Grace Gems

nChrist · Apr 28, 2018

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The ultimate evil and the ultimate outrage in the universe!
(John Piper)
What makes sin sin is not first that it hurts people, but that it blasphemes God.
This is the ultimate evil and the ultimate outrage in the universe.
Sin is . . .
the glory of God not honored,
the holiness of God not reverenced,
the greatness of God not admired,
the power of God not praised,
the truth of God not sought,
the wisdom of God not esteemed,
the beauty of God not treasured,
the goodness of God not savored,
the faithfulness of God not trusted,
the commandments of God not obeyed,
the justice of God not respected,
the wrath of God not feared,
the grace of God not cherished,
the presence of God not prized,
the person of God not loved.
The infinite, all-glorious Creator of the universe, by whom and for whom all things exist (Romans 11:36)--who holds every person's life in being at every moment (Acts 17:25)--is disregarded, disbelieved, disobeyed, and dishonored by everybody in the world. That is the ultimate outrage of the universe.

nChrist · Apr 29, 2018

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Let this comfort you:
(Letters of John Newton)
"My times are in Your hands!" Psalm 31:15
What a mercy it is that all our concerns are in sure hands! Not a hair of our heads can fall to the ground, but by the appointment of Him who orders and marshals the stars and calls them all by their names!
Diseases and sicknesses are His messengers, and, when they have answered His end--then He will recall them. But on many accounts there is a need be that we should sometimes be in heaviness for a season. O may we learn to take up the cross, and to kiss the rod of affliction. We need to look through all second causes--to Him who appoints and over-rules, and without whose permission, not a hair of our heads shall fall to the ground.
The Lord has promised to direct, moderate, sanctify, and relieve every trial of every kind. I long to have a more entire submission to His will, and a more steadfast confidence in His Word--to trust Him and wait on Him--to see His hand, and praise His name, in every circumstance of life, great and small.
Is sickness your present cross? It can come no sooner, nor fall heavier, than He bids it. And when His end is answered, and His hour comes to give relief--then sickness departs at His word. The cure becomes easy then, even where it seemed desperate before.
Our comforts are never safer than when we can fully trust the Lord to do with them, and with us--as He sees fit. He will not willingly or unnecessarily grieve His redeemed children. When His arm seems lifted up to strike them--how often does He put it into their hearts to run toward Him and humble themselves before Him, and thus prevent the blow!
We shall have cause to be thankful for all our afflictions--if the Lord is pleased to employ them as means to make us more humble and broken-hearted, and to wean our hearts from this vain world.
Sickness often gives us a sensible proof of the vanity of everything earthly. May the Lord sanctify our sicknesses and pains, to quicken our desires for that better world, when pain shall be no more!
Let this comfort you: that Jesus is the Great Physician!
"Great crowds came to Him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at His feet; and He healed them!" Matthew 15:30

nChrist · Apr 30, 2018

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It has been said that God hates sin, but He loves the sinner. Is this true?
(Charles Naylor)
What is God's attitude toward unregenerate man?
It has been said that God hates sin, but He loves the sinner. Is this true?
Let us hear the voice of inspiration:
"You hate all workers of iniquity . . . The Lord abhors murderers and deceitful men" (Psalm 5:5, 6).
Does that express an attitude of affection on God's part?
Again, we read, "The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence, His soul hates. On the wicked He will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot!" (Psalm 11:5-6).
"Because they did all these things, I abhorred them!" (Leviticus 20:23).
"I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars and pile your dead bodies on the lifeless forms of your idols, and I will abhor you." (Leviticus 26:30).
"And when the LORD saw it, He abhorred them!" (Deuteronomy 32:19).
We read further, "God is angry with the wicked every day!" (Psalm 7:11).
"The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished!" Proverbs 16:5
God is not so meek and indulgent that nothing will arouse His indignation. He hates all that is sinful. He could not love righteousness, without hating iniquity. He could not love the righteous, without hating the wicked. To love both, would be to abolish all moral distinctions. Of the impenitent sinner it is said, "The wrath of God abides on him" (John 3:36). It is only sin that renders him hateful, but man is responsible for his state of sinfulness and chooses evil; therefore to deal with the sin, God must deal with the man.
Not only does God hate man's sin, every sinful word, thought, and deed--but He also hates every evil desire.
The natural man loves evil. That love of evil, which is a part of his nature--God abhors. All desire that runs out after impurity or for that which is unholy--merits and excites God's indignation and abhorrence. Every evil ambition that arises in his soul, repels God. Every evil disposition, every evil feeling, hatred, envy, malice, revenge, selfishness, pride, jealousy, deceit, hypocrisy, and all the long catalog of evil things, of which man's heart is the source--are obnoxious to God. All tendency to oppose the will of God, all rebellion at His providences--can only excite hatred in God.
God can love only what is what is pure and holy. All else He hates, and must hate with all the strength of His righteous character!

