, before my mind was established in the truth, in circumstances of great trial; when I have seen dear friends fall around me, on the right hand and on the left, some into one error and some into another, and my own mind was driven to and fro by these winds and gusts, it was this solemn conviction that made me stick to that testimony which God had dropped into my heart, not to go into things which I had not known, nor to rush into doctrines which I was not spiritually taught. 


I have seen some friends dropping first into Arianism, then into Socinianism; others I have known to become Irvingites; some going into one error and some into another. And what then kept me? Why, this solemn conviction, which I trust the Lord himself had implanted, to stick to God’s testimony, to cleave to what I had felt, to abide by what I had known, and to hang upon that as the only link which held me up from making shipwreck altogether. 


And thus the Lord kept me by this powerful though invisible tie, when those who seemed to know more than I departed on the right hand and on the left. 


Therefore, by soul experience I can, in some measure, say, "I have stuck unto thy testimonies;" and since then I have felt the solid benefit of sticking to God’s testimonies in my conscience, though it has cost me many sacrifices, and often made me on the right hand and on the left to encounter friend and foe. But to stick to God’s testimonies will bring peace at last.

ISHMAEL CAST OUT

BEACONS OF THE BIBLE
by Henry Law, 1869

But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, and she said to Abraham, "Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac." Genesis 21:9-10

Sinners may revel, but their day is very brief. Thorns crackle with high blaze, and quickly subside in ashes. The godless laughter is the prelude of long wailing. The morn soon fades--the evening shadows fall--the night comes on apace--the night which knows no dawn. The Spirit sounds the knell of short-lived evil--"Yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be--yes, you shall diligently consider his place, and it shall not be." Ps. 37:10.

Thus Ishmael's malicious sport soon ends. Sarah's watchful eye detects. The persecutor may not tarry. The sneer--the taunt--the petty tyranny must cease. Isaac shall no more dread the banter or the blow. The teasings, which were pain to the meek child, shall no more trouble. The mother demands immediate expulsion, "Get rid of that slave woman and her son." The patriarch hears God's confirming voice. He instantly complies. The young oppressor is driven far away.

Thus speaks the narrative. It is an outer bark--when it peels off, the rings of inner meaning are discerned. These rings are many. Each is a wealth of thought. But the intermediate fulfillments of the type are but as lesser lights before a final blaze. Through, then, the long perspective, let us at once approach the close. Let the eye rest alone on the ultimate conclusion. The consummation is an eternal gulf between the children of the covenant of works and heirs of grace. This consummation comes--it surely comes--it quickly comes. Angels are ready to sound the final blast. Listening ears are waiting for the trumpet's clang. At any moment it may shake the universe. Then all, who have breathed life's breath, must take their place. Each must hear, "Come," or "Depart." Each must have a blessed welcome or be cast out.

Reader! be wise. Anticipate the dread result. Live, as did Jerome, with this trumpet's echo always in your ears. In envisioning thought, then, let the white throne be set--let the all-righteous Judge be seated--let the recording books be opened--let all, who ever lived, stand at the bar--let him who writes--let all who lead, face the account, and meet the last day's scene.

Now sovereign Justice reins. Truth spreads revealing light. All masks now fall. Deception vanishes. Hypocrisy can no more deceive. The worse can no more seem the better cause.

Proverbs 7

(Proverbs 7:1) My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.

(Proverbs 7:2) Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.

(Proverbs 7:3) Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.

(Proverbs 7:4) Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:

(Proverbs 7:5) That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.

(Proverbs 7:6) For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,

(Proverbs 7:7) And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,

(Proverbs 7:8) Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,

(Proverbs 7:9) In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:

(Proverbs 7:10) And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.

(Proverbs 7:11) (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:

(Proverbs 7:12) Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)

(Proverbs 7:13) So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him,

(Proverbs 7:14) I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.

(Proverbs 7:15) Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.

(Proverbs 7:16) I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.

(Proverbs 7:17) I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

(Proverbs 7:18) Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.

(Proverbs 7:19) For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey:

(Proverbs 7:20) He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed.

(Proverbs 7:21) With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.

(Proverbs 7:22) He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;

(Proverbs 7:23) Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.

He died for His patients!

