Refreshment for the Savior's Flock Through Bible Verses/Part 6

by: James Smith, 1871

"Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only — deceiving your own selves!" James 1:22

The Lord requires not only faith in His promises — but obedience to His commands! Practical religion is the only true religion.

In vain, religion we profess,
While we reject the Lord's command.
Strangers to God and happiness,
We build our house upon the sand.

 

"He does not forget the cry of the humble!" Psalm 9:12

Humble souls are much in prayer — they live near the Lord! In every trouble they cry unto Him — and He never denies or forgets them!

 

"Lead me in Your truth and teach me — for You are the God of my salvation." Psalm 25:5

If the Lord leads us — He will teach us. And if He teaches us — we shall know the truth and practice it!

 

"I meditate on all Your works; I muse on the work of Your hands." Psalm 143:5

Meditation is a most profitable — though much neglected duty. No Christian should expect to thrive without prayer and meditation.

I love to think on mercies past,
And future good implore;
And all my cares and sorrows cast,
On Him whom I adore!

 

"Take heed, watch and pray; for you know not when the time is." Mark 13:33

Watchfulness will awaken a spirit of prayer — and by praying we obtain strength for watching.

The Savior bids us watch and pray.
For soon the hour will come,
That calls us from the earth away.
To our eternal home.

 

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped." Psalm 28:7

If we look to broken cisterns — we shall be disappointed; but if we look to the fountain of living waters — we are sure of a supply.

 

"Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty." Job 5:17

Corrections are proofs of divine love; they are designed to improve and perfect our characters.

Affliction's furnace is designed,
The Christian's character to show;
By this his graces are refined,
And he is weaned from things below!

 

"What shall I do, Lord?" Acts 22:10

There is something for every Christian to do — and each one should go to the Lord with this inquiry — What shall I so, Lord?

To Him who on the fatal tree,
Poured out His blood, His life for me,
In grateful strains, my voice I'll raise,
And in His service, spend my days.
 

"The world and all its desires pass away." 1 John 2:17

The world is like a pageant, which, while we look at it — passes on and is gone! Let us therefore daily set our hearts on things beyond it, even on those things which are eternal.

Lord, from this world call off my love.
Set my affections right;
Bid me aspire to joys above,
And walk no more by sight!

 

"The Lord preserves the simple. I was brought low, and He helped me!" Psalm 116:6

The simple have no confidence in themselves — but they look to, trust in, and are preserved by, the Lord!

"We fix our eyes not on what is seen — but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary — but what is unseen is eternal!" 2 Corinthians 4:18

To fix our eyes is to aim at. The object of the Christian's aim is nothing visible — but the eternal glories of the invisible world. 

"My son, give Me your heart!" Proverbs 23:26

The Lord created the heart for Himself. He claims it. He will be satisfied with nothing less! It is robbery to keep it from Him.

Yes, you shall surely have my heart,
My soul, my strength, my all;
With life itself I'll freely part.
My Jesus, at Your call!

 

"Jesus wept! Then the Jews said: See how He loved him!" John 11:35, 88

The love of Jesus is as strong as omnipotence — and His sympathy is exquisitely tender; let us appeal to it in every distress.

Still His compassions are the same,
He knows the frailty of our frame;
Our heaviest burdens He sustains.
Shares in our sorrows and our pains!

 

"Now, who is willing to consecrate himself today to the Lord?" 1 Chronicles 29:5

It is well often to renew our consecration, to give ourselves afresh to the Lord, and to dedicate our talents to His service.

Fain would I now surrender make.
Of my whole self to you;
Jesus, the humble offering take.
Unworthy though it be.

"I will bless the Lord, who has given me counsel." Psalm 16:7

The Lord has counseled us in His Word, in reference to every subject of importance. Happy is the man who takes counsel of His God, and abides by it.

His counsels and upholding care
My safety and my comfort are:
And He shall guide me all my days.
Until glory crowns the work of grace!

 

"It is good for me to draw near to God." Psalm 73:28

It is not good to complain, or murmur, or give way to doubts and fears; but it is good to cast all our cares on our God — and leave them there.

"Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him." Psalm 42:11

However dark the prospect at present — it will soon brighten. However dreary the night — it will only make the day of deliverance more welcome.

 

"He who does not take His cross and follow after Me — is not worthy of Me." Matthew 10:38

We must bear the cross after Jesus — if we would wear the crown. Now we follow Him in tears — soon we shall stand before Him with songs!

 

"Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies! I flee unto You to hide me." Psalm 143:9

In every time of danger, in every season of fear — we may look to the Lord for deliverance, and seek shelter and safety in Him.

