Classic Christian Quotes

Classic Christian Quotes

It was not human misery--but divine love!

(James Smith)

"You are to name Him JESUS--because He will save His people from their sins!" Matthew 1:21

This verse teaches that Jesus came into the world having . . .
  a definite people in His mind,
  a definite work in His hand, and
  a definite principle in His heart.

He had a definite PEOPLE in His mind! 
They are simply called "His people." He had . . .
  a special interest in them,
  a special right to them, and
  a special concern for them.

They were given to Him as a pledge of His Father's love--to be His associates, joy and delight--His crown and glory. They were . . .
  sunk in sin and wretchedness,
  under the condemnation of the law,
  the captives of the prince of darkness!

They were His sheep--but lost sheep! 

They were His jewels--but jewels in a heap of rubbish! 

They were His  bride--but in a state of adultery!

He had . . .
  the eye of His omniscience watching them,
  the love of His heart pursuing them, and
  the arm of His omnipotence protecting them!

His eye was upon them . . .
  when in Heaven in His Father's bosom,
  and when enclosed in Mary's womb!
His eye ever was--and ever will be on them--from the beginning to the end of time--to save and to bring them safely to glory!

He had a definite WORK in His hand! 
It was a work for His Father--and a work His people.
He had . . .
  the law to fulfill,
  justice to satisfy,
  sin to remove,
  Heaven to open,
  Satan to conquer,
  death to destroy!

This work He proceeded to perform--until in triumph He exclaimed, "It is finished!"

He had a definite PRINCIPLE in His heart.
And what was that powerful principle, which brought Him . . .
  from Heaven--to earth,
  from glory--into contempt,
  from unutterable bliss--into inconceivable sorrow?

It was LOVE! Love,
  the ruling attribute of His nature,
  the prominent feature of His character,
  the rule of His conduct towards His people!
It was love which . . .
  eternally existed in His bosom,
  fanned His heart, and
  directed His ways!

It was . . .
  eternal love,
  immutable love,
  omnipotent love,
  unconquerable love,
  unfathomable love!

It was this sacred principle which led Jesus into our world--and conducted Him through all the stages of His redemptive work!

His name then, is 'Jesus'--because He loves and saves all of His people!

Never think that it was merely human misery, or the doleful cries of suffering mortals--which brought Jesus to our world; for if these would move Him--then He would assuredly empty Hell itself!

It was not human misery--but divine love!

It was not man's cries--but His own glory, which brought Jehovah Jesus into suffering circumstances and a miserable condition!

O the love! O the depth of the love of Jesus!

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This, and nothing but this, is true Christianity!

(Edward Griffin)

"You do not belong to yourself--for God bought you with a high price!" 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

All that you are and have--are His. You owe Him your whole selves!

The Lord Jesus Christ, who created you and redeemed you from eternal damnation--is your Proprietor, Master, and King.
Whom else then should you serve?
To whom else should you devote your lives?
Whose interest should you rather seek?

"For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself. For if we live--we live for the Lord; or if we die--we die for the Lord. Therefore whether we live or die--we are the Lord's." Romans 14:7-8

Our religion is exactly in proportion as we cease to live for ourselves--and live for God alone. We have just as much religion--as we have of self-denial. The only evidence of attachment to Him on which we can rely--is that we make it our design and care to promote His glory and the accomplishment of His benevolent purposes, not now and then, but in the general tenor of our lives.

To live for God, is to regard His will as the rule and ground of our conduct, and His glory as our supreme object. Not merely one day in a week--but in our general course to act from a reference to His authority.

To live for God, is to choose our calling, to pursue our business, to frame our habits, to regulate our actions from hour to hour--from a regard to His will and honor.

To live for God, is to feel and act as those who are not at liberty to live to themselves, but have their work daily assigned them by a heavenly Master.

To live for God, is to live under a sense that we are not our own--not our own masters, not our own proprietors, not at our own disposal.

To live for God, is to live as though our time, talents, influence, property, and all that we are and have--are God's.

To live for God, is to hold everything in readiness to use for Him, or resign all things to Him as He shall direct.

To live for God, is to to be submissive under afflictions, and willing to be at His disposal in all our trials.

To live for God, is to to be ready to deny ourselves for Him in every way which His Word or Providence may point out.

To live for God, is to desire life chiefly that we may serve Him.

To live for God, is to make Him the center in which all the lines of our life shall meet.

To live for God, is to make it the business of our lives to please Him and not ourselves.