(William S. Plumer, "The Rock of Our Salvation" 1867)

"The whole head is hurt, and the whole heart is sick. You are sick from head to foot--covered with bruises, welts, and infected wounds!" Isaiah 1:5-6

Often in Scripture, sin is spoken of as a disease, a sickness, a hurt.

Christ, as the great Physician, has the only sovereign balm.

Sin is a dreadful disease! Yes, it is the very worst disease! It was the first, and so is the oldest malady. It infected man very soon after his creation. For six thousand years sin has committed its ravages and been gaining inveteracy. No other disease is so old.

Sin is also a universal disease! Other maladies have slain their thousands; but sin has slain its millions! The whole world is a graveyard, full of death and corruption. No person ever lived without sin. As soon as we begin to live, we begin to transgress.

Not only is every man sick, but our whole nature is diseased!
Our understanding is darkened.
Our memory is polluted.
The thoughts of our heart are only evil continually.
Our throats are open graves.
Our tongues practice deceit.
The poison of vipers is on our lips.
Our mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.
Our feet are swift to shed blood.
Ruin and misery mark our ways, and the way of peace we do not know.
Our eyes behold vanity.
Our hands are full of bribes and of blood.
Our heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.
We love darkness rather than light.

We are utterly diseased with sin!

Sin makes men spiritually blind, and deaf, and dumb, and lame, and lethargic. Sin is a terrible compilation of diseases. It is a rottenness in the bones. It is a maddening fever, a wasting consumption, a paralysis of all the powers. Human nature is wholly corrupt! 

How befilthying a thing it is

(Thomas Watson, "The Beatitudes" 1660)

"Unto Him who loved us, and washed us from
 our sins in His own blood!" Revelation 1:5

We are all loathsome to God, before we are
washed pure in the blood of Christ!

By nature, we are all in a filthy and cursed condition.
We are a lump of clay and sin mingled together. Sin
not only blinds us—but defiles us. It is called filthiness
(James 1:21). And to show how befilthying a thing
it is, it is compared . . .
  to a plague of the heart (1 Kings 8:38),
  to corruption (Deuteronomy 32:5),
  to vomit (2 Peter 2:22),
  to a menstrual cloth (Isaiah 30:22).

If all the evils in the world were put together and their
quintessence strained out—they could not make a thing
so black and polluted as sin is! A sinner is a devil in
a man's shape! When Moses' rod was turned into a
serpent—he fled from it. If God would open men's eyes
and show them their deformities and damnable spots
—they would fly from themselves, as from serpents!

When grace comes—it washes off this hellish filth!
It turns ravens into swans. It makes those who are
as black as hell—to become as white as snow!

"Christ gave Himself for us to redeem us from all
wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that
are His very own." Christ shed His blood—to wash
off our filth. The cross was both an altar and a laver.
Jesus died not only to save us from wrath (1 Thes.
1:10)—but to save us from sin! (Matthew 1:21).
Out of his side came water which signifies our
cleansing—as well as blood which signifies our
justifying (1 John 5:6).

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All the land which thou seest

A.B. Simpson


The actual provisions of God's grace come from the inner vision. 


He who gives to the bird the instinct to cross the continent in search of summer sunshine in a southern climate is too good to deceive it. And just as surely as He has put the instinct in the breast of the bird, so has He also put the balmy breezes and the vernal sunshine there to meet it when it arrives. 


He who gave to Abraham the vision of the Land of Promise also said in infinite truth and love: All the land that thou seest will I give thee. 


He who breathes into our hearts the heavenly hope will not deceive or fail us when we press forward to its realization. 


There is nothing unfaithful in Him who has said: If it were not so, I would have told you (John 14:2), and we may know that God never will deceive us or fail us, but all that He reveals by His Holy Spirit He will make our own as we press forward and enter into its realization. Lord, give me first the vision and then the victory. Show me all my inheritance, and then give it all to me in Christ Jesus.



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The unsearchable riches of Christ!

Thomas Brooks


There is everything in Christ to encourage the greatest
sinners to believe on Him, to rest and lean upon Him for
all happiness and blessedness. Christ is . . .


the greatest good,
the choicest good,
the chief good,
the most suitable good,
the most necessary good
a pure good,
a real good,
a total good,
an eternal good,
a soul-satisfying good!


Sinners, are you poor? Christ has gold to enrich you.