Let me in Your name confide.
Let me in Your bosom hide;
There in safety would I stay
Until the storm has passed away!

 

"I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause." Job 5:8

In everything we should . . .
consult God's will,
apply at His throne, and
submit to His wise and holy providence.

 

"When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold!" Job 23:10

Every trial is limited. It has an end to accomplish, and when the end is answered, it will be immediately removed.

Saints indeed are sorely tried,
Troubles rise on every side;
Nor are they exempt within —
Nothing tries like inward sin!
 

"Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him?" Job 40:2

Few formally contend with God — but most of us do so in spirit. In this we display our folly, and pride, and ingratitude!

 

"I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction!" Isaiah 48:10

The Lord chose His people in eternity — but He makes them choice ones in the furnace of affliction; there He purges and makes them pure!

 

"Bearing His cross, He went forth into a place called Golgotha." John 19:17

What a sight for holy angels — the Creator of the universe, a condemned criminal, carrying His cross to the place of execution!

 

"He gives power to the faint; and to those who have no might, He increases strength." Isaiah 40 29

Weak Christians are the special objects of the Lord's care; He is always near to strengthen and support them.

He gives the conquest to the weak.
Supports the sinking heart;
And courage in the evil hour,
His heavenly aids impart.

 

"Say to the righteous — that it shall be well with him." Isaiah 3:10

If we are righteous — there is no condemnation, no curse, no separation from Christ — but everything must ultimately issue in our welfare.

 

"Teach us to number our days — that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." Psalm 90:12

As our days at best are few and uncertain — it should be our first concern to prepare for eternity, and spend our time for God's glory.

 

"The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me!" Isaiah 49:14

Our conclusions are often rash and unfounded — and we distress ourselves without the least reason for it.

 

"Let Him do to me as seems good unto Him." 2 Samuel 15:26

Never was David in a better frame — than when he thus put himself into the hands of the Lord, and left himself to His disposal.

Fill my heart with deep contrition,
Take away the heart of stone;
And may I, with true submission,
Meekly say, "Your will be done!"

"But just as He who called you is holy — so be holy in all you do." 1 Peter 1:15

We are called by a holy God,
to believe a holy gospel,
to walk by a holy law,
and go to a holy Heaven!

 

"God is our refuge and strength — a very present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1

To God as our refuge — we should repair,
in Him as our strength — we should trust, and
on Him as present — we should call in every trouble.

 

"Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer." Romans 12:12

Hope, patience, and prayer, should always be in exercise. We should . . .
hope in God,
patiently do the will of God,
and constantly call upon God.

If Providence our comforts shroud,
And dark distresses lower;
Hope prints its rainbow on the cloud,
And grace shines through the shower.

Devotional and Practical Meditations on the Book of Ecclesiastes - Adversity

"In the day of adversity consider." Ecclesiastes 7:14

In your adversity, consider:
That you deserve it all!
That had you nothing but adversity, it only were your due!
That every moment free from trouble, is a mercy!

That had the full curse been poured on you — your life would be nothing but sorrow and vexation!

Consider that God afflicts you for your profit — to bring your sins to mind, and lead you to the Cross. Believer, God chastens you in love, to make you a partaker of His holiness. (Hebrews 12:10.) How often have you forgotten Him! But He never forgets you — and thus He chastens you.

Consider, how much you live for the world — how little you live for the Lord!

Consider how earthly, sensual, and devilish your nature!

Consider your thoughts — how vain!

Consider your service — how unprofitable!

Consider, then, God's love in chastening you.

Are you in sickness — then consider your many days of former health — all undeserved by you! Consider your many helps in trouble, Gods presence, and His grace — all undeserved by you!

In sleepless nights, consider how many nights you have slept soundly and sweetly — all undeserved by you! Consider Him, who gives you songs in the night — all undeserved by you!

In poverty, consider how all your former needs have been supplied — food, clothing, lodging, and so many comforts — all undeserved by you!

Have you incurred the loss of sight or hearing; loss of limbs, or power of using them? Consider, then, your former powers; how much enjoyment you have had in seeing, hearing, moving, handling — all undeserved by you!

Are you kept from going to the house of prayer? All your Sabbaths are now spent at home — it may be on a bed of languishing. Consider how many Sabbaths you have spent in full enjoyment of the means of grace — all undeserved by you! Consider Jesus, the Fountain of all ordinances; the Bread of life; the Shepherd of the sheep; the Prophet, Priest, and Teacher of His people. Still you have Jesus — the Lord of the Sabbath, the spring of Sabbath blessings — all undeserved by you!