The very core of all true religion, is not to live for ourselves--but for God; not to consider ourselves our own--but the property and the servants of the Lord Jesus Christ; not to feel as though we are set up in the world to work for ourselves, to spend the most of our time in pursuing what is termed our innocent gratifications--but to hold our time, powers, influence, and property as talents entrusted to us to be used for Christ--keeping our eye on His Word to learn His will, and aiming habitually to please and honor Him.

This, and nothing but this, is true Christianity! Whatever our creed is--if this is not our character--then all our religion is vain!

"So we make it our goal to please Him--whether we are at home in the body or away from it!" 2 Corinthians 5:9

Classic Christian Quotes

Classic Christian Quotes

We would soon hear all the dogs of Hell baying with all their might against us! 
(Charles Spurgeon)

"If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." John 15:19

There would be much more persecution than there is--if there were more real Christians. But we have become so like the world, that the world does not hate us as it once did. If we would be more holy, more true, more Christ-like, more godly--we would soon hear all the dogs of Hell baying with all their might against us! 
Remember, my brethren, whoever you may be, that if there is no distinction between you and the world around you--then you may be certain that you are of the world. For, there must always be some marks in the children of God to distinguish them from the ungodly. There is a something in them which is not to be found in the best worldling--something which is not to be discovered in the most admirable carnal man. A something in their character which can be readily perceived and which marks them as belonging to another and higher race, the twice-born, the elect of God, eternally chosen by Him--and, therefore, made to be choice ones through the effectual working of His grace.

"I have given them Your word and the world has hated them--for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world." John 17:14
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It will not do to be a saint abroad--and a devil at home!

(Charles Spurgeon)

There is a great importance in the way in which a man lives in his house. It will not do to be a saint abroad--and a devil at home! There are some of that kind. They are wonderfully sweet at a prayer meeting--but they are dreadfully sour to their wives and children. This will never do! 

Every genuine believer should say, and mean it, "I will walk within my house with a perfect heart." It is in the home, that we get the truest proof of godliness.

"What sort of a man is he?" said one to George Whitefield--and Whitefield answered, "I cannot say, for I never lived with him." 

That is the way to test a man--to live with him.
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I would not make my ear into a common sewer, for all the wealth in the world!

(Charles Spurgeon)

Do you ask, "To whom shall I confess my sins?" Do not come to me with your confession. Oh no, no, no! I could not stand that!

I can never understand how a "Catholic priest" can ask people to confess their sins to him. I would not make my ear into a common sewer, for all the wealth in the world! What foulness must there be on the soul of him who has heard the sins that others have committed, and who knows what sin he has himself committed!

Sin, when we see what it really is, whether in ourselves or in others, horrifies us!

There is an old proverb about a thing being "as filthy as a priest's ear!" I cannot imagine anything dirtier than that, and I have no wish to be a partaker in the filthiness.

Go to God and confess your sin to Him--pour out your heart's sad story in the ear of Him against whom you have offended! Say with David, "Against You, You only, have I sinned--and done this evil in Your sight!"
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Mr. Hill, I am pleased to see you--I am one of your converts!

(Charles Spurgeon)

A man picked himself up from the gutter and brushed up against Rowland Hill one night as he went home, and he said, "Mr. Hill, I am pleased to see you--I am one of your converts!"

Rowland said, "I thought it was very likely that you were. You are certainly not one of God's converts, or else you would not be drunk."

There is a great lesson in that answer. Rowland Hill's converts could get drunk, but not the converts of the Spirit of God--those are really renewed in the spirit of their mind, by a supernatural operation!

Our converts are no good.

If our preaching does not turn men . . .
  from drunkenness--to sobriety,
  from thieving--to honesty,
  from unchastity--to purity,
then our Gospel is not worth a button!

But if it does all this, then this is the evidence that it comes from God--seeing that in the world so sorely diseased by sin, it works the wondrous miracle of curing men of these deadly evils!

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation! Old things have passed away--behold, all things have become new!" 2 Corinthians 5:17

Classic Christian Quotes

Classic Christian Quotes


You keep track of all my sorrows! 

(The Preacher's Book)

"You keep track of all my sorrows!
 You have collected all my tears in Your bottle. You have recorded each one in Your book!" Psalm 56:8
Not a single sigh for past sins, escapes His ears; 
not a groan of the heart, but is heard by Him; 
not a tear falls to the ground, but He puts it into His bottle! 

Not a breathing of the soul after His holiness; 
not a loathing of our own unholiness; 
not an act of self-abasement, or humbling ourselves for sin; 
not a yearning of the soul for a purity which it has not; 
not a single act of mercy; 
not one act of self-denial;
every fragment of our poor sorrow and service--
God gathers and stores up! Nothing is forgotten or lost!