nChrist · May 1, 2018

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God's chisel!
(Charles Naylor)
"Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows." John 16:33
"Man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward." Job 5:7
Suffering is the common lot of all mankind, and of the animal creation. People who do not have much else from which to suffer--suffer from trifles or from imaginary ills--but all suffer. Sinners and saints alike, know the rankling of the sharp arrows of pain. Even those whose lives seem most prosperous and sheltered, cannot fully escape.
Suffering has a useful place in the economy of God. It is a severe schoolmaster, but a good one, whose lessons may be costly. But if they are properly learned, they become golden treasures that enrich life.
Suffering is God's chisel with which He carves His image in the heart!
Suffering gives understanding--it illuminates life's dark places and solves riddles.
Suffering develops patience and endurance, and strengthens the fibers of the soul.
Suffering develops discipline and gives self-control. It reveals and develops latent virtues. It ripens and enriches the character.
To be sure, such results follow only when we meet our sufferings in the right way. If resist suffering and become resentful and pity ourselves or murmur against God--the fruits will be bitter indeed!
Since we choose the attitude we hold toward our sufferings--we determine whether they shall . . .
make us, or mar us;
bring joy, or sorrow;
bring the sweetness of Christ's fellowship and comfort, or the darkness of despair.
What God does with our adversities and our sufferings, is to transmute them into the gold of godly character. They prove to be blessings in disguise--but blessings nevertheless. Again and again in the Scriptures, we are told of the blessings that come through suffering and pain, disappointments and testings. Yes, sufferings, losses, adversities--all these things we so desire to shun--work "for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory"--if we patiently endure them and submit to God's sovereign and loving will.

nChrist · May 2, 2018

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The best way to overcome the world!
"Do not love the world or anything in the world." 1 John 2:15
(Thomas Chalmers)
There are two ways in which a person may attempt to displace the love of the world from the heart:
1. By a demonstration of the world's vanity, so that the heart shall be prevailed upon simply to withdraw its regards from an object that is not worthy of it.
"When I surveyed all that I had accomplished and what I had toiled to achieve--everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun!" Ecclesiastes 2:11
"This world is passing away along with its desires!" 1 John 2:17
2. By setting forth another object, even Christ, as more worthy of its attachment, so that the heart shall be prevailed upon to exchange an old affection for a new one.
The best way to overcome the world, is not with morality or self-discipline. Christians overcome the world by seeing the beauty and excellence of Christ. They overcome the world by seeing something more attractive than the world--the Lord Jesus Christ!
"Yes, He is altogether lovely! This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend!" Song of Songs 5:16

nChrist · May 3, 2018

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We might as well preach to stone walls!
(Charles Spurgeon)
"For we know, brothers loved by God, that He has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words--but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction!" 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5
The gospel is preached in the ears of all men--but it only comes with power to some.
The power which is in the gospel, does not lie in the eloquence of the preacher--otherwise men would be converters of souls.
Nor does it lie in the preacher's learning--otherwise it could consists of the wisdom of men.
We might preach until our tongues rotted, until we should exhaust our lungs and die--but never a soul would be converted, unless there were mysterious power going with it--the Holy Spirit changing the will and heart of man.
O Sirs! We might as well preach to stone walls, as preach to men--unless the Holy Spirit is with the Word, to give it power to convert the soul.