O tried believer, consider, then, that your afflictions are light — and they are but for a moment. They are all ordered in divine wisdom, tenderness, and love! Consider Jesus! what sufferings He endured — all for unworthy you! Then faint not, nor be weary, but consider your "eternal weight of glory" eternal glory — glory "that far outweighs" all your woes — glory, all undeserved by you!

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal!" 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Devotional and Practical Meditations on the Book of Ecclesiastes - Anger

"Anger rests in the bosom of fools." Ecclesiastes 7:9

God's estimate of folly is different from man's. In Scripture words:
the godless man is a fool (Psalm 14)
the base man is a fool (Job 30)
the rash man is a fool (Proverbs 14)
the slanderer is a fool (Proverbs 10)
the mocker is a fool (Proverbs 14)
the idolater is a fool (Romans 1)
the lover of pleasure is a fool (Ecclesiastes 7:4)
the undutiful man is a fool (Proverbs 15)
the self-confident man is a fool (Proverbs 28)
the spendthrift is a fool (Proverbs 21), and here,
the angry man is a fool (Job 5:2; Proverbs 14:17).

It must be so. God's Word is ever right.

Wisdom is the opposite of folly. Wisdom, we know is peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated. Meekness itself is called wisdom — the wisdom from above (James 3.) — the wisdom of saints made perfect; the wisdom of God Himself.

Is meekness wisdom — then anger must be folly. Does not your own experience confirm it? When were you happy in your anger? A savage pleasure it may give you, while it lasts; but it leaves a sting behind!

Is it, then, wise to be unhappy, when you can have it otherwise? Is it wise to lose your temper, and thus reap anger's bitter fruits? The heaving bosom; the flashing eye; the sharp contention; the sullen mind; the feeling of estrangement from each other; and conflicts between your duty and your moodiness, between pride and due confession of your fault — when did these make you happy? When did you come uninjured from your anger? Whom did you hurt the most — yourself, or him, with whom you lost your temper?

Does anger help you in your prayers? Can you draw near to Jesus in your wrath? Or if He visits you, how does He look on you? Can you return his look? Ah, no; you dare not look on Jesus in your folly. Say not, "I cannot help it." How often they are spoken wrongfully in sin and shame!

Meekness is wisdom; anger is folly. This we may learn from Moses' history. When Moses walked in meekness, he was wise — for then he found favor with God, and dignity with man. (Numbers 12.) When he was angry, he proved his folly. For this he forfeited his entrance to the promised land. (Numbers 20; Deuteronomy 1:37.) My soul, this was written for your learning Then learn your lesson well.

Devotional and Practical Meditations on the Book of Ecclesiastes

"I said, 'I am determined to be wise' — but this was beyond me." Ecclesiastes 7:23

READER, how often have you, how often have I, experienced this! A greater one than you or I, expressed the same: "I have the desire to do what is good — but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing!" (Romans 7.) My soul, how is it? Within you dwells the Holy Spirit — the Lord of life and power. None can resist His will. And yet, the evil that is in you gains the day; strength becomes weakness; and wisdom is turned to folly.

Which is the greater wonder — that, being foolish, you are ever wise; or that, at times so wise, you ever should be foolish? How often, on your knees, you have seen the way so straight, the light so clear, God's grace so strong — that you have felt wisdom were your forever — that folly never would dwell in you again? And yet, my soul, what tales of after-folly have you had to tell!

In your better moments, wisdom is near; so near, that it seems a part and parcel of yourself; it seems the eye you see with, the ear you hear with, the air you breathe, the framework of your thoughts, the substance of your mind — your very being seems suffused with wisdom.

At other times, wisdom is far from you — so very far — as far as innocence from sin, as man from God, as earth from Heaven. In truth it is so. Wisdom has no part in you. Between you, and your better self, is fixed — an impassable gulf; an unmeasured breadth; an untold depth! On either side the gulf are you — and wisdom. On this side wisdom — on the other side are you.

Oh, what a mystery! Your days are spent on one side, or the other; either in wisdom, or in folly. Now flesh is uppermost, and now the Spirit — no union can there be between the two. Each moment of your life you live, either to yourself, or to God.

My soul, bless God for your experience; in mercy is it given. It is not for nothing that wisdom seems to elude your grasp — that

you have known the fitful nature of your frames and feelings:
the bitterness of broken purposes;
the flimsy nature of your best resolves;
the lightning speed with which sin comes between you and your vows;
the wondrous ease with which you pass . . .
from wisdom — to folly;
from thoughts of good — to deeds of evil;
from meekness, humility, and patience — to petulance and pride; from all the virtues of a saint — to all the sinfulness of fallen nature.