"You keep track of all my sorrows!
 You have collected all my tears in Your bottle.
 You have recorded each one in Your book!" Psalm 56:8
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Look! Gaze! See! Behold!

(Charles Spurgeon)

The doctrine of the death of Christ for our sins, should inspire us with greater love for the Lord Jesus.

Can you look at His dear wounds--and not be wounded with love for Him?
Are not His wounds as mouths which plead with you to yield Him all your heart?

Can you gaze upon His face bedewed with bloody sweat--and then go away and be ensnared with the world's painted beauties?

Oh, for the vision of the Crucified!

When shall we see the face that was so marred for us?

When shall we behold the hands and feet which bear the nail-marks still--and look into the wounded side bejeweled with the spear-wound?

Oh, when shall we leave all our sins and griefs--forever to behold Him?

Our hope, our solace, our glory, our victory--are all found in the blood of the Lamb, to whom be glory for ever and ever! Amen.

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The Uniqueness of Christ

Matthew 16

When Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” they replied, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” But Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:13-16).

What set Jesus apart as the Messiah?

• His birth: He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born, as prophesied, in Bethlehem to a virgin. Though angels announced His arrival and He reigns over all creation, Jesus entered our world in a lowly manner so He could be identified with the meek and the poor.
• His wisdom: At age 12, He spent three days with rabbis, asking questions that showed his uncommon understanding.
• His baptism: Though He didn’t need cleansing, Jesus asked John to baptize Him so He could identify with sinners and demonstrate His love to them.
• His temptation: Satan tempted Him relentlessly for 40 days, yet He did not sin.
• His ministry: He challenged man-made religious traditions. And by healing people--regardless of nationality--raising the dead, and forgiving sins, He revealed that God wants to be involved personally in our lives. Leading Pharisees wanted Him dead, but the Father protected His life until the crucifixion.

Many people deny Christ’s deity, calling Him simply a “prophet” or “good teacher.” But Jesus was never merely human. As complex as it is for us to comprehend, He was fully God and fully man. This is the unique way in which our heavenly Father chose to demonstrate His eternal love for us.

~Dr. Charles F. Stanley~

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Matthew 7:7

Ask, and it shall be given you.

We know of a place in England still existing, where a dole of bread is served to every passerby who chooses to ask for it. Whoever the traveller may be, he has but to knock at the door of St. Cross Hospital, and there is the dole of bread for him. Jesus Christ so loveth sinners that He has built a St. Cross Hospital, so that whenever a sinner is hungry, he has but to knock and have his wants supplied. Nay, He has done better; He has attached to this Hospital of the Cross a bath; and whenever a soul is black and filthy, it has but to go there and be washed. The fountain is always full, always efficacious. No sinner ever went into it and found that it could not wash away his stains. Sins which were scarlet and crimson have all disappeared, and the sinner has been whiter than snow. As if this were not enough, there is attached to this Hospital of the Cross a wardrobe, and a sinner making application simply as a sinner, may be clothed from head to foot; and if he wishes to be a soldier, he may not merely have a garment for ordinary wear, but armour which shall cover him from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. If he asks for a sword, he shall have that given to him, and a shield too. Nothing that is good for him shall be denied him. He shall have spending-money so long as he lives, and he shall have an eternal heritage of glorious treasure when he enters into the joy of his Lord. If all these things are to be had by merely knocking at mercy's door, O my soul, knock hard this morning, and ask large things of thy generous Lord. Leave not the throne of grace till all thy wants have been spread before the Lord, and until by faith thou hast a comfortable prospect that they shall be all supplied. No bashfulness need retard when Jesus invites. No unbelief should hinder when Jesus promises. No cold-heartedness should restrain when such blessings are to be obtained.

~Charles Spurgeon~

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Key #1 to Effective Prayer - Being Specific

Over the next number of devotionals, I want to walk you through the keys to effective prayer.  To start, I want to focus today's devotional on Mark 10:46-52 where we find a very intriguing story.

Now they came to Jericho.  As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.  And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"  So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.  Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer.  Rise, He is calling you."  And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.  So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well."  And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

The question Jesus asked, "What do you want Me to do for you?", seemed obvious, didn't it?  Everybody present knew Bartimaeus needed his eyes to be healed.  Why would Jesus ask this question?

