Grace Gems

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Your poor, silly sheep

(Octavius Winslow, "Daily Need Divinely Supplied" 1870)

"The Lord is my Shepherd . . . He restores my soul."  Psalm 23:1, 3.

It is not the least important duty of the Shepherd to go in quest of the stray ones of the flock; the fickle sheep wandering from the fold.

The spiritual history of the believer is a history . . .
  of declension--and revival,
  of departure--and return,
  of his backsliding--and of the Savior's restoring.

The regenerate soul is bent upon backsliding from the Lord. The sun does not more naturally decline, than does the believing heart wander from God.

"O Lord, how many and hidden are my soul's departures from You, You only know! How often my love chills, my faith droops, my zeal flags, and I grow weary, and am ready to halt in Your service. Mine is a sinful, roving heart, as fickle to You as the changing wind; as false to my vows as a broken bow. But You, O Lord, are my Shepherd, and You restore my soul. Pitying my infirmity, knowing my wanderings, and tracking all my steps--You recover, heal, and pardon Your poor, silly sheep, prone to leave Your wounded, sheltering side in quest of that which can be found in Yourself alone."

Oh, the love of Jesus in . . .
  curbing our waywardness,
  checking our wanderings,
  arresting, healing, and restoring our souls.

He never forsakes His people, though they forsake Him times without number. How can He turn His back upon one bought with His sufferings, groans, and tears? How can He forsake the work of grace wrought in the soul by His Spirit? He may withdraw Himself for a time, gently to awaken us from our slothfulness and slumber--yet He returns again, and our lips gratefully sing, "He restores my soul."

"I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you!" Hebrews 13:5

    Jesus sought me when a stranger,
    Wandering from the fold of God;
    He, to rescue me from danger,
    Interposed His precious blood!

    O to grace how great a debtor,
    Daily I'm constrained to be!
    Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
    Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

    Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
    Prone to leave the God I love;
    Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
    Seal it for Thy courts above!

    O that day when freed from sinning,
    I shall see Thy lovely face;
    Clothed then in blood-washed linen
    How I'll sing Thy sovereign grace!

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The happiness of Heaven

(Thomas Sherman, "Divine Breathings; Or, a Pious Soul Thirsting after Christ")

"No eye has seen,
 no ear has heard,
 no mind has conceived,
 what God has prepared for those who love Him!" 1 Corinthians 2:9

The vessel of our soul is too capacious to be filled with all the pleasures and delights the world put together. But hereafter, our pleasures and delights shall be too great for the most capacious vessel to hold! Our glory shall be so great, that power as well as goodness, shall be given by God Himself, to renew and enlarge these vessels, that they may be capable of receiving and retaining that glory. Strength and love shall go forth together, to prepare and elevate our dispositions, that they may be suitable for such a transcendent and exalted state!

At present, we are too weak to bear such a weight of glory; therefore God will immortalize us--that we may be able to sustain it! And because our eternal joys cannot fully enter into us while in this world--we shall fully enter into them in heaven.

What fool would place only a few drops of carnal pleasures into so large a vessel as the soul--and neglect the spring, or rather the ocean of unspeakable bliss, and everlasting glory!

O my soul, what a glorious day is coming, when the vessels of mercy shall be cast into the ocean of mercy, and be filled to the very brim with divine mercy! Then the soul that is love-sick for Jesus--shall lie in the bosom of divine love, and forever be satisfied with unfathomable love! Then the children of God shall have a full fruition of God, and be forever satisfied with the presence of God! The joy of His glorious presence, the fullness of His joy, the sweetness of this fullness, the eternity of this sweetness--the heart of man can never adequately comprehend.

Lord, let the glory which you have prepared for me--turn my soul from the vanities of earth!

"You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand!" Psalm 16:11

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Sweet in the mouth, but bitter in the belly

(Thomas Watson, "Body of Divinity")

See the evil effects of sin!

Sin has degraded us of our honor. God made us in His own image--but sin has debased us. Sin has plucked off our coat of innocence, and now it has debased us, and turned our glory into shame.