It is not for nothing that you are mortified — to see yourself so fickle, and so vile. It is to bless, to teach, to humble you — that when you would be wise, wisdom is far from you.

Devotional and Practical Meditations on the Book of Ecclesiastes - The Fear of God

"The one who fears God shall escape them all." Ecclesiastes 7:18

"Escape" from what? Escape . . .

from dangerous extremes;
from snares on either hand;
from being over-righteous,
or being over-wicked.

There is wondrous depth in Solomon's experience. He always hits the nail upon the head; and Gospel light only confirms his sayings. Can it be otherwise? The same God, who spoke by Paul, or Paul, guided the pen of Solomon. Is it not true, my Christian friend? Are you not exposed to danger, on the right hand and the left — now tempted into carelessness, now led to hush your conscience wrongfully; one moment to neglect your duties — and the next to build too much upon them? How needful, then, the Preacher's warnings! How comforting his promise, that grace shall do its work from first to last!

By grace we are chosen; by grace we are called; by grace made willing in the day of power. (Psalm 90.) By grace we live. By grace we stand. By grace we are kept. By grace we persevere. By grace we enter glory. But for this grace — what could we do? No faith, no hope, no strength, no peace, were ours.

How could we battle with our sins?

How could we rise above temptation?

How could we flee from snares?

How could we overcome the enemy of souls?

How, but by grace?

In Solomon's day it was still the same. God called his chosen ones.

By grace He saved them;
by grace He sanctified them;
by grace He glorified them.

Without this grace, how could the promise stand? Man's strength is nothing; his perseverance nothing; his good intentions less than nothing. It is not man's "will". God's "shall" is that which does it. God says, "It shall be," "The one who fears God shallescape them all."

These promises are given, not to exalt us — but to humble us. Boasting is excluded. By what law? The only law that could exclude it — the law of faith and grace. (Romans 3:27.)

Tell man that HE can do it — and you only . . .
feed his pride,
deceive his soul, and
lead him further from God, and deeper into sin.

Tell him that God's GRACE must do it — and you humble him low in the dust of helplessness. My soul, God's grace has saved you, built you on Christ, and nourished your soul. It is God Himself who has laid the top-stone of your glory, while saints and angels shouted, "Grace, Grace unto it!" (Zech. 4:7.)

Oh, my soul, your only hope is this — that God is faithful; that, having loved His own, He loves them to the end. (John 13:1.) In life, in death, through all eternity, this will your glory be — that God's grace has done it all.

Devotional and Practical Meditations on the Book of Ecclesiastes - Wisdom

"Wisdom is good with an inheritance." Ecclesiastes 7:11

Wisdom is good, with an inheritance, or also without it. But without wisdom — an inheritance is bad. He who inherits nothing, may be wise to "gather substance, and leave it to his children." (Psalm 49.) But to inherit substance, and not be wise — to hoard it or waste it, is dangerous.

Many are wise enough to plod along, and use their earnings well, who have not wisdom to employ what others leave them. Nothing tries our wisdom more than wealth, suddenly inherited. Some men make shipwreck of their virtue, others have lost their reason, upon the quicksands of an inheritance. A poor exchange indeed!

What is it which constitutes the love of money? It is something more than the desire of having. There is in money a mystery of power, to dazzle and to turn the brain; a something which intoxicates the man, and makes him other than he was before.

Poor human nature! Never so little — as when the greatest in your own conceits; never indeed so wretched — as when you think yourself most enviable!

Oh! it is a wonderful sight, to see a man unchanged by an inheritance; with all the humble graces he had before; not proud in manner, nor suddenly transformed in style of living! It is sad to lose your friend in his new inherited estate — that wealth should loose the bonds of fellowship, or cool the flame of love! Yet so it is — alas for poor humanity!

"Wisdom is good with an inheritance" wisdom to humble you beneath your riches; to make you blush at your prosperity, and tremble for your honor; wisdom to clothe the naked; wisdom to feed the hungry; wisdom largely to give to God what God has given to you; wisdom to look to Jesus; wisdom to look beyond your riches; wisdom to desire a better inheritance, "a priceless inheritance — an inheritance that is kept in Heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay!" (1 Peter 1:4)

Woe to the man that has an inheritance, and lacks this wisdom. Those who bequeath an inheritance, cannot leave wisdom to their heirs. But God never gives His inheritance, but, with it He bestows the gift of wisdom:

wisdom to know the value of the inheritance;
wisdom to love it;
wisdom to adorn it;
wisdom to live according to the grace bestowed;
wisdom to discern evil from good, and good from evil;
wisdom to resist the world, the devil, and the flesh;
wisdom to know that earthly wisdom is nothing, and thus to seek the wisdom "from above."

