Classic Christian Quotes from Classic Ministers

Classic Christian Quotes from Classic Ministers

Blessing Others

Psalm 5:11-12

The other day as I was walking through a store, I happened to sneeze, and a gentleman nearby offered the typical response of “bless you.” This caused me to think about what that common expression actually means—namely, a request for divine favor—and the different ways we can bless others.

First, we can bless people by praying for them, and we should be specific when bringing such petitions to the Lord. General requests like “please bless him” are okay, but they can quickly become rote and devoid of meaning. Try supplications with greater detail. When our prayers are specific, we’ll be more likely to notice God’s answers, and we can share this encouragement with the person we’re praying over.

Second, we can ask God’s favor on events and situations. Of course, He will respond only when these align with His will. For example, it is appropriate to request that the Lord find our worship acceptable (Psalm 19:14) and to ask that He touch those present.

Third, we can bless God. We do this by expressing our praise and thanksgiving for His character and for what He has done (Psalm 104:1). We can also bless the Lord through our obedience, service, and desire to please Him. When we place Him first in our lives, He is honored.

The Lord provides a vast array of good gifts, and the desire for such benefits is normal and universal. In fact, as we yearn for divine blessings, why not apply the Golden Rule as a motivation to bless others—including God Himself—through prayer and service?

~Dr. Charles F. Stanley~

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The Power of a Word

Proverbs 12:18 gives us some valuable advice,

There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health.

Did you ever know someone who is good at making cutting remarks?  They spoke like the piercings of a sword?

Over twenty years ago I was at the house of some friends.  We were all just kind of hanging out and I made a comment to one of the brothers in the family.  It was a clever little comment and was basically meant to take a jab at him.

A couple of the family members heard it and snickered and said, "Oh, way to go, Bayless!  You got him!"  But as soon as I said it, his countenance fell, and my heart just sank. While I looked for an opportunity to apologize to him that night, I didn't do it because he ended up leaving early.

I've regretted that comment ever since.  I repented, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleansed me from that sin.  But you know what?  Those words were out, and I couldn't get them back.

Shortly after that night, he went feet first into a very destructive lifestyle involving his sexuality.  I have to think that quite possibly my words pushed him away from God.  It may have been that little jab of the sword that pushed him off the edge.

The New Testament says in Ephesians 4:29, Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth but only that which is good for edification or for building up that it may minister grace to the hearers.

Are your words ministering grace to those who hear them? Are they building up? Or are they tearing down?

~Bayless Conley~

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Song of Solomon 3:1

I sought him, but I found him not.

Tell me where you lost the company of a Christ, and I will tell you the most likely place to find Him.

Have you lost Christ in the closet by restraining prayer? Then it is there you must seek and find Him.

Did you lose Christ by sin? You will find Christ in no other way but by the giving up of the sin, and seeking by the Holy Spirit to mortify the member in which the lust doth dwell.

Did you lose Christ by neglecting the Scriptures? You must find Christ in the Scriptures.

It is a true proverb, "Look for a thing where you dropped it, it is there." So look for Christ where you lost Him, for He has not gone away. But it is hard work to go back for Christ. Bunyan tells us, the pilgrim found the piece of the road back to the Arbour of Ease, where he lost his roll, the hardest he had ever travelled.

Twenty miles onward is easier than to go one mile back for the lost evidence. Take care, then, when you find your Master, to cling close to Him. But how is it you have lost Him? One would have thought you would never have parted with such a precious friend, whose presence is so sweet, whose words are so comforting, and whose company is so dear to you! How is it that you did not watch Him every moment for fear of losing sight of Him?

Yet, since you have let Him go, what a mercy that you are seeking Him, even though you mournfully groan, "O that I knew where I might find Him!" Go on seeking, for it is dangerous to be without thy Lord. Without Christ you are like a sheep without its shepherd; like a tree without water at its roots; like a sere leaf in the tempest-not bound to the tree of life.

With thine whole heart seek Him, and He will be found of thee: only give thyself thoroughly up to the search, and verily, thou shalt yet discover Him to thy joy and gladness.

