ADOPTION IS A GREATER MERCY

Adoption is a greater mercy than Adam had in paradise.

Author: Thomas Watson

PROPER WORSHIP

"When we believe that we should be satisfied rather than God glorified in our worship, then we put God below ourselves as though He had been made for us rather than that we had been made for Him."

-Stephen Charnock

Gate of the Year

I actually prefer Ravi's paraphrased version better, but I will post the original poem.

God Knows

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”
And he replied:
“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”
So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night.
And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.

So heart be still:
What need our little life
Our human life to know,
If God hath comprehension?
In all the dizzy strife
Of things both high and low,
God hideth His intention.

God knows. His will
Is best. The stretch of years
Which wind ahead, so dim
To our imperfect vision,
Are clear to God. Our fears
Are premature; In Him,
All time hath full provision.

Then rest: until
God moves to lift the veil
From our impatient eyes,
When, as the sweeter features
Of Life’s stern face we hail,
Fair beyond all surmise
God’s thought around His creatures
Our mind shall fill

"The Gate of the Year" is the popular name given to a poem by Minnie Louise Haskins. The title given to it by the author was "God Knows"

GOD HEARS OUR PRAYERS

"...If we will pray to God aright, we must know what his will is, and to understand that, we must know what he has shown us in his word, we must frame ourselves to it, we must hear what he says to us and adjust all of our requests according to his will, resting ourselves upon his promises. And then let us not doubt but that when we call upon him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall feel that our prayers will not be in vain, nor unprofitable...."  -- John Calvin

GOD REMEMBERS HIS CHILDREN

He who counts the stars and calls them by their names is in no danger of forgetting His children.

-- CHS

PRAYER AND LABOR

The praying disciple needs to be taught the necessity of labor and the laboring disciple needs to be taught the necessity of prayer. When our men of devotion become men of diligence and our men of diligence become men of devotion, when there is a union of humble hearts and busy hands, then shall the wonders of the Gospel be spread fruitfully abroad. -Thomas Chalmers-

PERSUADED OF GOD'S KINDNESS

"He who is persuaded of God's kindness towards him is able to stand firm in the heaviest afflictions." John Calvin

PRAYER IS UTTER DEPENDENCY

"Prayer is abandoning hope of independent capability and believing that in Christ you're given everything you need for life and godliness ...prayer decimates my independent self-surety; it puts my utter dependency before my eyes and calls me to cry out for the help that I am so often tempted to deny I need." - Paul David Tripp

MICHIGAN STADIUM

Roughly 7000 people die per day in America. At some level that is a low number considering there are over 300 million in America. But just think that every day 7000 people are finding out the reality of either eternal hell or eternal heaven. The number is higher when you consider those that die each day in other nations. According to wikipedia the number jumps to roughly 150,000 per day. The largest capacity football stadium in America holds 107,000. So if you ever see a broadcast of Michigan Stadium and it is packed in attendance, then that would still not convey the number of people who are either in Abraham's bosom or the flame's torment.

A PASSION FOR BEING USED

 Scripture says what motivates real men is a love for the truth; a contempt for error; and a passion for being used by God in the work of snatching people from the grip of the father of lies.
-- Phil Johnson.

RECEIVE SOMETHING AGAIN AND AGAIN

Before it is called to do anything, the church is called to receive something-and not only once, but again and again: namely the announcement that even in its weakness, suffering, half-heartedness, and a legacy of faith stained by unfaithfulness, Christ is King. ~Michael Horton (The Gospel-Driven Life)

NONE OF OUR OWN

"We have no power from God unless we live in the persuasion that we have none of our own." - John Owen

TITLE TO GLORY

“The heir of a great estate, while a child, thinks more of a few shillings in his pocket than of his inheritance. So a Christian is often more elated by some frame of heart than by his title to glory.” 

JOHN NEWTON

HIS DEAR REST

Throw yourself upon God's faithfulness as you do upon your bed, bringing all your weariness to His dear rest. -C.H. Spurgeon-

LOOK TO CHRIST

(George Everard, "Christian Living!" 1881)

I well remember the tenants of a humble cottage in a village in one of the eastern counties. The old couple who dwelt there had once known better days. But they were not left altogether without provision. They had an only son, who had risen to a position of competency, and he never neglected his aged parents. Very liberally did he contribute to their support, and spared nothing that would add to their comfort.

By-and-by the old man died, and the widow was left alone. She had one earthly comfort: she was able to rely with confidence on the kindness and affection of her son. Though she had little means of her own, she never feared that she should lack anything so long as he lived. Shortly after her husband's death, her son wrote her a letter full of filial affection. He told her how deeply he felt for her, and then he promised that he would pay the rent of her cottage, and send her amply enough for the supply of all her needs. If ever she had any special need or difficulty, he assured her that if she would only write and tell him, he would do all in his power to assist her. 

So the old lady lived upon her son, and was without anxiety. She had no care about the future. She had received many tokens of her son's affection, and knew that he loved her. She knew also that his means were sufficient, and that she could trust his promise. So she lived happily and peacefully, relying entirely upon the care which her son had for her.

The life of this aged woman seemed to me a sort of parable of the life which a Christian should lead. It seemed to me very clearly to illustrate the words of Paul: "The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me."