Reader, may this wisdom, and this inheritance be yours!

Devotional and Practical Meditations - Ecclesiastes-7:16 - Righteousness

"Do not be over-righteous." Ecclesiastes 7:16

How can this be? Can any man be over-righteous?

When zeal oversteps discretion;
when tasks are self-imposed;
when religious forms are trusted in;
when flesh is vainly mortified —
all this is being over-righteous!

God's people unwittingly fall into these very errors.

Prayer, as a task, persisted in — that we may think how long our prayers have been — this is a great mistake. It is wrong in principle, and practice too. Have you ever been more fretful after prayer, more worldly, more inclined to levity? The truth is this — you prayed too long; your mind was over-taxed; your soul responded to your weariness. The enemy rejoiced in your infirmity — you were "over-righteous."

Or you have found refreshment in the house of worship. You have gone a second time, and found the same. You went again (three services, three sermons in a day!) — the third occasion undid the other two. Trying to have too much — you lost all. The wearied brain could not recall its former devotion; the jaded memory broke down — you were "over-righteous."

It is often the same in reading Scripture. The mind is proud of its performances, and reads too much. To read each day so many chapters; in a short time to have gone the whole round of Scripture — rapidly to move from the Law, to History, to the Prophets, to the Gospel in the hurry — my friend, you are "over-righteous!" This is not the way to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Were you to spend a lifetime over a single Psalm, gaining daily refreshment to your soul — would be far better, than to scamper rapidly through the Word.

When household duties are neglected for the sake of devotional exercises — this, too, is being over-righteous.

The same is true when others are inconvenienced by our devotional exercises. The family waiting in the hall, the carriage at the door — while prayers are too lengthy. Is not this being "over-righteous?"

Prayer, meditation, and the Scriptures — how good they are! Yet there is a time for all things. If duties rise so thick, that you are hindered in your prayers — even this is better than prayer persisted in, and duties left undone! Beware, then, Christian friend, and do not be "over-righteous."

Devotional and Practical Meditations – A Small Number Are Christians - Ecclesiastes 7:28

When God led me to the wilderness one of the reasons I was able to withstand the pain in my soul and physically as I was losing everything I owned, was  because He showed me how how very few find the narrow gate. I remember having a hard time to pick up my jaw from the floor when I found out that Christians in the Church must also find the narrow gate and it is only as we find the narrow gate we obey the command in Corinthians 6:17 "come out from them and separate..." Even though I tend to be like David when it comes to telling God how I feel, this time around all I could say was " but I thought these verses were for unbelievers only?" Strangely by the time I said that, in the vision, He moved me forward, away from all the people I was with and I was standing by myself. The only answer I got from Him was that the reason we are not coming out and separate is because of unbelief, and we do not have true faith in Him rather faith in our faith.

Months down the road, He showed me the narrow gate we find right inside the Church is mandatory because it leads to the highway of holiness. I learned two things there. Nobody knows the door that opens to the highway of holiness because God Himself has to put you there. I also learned as you enter the narrow gate, it is dark, painful lonely, you feel like you are abandoned by Him, yet, you have to keep going because it is too dark for you to see how to go back or how to go forward. I also remember when He showed me the narrow gate, He took my left hand in His right hand, He entered first. As we entered it was pitch black but I was not scared because He was holding my hand and the gate closed behind me. We took a few steps together which was the equivalent of a week, then He left me by myself. So the only thing left to do is to take small steps one by one as you put your feet forward you realize you are trusting Him to keep you on the right path and to protect you while the darkness surround you and He hides Himself........

"I found one man among a thousand." Ecclesiastes 7:28

Only "one man among a thousand!" The Preacher tells us elsewhere the kind of man he meant — one who interpreted God's Word, and ways, entreating men to listen; one, who declared the righteousness of God, and the sinfulness of man; one who bore messages of God's grace to sinners' souls — in short, he meant a Christian. Of such he found but one among a thousand! (Job 30:23.) Was grace less frequent then than now? In Christian England (England, Christian so-called) would Solomon still find so small a number? We might expect that greater honor would attend the mission of the Comforter — that when He had to take the things of Christ (John 16:14, 15) — Christ born, Christ crucified, Christ risen, and Christ glorified — His teaching would be seen, and known, the more. Yet still we mourn the smallness of the numbers. Still the way is narrow; still the gate is strait; and still few find it. Still the road to misery is broad — and many walk in it! (Matthew 7:14.)