Are you naked? Christ has royal robes, and white clothing to clothe you.


Are you blind? Christ has eye-salve to enlighten you.


Are you hungry? Christ will be manna to feed you.


Are you thirsty? He will be a well of living water to refresh you.


Are you wounded? He has a balm under his wings to heal you.


Are you sick? He is a physician to cure you.


Are you prisoners? He has laid down a ransom for you.


"The unsearchable riches of Christ!" Ephesians 3:8


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A little picture of Christ!

(J. R. Miller, "Transformed by Beholding" 1912)
No sooner do we begin to behold the lovely face of Christ, which looks out at us from the gospel chapters, than a great hope springs up in our hearts. We can become like Jesus! Indeed, if we are God's children, we shall become like Him. We are foreordained to be conformed to His image. It matters not, how faintly the divine beauty glimmers now in our soiled and imperfect lives—some day we shall be like Him! As we struggle here with imperfections and infirmities, with scarcely one trace of Christlikeness yet apparent in our life, we still may say, when we catch glimpses of the glorious loveliness of Christ, "Some day I shall be like that!" "For those He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son!" Romans 8:29. "We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him as He is!" 1 John 3:2. But how may we now grow into the Christlikeness of Christ? Not merely by our own strugglings and strivings. We cannot make ourselves Christlike by any efforts of our own. Nothing less than a divine power is sufficient to produce this transformation in us. The Scripture describes the process. "Beholding the glory of the Lord, we are changed into the image of the glory." That is, we are to find the likeness of Christ, and are to look upon it and ponder it, gazing intently and lovingly upon it—and as we gaze we are transformed and grow like Christ!

The continued teachings of the Spirit

(J. C. Philpot, "The Woman at the Well of Samaria") When once, by the operation of the Spirit on our conscience, we have been stripped of . . .   formality,   superstition,   self-righteousness,   hypocrisy,   presumption, and the other delusions of the flesh that hide themselves under the mask of religion—we have felt the difference between having a name to live while dead, and the power of vital godliness—and as a measure of divine life has flowed into the heart out of the fullness of the Son of God—we desire no other religion but that which stands in the power of God—by that alone can we live, and by that alone we feel that we can die. And, at last, we are brought to this conviction and solemn conclusion—that there is no other true religion but that which consists in the continued teachings of the Spirit, and the communications of the life of God to the soul. And with the Spirit's teachings are connected . . .   all the actings of faith in the soul,   all the anchorings of hope in the heart,   all the flowings forth of love,   every tear of genuine contrition that flows down the cheeks,   every sigh of godly sorrow that heaves from the bosom,   every cry and groan because of the body of sin,   every breath of spiritual prayer that comes from the heart,   every casting of our souls upon Christ,   all submission to Him,   all communion with Him,   all enjoyment of Him, and   all the inward embracements of Him      in His suitability and preciousness. link

 

(J. C. Philpot, "The Woman at the Well of Samaria")

When once, by the operation of the Spirit on
our conscience, we have been stripped of . . .
  formality,
  superstition,
  self-righteousness,
  hypocrisy,
  presumption,
and the other delusions of the flesh that hide
themselves under the mask of religion—we have
felt the difference between having a name to live
while dead, and the power of vital godliness—and
as a measure of divine life has flowed into the
heart out of the fullness of the Son of God—we
desire no other religion but that which stands
in the power of God—by that alone can we live,
and by that alone we feel that we can die.

And, at last, we are brought to this conviction and
solemn conclusion—that there is no other true
religion but that which consists in the continued
teachings of the Spirit, and the communications
of the life of God to the soul.

And with the Spirit's teachings are connected . . .
  all the actings of faith in the soul,
  all the anchorings of hope in the heart,
  all the flowings forth of love,
  every tear of genuine contrition that flows down the cheeks,
  every sigh of godly sorrow that heaves from the bosom,
  every cry and groan because of the body of sin,
  every breath of spiritual prayer that comes from the heart,
  every casting of our souls upon Christ,
  all submission to Him,
  all communion with Him,
  all enjoyment of Him, and
  all the inward embracements of Him
     in His suitability and preciousness.