He wanted us to understand how important it is to be specific when we ask something of God.  Bartimaeus' faith had to become specific before it made him well.  It was after he said, "Lord, that I might receive my sight," that Jesus said, "Your faith has made you well."

Being specific in what you request of God is the first key to effective prayer.

~Bayless Conley~

Classic Christian Quotes

Classic Christian Quotes

To him who overcomes I will give the privilege of sitting down with Me on My throne, as I also have overcome and have sat down with My Father on His throne. (Revelation 3:21 WNT)

We all have resurrection Life if we are joined to Christ as Resurrection, but there is something more than that; there is resurrection power, which carries us eventually (if it has its full outworking) to the Throne, and not all will come to the Throne. It is: “to him that overcomes.” Caleb, like Paul, and Paul, like Caleb, stood against the more general course of things amongst the Lord’s people. The majority were content with going so far as to the inheritance, possessing so much, and there staying and settling down. An unfinished course, a curtailed spiritual advance, an accepting of something less than what God had appointed and intended. The majority took that course, but Caleb was never content and he stood against the majority just as he had always stood against a majority that did not represent God’s full mind....

Spiritual leadership always involves loneliness. That is the cost of it. The overcomers will always be, so far as the larger Christian world is concerned, a lonely company, having to go on, with few able to follow. Caleb could not accept the popular voice, his heart was too set upon the Lord. He wholly followed the Lord, not the popular and general standard of Christian life. We may say that Caleb was the very embodiment of all that God meant the whole people to be. When you see Caleb you see what God wished all Israel to be, but all Israel did not come to the standard of Caleb. But the Lord gets in a Caleb the satisfaction of His heart. The Lord realizes His full thought in a Caleb, in the same way as He does in a Paul.

~T. Austin-Sparks~
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ETERNITY!

"Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God. You turn men back to dust, saying, 'Return to dust, O sons of men.' For a thousand years in Your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning--though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered. The length of our days is seventy years--or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away!" Psalm 90:1-6, 10

A thousand years! This is a long stretch of time. How much may be crowded into it--the rise and fall of empires, the glory and obliteration of dynasties, the beginning and the end of elaborate systems of human philosophy, and countless events--all important to individuals, which elude the pens of historians. Yet this period is to the Lord as nothing, even as time already gone. If a thousand years are to God as a single night-watch--then what must be the life-time of the Eternal God! Charles Spurgeon 

Before the Eternal God, all the age of frail man is less than one ticking of a clock! Charles Spurgeon 

O think a little, how inconsiderable a thing is the longest life of man on earth--compared with an everlasting duration! The psalmist tells us, "You have made my days as an handbreadth, and my age--my life, my time on earth--is as nothing to You"--nothing, as compared with God's duration, which is without beginning or end!  John Shower

This life, upon which everything depends--is very brief. 
How solemn this is! In Scripture, time is compared to . . . 
  a flower of the field; 
  a watch in the night; 
  a dream; 
  a vapor. 
William Jay 

How little a while we are to abide here on earth. After death we must abide forever in eternal bliss--or in eternal torments. We will either be with God in endless glory--or in everlasting fire with the devil and his demons! John Shower

Eternity to the godly, is a day that has no sunset. 
Eternity to the godless, is a night that has no sunrise. Thomas Watson

O God, stamp eternity on my eyeballs! Jonathan Edwards

ETERNITY! O that the sinner would study this word--methinks it would startle him out of his dead sleep! 

O that the gracious soul would study it--methinks it would revive him in his deepest agony! Richard Baxter

The crosses and comforts of this present time would not make such an impression upon us as they do--if we did but believe the things of eternity as we ought. Matthew Henry

We must not forget that the issues of eternity, are settled in time. Arthur Pink

The great weight of eternity, hangs upon the small wire of time! Thomas Brooks

A mistake about your soul, is a mistake for eternity! J.C. Ryle

"So teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12 
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The Effectiveness of God's Way

Exodus 3

Yesterday we observed the ineffectiveness of Moses' attempt to liberate his people from Egyptian slavery, but today we see him given a second chance to do it God's way. If we could learn the lessons Moses learned about the dangers of self-reliance and the advantages of depending on the Lord, we would save ourselves much hardship. 

When we choose to cooperate with God and submit to His way, He will do amazing things in and through us. Despite Moses' past failure, the Lord still used him to accomplish the divine plan, but only after he became usable--that is, humbled and broken of self-will. Just consider what God achieved when Moses did it His way.  

* He showed what great things He could do through one yielded, dependent person. 

* He got more done in less time, and with fewer resources. There was no insurrection or long, drawn-out war--just a dramatic display of His power.