"One man among a thousand!" Ah, were it one in a hundred; one among ten; one out of five; or even one of two — it were sad to think how many still were lost! Full well we know, but for the grace of God, not one among a thousand would be found. One of a million would there be? One of a generation? One of a world? No, not one! This is the character of man; man as he is by nature; man unregenerate, unvisited by grace; man without Christ; man without God, "There is none righteous, no not one." (Psalm 14; Ephesians 2.)

One of a thousand is a miracle of grace; even one from Adam to Adam's latest child, would still be still a miracle; a greater wonder than if ten thousand worlds were formed anew, and twice ten thousand suns sprang daily into being!

Reader, are you a Christian? If so, your heart and mind present a miracle of miracles; a wonder far greater than anything that nature has to show. Are you disposed to mourn the smallness of the number — that Christians are so few? It is well to mourn — yet better to rejoice; better to know that all the flock are saved; that all the redeemed are written in the Book of Life, and that they shall all surely come to glory. They never shall perish, none can anyone pluck them from the hand of Jesus. He is pledged to guard — to love them to the end. He who chose them — will call them; He who calls them — will keep them; He who keeps them, will glorify them — His word is sure. (Romans 8:30.)

Devotional and Practical Meditations on the Book of Ecclesiastes

"Do not be quick in spirit to be angry or vexed, for anger and vexation lodge in the bosom of fools!" Ecclesiastes 7:9

Of human passions, none is so quick as anger. Hence by a hasty one — we mean an angry person: thus man instinctively writes his own character in the words he frames. Satan, indwelling in the soul, invests the passions with an amazing power — and on the stock of fallen nature is engrafted the strength, agility, and cunning of the fiend! Hence all the quickness of the passions; hence the electric speed, at which they move. Temptation lures — then lust conceives — sin is brought forth — the work of moral death all finished in a moment!

Say, who can trace the progress, from the first thought of anger to its outbreak? Oh! my soul, I gaze on you and wonder, to think of all your properties and powers. Within you dwells a world of evil. Where lurks the poison in your veins? In what secret principle is hid the element of anger, ready to show itself so quickly? To see you, in your gentler mood — who could suppose you capable of violence? No tinder less inflammable, when free from sparks — no lake more calm, when undisturbed by winds — than you, when not exposed to provocation.

What angered you, my soul? Your brother differed from you! He dared to have opinions of his own! And so you lost your temper! Or, yet, someone reproved you, slighted, or contradicted you! "Behold, how great a matter, a little fire kindles." (James 3:5.) The smallest trifle sets you in a flame!

Do your brother's failings anger you? You say, "My feelings are very sensitive; I cannot bear it." My friend, God bears with you! He sees your every sin — and yet He loves you, and bears with you! Boast not of sensitivity — it is a carnal thing. "Sensitive feeling" merits not the name, unless it is joined with meekness. All true refinement comes from God. Nowhere can it be learned, except at the cross of Christ. Restrain your feelings; smother your sensibilities. When words grow quick, be prompt to check them. Deal with your passions, as the Psalmist dealt with wicked men; be dumb with silence. (Psalm 39:1-2.)

Often have you said, "I will not speak a word." But resolution failed. You spoke — your brother answered; reply provoked retort — it was then all over with your meekness! Then learn from your experience; scan well the spot where once your feet have slipped, and, as you near it again, beware!

Devotional and Practical Meditations on the Book of Ecclesiastes

"It is better to heed a wise man's rebuke, than to listen to the song of fools!" Ecclesiastes 7:5

None question this most wholesome truth; but few there are who cordially practice it themselves. "Let others be reproved; but, as for me, I cannot bear it." Thus speaks the human heart.

My soul, many are your infirmities, and none more humbling, than your dislike to receive reproof. Did I really believe myself as vile as I profess to be — would I become angry at hearing of my faults? I profess to be, "The least of saints — and the chief of sinners!" Such is a vain confession, if I am not prepared to welcome reproof! Oh, for more knowledge of myself; more of that chastened mind; more of that genuine humility which says, "Amen!" when SELF is justly censured.

Oh, what a hypocrite you are, my soul! Ready to feed upon the praise of others, and shine in imagined excellence — but how base, how beyond base, you are in reality! Oh, there is a majesty of soul; a greatness more than human — in welcoming reproof.

Music is sweet. Its cadences fall gently on the ear, and tune the heart to favor those who make it — and we thank them for their melody. Thus should you feel, when kindness prompts a friend to tell you of your faults. What can a friend do more than this? What could a friend require more of you? How grateful should you be to him, who wounds himself, in healing you — to him who is willing to bear your wrath — rather than allow you to go on in sin unchecked.