nChrist · May 4, 2018

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THE WORLD
(John Mason's Spiritual Sayings)
**If the world is our portion here--then Hell will be our portion hereafter.
**The world promises comforts--and pays sorrows.
**Be not proud of riches, but afraid of them--lest they be as silver bars to barricade the way to Heaven!
**To have a portion in the world, is a mercy.
To have the world for a portion, is a misery!
**We should endeavor to pass through this world with a cheerful indifference.
**The things of the world, the more they are known--the less they are admired.
But the things of God, the more they are known--the more they are admired.
**There is no miss of the creature--where there is a full enjoyment of the Creator.
**If you are not afraid of the world--I fear are a friend of the world, and an enemy to God.
**As you love your souls, beware of the world!
It has slain its thousands, and tens of thousands!
What ruined Lot's wife? The world!
What ruined Judas? The world!
What ruined Simon Magus? The world!
What ruined Demas? The world!
And "what shall it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?" Mark 8:36
**In reality . . .
riches are but dust,
honors are but shadows,
pleasures are but bubbles, and
man is but a lump of vanity, composed of sin and misery.

nChrist · May 6, 2018

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AFFLICTIONS
(John Mason's Spiritual Sayings)
**Two things should comfort suffering Christians, namely:
all that they presently suffer is not Hell;
their present suffering is all the Hell that they shall suffer.
**Afflictions are not so much threatened as promised, to the children of God.
**By affliction God separates the sin which He hates, from the soul which He loves.
**Sin is the poison--and affliction is the medicine.
**If the servants of Christ are ever so afflicted, yet
His heart is with them, and His eye is upon them.
**Though the hand of God may be against you;
yet the heart of God may be towards you.
**What is bearing a temporal cross, compared to the wearing an eternal crown?
**Our enjoyments are greater than our afflictions,
and our afflictions less than our sins.
**Our sufferings should stir up our graces, as well as our griefs.

nChrist · May 6, 2018

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CONTENTMENT
(John Mason's Spiritual Sayings)
**The deeper your self-abhorrence--the easier is self-resignation.
**Those who know they deserve nothing, will be content with anything.
**We must commit our souls to God's keeping, and submit ourselves to God's disposing.
**We should obey His revealed will, and then be resigned to His providential will.
**Neither contentment nor discontentment arises from the outward condition, but from the inward disposition.
**If a man is not content in the state he is in--then he will not be content in any state he would be in.
"I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:11-13

nChrist · May 7, 2018

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Make-believe religion!
(Charles Naylor)
"Having a form of godliness but denying its power." 2 Timothy 3:5
We read in Scripture of the form and the power of godliness. When we look around us in the church, we see more of the form than we do of the power. There seems to be so many people who are merely playing religion. They attend services and go through the form of worship. They are sometimes very strongly devoted to their creed and greatly attached to the church of which they are members; but when you look for the power of godliness in their lives--you do not find it. This make-believe religion may ease the conscience for a time. People may manage to get along with such a religion in this world, but it will not stand the test of eternity.
Nor will not stand the real test for this life. The soul which has the form without the power of religion, can never have that satisfaction and peace which true religion gives.
Religion that can be put on with the Sunday clothes and taken off as easily, never goes very deep into the heart or life. While they profess to worship God, their hearts are far from Him. The service of such people is always weak, because there is no heart in it. Yet such people are not usually weak, when it comes to serving self and the world.
God hates the mere form of religion. It is an insult to him. He knows whether we are sincere or not--whether our service is just form or not. Modern ritualism is a curse to the church.
Ezekiel speaks of this class of people and says of them, "My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain!" Ezekiel 33:31
Isaiah, as quoted by Jesus, says of the same class, "This people honors Me with their lips--but their heart is far from Me!" Of what religion they have, Jesus says, "In vain do they worship Me!" Matthew 15:8,9

nChrist · May 9, 2018

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Much of the service of some so-called Christians
(Charles Naylor, "Acceptable Service")
"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in Heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full." Matthew 6:1, 2
Our service to God must be an unostentatious. Service which springs from true love to God--never desires to display itself. Genuine service is not done for the eyes of men to behold; it is done as a loving tribute to God, the object of its love.
The principle here set forth is that what is done with the purpose of being seen by men, brings only the reward that men give; in other words, it is not accepted by the Lord as service to Him. Judged by this rule, much of the service of some so-called Christians is never, I fear, recognized in Heaven at all. Our good deeds are to be done--not that men may see them--but that God, who sees in secret, may see, and reward according to His own will, and that He may regard them as service done to Himself and not for the reward of men's praise.
It is simple, single-hearted service which pleases the Lord.
The man who is truly godly, has no desire to put himself upon exhibition. He thinks, "Not I, but Christ!" and not only thinks it, but feels it in the depths of his heart.
"But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Matthew 6:3-4

