Grace Gems

[nChrist]

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Ah, the thanklessness of it, the ugliness, the evil!

(Alexander Smellie, "On the Secret Place" 1907)

"Then He returned to His disciples and found them sleeping. 'Could you not keep watch with Me for one hour?' He asked."  Matthew 26:40

Every word is incisive--every syllable is an arrow whose point has been dipped in yearning and wounded love.

1. The sleep is inexcusable, because of the indebtedness of the disciple. "Could YOU not keep watch?" asks Christ; and the you is emphatic:
 you, who have heard My teaching;
 you, who witnessed My miracles;
 you, who known the allurement of My life;
 you, whom I have crowned with My special favor;
 you, who have sworn your fidelity so often and so recently!

Such things He has done for me as well--such blessings He has bestowed; such pains He has undergone. And shall I be negligent towards Him? Ah, the thanklessness of it, the ugliness, the evil!

2. And the sleep is inexcusable, because of the modesty of the Lord's demand. He asked, "Could you not keep WATCH?" Now let me lay the stress on the verb, watch. He might have bidden me to . . .
  drink the wormwood and the gall with Him;
  climb the hill of shame by His side;
  die, as He died, of a broken heart.
But the Cross and the curse are for Himself alone--and from me He seeks simply . . .
  the open eye,
  and the consecrated mind,
  and the obedient spirit.
He does not call me to exile or prison or martyrdom--but to guard myself, to repel the advance of temptation, to cultivate holiness and obedience. It seems unpardonable, that Christ's friend should deny Him a gift so small!

3. And the sleep is inexcusable, because of the measurelessness of the Savior's deserts. "Could you not keep watch WITH ME?" What poignancy and pathos dwell in the last words! He is my Healer, my Teacher, my King, my God, my Savior! The earth moves at His command. The beasts are governed by His scepter, and the birds sing His praise. High in the ranks of creation, the angels are flames of fire, and speed at His requests. All creation does His will.

But He blesses me--as He has blessed none of them. They do not know my motives to spend and be spent for Him. To support me, He became man. To bless me with eternal glory, He emptied Himself, and was numbered with transgressors. Shall I forget Him?

4. And the sleep is inexcusable, because of the brevity of the vigilance. "Could you not keep watch with Me FOR ONE HOUR?" How quickly one hour runs out to its final second! Many a night, from sunset to sunrise, He spent pleading for me, the morning star finding Him where the evening star had left Him. He devoted a whole eternity, ageless and endless--to the devising and accomplishing of my salvation! And shall I grudge Him my fast-fleeting days? His grace towards me has neither commencement nor close--and how can I rob Him of those few fragments of time which remain to me? Nay, this very moment let me arise!

Sleeping disciples--I wonder whether I am among them!

[nChrist]

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What, then, did He mean?

(Alexander Smellie, "On the Secret Place" 1907)

"They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." John 17:16

Christ did not mean that I am to withdraw and seclude myself from society. He did not do so Himself. He came and dwelt with sinners--and He bids me to walk in His footsteps. I am to live in the world, as a holy child of God.

Neither did He mean that I am to be censorious towards those around me. There was no censoriousness in Him. Wherever He went, His presence diffused sunshine and warmth and joy.

He does not wish me to moralize on the defects and errors of others. He has no desire that I should be fault-finding, critical, or harsh. I may be unsparing in judging myself; but in my thoughts and words regarding others, there must be all considerateness, all forbearance, all patience and hope.

What, then, did He mean?

That I am not to consider myself to be at home in this world.

That every day I must show myself to be a citizen of Heaven.

That there must be an easily-perceived difference between me and those who do not travel beyond the present realm of things.

That, however friendly I am with others, I must hold aloof from their sinful habits and recreations. I must make them understand . . .
  that my work is to glorify God,
  that my model is Christ, and
  that my citizenship is in Heaven!

Again, let me consider my Master. None drew closer to men and women than He--yet there was always a holy distinction felt and seen. Enemies and friends recognized it. And I am to have such an intense personal devotion to Him, that I shall be found only where I firmly believe He would be--and that I shall practice and follow only what He approves. It is to be my one fear, that I would hurt His kind heart.

Here is my rule: Not of the world--even as He was not of the world.