"A wise man's rebuke." Who is the "wise man" here spoken of? He who is wise enough to be faithful. Do not say, "He is not entitled to reprove me. His youth, his station, or his character, unfit him for the office. He is too harsh in his reproofs!" Had you a thorn hurting some tender part, would any be too young, too low in rank — to draw it out? Or were you locked in prison, would any be too vile to turn the key, and give you liberty? The only question to be asked is this, "Has he, then, told the truth? Is this failing or sin really mine? Has he hit the nail upon the head?" If so, your thanks are due to him.

Even though he is mistaken, and charges you wrongfully — yet you should thank him for his good intentions.

Reader, is this saying hard to you? Well, so it is to me. Of myself I cannot bear it, and I say, "Alas! who is sufficient for these things?" Would you have this meek grace? I gladly would have it too. Then, what remains for you and I? To learn of Jesus — of Him, who did no wrong, yet meekly suffered (1 Peter 1:21-23) — to study Jesus — to hide ourselves in Jesus — that we, in some poor measure, may follow in His steps!

The School Of Obedience

 A few months prior to the Holy Spirit leading to my wilderness wanderings, I was led to a little book that changed my attitude drastically and really helped me grasp what God had awaited for me in the wilderness, which basically were trials after trials and trails inside of trials. My church was selling books that were of no used in the library, as I walked in there, there was this little book amongst all the other books. While I did not know the author yet, I felt compelled to buy the book. As, I got home, I started reading it, to my surprise I could not put it down because I found myself drawn to the writer’s words which felt as if all of it were meant for me specifically. The way I read the book felt as if I was drinking into it. My mind was so open and was capturing each data. What felt mesmerized to me was the fact I understood each word at a level that made me desire this life and I could see it all with the eyes of my heart.

By the time I reached the last chapter of the little book, I knew God was speaking to me, I knew something much deeper was about to happen in my life and I needed to remain alert and sober. The funny thing about this experience is that I did not know God yet, and I did not have an intimate relationship enough with the Holy Spirit to truly capture the experience. So, I still smile when I remember how I was so looking forward to what was to come, because I was so sure it was going to be good. Don’t get me wrong, I understood Christianity comes with trials but I never expected what was coming next. I never expected to reach the bottom where there was nowhere else to go. Even when I reached the bottom, I had no idea that it could actually fall off and I would find myself facing an abyss where I knew from that moment on, that life would never be the same again.

The little book in question is “The School Of Obedience” by Andrew Murray. When the bottom fell off my life and I found myself face to face with the abyss, the pain in my soul was overwhelming, by then it was almost three years since I read Andrew Murray’s book, and I was in the wilderness for a little over two years. I do not want to talk too much about what happened next because this is going to be part of my third book. But suffice to say this life with God is the most adventurous and awesome life one will ever know. Understanding the content of the book was God’s way of preparing me for my walk with Him. It was crucial to me to understand it was not up to me to claim His promises in time where I needed these promises the most, but what was important was finding and possessing the truth. And if at times like that you are focusing on the wrong promises, you might miss the boat, change the course and never even know it.

As Christians we have become professionals when it comes to putting shows on, conferences, and hold elaborate theories about the truth. We feel good when we use our big boy’s words to show off what we think we know, all the while through our own intellect. We get so puffed up and get on with those temporary sugars high in our empty pursue of the truth. I wish we could hold the press, hold the shows, and hold the conferences. Stop buying time, stop acting like one more show, or one more conference is going to make a difference. We are seeking for the truth as if it is out there, as if it is an unidentified object, or to some it seems the truth has done a good job at hiding itself.

I am not saying we should not go on putting conferences and shows to reach God’s people, not at all. But, I know with the gift of wisdom and discernment that have been given to me by God, a lot of us put on those shows as substitute to hide ourselves behind it all. We hide and spin our tails, because we know we have reached the point where a deeper commitment is to be made but the road, the uncertainties and the pain that could come with it are not palatable to us. So, we get busy convincing ourselves that God does not know what we are doing.

The School Of Obedience

The truth will not be found in one more conference or one more show. If we Christians we are tripping over it and we are no wiser, how do we expect the others to find it? What exactly are we offering them? – In essence we are saying to them “come and fail miserably like me”. The truth calls for real commitment, real surrender, and real obedience. Not in words but in actions. It is the life where the Church music has stopped, the testimonies stopped and everyone disappeared because the curtains have come down. Then you go home facing your own life. You face the uncertainties whether you will have a roof over your head tomorrow, or having children to feed yet you have no one to ask, or two red pennies to rub together. Try a life where you have been out of a job for so long you have no idea what is next, whether to give up to keep looking, you still have to provide for yourself and you are not old enough to retire. Try being a mother with only one child and you end up losing this child tragically in a senseless accident that could have been avoided. Try being a parent who lost few children all at once. Try being close to retirement and all of the sudden you lose even the shirt on your back.