~Charles Spurgeon~

Classic Christian Quotes from Classic Ministers

Classic Christian Quotes from Classic Ministers

Sin is shut out--and they are shut in!

(Charles Spurgeon)

"The sound of weeping and crying will be heard no more!" Isaiah 65:19

The glorified weep no more, because all causes of grief are gone!
There are no broken friendships, nor blighted prospects in Heaven.
Poverty, famine, peril, persecution and slander--are unknown there.
No pain distresses, and no thought of death or bereavement saddens.

They weep no more, because they all are perfectly sanctified!
No "evil heart of unbelief" prompts them to depart from the living God.
They are without fault before His throne, and are fully conformed to His image!
Well may they cease to mourn--who have ceased to sin!

They weep no more, because all fear of change is past!
They know that they are eternally secure!
Sin is shut out--and they are shut in!
They dwell within a city which shall never be stormed!
They bask in a sun which shall never set!
They drink of a river which shall never run dry!
They pluck fruit from a tree which shall never wither!

Countless cycles may revolve--but eternity shall not be exhausted; and while eternity endures, their immortality and blessedness shall co-exist with it. They are forever with the Lord!

They weep no more, because every desire is fulfilled!
They cannot wish for anything--which they don't already have in full possession.
  Eye and ear,
  heart and hand,
  mind and imagination,
  desire and affection,
  all the faculties--
are completely satisfied!

As imperfect as our present ideas are of the things which God has prepared for those who love Him--yet we know enough by Scriptural revelation, that the glorified saints are supremely blessed.

The joy of Christ, which is an infinite fullness of delight, is in them.

They bathe forever in the bottomless, shoreless sea of infinite blessedness!

That same joyful rest remains for us! It may not be far distant.
Before long, sorrow's dewdrops will be transformed into the pearls of everlasting bliss!

"The sound of weeping and crying will be heard no more!" Isaiah 65:19

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain!" Revelation 21:4

"Therefore comfort one another with these words." 1 Thessalonians 4:18
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God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6 NIV)

The principle of the New Covenant is a first-hand individual revelation of Christ as the knowledge of God in terms of glory in the heart of the believer. Every individual believer only comes into true Christianity by a revelation of Christ in his or her heart, so that the knowledge of Christ is all their own, and as real as when God commanded light to shine in darkness. But that is not all. That shining must be progressive. Christ is far too vast to be seen in more than minute degrees at any one time. The bulk of the New Testament is taken up with getting Christians to see what an immense realm it is into which they have come, and how they must go on... Christianity can only be kept living and fresh and full of impact as Christians are living in an ever-growing apprehension of Christ as the Holy Spirit reveals Him in the heart.

This apprehension may only come as necessity is laid upon us by reason of suffering and trial. Capacity will increase by the stretching of suffering (see Hebrews 12, and read "child-training" for "chastening"). There is no succession in Christianity other than that of the revelation of Christ to the heart by the Holy Spirit. It is not a system to be perpetuated, but a Life to be possessed. The value of the Scriptures is that they contain depths and fullnesses which have never yet been fathomed; and when we speak of "revelation" we do not mean anything extra to them, but of that which is in them, but only known by the inward "writing" and "shining" of the Holy Spirit.... A thing can be in the Bible, and we can have read it a thousand times, but until the Holy Spirit makes it Life to us it will be unfruitful. Hence, there is a place and need for an inward revelation of the Word of God, and this is the only true succession. Nothing can be preserved alive through generations save as every one entering its realm does so on the basis of such a personal, inward, living, and growing revelation of the truth, so that the origin and beginning is constantly repeated in experience.

~T. Austin-Sparks~
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Our Heavenly Appointment

2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Each tick of the clock brings us a second closer to our heavenly appointment with the Lord Jesus. As believers in Christ, we will one day stand before Him, answerable for how we lived our life. At that time we will be held accountable for our actions and recompensed for the choices we made while on earth, whether good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10).