Sin disquiets the peace of the soul. "But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud." "There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked." Isaiah 57:20-21. Whatever defiles, disturbs. As poison corrupts the blood--so sin corrupts the soul. Sin breeds a trembling at the heart; it creates fears, and there is "torment in fear." Sin makes sad convulsions in the conscience. Judas was so terrified with guilt and horror, that he hanged himself to quiet his conscience. In order to ease his conscience--he threw himself into Hell.

Sin produces all temporal evil. It is the Trojan Horse, which has sword, and famine and pestilence, in its belly. Sin is a coal, which not only blackens--but burns! Sin creates all our troubles; it puts gravel into our bread, and wormwood in our cup. Sin rots the name, consumes the estate, and buries loved ones.

Sin unrepented of, brings final damnation. The canker which breeds in the rose is the cause of its perishing; just so--the corruptions which breed in men's souls are the cause of their damning. Sin's pleasure will turn to sorrow at last; like the book the prophet ate--sin is sweet in the mouth, but bitter in the belly. Sin brings the wrath of God--and what tears can quench that fire?

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The godly man's crosses, losses and sorrows

(Charles Spurgeon, "Treasury of David")

"He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does shall prosper." Psalm 1:3

Blessed is the man who has such a promise as this! But we must not always estimate the fulfillment of a promise--by our own eye sight. How often, my brethren, if we judge by feeble sense, may we come to the mournful conclusion of Jacob, "All these things are against me!" For though we know our interest in the promise, yet we are so tried and troubled--that sight sees the very reverse of what that promise foretells. But to the 'eye of faith' this word is sure, and by it we perceive that we are prospered, even when everything seems to go against us.

It is not outward prosperity which the Christian most desires and values; it is soul prosperity which he longs for. Even in adversity, there is a true prospering, for it is often for the soul's health--that we would be poor, afflicted and tried. Our worst things--are often our best things! As there is a curse wrapped up in the wicked man's mercies--so there is a blessing concealed in the godly man's crosses, losses and sorrows. The trials of the saint are a divine husbandry, by which he grows and brings forth abundant fruit.

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These constant, inevitable, and lesser evils

(Hannah More)

Remember that life is not entirely made up of great evils or heavy trials. The perpetual recurrence of petty evils and small trials is the ordinary and appointed way to mature our Christian graces. To bear with the moodiness of those about us, with their infirmities, their bad judgments, their perverse tempers; to endure neglect where we feel we have deserved attention, and ingratitude where we expected thanks--to bear with the whole company of disagreeable people whom Divine Providence has placed in our way, and whom God has perhaps provided on purpose for the trial of our virtues--these are the best exercises for our graces; and the better because not chosen by ourselves. To meekly bear with . . .
  continual vexations in our homes,
  disappointments in our expectations,
  interruptions in our times of rest,
  the follies, intrusions, and disturbances of others;
in short, to meekly bear with whatever opposes our will and contradicts our desires--is the very essence of self-denial. These constant, inevitable, and lesser evils, properly improved, furnish the best moral discipline for the Christian.

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They will never perish--ever!

(James Smith, "Food for the Soul" 1867)

"I give them eternal life, and they will never perish--ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand!" John 10:28

Jesus here speaks . . .
  of His sheep,
  of those whom the Father had given Him,
  of those whom the Father drew unto Him,
  of those for whom He died,
  of those who sit at His feet to learn of Him.

Jesus loves His sheep.
Jesus laid down His life for His sheep.
Jesus lives to take care of His sheep.
Jesus will never, on any account, part with His sheep.
He can guard them, and He will surely keep them.
Whoever may perish--they never shall.
His Father will not permit it.
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit will prevent it.
The love, power, and honor of Jesus combine to render it impossible!

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My object and aim

(James Smith)

My object is to lead the mind . . .
   from SELF--to Jesus;
   from sin--to salvation;
   from the troubles of life--to the comforts of the gospel.