If life has not taken you to places where you have more than one of these situations being your lot all at once, then it might make sense why you are still looking for the truth. When you are in situations where you stand there you have no idea whether your feet are touching the ground or whether you are cold or hot or if all of it is a nightmare. In your mind you want God to explain to you where exactly is He. How come all of the sudden when you need Him most, He is silent? You are trying to make sense of those promises in the Bible where you know for sure He says He will provide for you. You know for sure He says He will never leave you nor forsake you, yet, here you are, none of these promises seemed to apply to you. You start trying to understand where did you go wrong? Why you? And how do you continue when you have no idea or strength to put one foot in front of the other?  When darkness has become your life, the last thing you want to hear Him say to you is “I am the way the truth and life”. You feel like saying, yes I know that by heart God, but this does not tell me where I am going to sleep tomorrow.

When darkness surrounds you, then you find the truth, when you stop all anger, you stop trying to understand, you stop feeling sorry for yourself, you stop trying to work it out, and you have to bring yourself to a point where you even stop thinking about tomorrow while you are in the midst of an emergency for tomorrow. You throw yourself at Him and break down because you realize you made it all about you when all this time it was about Him. You repent and find refuge in His arms while telling Him take this life it is yours, lead me and I will follow. Now, this will not take the pain away from what the rest of your life is going to be. You might still have to find a shelter or your priority now might be which corner of the street you are going to sleep tomorrow and how you are going to survive your first time out there. But this time your WILL has become His will for you.

  

Is it easy? No. But as you find Him who is the truth, you find peace, and love. This, my brothers and sisters is just one example of how we find the truth that is nothing less than our Christ, our redeemer, our Master and Savior. The truth is Him. It is not an elusive thing and He isn't hiding either. On the contrary, He is in plain sight and we trip on Him every day. The truth has been revealed to all who wants Him, thousands of years ago and there is no need to decipher it either.  We still stumble on it, because we are as blind as the unbelievers. We find Him when we are ready to throw the towel and ready to embrace the adventure He sets us on. Good or bad, intense or dull, long or short, you will find yourself needing to surrender in obedience like Christ did. It is one thing to say that you surrender, but it is quite another thing when He leads you to a place where you live it out. It is quite another challenge to keep living a life of surrender. But it is doable, because your obedience has become His obedience.

Andrew Murray’s book “The School Of Obedience” will be ready for download tomorrow of course for free. I will have it for you in all formats

www.apprehended.ca

God Is Not Obligated To Us In The Way We Think

Devotion

Read Jeremiah 18:18 "Then said they, Come, and let us devise plans against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words."

The spiritual blindness the Israelites were experiencing was simply gut wrenching and destructive. They were so deep in their presumptuous faith that no one, not even the messenger sent by God could get through them. They were all like a group of herd with no reasoning, going all in the same wrong direction while looking forward to it. They were so devoid of the capacity to see what was of God and what was of men that the message, which was meant to touch their hearts and bring repentance, was lost on them. Their harden hearts contained pure evil thoughts and deeds as such they have chosen the way of the false prophet, and ignored their God. The idea that they could be in the wrong was totally inconceivable to them. So, instead of examining themselves, change their lives around through repentance, they decided to get rid of the messenger.

Our behavior today has become similar to the Israelites. We, in the Western civilization are lost in our own narrow mindedness and the choice we made to stay out of His light we are incapable of seeing what is right in front of our noses.  Like the Israelites we feel if we say things with our mouths go through some rituals in His name, then, we are excused to do as we please, and walk away from Him and His Word to never become what He intended for us to be. When it is convenient for us, we quote some Words in the Bible to show to other people that we are in touch with our spirituality. Somehow, in our feeble mind, we think we deserve a medal because we think we “speak the truth.” In the meantime, we have no idea in our soul to what extend this truth we are claiming that we know and quote all the time is actually a being. The truth is no less than Christ crucified that permeates the soul. It is not just a word that we toss around in our own understanding. The truth is real, the truth is alive, the truth is the ascended Christ

PRAYER: Christ forgives our hard hearts and bring us to a place where we learn to live out a full Gospel like you intended it to be. Revive our heart and help us to walk away from that false sense of security that permeates our lives.

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