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Wrought with divine power

(J. C. Philpot, "The Veil Taken Away" 1844) "Our gospel came to you not simply with words,  but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and  with deep conviction." 1 Thessalonians 1:5 Most men's religion is nothing else but 'a round of forms' . . .   some have their 'doings',   some have their 'doctrines',   and others have their 'duties'. And when the one has performed his doings, the other learned his doctrines, and the third discharged his duties—why, he is as good a Christian, he thinks, as anybody. While all the time, the poor deceived creature is thoroughly ignorant of the kingdom of God, which stands not in simply in word—but in power. But as the veil of ignorance is taken off the heart, we begin to see and feel that there is a power in vital godliness—a reality in the teachings of the Spirit—that religion is not to be put on and put off as a man puts on and off his Sunday clothes. Where vital godliness is wrought with divine power in a man's heart, and preached by the Holy Spirit into his conscience—it mingles, daily and often hourly, with his thoughts—entwines itself with his feelings —and becomes the very food and drink of his soul. Now when a man comes to this spot—to see and feel what a reality there is in the things of God made manifest in the conscience by the power of the Holy Spirit—it effectually takes him out of dead churches, cuts him off from false ministers, winnows the chaff from the wheat, and brings him into close communion with the broken-hearted family of God. "Our gospel came to you not simply with words,  but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and  with deep conviction." 1 Thessalonians 1:5 link

(J. C. Philpot, "The Veil Taken Away" 1844)

"Our gospel came to you not simply with words,
 but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and
 with deep conviction." 1 Thessalonians 1:5

Most men's religion is nothing else but
'a round of forms' . . .
  some have their 'doings',
  some have their 'doctrines',
  and others have their 'duties'.

And when the one has performed his doings,
the other learned his doctrines, and the third
discharged his duties—why, he is as good a
Christian, he thinks, as anybody. While all the
time, the poor deceived creature is thoroughly
ignorant of the kingdom of God, which stands
not in simply in word—but in power.

But as the veil of ignorance is taken off the heart,
we begin to see and feel that there is a power in
vital godliness—a reality in the teachings of the
Spirit—that religion is not to be put on and put
off as a man puts on and off his Sunday clothes.

Where vital godliness is wrought with divine power
in a man's heart, and preached by the Holy Spirit into
his conscience—it mingles, daily and often hourly,
with his thoughts—entwines itself with his feelings
—and becomes the very food and drink of his soul.

Now when a man comes to this spot—to see and feel
what a reality there is in the things of God made
manifest in the conscience by the power of the Holy
Spirit—it effectually takes him out of dead churches,
cuts him off from false ministers, winnows the chaff
from the wheat, and brings him into close communion
with the broken-hearted family of God.

"Our gospel came to you not simply with words,
 but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and
 with deep conviction." 1 Thessalonians 1:5




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Paradoxology

by Lynette Woods

The word "paradox" comes from the Latin word "para" meaning "beyond" and the Greek word "doxa" meaning "popular opinion or belief". In other words a paradox is beyond orthodox, beyond what is popular - or perhaps beyond what we are comfortable with because it is beyond our understanding! Our belief systems can prevent us from seeing beyond the veil of our present understanding... I see many these days who are proclaiming only one side of what is true, and while our reaction in not wanting to see or accept the other side may be understandable, if we are not adjustable we can become adamant, dogmatic and eventually blind to further truth. Often in my passion for what I have seen as a wrong emphasis in me or in others, I have reacted by going to the other extreme. Over the years Father has graciously corrected me through a very good friend who has had to say to me time and time again: "It's not a case of either/or but both/and. Why does it have to be either this or that, why can't it be both?" "Either" and "or" are separating words. "Both" "and" are joining words. When we see things only as either this or that, we can divide and separate what God means to be joined. Obviously there are things which are separate and which we are not meant to join together, but I am thinking of dogmas and opinions of things we have seen which are only half of the truth or one side of the truth and therefore are not the full picture. Often we cling to these "truths" as though our Life depended on them rather than on Christ. There are many characteristics of God given in the Bible which seem to be opposites, yet they reveal to us the many aspects of God. While they may initially appear to be opposites - a paradox - yet both are true and both need to be held in tension with each other in order to achieve a balance. We need to "note the kindness AND the severity of God" (Romans 11:22). The following is given with the prayer that Father will continue to reveal to us both His Truth AND His Grace, that we may truly know, accept and love Him as He really is rather than accepting only those things about Him which we like and understand while rejecting those we do not... God loves AND hates He brings mercy AND judgment He is approachable AND unapproachable He is a consuming fire AND rivers of living water. God delights in spontaneity AND in order He brings sight AND blindness He softens hearts AND hardens them He creates AND destroys. He is knowable AND unknowable He is the Word AND the Spirit He chose us AND we chose Him He is similar to us AND completely other. God's ways are hidden AND seen He is universal AND local He is inclusive AND exclusive He blesses AND curses. Christ is in heaven AND also within me. He is the Prince of Peace AND He brings a Sword He comes to unite AND separate To build up AND tear down. I have been crucified with Christ AND I take up my cross daily I can do nothing myself AND in Him I can do anything My relationship with Him is personal AND corporate Both a journey AND a destination. I am hidden in Christ AND on display for all to see In Him I know true rest AND real work I know the greatest joy AND the deepest sorrow I experience liberty AND restriction.   He is my Father AND He is God I am His child AND His servant I am His friend AND His slave I am free AND a prisoner. Christ is the Son of God AND the Son of Man His fragrance brings Life AND death He is the Lamb AND the Lion He is our Brother AND our King. He is revealed AND is delightfully, intriguingly, a Mystery... I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God.  Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God's great Mystery.  All the richest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are embedded in that Mystery and nowhere else.  (Col. 2:2,3). link