My aim is . . .
   to humble the sinner--and exalt the Savior;
   to strip the creature--and place the crown
      on the head of God's free grace!

I cannot ascribe too much to Jesus--or too little to man!

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God's angels!

(J.R. Miller, "Daily Bible Readings in the Life of Christ" 1890)

"And when Zacharias saw the angel, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him." Luke 1:12

Yet the angel had come on an 'errand of love'--he had come to announce to Zacharias tidings which would fill his heart with great joy. It is often so. All through the Bible, we find that people were afraid of God's angels. Their very glory startled and terrified those to whom they appeared.

It is ofttimes the same with us. When God's messengers come to us on errands of grace and peace--we are terrified, as if they were the messengers of wrath!

Angels do not appear to us in these days, in their heavenly garb. Yet they come no less really and no less frequently than in the Bible days; but they wear other and various forms. Sometimes they appear in robes of gladness and light--but ofttimes they come in dark garments. Yet our faith in our Father's love, should make us confident that every messenger that He sends to us, whatever the garb--brings something good to us.

The things which we call trials and adversities--are really God's angels, though they seem terrible to us. If we will only quiet our hearts and wait, we shall find that they are messengers from Heaven, and that they have brought blessings to us from God. They have come to tell us of some new joy that is to be granted--some spiritual joy, perhaps, to be born of earthly sorrow; some strange and sweet surprise of love which is waiting for us.

We need to learn to trust God so perfectly, that no 'messenger' He ever sends shall alarm us!

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We are lifted up in the arms of omnipotence

(J.R. Miller)

"There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother!" Proverbs 18:24

God helps and blesses us through our friendships, but these are meant only to draw us up to Himself. Jesus is the only man in whom we can have eternal trust. All other friendships are only shadows--His is the perfect friendship.

Behind the sweet, gentle, human qualities in Jesus which make it so easy for us to come to Him and rest in Him--is the power of the eternal God. When we come to His precious human love, for which our hearts crave and which seems so satisfying--we know that His infinite, divine fullness lies behind the tender warmth of the Son of God. His humanity comes very close to us, and we only need to lay our heads upon its bosom. Then when we lean on Him, we are lifted up in the arms of omnipotence.

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given . . . and He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace!" Isaiah 9:6

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Worry--or preparation?

(J.R. Miller)

There is a large difference between worrying about possible future trials--and being prepared for them if they should come. The former we should never do--the latter we should always seek to do. If we do, we are always prepared . . .
   for emergencies,
   for the hard knocks,
   for the steep climbing,
   for the sore struggle--
and we get through life victoriously.

In moral and spiritual things, it is the same. It is our preparation which preserves us in all the final tests--the strength which lies behind what we need in ordinary encounters. Those who daily commune with God, breathing His life into their souls--become strong with that hidden strength that preserves them from falling in the day of trial. They have a "vessel" from which to refill the lamp when its little cup of oil is exhausted.

"Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34

"Prepared for every good work." 2 Timothy 2:21

"Be prepared in season and out of season" 2 Timothy 4:2

"Therefore, prepare your minds for action!" 1 Peter 1:13

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Our Cherith

(F.B. Meyer)

"Hide yourself by the brook Cherith" 1 Kings 17:3

God's servants must be taught the value of the hidden life. The man who is to take a high place before his fellows--must take a low place before his God. We must not be surprised if sometimes our Father says: "There, child, you have had enough of this hurry, and publicity, and excitement; get hence, and hide yourself by the brook--hide yourself . . .
  in the Cherith of the sick chamber, or
  in the Cherith of bereavement, or
  in some solitude from which the crowds have ebbed away."

Happy is he who can reply, "This Your will is also mine; I flee unto You to hide me. Hide me in the secret of Your tabernacle, and beneath the covert of Your wings!"

Every saintly soul who would wield great power with men, must win it in some hidden Cherith. The acquisition of spiritual power is impossible, unless we can hide ourselves from men and from ourselves, in some deep gorge where we may absorb the power of the eternal God; as vegetation through long ages absorbed these qualities of sunshine, which it now gives back through burning coal.