* He proved the superiority of His way by freeing over two million people without the loss of a single Hebrew life. 

* He sent impoverished slaves out of bondage with their captors' riches (Ex. 3:21-22). 

* He proved to both the Israelites and the Egyptians that He alone is the God of heaven and earth. 

* He received all the glory.  

Our past failures never prevent God's willingness or ability to use us. In fact, our weakness is a great opportunity for the display of His glory. In our own strength, we are totally ineffective. But when we submit to the Lord's authority, we can experience His victory in whatever He calls us to do.

~Dr. Charles F. Stanley~

Classic Christian Quotes

The land which I do give them, even the children of Israel (Joshua 1:2).

God here speaks in the immediate present. It is not something He is going to do, but something He does do, this moment. So faith ever speaks. So God ever gives. So He is meeting you today, in the present moment. This is the test of faith. So long as you are waiting for a thing, hoping for it, looking for it, you are not believing. It may be hope, it may be earnest desire, but it is not faith; for "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." The command in regard to believing prayer is the present tense. "When ye pray, believe that ye receive the things that ye desire, and ye shall have them." Have we come to that moment? Have we met God in His everlasting NOW?
--Joshua, by Simpson

True faith counts on God, and believes before it sees. Naturally, we want some evidence that our petition is granted before we believe; but when we walk by faith we need no other evidence than God's Word. He has spoken, and according to our faith it shall be done unto us. We shall see because we have believed, and this faith sustains us in the most trying places, when everything around us seems to contradict God's Word.

The Psalmist says, "I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of living" (Ps. 27:13). He did not see as yet the Lord's answer to his prayers, but he believed to see; and this kept him from fainting.

If we have the faith that believes to see, it will keep us from growing discouraged. We shall "laugh at impossibilities," we shall watch with delight to see how God is going to open up a path through the Red Sea when there is no human way out of our difficulty. It is just in such places of severe testing that our faith grows and strengthens.

Have you been waiting upon God, dear troubled one, during long nights and weary days, and have feared that you were forgotten? Nay, lift up your head, and begin to praise Him even now for the deliverance which is on its way to you.

~L. B. Cowman~

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The Power of the Holy Spirit

Luke 24:44-53

The principle we will explore today is basic but so powerful that it determines whether we experience victory in our lives.

You are probably familiar with the book The Little Engine That Could, in which a small engine keeps repeating the words "I think I can." By using sheer willpower, she pulls an entire train over the mountain. That's a nice children's story, but the truth of the Christian life is very different. In the real world, our efforts and determination often fall short. Only by walking in the power of the Holy Spirit can the godly life be achieved.

Throughout the Old Testament, God's Spirit would temporarily come upon saints for a particular work. However, after Jesus ascended to heaven, He sent the Spirit to dwell permanently within each believer. Consider what this means: If you're a Christian, God is living inside of you, available to help all through life by providing guidance, comfort, and empowerment.

Obedience to Christ is too difficult for anyone relying on his own strength. And discerning what to do in every situation is far too complicated for a fleshly mind. For some reason, though, Christians often try to live life by depending on their own energy and reasoning. Defeat and failure are unavoidable without His power in our lives.

Do you recognize your need for the Lord? Begin each day confessing your dependence upon Him. Ask to be filled with His Spirit so that all you think, do, and say will be an overflow from Him. Then trust Him to work in mighty ways through you. Watch what almighty God can do.

~Dr. Charles F. Stanley~

In Touch Ministries

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Sow Good... Reap Blessing

As I mentioned in yesterday's devotional, God wants to bless your life, and the richer, more frequent blessings come to those who do a particular thing.  We find that thing in Galatians 6:9-10,

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

The seasons of blessing come due more often to those who consistently sow, to those who seize opportunities that are afforded them to do good.  Notice again in verse 9, Let us not grow weary while doing good.  Verse 10 says, Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all.

This same truth is reinforced by verse 7, which states,

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

If we sow good, we will reap good.  A season of blessing will come.

What many Christians tend to do is stand before a field in which they planted no seed, and pray, "God, give me a miracle harvest."

Now, God is God, and He certainly can do things out of the ordinary.  But He also works according to laws and principles that He has set into motion.  One of those laws is the law of sowing and reaping.

Whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap.  Therefore, do not grow weary while doing good.  In due season, you will reap, if you do not faint.  When you have opportunity, do good.  Get some seed in the ground.

Because the richer and more frequent blessings come to those who sow good. 

~Bayless Conley~

Answers for each Day

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Luke 8:47

She was healed immediately.