The rule is to be operative everywhere.

It will cast out of my business whatever is evil; and I shall count it impossible to do anything false or unjust in the workshop and the counting-house.

It will hallow my amusements. I shall suspect any amusement into which the thought of Christ intrudes like a shadow--and welcome the happiness to which He goes with me.

It will direct me in whatever I read--everything must be consistent with Christ's holiness.

It will direct me wherever I go--I shall hear His voice among the trees of the garden, and not be afraid.

It is the motto for the whole of my history--I am to do whatever Jesus would do--if He were here in my place.

[nChrist]

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What does the Lord require of you?

(Alexander Smellie, "On the Secret Place" 1907)

"What does the Lord require of you?
 To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8

Simplicity and comprehensiveness mark the requirements of my God. He can abbreviate His demands into the fewest words; but they are words which embrace . . .
  the inward and outward,
  the present and future,
  the earthly and the heavenly.

I may fall into serious error regarding His will for me:

It is not a religion of ritual observances which He requires. How easily I attach an undue importance to ceremonies and forms, rites and penances and fasts!

Nor does He solicit primarily a religion of external moralities. God looks on my heart.

Nor is it a religion of emotions of which He is in quest. I must not put excitement and tears, in the place of saving grace and childlike obedience.

But see, my soul, God asks us to act justly. I cannot be His, unless I do justly. Everything that takes an improper advantage of another, and all that departs from the straightest line of absolute rectitude--I must hate and abjure. It is a demand which pierces deeper than it seems. For the integrity of conduct He desires--is the outcome only of a conscience He has quickened, and a will He has bent into submission to His law. The ethics of the Gospel are preceded and rendered possible, by the redemption and regeneration of the Gospel.

And God asks tenderness. He counsels me to love mercy. The world is full of sorrow, and I am to move through it as a good physician, befriending and uplifting those in need.

It is what He does Himself. Every glorious quality has its fountain in Him--but pre-eminently the quality of mercy. He is the great Forgiver and the great Helper--no earthly father loves like Him, and no mother is half so mild. So my feeble torch is but kindled at His altar. My charities and philanthropies must be learned in His school, who pardons my ten thousand transgressions!

And God asks humility. He commands me to lay my hand in His, and to walk humbly in His company. Nothing is so essential as poverty of spirit. It is the source and spring from which alone runs the fertilizing river of a holy life. The humble heart is where the flowers of Heaven find their congenial soil, and grow into beauty and fragrance. I only begin to be a disciple, when my proud heart is brought low--and my Savior is lifted high.

Now, my Father, if these are to be the features of my soul--then it is manifest that none but You can create them, and can nurture them, and can lead them to their perfection. Do the work Lord, and have the glory!

[nChrist]

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The most despised verse in the entire Bible!

(Frank Hall)

"Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." Romans 9:13

This is perhaps the most despised verse in the entire Bible!

Contrary to popular religious opinion, God does not love all people.

There are only two kinds of people in this world--Jacobs and Esaus.
These two men represent the entire human race.
Jacob represents God's elect--and Esau represents the reprobate.
Jacob is loved by God--and Esau is hated by God.

God's love is sovereign and free. God's love for Jacob did not depend on Jacob. God loved Jacob, simply because He chose to love Jacob--not because He saw something in Jacob that merited His love. In fact, Jacob proved himself to be completely unworthy of God's love--as do all whom God loves.

God's love depends on God, not Jacob. Jacob can't earn God's love, and Jacob cannot lose God's love--because it does not depend on him. The love of God is completely sovereign and free. God gives and withholds His love as He sees fit.

God's love is discriminating love. Love is always discriminating. By definition, love is never common to all. Jacob was set apart by God's love, and being set apart by God's love--he had God's special favor and the affection of God's heart. God's love is always particular and distinguishing. He does not love all people--He only loves Jacob.

God's love for Jacob and hatred for Esau are according to His eternal purpose, not according to their works. "Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad--in order that God's purpose in election might stand: not by works, but by Him who calls . . . Just as it is written: 'Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.' What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For He says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.' It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy!" Romans 9:11-16

Jacob was elected to salvation before he was born, and Esau was rejected by God before he was born--according to God's eternal purpose.