The path ahead

by Lilias Trotter A path lies within our reach, that makes the ordinary Christian life look cold and colourless by contrast; a path leading even beyond that consecration in its lower sense, for this latter may be very subjective in tone, and may hold out the way of obedience chiefly as a means of rest and victory.  It is to many of us a distinctly fresh life when God's Spirit leads us to the objective side, lifting our gaze from the road beneath our feet to the form of him who goes before, and riveting it there by his radiant beauty... Then the measure of the sunshine and shadow of our days will be simply in the shining or the veiling of his face.  Nothing on earth will make up for the slightest dimming of that light; nothing will really matter that leaves it untouched. *** You may grow so to follow His voice that even your thoughts will be brought "into captivity to the obedience of Christ." This bondage is perfect freedom, for we desire, He and we, only one and the same thing, and the true heartlove makes it all joy to follow, even if the path is narrow and rough. *** It is only as we go into a life of surrender that the blessed joy of pouring out to him our costly things dawns upon us.  This giving sets free a spring of conscious love and the love, in its turn, inspires to fresh giving; and though the pain involved is still pain, such a strange sweetness becomes interwoven with it that we wonder whether heaven can be perfect without the possibility of suffering loss for him.  To quicken the dead is the divinest of all divine prerogatives. We creatures say, 'While there is life there is hope,' but our Creator will never suffer himself to be so limited. He deliberately delayed until the child was dead, for the faith of Jairus must know him as the God who quickeneth the dead, and with Lazarus he deliberately stayed away until death had established its reign, so that Martha and Mary might know him as resurrection life. So the first answer to many prayers may, therefore, be the reign of death. The last spark of life may be quenched and faith and hope left alone with the dead - and with the God who raises the dead. Do not be dismayed if the first answer to some of your prayers is a revelation, not of the power of God to make alive, but of his might to slay every hope outside of himself. - Lilias Trotter

THE PRAYER OF JABEZ

JOSEPH CHARLES PHILPOT (1802-1869)


WEDNESDAY EVENING, APRIL 28, 1841, BY J. C. PHILPOT, AT TRINITY CHAPEL, ALFRED STREET, LEICESTER

"And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh, that thou wouldst bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldst keep me from evil that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested."- 1Ch 4:10.

I have read that in the sand deserts of Egypt, after the traveller has been passing through barren wilds, with nought but a blazing sun above and scorching sands beneath, he comes sometimes to a green fertile spot, that forms a perfect contrast with the desolate wilderness around, where there are wells of water to refresh his thirst, and palm trees to afford him shade and food. Such it appears was Elim, "where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees," where the children of Israel encamped after wandering in the wilderness for three days without water, Ex 15:22,27; and such was also "Tadmor in the wilderness," 2Ch 8:4, the word signifying a palm tree. There seems something similar to this in the prayer of Jabez recorded in the first book of Chronicles. In reading the first three chapters we had been travelling through a wilderness of names unprofitable and uninteresting to us, though not so to the children of Israel, on the preservation of whose genealogies the lineage of the high priest, and the descent of Christ from David depended, when we light all of a sudden on a green spot, which forms a perfect contrast to the long and "endless genealogies" that we have been toiling through. This green spot is the prayer of Jabez; and here, should the Lord the Spirit lead us into the sweet and rich experience of the passage, we may find in it some green pastures to feed in, and some still waters to lay down by. But why should this be such a green spot? Because all the family of God may, more or less distinctly, read their experience in the prayer of Jabez, and see clearly pourtrayed in it the desires and breathings of their own souls. "As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man," Pr 27:19.