nChrist · May 9, 2018

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He must take away our toys!
(Charles Naylor, "Providences and Circumstances")
Life is often an enigma. It brings to us many things that we cannot understand. How blessed it is at such times, to realize that there is One wiser than we, who has our lives in His care and who sees all and understands all! God is our Father, and we are the children of His love. He has our welfare at heart. He is interested in all that concerns us. He watches over all our lives, and nothing that comes to us can come without His wise appointment. Whatever comes, He knows full well its effect upon us, and His loving hand is ever ready to protect and help His children.
He could, if He chose, lead us in a pleasant and easy path through life--but He knows that a pleasant and easy path would not develop that strong and hardy Christian character which is so essential for us. Neither would it give Him an opportunity to reveal the riches of His grace, or His tender care.
He sometimes places a mountain of difficulty before us, that we may climb to higher altitudes--and that in the climbing, we may develop spiritual strength. Every difficulty that we conquer by God's grace, raises us higher in the Christian life. This is the purpose of these difficulties.
He sometimes sends sorrow to soften us and make us hungry for His comfort. We may become too satisfied with earthly things. We may draw too much of our joy from them. He delights to have us draw our joy and our comfort from Him; therefore He must take away our toys which have been occupying our time--that our souls may yearn for the comfort and blessedness which only He can give. He knows that nothing softens us like sorrow. So He gives us a cup of sorrow to drink to the dregs--and oh, what tenderness and blessedness come into our lives when we submissively drink of that cup, no matter how bitter it may be to our taste!
All these happenings may seem dark and mysterious to us; they may seem to be the very things that are the worst for us--but they are not. They are but the manifestations of His kindly wisdom and His fatherly tenderness. Sometimes behind a frowning providence, He hides a smiling face. We often see only the frown of the providence, and that frown looks very threatening; but if we will look away from that frowning providence to the smiling face of God, we shall see that which will uplift us and strengthen us and enable us to bear whatever stroke of providence may come.
He knows that we must taste the bitter, before we can appreciate the sweet.
He knows that we must feel life's sorrows, before we can value its joys.
Suffering more than anything else, develops us in the Christian graces. It is for this purpose that He sometimes leads us along difficult paths. Though His providences are often dark and mysterious--His love will never fail us.
But throughout our lives, if we are His, then we know that "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28. When difficulties arise through which we can see no way, and He makes a way of which we had never thought--it is then that our hearts are made to wonder at His wisdom and are melted with gratitude.
His ways are not our ways. They are higher and better than our ways. If we were wise enough, we would always choose for ourselves, that which He chooses for us. But alas! How often when we choose for ourselves, we choose that which is least wise and most hurtful!
O soul, trust Him. He knows the way that you take. He knows just what is needful for you. So bear with patience, and endure with meekness, and do not question His wisdom or love. This will make the hard places easier, and the tiresome places less tiresome.

nChrist · May 11, 2018

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Short pithy gems from John Newton!
May we sit at the foot of the cross--and there learn . . .
what sin has done,
what justice has done,
and what love has done.
~ ~ ~ ~
While God supports, upholds and governs all things--He is attentive to all the cares, needs and feelings of the weakest of His people.
~ ~ ~ ~
There is not a drop of rain which falls, which is not directed by God. There is not a particle of dust carried along by the wind, which is not carried the very place which God has appointed.
~ ~ ~ ~
Sin is the root and spring of all misery!
~ ~ ~ ~
I am persuaded that love and humility are the highest attainments in the school of Christ--and the brightest evidences that He is indeed our Master!
~ ~ ~ ~
My grand point in preaching, is to break the hard heart--and to heal the broken one!
~ ~ ~ ~
All shall work together for good.
Everything is needful, that He sends.
Nothing can be needful, that He withholds.
~ ~ ~ ~
For the most part, the Lord's children are a poor and afflicted people.
The Lord chooses poverty as the safest state for them in this ensnaring world.
~ ~ ~ ~
Blessed are we, when we can clearly see that every event and circumstance of our lives, is under the immediate direction and appointment of Him who cares for us, and who has engaged that all things shall, notwithstanding all our doubts and misgivings, work together for our good.
~ ~ ~ ~
We know not how to properly appreciate any one blessing--until we are deprived of it.
~ ~ ~ ~
The whole of our profession may be comprised in looking unto Jesus--to take our eyes off from other objects, especially from ourselves, and to fix them upon Him!
~ ~ ~ ~
I believe that the leading points of Arminianism spring from, and are nourished by, the pride of the human heart!

