A Proliferation of Christian Devotionals and Sermons

A Proliferation of Christian Devotionals and Sermons

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Permanent Blessings (and other devotionals)

Permanent Blessings

Hebrews 12:27
That those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
We have many things in our possession at the present moment which can be shaken, and it ill becomes a Christian man to set much store by them, for there is nothing stable beneath these rolling skies; change is written upon all things. Yet, we have certain "things which cannot be shaken," and I invite you this evening to think of them, that if the things which can be shaken should all be taken away, you may derive real comfort from the things that cannot be shaken, which will remain. Whatever your losses have been, or may be, you enjoy present salvation. You are standing at the foot of His cross, trusting alone in the merit of Jesus' precious blood, and no rise or fall of the markets can interfere with your salvation in Him; no breaking of banks, no failures and bankruptcies can touch that. Then you are a child of God this evening. God is your Father. No change of circumstances can ever rob you of that. Although by losses brought to poverty, and stripped bare, you can say, "He is my Father still. In my Father's house are many mansions; therefore will I not be troubled." You have another permanent blessing, namely, the love of Jesus Christ. He who is God and Man loves you with all the strength of His affectionate nature-nothing can affect that. The fig tree may not blossom, and the flocks may cease from the field, it matters not to the man who can sing, "My Beloved is mine, and I am His." Our best portion and richest heritage we cannot lose. Whatever troubles come, let us play the man; let us show that we are not such little children as to be cast down by what may happen in this poor fleeting state of time. Our country is Immanuel's land, our hope is above the sky, and therefore, calm as the summer's ocean; we will see the wreck of everything earthborn, and yet rejoice in the God of our salvation.

~Charles Spurgeon~

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Today's reading: 1 Samuel 15:1-35

My heart went out to Samuel and the situation in which he finds himself in 1 Samuel 15. The picture is one of a now old Samuel who is still seeking after and following God faithfully and wanting the best for the nation of Israel. But after delivering clear instructions to Saul concerning the Amalekites, Samuel discovers that Saul has disobeyed God's directive. Disappointed, hurt, angry and frustrated, Samuel then turns to the unpleasant task of confronting Saul and telling him that God had taken Israel from him and given it to another who was better. A tough day delivering a tough message for Samuel.

What do Samuel's words in verse 22, "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams" reveal about God and what He values? What did you learn from this passage about obedience? 

~Tami~

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I am thy Portion and thine Inheritance. - Numbers 18:20 (R. V.)

We are God's portion, and He is ours. The Lord's portion is His 'people; Israel is the lot of His inheritance; and He says to the soul, I am thy Portion and thine Inheritance. We, with all we have, for God; and God, with all He has, for us. ,' Heirs of God."

We are like settlers on the fringe of their estate. - The emigrant to the Far West has a plot of land allotted to him; but how little does he know of its contents! - There may be coal, or iron-ore, or rivers full of fish, or a rich soil; he settles on the outskirts, but every year he pushes his fences further back to take in more of the land, which is all his, but it is not yet brought into use, or under cultivation. So each year we should increase in the knowledge of what God is, and of what He is willing to be to us. Not as though we were already perfect; but we follow on to apprehend that for which we were apprehended, and to be filled full with His grace and heavenly benediction.

Our possession of God will largely depend on His possession of us. - There are some who wonder that God is so much more to others than to them. Is not the answer to be found in their withholding so much of what they might yield up to His occupation and use? If you would have all from God, you must give all to God. Your enjoyment of God will be in precise proportion to the deepening and widening consecration of your life.

Why should any of us be poor, or strengthless, or fearful, when all the Godhead is stored in Jesus, and awaits our appropriation? Go up and possess His infinite continent that flows with milk and honey; watered by the rain of heaven; and rich in treasure.

~F. B. Meyer~




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