One of the most touching and teaching of the Saviour's miracles is before us to-night. The woman was very ignorant. She imagined that virtue came out of Christ by a law of necessity, without His knowledge or direct will. Moreover, she was a stranger to the generosity of Jesus' character, or she would not have gone behind to steal the cure which He was so ready to bestow. Misery should always place itself right in the face of mercy. Had she known the love of Jesus' heart, she would have said, "I have but to put myself where He can see me-His omniscience will teach Him my case, and His love at once will work my cure." We admire her faith, but we marvel at her ignorance. After she had obtained the cure, she rejoiced with trembling: glad was she that the divine virtue had wrought a marvel in her; but she feared lest Christ should retract the blessing, and put a negative upon the grant of His grace: little did she comprehend the fulness of His love! We have not so clear a view of Him as we could wish; we know not the heights and depths of His love; but we know of a surety that He is too good to withdraw from a trembling soul the gift which it has been able to obtain. But here is the marvel of it: little as was her knowledge, her faith, because it was real faith, saved her, and saved her at once. There was no tedious delay-faith's miracle was instantaneous. If we have faith as a grain of mustard seed, salvation is our present and eternal possession. If in the list of the Lord's children we are written as the feeblest of the family, yet, being heirs through faith, no power, human or devilish, can eject us from salvation. If we dare not lean our heads upon His bosom with John, yet if we can venture in the press behind Him, and touch the hem of his garment, we are made whole. Courage, timid one! thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace. "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God."

~Charles Spurgeon~

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Today’s Reading: Leviticus 15; >Matthew 27:1-26

Today's Thoughts: As Christ Loves Us

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

Valentine’s Day is celebrated as a day to express love and most notably, romantic love. The history of Valentine's Day, along with the saint for whom it is named, is shrouded in mystery. Both Christian and ancient Roman traditions make up its origins, but the exact details of what happened to St. Valentine are uncertain.  What is certain is that through a series of events dating back to the middle ages, February 14 became the date to commemorate Valentine’s Day. Roses and chocolates will be sold at exorbitant prices and in massive quantities, all in hopes to express our love in that special way. What is the most special way to express our love?
The thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians is known as the lovechapter of the Bible. The apostle Paul writes about true love, what it is and what it is not. It “suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;” (verse 4). It “does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;” (verse 5). Paul puts it very simply in verse 8, “Love never fails.” Flowers fade and candies melt, but true love never fades, never dies, never fails. The most special way to express our love is to practice these qualities Paul speaks of as we learn to love beyond ourselves.
Romantic love is a wonderful feeling and being in love is truly a gift from God. Those feelings of heightened joy and excitement seem to make everything else less significant.  But today, let’s ask the Lord to help us love beyond the feelings of the gifts and the favors. Let’s pray that we can love as Christ loves us and that we can express that love in ways that bless those around us more than anything else we can give. Why not make today a day to take love more seriously than you ever have before? Pray that love becomes the motivation for all that you do. Enjoy the flowers and candies and candlelight dinners, but remember to keep love in your heart, not just in the festivities.

~Daily Disciples Devotional~

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit

How much we are indebted to the Holy Spirit, and how apt we are to forget, or lost sight of our obligations to Him! Jesus, who knew all about our nature, and who knew all that would happen to His people in this world - in order to allay their fears, comfort their hearts, and fortify their souls - promised them the Holy Spirit. What He promised, He performed - and the Holy Spirit is in the Church, and in every true believer, as the gift of Jesus.

The Holy Spirit ...
teaches us,
helps our infirmities,
testifies of Jesus,
sympathizes with us,
and will never leave us.

I wish to dwell for a few minutes, and to write a few lines on this subject, for the benefit of my own soul, and for the profit of others. Lord, help me! Let no unworthy thought enter into my mind. Let no improper word drop from my pen. I would honor the Blessed Comforter, and glorify His most holy Name.

The Holy Spirit is with us for the most important purposes, and to perform a most glorious work.

The Holy Spirit is with us to animate us in conflict. We have to do battle with most determined foes. With indwelling sin, the god of this world,and the evil world itself - all being in league against us - would faint and give up the contest often, were it not that the Holy Spirit points us to our great Captain, fixes the eye on the crown, and brings home the precious promises, which animate and stimulate us afresh.

The Holy Spirit is with us to strengthen us in duty. Many of our duties are very arduous, and exceedingly trying to flesh and blood. We would shrink from them, or fall in them - but that the Holy Spirit, by fresh communications of grace, and supplies from the fullness of Christ - strengthen us with strength in our souls.