nChrist · May 11, 2018

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It is a large family!
(Letters of John Newton)
"But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of SELF . . ." 2 Timothy 3:1-2
Take care of SELF--this is the worst enemy we have to deal with:
self-will,
self-wisdom,
self-righteousness,
self-seeking,
self-dependence,
self-boasting!
It is a large family! I cannot reckon up all the branches, but they are all closely related to Satan--they are all sworn enemies to our peace.
If we lie low, then the Lord will raise us up. But if we will be something, then His arm will surely pull us down.
"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old SELF, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires" Ephesians 4:22

nChrist · May 12, 2018

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Convicted and condemned, with the rope around his neck!
(Charles Spurgeon)
"Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him." Romans 4:7-8
Too many think lightly of sin--and therefore think lightly of the Savior.
He who has stood before his God, convicted and condemned, with the rope around his neck--is the man . . .
to weep for joy when he is pardoned,
to hate the evil which has been forgiven him, and
to live to the honor of the Redeemer by whose blood he has been cleansed.
If Christ has died for me--then I cannot trifle with the sin which killed my best Friend!
Look to the cross, and hate your sin--for sin nailed your Well-Beloved to the tree!
"A bleeding Savior I have viewed--and now I hate my sin!"
I feel that, if I could live a thousand lives, I would like to live them all for Christ; and I would even then feel that they were all too little a return for His great love to me!

nChrist · May 13, 2018

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True beauty is not of the face--but of the soul!
(Mabel Hale, "Beautiful Girlhood" 1922)
"Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain; but a woman who fears the LORD shall be praised!" Proverbs 31:30
Every girl is a lover of beauty. Beautiful homes, beautiful furnishings, beautiful flowers, beautiful clothes, beautiful faces--anything wherein beauty is found, there will be found girls to admire it. From the time her little hands can reach up, and her baby lips can lisp the words, she is admiring "pretty things." And when a little of that beauty is her own--her pleasure is unbounded.
Every girl longs to be beautiful. There is in woman a nature, as deep as humanity, which compels her to strive for good looks. There is no more forlorn sorrow for a young girl, than for her to be convinced that she is hopelessly ugly and undesirable. Oh, the bitter tears that have been shed over freckles, or blemished skin--and the energy that has been expended in painting and powdering and waving and curling herself into beauty!
A desire to be beautiful is not unwomanly. But, mark it: true beauty is not of the face--but of the soul! There is a beauty so deep and lasting, that it will shine out of the homeliest face and make it lovely! This is the beauty to be first sought and admired. It is a quality of the mind and heart--and is manifested in word and deed.
A happy heart,
a smiling face,
loving words and deeds, and
a desire to be of service--
will make any girl beautiful!
A beautiful soul shining out of a homely face--is far more attractive than a beautiful face out of which looks a soul full of selfishness and pride!
Let your chief charm be of heart and mind--not of face and form.
Seek the true beauty which lasts even into old age!
Solomon, in one of his wise sayings, plainly expressed the evil that comes to a woman who is beautiful of face, but lacks the true beauty of soul: "Like a gold ring in a swine's snout--is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion!" Proverbs 11:22. As the swine would plunge the golden jewel into the filth and the mire as he dug in the dirt--so will a pretty woman who is not godly, drag her beauty down to the very lowest.
There are many peculiar temptations to those who are only lovely of face. Without true beauty of soul--a pretty face is a dangerous gift!
"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight!" 1 Peter 3:3-4