But who was Jabez? We read nothing of him beyond these two features, which the Holy Spirit has stamped his name with: first, that he was "more honourable than his brethren;" secondly, that "his mother called his name Jabez which means" sorrowful", because she bare him with sorrow." As names were generally prophetical in those times, it would seem to imply that he was the sorrowful child of a sorrowful mother. He was certainly cradled in affliction, and as an eminent follower of him who was a Man of sorrows, he doubtless was chosen in the furnace of affliction, and through much tribulation entered the kingdom of heaven. His very petition, "Keep me from evil that it may not grieve me," shows that he knew what grief and trouble of soul were. His first badge, then, was sorrow; and his second was honour. "Jabez was more honourable than his brethren." How more honourable? Not so by birth, for, being of the same parents with his brethren, his lineage could not be more honourable than theirs. Nor by filling any eminent post, for he is not mentioned in any other part of Scripture. Nor by talent, or anything else reckoned honourable by man, for "that which is highly esteemed among men, is abomination in the sight of God," Lu 16:15. His honour was "that which cometh from God only," Joh 5:44, and consisted in his being "a vessel made unto honour" in the original election of God, Ro 9:21, and in the appointed season sanctified by the Spirit as a vessel unto honour meet for the Master’s use, 2Ti 2:21. For "this honour have all his saints," Ps 149:9; and "thus is it done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour," Es 6:9; and be assured that the same two marks, affliction and honour, are stamped upon every living soul, according to the measure of the Spirit’s dealings with him.

"And Jabez called on the God of Israel." From this we gather that he had a spiritual, experimental knowledge of the God of Israel. He did not worship "an unknown God," like the Athenians; nor the God of creation, like the Deist; nor the God of his own fancy, like the Pharisee; nor the God of universal love and mercy, like the Arminian; but "the God of Israel," that is, God in covenant with a peculiar people -Israel being "his inheritance," Isa 19:25; the object of his eternal love, Mal 1:2; and "his peculiar treasure," Ps 135:4. This was the God before whom he bowed down to worship in spirit and in truth, and at whose mercy-seat he poured forth the desire of his soul in the prayer left here upon record.

Kingdom of Renewed Men

By A.W. Tozer

Those present-day teachers who place the Sermon on the Mount in some other dispensation than this and so release the Church from its teachings, little realize the evil they do. For the Sermon on the Mount gives in brief the characteristics of the Kingdom of renewed men. 

The blessed poor who mourn for their sins and thirst after righteousness are true sons of the Kingdom. In meekness they show mercy to their enemies; with guileless candor they gaze upon God; surrounded by persecutors they bless and curse not. In modesty they hide their good deeds. They go out of their way to agree with their adversaries and forgive those who sin against them. They serve God in secret in the depth of their hearts and wait with patience for His open reward. They freely surrender their earthly goods rather than use violence to protect them. They lay up their treasures in heaven. They avoid praise and wait for the day of final reckoning to learn who is greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.

If this is a fairly accurate view of things, what can we say then when Christian men vie with one another for place and position? What can we answer when we see them hungrily seeking for praise and honor? 

How can we excuse that passion for publicity that is so glaringly evident among Christian leaders? What about political ambition in Church circles? What about the fevered palm that is stretched out for more and bigger "love offerings"? What about the shameless egotism among Christians? How can we explain the gross man-worship that habitually blows up one and another popular leader to the size of a colossus? What about the obsequious hand kissing of moneyed men by those purporting to be sound preachers of the gospel?

There is only one answer to these questions; it is simply that in these manifestations we see the world and nothing but the world. No passionate profession of love for "souls" can change evil into good. These are the very sins that crucified Jesus.