The Holy Spirit is with us to console in sorrow. He is entitled, "the Comforter." And as such, he administers the choicest consolation to us. Our sorrows are at times very deep. They appear to be overwhelming. We fear we shall sink under them, or dishonor God from our impatience in them - but the Holy Spirit leads us to Gethsemane, or to Calvary - to have fellowship with Christ in His sufferings. Or He directs our thoughts forward to the end of our faith, even the salvation of our souls, and so administers consolation to us.

The Holy Spirit is with us to sanctify in joy.  As our sorrows may fill us with gloom, and overwhelm us with distress - so our joys may unduly elate, or make us light and vain. To prevent this, the Holy Spirit reminds us of what we were, or what we would have been - but for the grace of God. He refers us to many who have fallen, or have become carnal and vain - and so preserves us serious, watchful, and prayerful.

The Holy Spirit is with us to enlighten in perplexity. This He does by throwing light upon our path, by unfolding the Word of God, or by shining into our minds.

Then we stand in the ways to see. We wait for the Lord. We look out to see our Father's hand clearing our road. We listen to hear the voice behind us, which says, "This is the way - walk in it."

The Holy Spirit is with us to help in prayer. For, with the Apostle, we can say, "We know not what to pray for as we ought," therefore "the Spirit helps our infirmities." We have neither light to see what we need, nor faith to believe the promises made to us, nor power to plead with God and prevail - but as the Holy Spirit renders us assistance. He teaches us for what to pray for, and how to pray. He prompts, suggests, and renders us successful at the throne of grace.

The Holy Spirit is with us to inspire in praise. Our praises are often very dull/ Gratitude is a scarce thing with us. But our praises would be dullness itself, and gratitude to God would be a stranger to our bosom - but for the Holy Spirit. Blessed Comforter ...

animate me in all my conflicts,
strengthen me in every duty,
console me under all my sorrows,
sanctify me in all my joys,
enlighten me in all my perplexities,
help me in all my prayers,
and inspire all my praises to my covenant God and Father!

The Holy Spirit imparts penitence for sin, working in us repentance unto life.

He produces aspirations after holiness, so that we pant tobe made pure in body, soul, and spirit.

He gives love to duty, so that we choose the things that please God, esteem all His precepts concerning all things to be right, and hate every false way.

He leads into correct views of truth, so that we escape the errors that float around us, and are preserved from damnable heresies.

He generates humbling thoughts of self, so that we are not inflated with pride - but lie low before God in self abasement, admiring His free and sovereign grace, which has made us to differ from others.

He unfolds gladdening views, so that we at times see the King in His beauty, and get a glimpse of our future glorious inheritance.

He takes the eye off the saddening and depressing, and fixes it on the cheering and animating.

He gives us liberty in prayer,  so that we plead with God, as a man pleads with his friend; and at times, we feel no where so much at home, as at the mercy seat, when alone with God.

The Holy Spirit produces delight in God's law, He shows us its beauty and excellency, assures us that we are delivered from its curse, and shall ultimately be so sanctified, that every vibration of the soul will be in exact conformity with it. Then we say, "O how I love your law - it is my meditation all the days!"

He fills us with confidence and joy in Christ - then every tear is dissipated, peace and profound happiness are enjoyed, foretastes of Heaven are realized, and we often long to depart and be with Christ - which is far better.

Spirit of Jesus ...
give me penitence,
produce in me strong aspirations after holiness,
impart to me a love to every duty,
lead me to correct views of divine truth,
give me humbling thoughts of self,
and gladdening views of Jesus,
grant me liberty in prayer,
delight in God's law, and 
confidence and joy in Christ!

Reader, have you received the Holy Spirit? Do you know anything of receiving supplies of the Spirit of Christ? Does the Holy Spirit dwell in you in fullness, work in you, and endear Jesus to you? The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of life - and without Him we are dead in sin, alienated from the life of God, and are totally unfit for Heaven!

As there is no pardon - but through the blood of Christ; so there is no holiness - but through the Spirit of Christ. And as the blood of Christ will not avail for us, unless it is applied to us; so the Spirit of Christ will not sanctify us, unless he dwells in us.

We cannot get to Heaven without a pardon; 
nor obtain a pardon but through the blood of Jesus;
no more can we see God without holiness;
nor be made holy - but by the Spirit of Jesus.

We do not more need a dying Saviour on the Cross - than we need the living, and life-giving Spirit in our hearts!