This is not a judgment of condemnation. At salvation, when we acknowledged Christ as our Savior, all blame was removed from us (Rom. 8:1). In taking our place on the cross, Jesus experienced the wrath of God against our iniquity (1 Peter 2:24). As a result, the penalty for our sin has been fully paid.

When we stand before our Lord, He’ll look to see which of our choices were in keeping with His will. Every act of obedient service, whether large or small, will be remembered and rewarded. At the same time, I believe there will be tears when our selfishness and unrighteousness are considered.

Colossians 3 gives us a picture of who we should be and how God wants us to live: Our minds are to be focused on things above, not earthly matters (Col. 3:2). And we’re to get rid of anger, malice, and slander, clothing ourselves instead with compassion, kindness, and patience (Col. 3:8; Col. 3:12).

Since the Lord holds us accountable for our actions, it is urgent that we replace ungodly patterns with righteous ways. Both inward attitudes and outward behavior matter to Him. When facing decisions each day, seek scriptural guidance and godly counsel. Then reflect on which choices would please God.

~Dr. Charles F. Stanley~

Classic Christian Quotes from Classic Ministers

Classic Christian Quotes from Classic Ministers

BIBLE MEDITATION: Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;  Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: Someone has well said that discouragement is a darkroom where the negatives of fear and failure are developed. Some people are encouragers and others are discouragers. Have you ever met a discourager? They’re like a drink of water to a drowning man. They can brighten up a room by leaving it. They leave you drained and depressed. But an encourager leaves you full and refreshed. God has cornered the market on encouragement. All encouragement comes from God. You’re never more like God than when you’re encouraging people and never more like the devil than when you are discouraging people. ACTION POINT: Find a needy person and enrich him; a lonely person and include him; a misunderstood person and affirm him; an undiscovered person and develop him; a failing person and restore him. ~Adrian Rogers~ _________________________ Ezekiel 20:23-26 (23) Also I raised My hand in an oath to those in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the Gentiles and disperse them throughout the countries, (24) because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their fathers' idols. (25) "Therefore I also gave them up to statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live; (26) and I pronounced them unclean because of their ritual gifts, in that they caused all their firstborn to pass through the fire, that I might make them desolate and that they might know that I am the LORD."' New King James Version   Notice the emphasis on the personal pronoun "My." The source of the law or the values we submit to is the sovereign. This aids us greatly in determining whether idolatry is present and how our conscience will respond. God forcefully contrasts His laws with pagan commands and practices. He clearly implies that those who submit to pagan commands are guilty of putting another god before the true God. The Israelites—in sincerity and a clear conscience, perhaps even fervently—brutally sacrificed their sweet and innocent firstborn in the fires to Molech, and all the while they were guilty of a horrible, vicious idolatry! Today, we may not throw babies onto Molech's altar, but we abort 4,200 pregnancies a day, ending the lives of these potential members of God's Family in the name of free choice and self-concern. The law of the land permits this atrocity! If that is not idolatry, what is? What kind of morality, what religion, permits men to enact such heinous laws? People have become blinded by focusing on their own pleasure, failing to see even that murder is involved, let alone the idolatry. God's law nowhere permits such a depraved activity. ~John W. Ritenbaugh~ ______________________________ The Pattern for Servanthood Matthew 20:25-28 In the world's thinking, great men are the ones with authority, prominence, and power. Though Jesus Christ had all that, He gave it up to become a servant (Isa. 42:1). Jesus gave Himself completely to fulfill the Father's plan of redemption, even though the beneficiaries—namely, each of us—were undeserving. God is holy and righteous, and He cannot be in the presence of sin. Therefore, He must separate Himself from those who are stained by wrongdoing. That includes all of humanity (Rom. 3:23). Everybody is born captive to the desires of the flesh (Rom. 6:16-18). When someone claims to be living on his "own terms," he is actually serving whatever his human nature craves. The penalty for that false sense of liberty is death (Rom. 6:23). Jesus' ultimate act of service was to give His life as a ransom for many (Matt. 20:28). The word describes the price paid to set a slave free—Christ voluntarily purchased our liberation. There was only one way our holy God could remove our guilt yet remain true to His own law: Someone sinless had to pay our sin debt for us. Jesus' sacrifice spared us the penalty we deserve. Instead, we receive the gift of grace and have been declared no longer guilty. Moreover, we are elevated from slaves to sons and daughters of the Almighty! Jesus served the Father's purpose faithfully. He gave up His righteousness to carry the weight of all our wickedness—and endured a crushing separation from His Father. To meet our needs, the Savior held nothing of Himself back, and thereby set a powerful example of servanthood for us follow. ~Dr. Charles F. Stanley~