Prayer
Take away our love of the world, Kind Father, and replace it with a love for You and Your Kingdom.

Scripture
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
—Matthew 5:3

Thought
If the Sermon on the Mount is a fairly accurate view of things, what can we say then when Christian men vie with one another for place and position?

http://www.cmalliance.org/devotions/tozer/tozer.jsp

They lick the dust!

(Thomas Watson)


"For where your treasure is--there your heart
will be also." Matthew 6:21


Covetous people make the world their treasure.
Their treasure does most command their hearts.
They can no more live above the world--than a
fish can live out of the water. They have the
serpent's curse upon them--they lick the dust!
"Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the
wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you
will eat dust all the days of your life!" Genesis 3:14


Without God--O how empty and insignificant
are all worldly things! They are . . .
earthly in their matter,
painful in their procuring,
glutting in their fruition,
fleeting in their duration,
damning in their conclusion!


"But godliness with contentment is a great gain!"
1 Timothy 6:6

IS GOD'S WILL MY WILL?

By Oswald Chambers


"This is the will of God, even your sanctification." 1 Thessalonians 4:3

It is not a question of whether God is willing to sanctify me; is it my will? Am I willing to let God do in me all that has been made possible by the Atonement? Am I willing to let Jesus be made sanctification to me, and to let the life of Jesus be manifested in my mortal flesh? Beware of saying - Oh, I am longing to be sanctified. You are not, stop longing and make it a matter of transaction - "Nothing in my hands I bring." Receive Jesus Christ to be made sanctification to you in implicit faith, and the great marvel of the Atonement of Jesus will be made real in you.

All that Jesus made possible is made mine by the free loving gift of God on the ground of what He performed, my attitude as a saved and sanctified soul is that of profound humble holiness (there is no such thing as proud holiness), a holiness based on agonizing repentance and a sense of unspeakable shame and degradation; and also on the amazing realization that the love of God commended itself to me in that while I cared nothing about Him, He completed everything for my salvation and sanctification (see Rom. 5:8. R.V.). No wonder Paul says nothing is "able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Sanctification makes me one with Jesus Christ, and in Him one with God, and it is done only through the superb Atonement of Christ. Never put the effect as the cause. The effect in me is obedience and service and prayer, and is the out come of speechless thanks and adoration for the marvellous sanctification wrought out in me because of the Atonement.

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God's house?

By J.C. Philpot

In the New Testament Scriptures, we find mention
made in several places of "the house of the God."
The New Testament never, in any one instance,
means, by "the house of God," any material building.

It has come to pass, through the traditions
received from the fathers, that . . .
buildings erected by man,
collections of bricks and mortar,
piles of squared and cemented stones,
are often called "the house of God."

In ancient Popish times they invested a consecrated
building with the title of "God's house", thus endeavoring
to make it appear as though it were a holy place in which
God specially dwelt. They thus drew off the minds of the
people from any internal communion with God, and
possessed them with the idea that He was only to be
found in some holy spot, consecrated and sanctified
by rites and ceremonies.

The same leaven of the Pharisees has infected the
Church of England; and thus she calls her consecrated
buildings, her piles of stone and cement, "churches,"
and "houses of God."

And even those who profess a purer faith, who dissent
from her unscriptural forms, have learned to adopt the
same carnal language, and even they, through a
misunderstanding of what "the house of God" really
is, will call such a building as we are assembled in
this morning, "the house of God."

How frequently does the expression drop from the
pulpit, and how continually is it heard at the prayer
meeting, "coming up to the house of God," as though
any building now erected by human hands could be
called the house of the living God.

It arises from a misunderstanding of the Scriptures,
and is much fostered by that priestcraft which is in
the human heart, inciting us to believe that God is
to be found only in certain buildings set apart for
His service.

