Themes for Tears

“Never let us speak of the wicked harshly, or flippantly, or without holy grief: the loss of heaven and the

endurance of hell must always be themes for tears.

----  Charles Spurgeon

Look to Christ

 If you look within for peace, you’ll only find unrest.

If you look at your performance, you’ll only find failure. But if you look to Christ crucified, you’ll find everything: Pardon, righteousness, and rest for your soul.

Jeffery Perry

Finding Rest

 To the One Worn Down by the Mix-Up:

You love Jesus. You’ve tried hard to live for Him. You love the Bible. You’ve memorized Scripture, confessed your sins, and promised to do better. But somewhere along the way, the gospel stopped feeling like good news. It started to feel like a never-ending treadmill, where you are always running, never arriving. Maybe you were told to live a holy life, but no one told you where the power comes from. You heard grace in theory… but law in tone It's no wonder you’re tired, no wonder you feel like giving up. Because you were never meant to carry what Christ already bore. Let me try to make the distinction clear: The law commands. The gospel declares. The law commands, "Do this and live.” The gospel declares, "It is finished." The law reveals your sin and inability. The gospel reveals your Savior. Both are good. Both come from God. But they’re not the same, and they must not be confused. When we mix them, we crush the weary and puff up the proud. We produce actors and burnouts. People who are faking it, and people who are fading away. But the gospel, my friend, the gospel gives life. It doesn’t demand change to earn God’s love. It gives God’s love freely… and that changes everything. Yes, we must heed the law; we need to see our need. But don’t stop there. Let the gospel ring out. Not grace with conditions, but Jesus for you, in your place. Crucified, risen, and freely given to all who believe. He did it all, everything required, and He did it all for you. If you're crushed, know that He was crushed for you. If you're tired, know that He gives rest. If you're unsure, know that He is your surety. Come to Jesus again, or maybe for the first time, fall into the arms of grace that has always been running after you. - A Fellow Sinner Who Found Rest in the Gospel

Searching for God's Will

 To the One Searching for God’s Will:

You’ve spent years chasing it... The one perfect path. The right job, the right city, the right spouse, the right major; whatever it is, you just don’t want to blow it. Maybe you were told that God has a “perfect will” for your life. And if you miss it, well… you might get put on the shelf—used less, loved less, left to wonder “what could’ve been.” So now you feel the weight of every decision. Every open one feels like a test that you forgot to study for. You ask God for a sign, but the sign never comes. If you didn't feel dumb about it, you'd throw a fleece out in the yard to see what happens. But let me tell you something that’ll breathe life into your tired soul: You are not powerful enough to ruin God's plan for your life. Stop. And read that again. You are not powerful enough to ruin God's plan for your life. The God of the universe isn’t wringing His hands in heaven, hoping you make the right move. He’s a Father, not a coach. God doesn’t bench His kids. The idea that there’s a "perfect will" and a "permissive will", like the will of God, is on a sliding scale, is found nowhere in Scripture. Here’s what the Bible does say: “And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one who seeth the Son and believeth on Him may have everlasting life.” (John 6:40) Trust Jesus. That’s His will. Apart from that, the will of God as a believer is that you live a faithful, ordinary life. (1 Thes. 4, Eph. 4) You will make mistakes, but He even uses your mistakes. He’s sovereign, not reactive. You don’t need to “hear a voice” or “feel a peace.” You need what He’s already said. You’ve been given Christ. You’ve been given wisdom. You’ve been given freedom. So take the job. Move to the city. Stay single. Get married. Change careers. And trust that if you’re in Christ, you’re not outside of God’s will; and that He is working everything according to His will and your good (Rom. 8). You may mess up, but you’re not going to mess it all up. You’re not going to be shelved. You’re not one wrong move away from divine disappointment. He holds your future. And He’s holding you.

Produced in me by God

 “Every good desire, every Christian thought and aspiration which I have, is something which has been produced in me by God. God controls my willing. It is God who energizes my very desires and hopes and aspirations and thoughts, He stimulates it all. . .I wonder whether we always realize that these desires for a fuller and better and more perfect Christian life are not self-generated or self-produced. When you have a desire to do something good, or a desire to pray, it is God who energizes it in your will, God working in us both to will and to do.”

– Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Phil. 2:12–13

Affections in Addition.

 He that has doctrinal knowledge and speculation only, without affection, never is engaged in the business of religion.

—Jonathan Edwards

It is not an either/or situation. Edwards of all people had a vast, large, in-depth aptitude in knowledge; but that is not all he had. This doesn't mean our emotions will be "mountain top thrills" for 16 hours every day. But there will be a calm enduring love and joy in Jesus that is a result of His grace and not a cause or condition of His grace being conferred.

Most Perplexing Circumstances

"To love God is to rest in His sovereign will, trusting that even the most perplexing circumstances are shaped for our ultimate good. In every situation, whether in joy or sorrow, we are called to trust that God is orchestrating the events of our lives for His glory."

• Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)