Passing back to the blessed age from which we date the centuries: Patmos; the seclusion of the Roman prisons; the Arabian desert; the hills and valleys of Palestine--are forever memorable as the holy Cheriths of the new testament disciples.

Our Lord found His Cheriths at Nazareth; in the wilderness of Judea; amid the olive groves of Bethany; and the solitude of Gadara.

None of us, therefore, can dispense with some Cherith, where the sounds of human voices are exchanged for the waters of quietness, which are fed from the throne of God; and where we may taste the sweets and imbibe the power of a life hidden with Christ.

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Let us make thorough work of it!

(James Smith, "The Early and the Latter Rain" 1856)

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life!" Psalm 139:23-24

Let us commence the work of self-examination at once, and let us be impartial in the work . . .
  sparing no sin,
  tampering with no lust,
  listening to no temptation!

And let us make thorough work of it! Let every sin we detect be confessed over the blood of atonement; let us . . .
  deplore it,
  grieve over it,
  seek the pardon of it, and
  pray for grace at once to depart from it!

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The chosen pleasure-ground of our souls!

(Henry Law, "Family Prayers")

O God of patience and consolation, glory be to You for this throne of grace. Make it ever to us--the chosen pleasure-ground of our souls. May it be the fortress to which continually we flee. Here may we obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Here may we see by faith, Your reconciled smile. Here may we rejoice to plead the name of Jesus. Here may we . . .
  sharpen the sword of the Spirit,
  anoint the shield of faith, and
  put on the helmet of salvation.

By prayer also, may we gather supplies of heavenly manna--even the precious nourishment of Your Word. Thus may we be strengthened for each conflict, nerved for our upward race, and empowered for more than conquest over every foe. We know that Christ is the open channel for all blessings to descend upon us. Help us to beg, until the sluices of mercy widely open, and our souls are so replenished that there shall be no room to receive more.

We marvel at our cruel folly, that when such enriching favors are within our reach--that we are so slow to extend the hand to take them! Have compassion on our deadness for Your great name's sake. Quicken us, arouse us, stir us up, fill us with holy zeal, put strength into us--that we may strive with You, and refuse to let You go. It is Your glory to be vanquished by the power of prayer. May Your Spirit within us, wrest all spiritual blessings from Your yielding hands!

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Spiritual Greatness

(J.R. Miller)

Spiritual Greatness--sanctified character, beauty of soul, the likeness of Jesus upon our lives and hearts--shall endure forever. God wants to train every one of us into this true spiritual greatness.

Many Christians grow sadly disheartened, because they seem never to become any better. Year after year, the struggle goes on with the old bad habits and ugly dispositions, the old selfishness, pride, and hatefulness--and they appear never to be growing victorious.

Yet Christ is a most patient teacher. He never wearies of our slowness and dullness as learners. He will teach the same lesson over and over, until we have learned it. If we only persevere, He will never tire of us, and His gentleness will make us great.

"Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go." Isaiah 48:17

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye." Psalm 32:8

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Sickness is a greater mercy!

(Letters of John Newton)

"It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes!" Psalm 119:71

Health is a blessing and a great mercy, enabling us to relish the comforts of life, and to be useful in our generation. But sickness is a greater mercy to the children of God; for it shall be sanctified . . .
  to wean us more from the present world,
  to raise our thoughts and desires heavenward,
  to quicken us to prayer, and
  to give us more opportunity of knowing the sweetness and suitableness of the promises, and the power and wisdom of a promise-performing God!

Troubles have many uses--when the Lord is pleased to work by them for the good of His children. They are necessary, because we would miss the meaning and comfort of a great part of the Bible without them! I hope the Lord blesses you both with a measure of submission to His will, confidence in His love--and then, with respect to other things you will say, All is well!

"Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your Word!" Psalm 119:67

"I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are righteous, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me." Psalm 119:75