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Accidents, Not Punishments

by C. H. Spurgeon, September 8, 1861

There were some present at that very time who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And He answered them, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."—Luke 13:1-5

The year 1861 will have a notoriety among its fellows as the year of calamities. Just at that season when man goes forth to reap the fruit of his labors, when the harvest of the earth is ripe, and the barns are beginning to burst with the new wheat, Death too, the mighty reaper, has come forth to out down his harvest; full sheaves have been gathered into his garner—the tomb, and terrible have been the wailings which compose the harvest hymn of death. In reading the newspapers during the last two weeks, even the most stolid must have been the subject of very painful feelings. Not only have there been catastrophes so alarming that the blood chills at their remembrance, but column after column of the paper has been devoted to calamities of a minor degree of horror, but which, when added together, are enough to astound the mind with the fearful amount of sudden death which has of late fallen on the sons of men. We have had not only one incident for every day in the week, but two or three; we have not simply been stunned with the alarming noise of one terrific clash, but another, and another, and another, have followed upon each other's heels, like Job's messengers, until we have needed Job's patience and resignation to hear the dreadful tale of woes.

Now, men and brethren, such things as these have always happened in all ages of the world. Do not think that this is a new thing; do not dream, as some do, that this is the produce of an overwrought civilization, or of that modern and most wonderful discovery of steam. If the steam engine had never been known, and if the railway had never been constructed, there would have been sudden deaths and terrible accidents, not withstanding. In taking up the old records in which our ancestors wrote down their accidents and calamities, we find that the old stage coach yielded quite as heavy a booty to death as does the swiftly-rushing train; there were gates to Hades then as many as there are now, and roads to death quite as steep and precipitous, and traveled by quite as vast a multitude as in our present time. Do you doubt that? Permit me to refer you to the chapter before you. Remember those eighteen upon whom the tower in Siloam fell. What if no collision crushed them; what if they were not destroyed by the ungovernable iron horse dragging them down from an embankment; yet some badly-built tower, or some wall beaten by the tempest could fall upon eighteen at a time, and they might perish. Or worse than that, a despotic ruler, having the lives of men at his belt, like the keys of his palace, might fall upon worshipers in the temple itself, and mix their blood with the blood of the bullocks which they were just then sacrificing to the God of heaven. Do not think, then, that this is an age in which God is dealing more hardly with us than of old. Do not think that God's providence has become more lax than it was, there always were sudden deaths, and there always will be. There always were seasons when death's wolves hunted in hungry packs, and, probably, until the end of this dispensation, the last enemy will hold his periodic festivals, and glut the worms with the flesh of men. Be not, therefore, cast down with any sudden fear, neither be you troubled by these calamities. Go about your business, and if your avocations should call you to cross the field of death itself, do it, and do it bravely. God has not thrown up the thoughts of the world, he has not taken off his hand from the helm of the great ship, still

"He everywhere has sway,
And all things serve his might;
His every act pure blessing is,
His path unsullied light."

Only learn to trust him, and you shall not be afraid of sudden fear; "your soul shall dwell at ease, and your seed shall inherit the earth."

The Nature of Death

By Robert Haldane

      "And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness" (Rom. 8:10).


      The nature, then, of death, is changed to believers by Jesus Christ, so that 'the day of their death is better than the day of their birth.' Death to them is no more a curse, but a blessing, which puts an end to their sins and troubles, causing them to pass to perfect holiness and happiness, and from being absent from the Lord to carry them into His presence in paradise. From being strangers on the earth, it introduces them into their heavenly inheritance. From their wanderings and agitations here below, it brings them into the haven of everlasting rest. 


If the children of Israel, when they arrived at the river Jordan, were dismayed at the overflowings of its waters, had they not reason to rejoice when they beheld on the other side that fertile land which God had promised them, and into which they were about to enter to enjoy its fruits? But, above all, had they not cause of encouragement when they saw that the ark of the covenant was in the midst of Jordan? Death is the passage of Jordan by which believers enter the heavenly Canaan. 


In order that its waves may not overwhelm them in passing, Jesus Christ arrests them, since He is in His people, and consequently with them. This was David's support, 'Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me. 'When the devouring lion roars around His people, ready to destroy them, Jesus Himself is still nearer to defend them; and He commands His angels to encamp about them, who have in charge to bear their spirits to the paradise of God.


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Beware of self-righteousness!

(J. C. Ryle)

"We have all become like one who is unclean, and all
 our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.
 We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the
 wind, take us away." Isaiah 64:6

Beware of self-righteousness in every possible 
shape and form. Some people get as much harm 
from their 'virtues' as others do from their sins.

Oh, let us beware of self-righteousness! Open sin 
kills its thousands of souls. Self-righteousness
kills its tens of thousands!

"There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:10


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