See to it then, that you have the Spirit of Christ dwelling in you, and if you have not, make sure of the blessing as you may, for Jesus has said, "If you being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children - then how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit unto those who ask Him." Ask then, and receive - and so you will be safe!

~James Smith~

(The End)

Classic Christian Devotions

Classic Christian Devotions

"God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him" (Colossians 1:19).

The next thing I am going to say may be difficult to accept, just as it is difficult to say, and yet faithfulness demands that things like this should be said. There is going to be a tremendous surprise one day over this matter. There is a tremendous amount of energy, and activity, and machinery, and zeal and devotion in the work of the Lord, in the service of the Lord, which seems to be producing something quite big, and carrying on something quite extensive. It is not for us to judge, but it is for us to lay down laws and recognize those laws, or, rather, recognize laws that are laid down to God. When eventually all work, all service, all activity, is weighed in the balances, which will determine what abides forever or passes away forever, all that which was merely human energy for God will go; all that which was merely man's enterprise for the Lord will go; all that which was in any way out from man himself, even though in devotion to God, will go. Only that which was the energy of Christ, the wisdom of Christ, the power of Christ, the wisdom of Christ, will remain. God is not using your energies and my energies. He is calling upon us to use the energies of Christ. God cannot set His seal upon anything that is of man.

God's seal only rests upon that which is of His Son, and we must not say that because a thing is big, extensive, and seems to be a great work for God, that it necessarily is such. What we have got to be quite sure about is that that thing is not being carried on by the momentum of man, or the momentum of organization, the momentum of machinery, the momentum of human zeal and energy for God, nor by the momentum of a program, but that it is being energized by the Holy Spirit, that it is Christ Himself who is the Life and the Power of that thing. In so far as human personalities, energies and all that kind of thing are the mainspring, we may be sure that in the end there is going to be a good deal that goes. That can be seen as you look back over the history of things which claimed to represent God. The object of saying this is not for one moment to cast a cloud of suspicion or doubt over this basic truth. It is along the line of jealousy for Christ. Nothing will remain in this universe eventually but what is Christ, and we must recognize that everything for God's ultimate purpose is bound up with and in Christ, and it IS Christ.

~T. Austin-Sparks~
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Have I Committed the Unpardonable Sin?

When a person is obsessed by the idea that he or she has committed the unpardonable sin, such obsession is the result of satan's attempt to harass a saint, rather than his effort to destroy a sinner. If that may seem a somewhat strange thing to say, I want quite simply to attempt to make clear what I mean by it. It speak now entirely from experience, and experience may not be trusted as infallible foundation for dogmatic statement.

Speaking entirely from experience, I declare that I have never yet found a man or woman, hard and rebellious and determined in sin, who possessed that particular fear. It is always the fear of the sensitive soul, always the fear of some trembling child of God. I do not say that it is always the case, but I do say that I have never met an exception.

Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that satan never destroys men by making them believe that they're committed such a sin, but he does harass the saints by attempting to make them believe that. A method I have invariably followed for many years in dealing with those who come to me and say that they have, or that they fear they have committed the sin against the Spirit which has no forgiveness, is that of asking them this question: If you have committed this sin, will you be good enough to tell me what it is? I have never yet found a person possessed of the fear that they have committed it who could tell me what it is.

~G. Campbell Morgan~
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The Snare of Fear

Proverbs 29:25 tells us,

The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.

A snare is a noose used for catching an animal.  Fear will cause you to be snared or trapped, just like an animal.

I have a friend in the church who has a very large nut tree in his yard, which the squirrels regularly raid.  He put this big net over the tree, but it did not seem to deter the squirrels at all.  So he finally got a trap and set it up on the roof right next to the nut tree.  To date, he has caught about 120 squirrels.

When the squirrel is in the trap, it is totally at his mercy.  It can't go anywhere.  He happens to be a fairly merciful gentleman, so he takes them over to a local park and lets them go.

When fear gets a hold of your life, you become like one of those trapped squirrels--you are not going anywhere.  You are at its mercy.  You will not progress spiritually.  It keeps you bound.  The fear of man can keep you from obeying God; it will keep you from pleasing God.  It will keep you from the joy you would experience when you trust God.

In fact, there is a contrast in our verse today.  The man or woman who is bound by the fear of man, will not be trusting God in some area of his life.  Look at the two parts of the verse together:  The fear of man brings a snare, but... in contrast ...whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.

Do not allow the fear of man to control your life.  Instead, trust in the Lord.  

~Bayless Conley~

Answers for Each Day Ministries