Classic Christian Quotes from Classic Ministers

Classic Christian Quotes from Classic Ministers

The Blessing of God's Spiritual Influence

Perhaps today you are honestly doing all you know to do, but it seems like you are in this season of drought.  God's blessing has seemingly dried up in your life.

Let me point you to 2 Samuel 21:1-3,

Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of the LORD.  And the LORD answered, "It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites."  So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them.  Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; the children of Israel had sworn protection to them, but Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah.  Therefore David said to the Gibeonites, "What shall I do for you?  And with what shall I make atonement, that you may bless the inheritance of the LORD?"

There was a famine in the land because there had been no rain for three years.  So David inquired of the Lord, and God spoke to him.  If you read to the end of the story, you see the rain finally did fall, the drought was broken, and the famine was over.

But here is the point.  It says, David inquired of the Lord, and the Lord answered him.

If there is a drought in your life, ask God why.  God will talk to you.  Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice."  If you in earnestness will seek God and ask Him why, God will speak to you.

Be willing to take responsibility for whatever He shows you.  There just may be something in the past that needs to be corrected.

Just ask. Then act on what He reveals.

~Bayless Conley~

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I love you with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3 GW)

"I have borne with you all this time because I love you; anything could have happened to you, but I have not let it, I have shown you infinite longsuffering and patience, and earnest solicitude for your eternal well-being: because I love you, I have kept you alive, and have brought you to this time and to this place; I have not let you go." Oh, that this might come home to us! We may, all unconsciously, be hearing this message now simply because of this infinite love of God which has been preserving us unto this hour to let us know it. You may think it is quite fortuitous that you are hearing it – just one of the chance happenings of life; but if you knew the truth it is this infinite love of God which has held you to this time in relation to the infinite purposes of that love to let you know it. There is nothing casual about it, there is sovereign love here. "Because I have so loved, because, self-sufficient as I am, I cannot do without you" – oh, mystery of Divine love! – "because I so much wanted you I created you, and now at this moment I am drawing you." We cannot take that in, but that is the teaching of the Word of God... God does not want that kind of love that is not love at all because it gets everything that it wants to satiate its own lusts. That is not love. This love of God must make us like itself, it must be after its own kind. And so, strangely enough, many have come to find the love of God through the dark way of suffering – to discover that God was not their enemy but their friend, when they thought that He was pursuing with the object of destroying them....

Listen again, whoever you may be. If you know yourself only a little you must be amazed at this statement, but if it does not come to you as the most wonderful thing that ever was or could be, there is something grievously the matter with you; that such a One should say to such as WE, "I have loved THEE, with an everlasting love." May God Himself bring that home to us with something of its implication, something of its meaning and value, its glory, its wonder. If He should graciously do that, we shall be worshipers for the rest of our lives; there will be something about us that is in the nature of awe and wonder and we shall go softly. The realization of it will smite all our pride to the dust. There is no room for pride here. This will remove all those horrible things - pride, avarice, covetousness, self-interest, worldly ambition - and we shall be very humble, very grateful people, full of a great longing somehow to requite that love, somehow to win for that One His rights.

~T. Austin-Sparks~

Classic Christian Quotes from Classic Ministers

Classic Christian Quotes from Classic Ministers

Morning

O God, my heart is fixed.

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. - He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD. His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies.