nChrist · May 14, 2018

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As long as preachers allow their sermons to be dictated by public sentiment or the worldly desires of their hearers!
(Charles Naylor)
"They are not of the world, even as I am not of it." John 17:16
"As Christ is, so are we in this world" 1 John 4:17
A Christian is one who is Christlike in character, in desire, and in deportment. No other has any right to bear Christ's name. Yet there are a multitude of people who call themselves Christians, who bear no resemblance to Christ in their lives.
One of the most pitiable things that we can behold, is one who professes to be a citizen of the kingdom of God--and yet lives like a citizen of the kingdom of Satan. The worldly professor fills his days with folly--but his cup of joy is always bitter at the last. He gathers up the "fool's gold" that glitters in earthly things. He lives after the flesh and after the world. He goes with the crowd. He misses all the blessedness of righteousness, and, worst of all, he misses Heaven at the last. "You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." James 4:4
Those who still love the pride and vanity of the world, those who are absorbed in its frivolities, those who covet its gold and its honors, those who love its applause--these are those who are of the world.
Those hypocritical professors who bear Christ's name, but will not obey Him--dishonor Him, and by their example influence others to do the same, how shall they escape the damnation of Hell? If there is one thing that God hates above all else, it is a proud and worldly heart! Such a heart can never be a reverential heart. Its religion is but hypocrisy. It is only a sham. It has no reality. It is only a cloak of respectability, while the heart is full of corruption.
The Christian life is, and ever will be, a life of separation from sin and pride and worldliness. If you are not willing to be thus separated, then you should have common honesty enough not to profess to be what you very well know that you are not. If you are going to be a Christian in name, then be one in reality.
Your character, not your profession, will be what will matter in the final judgment. "God will give to each person according to what he has done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality--He will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil--there will be wrath and anger." Romans 2:6-8
If all preachers had honesty enough and courage enough to preach the truth--then the tide of worldliness that is overwhelming such a multitude of souls and sweeping them into perdition, would be somewhat stayed. As long as preachers allow their sermons to be dictated by public sentiment or the worldly desires of their hearers--they will cater to fashions, and souls by the million will drift on into Hell. Oh, what a reaping such preachers will have at the judgment! The full measure of God's wrath will fall on those preachers who fail to be true to souls and to God, in preaching those truths the Bible clearly teaches against sin and worldliness.

nChrist · May 16, 2018

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The root upon which our blessings grow

(Charles Naylor)

"Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried" Daniel 12:10

All Christians desire to be purified and made white--but when it comes to being tried, that is a very different thing. They shrink from the very word. Their trials are to them as a nightmare from which they would gladly escape. But trials are a necessary part of God's process of preparing us for Heaven.

The storms and obstacles in our lives, all work out for out good if we meet them as we should. Through them, our lives are enriched and ennobled and developed. They are blessings to us, though they may seem to be blessings very much disguised.

Life has both its bitter and its sweet. We should not always expect to have the sweet alone. Sometimes circumstances are in our favor, and work for our happiness, peace and contentment. Sometimes we have smooth sailing, and everything goes pleasantly. We are courageous and confident and rejoicing. The sun shines brightly out of a cloudless sky, and every prospect seems fair.

But this smooth sailing does not last forever. Sooner or later, the clouds must come and the storm-winds beat upon us. We must have the rough weather--as well as the pleasant weather; the storm--as well as the calm.

The sunshine and the calm are very needful in life--and they work out a definite purpose.
But the storms and the rain and the wind are likewise needed--and they also fulfill their purpose.

Trials will come--we cannot evade them. We may plan and build up hopes--only to have our air-castles come crashing down around our heads! If we have set our hearts upon these things, we are likely to be very disappointed upon their wreck, and to feel very gloomy over the result.

How greatly we are affected by our trials, depends on whether or not we sweetly submit to them. We should never fret on account of disappointments. If we do, they will only grow more rapidly, both in size and in intensity.

Losses may come to us--our property may be swept away or burned up. If we have our hearts set upon our possessions--then this may touch a tender spot, and it will darken our lives and make us morose and dissatisfied.

Poverty may come and the many difficulties incident thereto.

Sickness may lay its heavy hand upon us or our loved ones, and try every fiber of our being. Sickness may play upon the chords of pain, a lamentation that incites with exquisite torture! Or it may fire our blood with fever until the sparkle has gone from the eye and the glow of health from the cheek. Or it may bind us helplessly captive in chains.