The Christian, like this woman, has no resources in himself. 
He has no stock of grace.
He has no strength to meet temptation. 
He has no means of providing the supplies needful for the journey of life. 
He is poor and needy, frail, weak, and helpless. 
He has nothing to call his own, but sin and misery.

But the Christian has One upon whose faithful love he can ever depend. He can say in his heart, "Christ has given me a sure token of His love. He laid down His life for my sake, He gave Himself for me, and shed His precious blood to cleanse me from my guilt. He has brought me back after all my wanderings. He has taught me to love and serve Him. He has heard my prayers and helped me hitherto--and can I doubt that He will help me even to the end?"

The Christian knows that in Christ, there is abundance of all that he needs. This woman could rely upon her son's affection, and she knew also that he had the ability as well as the will to assist her. The Christian also is persuaded that in Christ are to be found inexhaustible supplies. He has unsearchable riches of mercy, grace, and consolation!

Reader, look unto Christ--and expect from Him all you need. 

Look unto Him for wisdom, to guide and direct you in the difficulties that beset your path.

Look unto Him for righteousness, that, in spite of all your unworthiness and many sins, you may ever have boldness and confidence before God.

Look unto Him for the continual power and grace of His blessed Spirit, the Comforter. You need to mortify sin, and grow in holiness--and this you can only do as the Spirit empowers in you. You need to have a clearer view of Jesus' love, and an increase of faith day by day--and this, too, is given to you by His Spirit. It is the Spirit who testifies of Him, and who can perfect you in His likeness. And He has promised that the Spirit shall dwell with you and lead you into all truth.

Look unto Christ, to assist you and stand by you in the smallest and in the greatest matters. Everything in earth and in Heaven is in the hand of Christ. He can help us in matters that affect our present comfort. He can help us in the hour of death, when friends and kindred must bid us farewell.

The One in whom we trust, can never die. It is quite possible that the son might have died before the widow of whom I have been speaking--and then her prop and her stay would have been gone. But "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever." He was dead--yet He is alive for evermore.

Though all earthly friends depart, though we are left alone without a human comforter near--yet Christ abides for evermore. If we trust in Him, we can never be left desolate.

Strive thus to live by faith on Christ continually.

HERE IS THE SACRIFICE

All other sacrifices were consumed by the fire of God’s altar.

Here is the Sacrifice that consumed the fire of God’s wrath.

-- Don Fortner. FROM HEBREWS 1 SERMON.  

CHRIST SHALL BE SATISFIED

"It is not possible that He should be robbed of the purchase of His blood. I tremble when I hear some people talk about the disappointed Christ—or about His having died at a chance to accomplish He knew not what—dying for something which the will of man might give Him if it would, but it might possibly be denied Him! I buy nothing on such terms as that! I expect to have what I purchase and Christ will have what He bought with His own blood—especially as He lives again to claim His purchase! He shall never be a defeated and disappointed Savior! “He loved the Church and gave Himself for it.” He has redeemed His loved ones from among men and He shall have all those whom He has purchased. “He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied.”

CH Spurgeon.

IF GOD LEFT US

If God left us!

(Thomas Watson, "Four Sad Evils" 1663)

The sins of the ungodly are looking-glasses in which we 
may see our own hearts. Do we see a heinous, impious
wretch? Behold a picture of our own hearts! Such would
we be--if God left us! What is in wicked men's practice
--is in our nature. Sin in the wicked--is like fire which
flames and blazes forth. Sin in the godly--is like fire hid
in the embers. Christian, though you do not break forth
into a flame of scandalous sin--yet you have no cause
to boast, for there is as much sin in the embers of your
nature! You have the root of all sin in you, and would
bear as hellish fruit as any ungodly wretch--if God did
not either curb you by His power, or change you by
His grace!

Why might not God have left you--to the same excess
of wickedness? Think with yourself, O Christian--why
should God be more merciful to you, than to another?
Why should He snatch you, as brand plucked out of
the fire--and not him? How should this make you to
adore free grace! What the Pharisee said boastingly,
we may say thankfully--"God, I thank you that I am
not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers, etc."

If we are not as wicked as others--we should adore the
riches of free-grace! Every time we see men hastening
on in sin--we are to thank God that we are not such!
If we see a crazy person--we thank God that it is not
so with us. When we see another infected with the
plague--how thankful are we, that God has preserved
us from it! Much more when we see others under the
power of Satan--how thankful we should be, that this
is no longer our condition!

"For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived,
captives of various passions and pleasures, living in
malice and envy, hateful . . . ." Titus 3:3

COMMUNITY INSTEAD OF CHRIST

This a close quote and paraphrase of wise words from a distant friend,

 =================
"THE GRAVE ERROR AND TRAGEDY IS THAT:
 1. PEOPLE WANT COMMUNITY INSTEAD OF CHRIST
 2. PEOPLE COME FOR COMMUNITY INSTEAD OF CHRIST
 3. CHURCHES SERVE COMMUNITY INSTEAD OF CHRIST
 4. CHURCHES PROVIDE COMMUNITY INSTEAD OF CHRIST" =======================

THE BEST OF SAINTS

Even the best of saints, being left to themselves, will quickly appear to be less than men--to be nothing. All our own strength is weakness, and all our wisdom folly. John Owen, Of Temptation, ch. 1.