What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. - In the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy: I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

The God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered awhile, make you perfect, stablish, strength-en, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.

PSA. 108:1. Psa. 27:1. Isa. 26:3. -Psa. 112:7,8. Psa. 56:3. Psa. 27:5,6. I Pet. 5:10,11.

EVENINGThe Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.

The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD. - Shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?

I am the LORD, and there is none else; there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: that they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

He doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the in-habitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? - If God be for us, who can be against us?

He must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. - Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

PSA. 103:19. Prov. 16:33. Amos 3:6. Isa. 45:5-7. Dan. 4:35. Rom. 8:31. I Cor. 15:25. Luke 12:32.

~Samuel Bagster~
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One Big Request

John 15:16

Yesterday we looked at God’s promise in John 14:14. Too often people take the verse to imply, “If you ask anything, I will do it.” They overlook the most essential phrase: “in My name.”

Asking in Christ’s name has two meanings. First, believers are welcome to make requests that align with God’s purpose and plan. To do that, we need to ask Him if our prayers match His will. God has several ways of assuring followers that they are on the correct path. For instance, He may increase right desires or decrease wrong ones. Another possibility is that He will use His Word to redirect a Christian’s steps or confirm that the believer is going the right way. Either way, God will make a path for the man or woman who seeks to do His will.

Second, invoking Christ’s name means that we desire to glorify Him instead of ourselves. James gives this warning: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures” (James 4:3). To understand that, let’s consider those who are trying to pray their way out of a financial hole as an example. The question is, Does a person want to get out of debt so that he has more for himself or so that he can use the excess in God-honoring ways? Motives are apparent to God, and He will not encourage ones rooted in sin.

In the name Jesus Christ, there is abundant power. However, calling upon Him in prayer is not a magic charm to get what we want. Rather, it is a signal that we are laying down our personal desires and our own way of getting things done. In so doing, we commit to follow God and bring honor to Him.

~Dr. Charles F. Stanley~

Classic Christian Quotes from Classic Ministers

Classic Christian Quotes from Classic Ministers

I have told you all this so that you may find your peace in Me. You will find trouble in the world – but, never lose heart, I have conquered the world! (John 16:33 Phillips)

When the spiritual stands to confront the merely formal, traditional, nominal and "natural," then there is going to be trouble. This is not now merely the reaction from the world: it is the reaction from religion. I would go further, and say it may be the reaction from Christianity. There is a very great difference between formal, traditional, nominal, "natural" Christianity, on the one side, and spiritual Christianity, on the other; a great deal of difference. So much so, that this also becomes a battlefield – the battlefield of a lot of trouble.

Leave formalism alone, and everything will go on quite quietly. Leave traditionalism alone – that is, the set order of things as it has always been; that framework of things as it has been constituted and set up and established by man; that Christianity which is the fixed, accepted system of things – and you will escape a great deal of trouble. But seek to bring in a truly spiritual order of things, and trouble arises at once. And YOU are the trouble maker! The truth is that the trouble lies in the existing condition, the situation, the state; but it is only brought out by your action. And so spiritual men and women, and spiritual ministry, are called "trouble makers," because the two things cannot go on together. That is where Israel was. They had the traditions, they had the oracles, they had the ordinances, they had the testimonies; they had the forms, they had the system – they had it all; but, in the days of the prophets, there was ever this vast gap between the "externals" and "internals" of life in relation with God. The heart is far removed from the lips. The spiritual reality is not found in the formal. You may have it all – but then bring in the truly spiritual meaning of things, and trouble begins in that very realm. It is the trouble which arises when what is external and traditional comes into conflict with something which is truly spiritual.

~T. Austin-Sparks~

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MORNING

I delight in the law of God after the inward man.

O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. - Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart. - I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. - I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. - My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure enlightening the eyes. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. - Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass.

ROM. 7:22. Psa. 119:97. Jer. 15:16. -Song 2:3. Job 23:12. Psa. 40:8. -John 4:34. Psa. 19:8,10. Jas. 1:22,23.