Death may come and take those dear by the ties of nature or friendship--and leave sorrow and grief to be our companions.

These things try the soul, but they must be borne. We cannot escape such things, for they are the common heritage of those who dwell in tabernacles of clay. They belong to mortality and to the mutable things of time. How greatly such things may affect us, will depend upon how much we rebel against the circumstances--or how easily we submit to and adapt ourselves to God's will. God may chasten you sorely, but He will do it for your profit, not for your destruction.

Our trials are the root upon which our blessings grow. These roots may be bitter--but the fruit is sure to be sweet, if we patiently wait for its maturing. Many choice fruits grow on thorny trees, and he who will gather the fruit, may expect to be pricked now and then by the thorns.

We cannot escape trials. The only thing some Christians do by rebelling, is to increase their suffering in the trials and prevent themselves from getting the blessedness out of them.

We ought to be willing to suffer when it is God's will for us to suffer, and when He sees it is necessary for us to suffer. Our Master drank the cup of suffering, even though it was bitter. Are we better than He? Shall we refuse to go by the path which led Him to glory?

nChrist · May 16, 2018

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These religious toys which we have whittled out for ourselves!

(Charles Naylor)

Satan always works to make us think that humanly devised religious forms or customs are things of vital importance. In fact, some of these are much harder to break away from than we suppose them to be. They take a deeper hold upon us many times, than divine truth. People feel as though they would be giving up their religion, if they would surrender these forms. A particular mode of dress becomes sacred; or a particular form of worship or service becomes exalted above all other forms. We must recognize these things as being merely human devices, and as having no vital connection with Biblical truth.

We should never become wedded to our religious forms and customs. Let us look away from these religious toys which we have whittled out for ourselves, and back to the fundamentals of Christian doctrine and life. If we have labeled our religious customs as 'Christianity'--then let us tear off these labels, and see that henceforth we call nothing Christian but that which is clearly taught in Scripture itself.

"The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb." Psalm 19:7-10

nChrist · May 18, 2018

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Christian joy!

("Every Day!" Author unknown, 1872)

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4

Just so, "sorrowful, yet always rejoicing," says Paul, speaking of his own experience.

The believer's joy does not exclude sorrow, but . . .
attends it,
sustains under it,
and raises above it.

Joy in the Lord should be constant--for He is the same.
There is as much ground for joy in Him in the winter of adversity--as in the summer of prosperity.
He is as good when he chides us--as when He comforts us.
He is as gracious when He lays us low--as when He raises us up.
He is as kind when He takes away--as when He gives.

If our joy springs chiefly from creature good and agreeable circumstances--then it must be fluctuating at the best, and at times it will entirely dry up. But if our chief joy is in God, then the spring of it never fails!

"When all created streams are dried,
His fullness is the same!"

Observe, my soul, that joy in the Lord is not only encouraged--but commanded.
After once giving the admonition, the apostle says, "Again I say, Rejoice."

The Lord would have His children . . .
happy in His love,
restful under the shelter of His wings,
and peaceful in the midst of storms.

Seek then to know more of Him, live upon His fullness, dwell on His unchanging grace--and so will you be joyful in Him even in the midst of tribulation!

Grace Gems

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AKA: Tom - Saved By Grace Through Faith

AKA: Tom - Saved By Grace Through Faith

AKA: Tom - Saved By Grace Through Faith

AKA: Tom - Saved By Grace Through Faith

AKA: Tom - Saved By Grace Through Faith

AKA: Tom - Saved By Grace Through Faith

AKA: Tom - Saved By Grace Through Faith

AKA: Tom - Saved By Grace Through Faith

AKA: Tom - Saved By Grace Through Faith

AKA: Tom - Saved By Grace Through Faith

AKA: Tom - Saved By Grace Through Faith

AKA: Tom - Saved By Grace Through Faith

AKA: Tom - Saved By Grace Through Faith

AKA: Tom - Saved By Grace Through Faith

AKA: Tom - Saved By Grace Through Faith

AKA: Tom - Saved By Grace Through Faith

AKA: Tom - Saved By Grace Through Faith

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