EVENING

The Lord thy God accept thee.

Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. - There is none righteous, no, not one. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemp-ion that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood. To declare ... at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Accepted in the Beloved. - Ye are complete in him.

II SAM. 24:23. Mic. 6:6 8. Isa. 64:6. -Rom. 3:10,23 26. Eph. 1:6. Col. 2:10.

~Samuel Bagster~

Classic Christian Quotes from Classic Ministers

Classic Christian Quotes from Classic Ministers


Where is Christ in your theological system?

(Charles Spurgeon)

"And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself." Luke 24:27

"These are the Scriptures that testify about Me!" John 5:39

Take this Book and distill it into one word--and that one word will be JESUS! The Bible itself, is but the body of Christ, and we may look upon all its pages as the swaddling bands of the infant Savior--for if we unroll the Scripture, we come upon Jesus Christ Himself.

Where is Christ in your theological system? He Himself is . . .
  the Doctor and Doctrine,
  the Revealer and Revelation,
  the Illuminator and the Light of men.

He is exalted in every word of truth, because He is its sum and substance.

He sits above the gospel, like a prince on His own throne.

Doctrine is most precious, when we see it distilling from His lips and embodied in His person.

Sermons are only valuable, in proportion as they speak of Him and point to Him!
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Your Life Is Your Time

Ephesians 5:14-17

Our lives are governed by time. That's why we're surrounded by clocks and calendars that dictate our activities. As the minutes tick by, we wonder where the day went. When responsibilities and pressures mount, we complain, "I just don't have time to get it all done!" But the reality is that God has given us enough time to do exactly what He's planned for our lives. Perhaps the bigger issue is whether we are using our time to do our will or the Lord's.

Time is a gift from God, and He has allotted each of us a measure in which to live and accomplish His purposes. We have only two options—to spend it temporally on our own interests or invest it eternally. Since time can never be retrieved or reversed, it's critical that we make the most of every opportunity the Lord provides.

The key to investing in eternity is following God's plan for your life, not just filling your days with activities. Jesus was allocated just thirty-three years of life on earth, but only the last three were spent in fulfilling His Messianic ministry. To us that seems like a waste of time. Yet Christ accomplished everything His Father gave Him to do. That's why on the cross He could say, "It is finished" (John 19:30).

Scripture compares earthly life to "a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14), but eternal life never ends. It's foolish to spend your life on a vapor when you can reap everlasting benefits by following God's will for your time here. Each day is an opportunity to choose.

~Dr. Charles F. Stanley~

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"And the peace of God, which transcends all our powers of thought, will be a garrison to guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:7)

There is what is called the "cushion of the sea." Down beneath the surface that is agitated by storms, and driven about with winds, there is a part of the sea that is never stirred. When we dredge the bottom and bring up the remains of animal and vegetable life we find that they give evidence of not having been disturbed in the least, for hundreds and thousands of years. The peace of God is that eternal calm which, like the cushion of the sea, lies far too deep down to be reached by any external trouble and disturbance; and he who enters into the presence of God, becomes partaker of that undisturbed and undisturbable calm.
--Dr. A. T. Pierson

When winds are raging o'er the upper ocean,
And billows wild contend with angry roar,
'Tis said, far down beneath the wild commotion,
That peaceful stillness reigneth evermore.

Far, far beneath, the noise of tempest dieth,
And silver waves chime ever peacefully,
And no rude storm, how fierce soe'er it flieth,
Disturbs the Sabbath of that deeper sea.

So to the heart that knows Thy love, O Purest,
There is a temple sacred evermore,
And all the babble of life's angry voices
Dies in hushed silence at its peaceful door.

Far, far away, the roar of passion dieth,
And loving thoughts rise calm and peacefully,
And no rude storm, how fierce soe'er it flieth,
Disturbs the soul that dwells, O Lord, in Thee.
--Harriet Beecher Stowe

"The Pilgrim they laid in a large upper chamber, facing the sun-rising. The name of the chamber was Peace."
--Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress

~L. B. Cowman~

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