Because Jacob was loved by God--God sent His Son into this world to redeem him from his sins. Christ died for Jacob--not for Esau! "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."

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The greatest miracle that God does today!

(Leonard Ravenhill)

The greatest miracle that God does today, is to
  take an unholy man out of an unholy world,
  and make that unholy man holy,
  and put him back into that unholy world,
  and keep him holy in it!

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17


Here is another short insightful quote from Ravenhill, "Thousands of preachers who would not dare cut Hell out of their Bibles, have cut it out of their preaching!"

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Three things which he dared not think of!

(Thomas Watson)

Luther said there were three things which he dared not think of without Christ:
   his sins,
   his death,
   his judgment.

Death, to a Christless soul, is the King of Terrors!

[nChrist]

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God weighs and measures, bounds and ordains, my sorrows!

(Alexander Smellie, "The Secret Place" 1907)

"Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory!" 2 Corinthians 4:17

It is good to know that there is a limit to affliction. It is but for a moment--it has its appointed end.
Not always will the war go on.
Not always will the seas be tempest-driven.
Not always will the rains descend and the fierce winds blow.
God weighs and measures, bounds and ordains, my sorrows!

For seven months Mr. Monod lay in helpless suffering. Week by week his pain increased in its severity, until he had not a minute when he was free from it. But this was what he wrote:
"The Desert in the morning,
 Gethsemane in the afternoon,
 Golgotha in the evening!
 Well, the Desert with Christ,
 Gethsemane with Christ,
 Golgotha with Christ!
This is better than all the pleasures of sin!"

And of these painful mornings and afternoons and evenings, God has fixed and foreordained an end!

It is good to know that there is a purpose in affliction.
It works for me, in my service, on my behalf.
Affliction does not rise out of the ground, nor fall on me by chance--as an unfortunate, aimless, undirected, capricious thing. (Job 5:6, Job 1:21)

Affliction is the instrument and agent of my Father in Heaven! By it He would . . .
  teach my mind,
  soften and expand my heart,
  give new robustness to my faith,
  add vigor to my prayers,
  fructify all my graces and character.

There is a touching incident of Mr. Wodrow: He was much affected with his worthy son's death--it being somewhat sudden and surprising. Yet he behaved very Christly under that sharp affliction. He went down to the place where his son's corpse was. He stayed some time. They inquired what he had been doing there. "I was," says he, "thanking God for thirty-one years' loan of my dear son."

These are the flowers of submission, of patience, of trust--which grow in the clefts of a breaking heart!

It is good to know that there is a coronation after affliction. It is the prelude to an eternal weight of glory! And the glory will be none the less--but all the more, because it has been heralded by the grief. I am fitted for the purity of the glorious inheritance, by the cleansing and refining discipline to which I am subjected on the way to it. I welcome its sunshine and rest, because I have been out in the midnight when the fierce gales were abroad. There are notes and chords in my everlasting song, which never could have been there, if I had not discovered in my afflictions . . .
  the grace of the Father,
  and the sympathy of the Son,
  and the comforts of the Holy Spirit.

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us!" Romans 8:18

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My Bonfire of Vanities!

(Alexander Smellie, "On the Secret Place" 1907)

"Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices. A number of them who had been practicing sorcery brought their books and burned them at a public bonfire! The value of the books was several million dollars." Acts 19:18-19

No conflagration could be more desirable and more beneficial. I trust that it is paralleled and repeated in my own experience--for I am no Christian until it is.

When I burn my bad books,
when I turn from my old delights,
when the expulsive power of a new affection drives me irresistibly from the sinful life which I used to live
--that is CONVERSION.

It is evidence and token that a supernatural and radical change has transformed me. It is proof that the Holy Spirit is at work in the citadel of my being. Never shall I relinquish a darling sin, never sacrifice that which brought me an iniquitous profit and an unholy pleasure--until He comes in His mightiness, and revolutionizes my nature through and through! From the soul which should have been God's Temple, but which I have debased into a den of robbers--He scourges the traffickers; and the desecrated place is renovated into the shrine and residence of the King of kings!

When I burn my bad books,
when before all men I turn from my former ways,
when I range myself openly on His part, whom I once despised and hated
--that means CONFESSION.

"I am on the Lord's side!" is what I say, fearlessly, publicly, without abatements or concealments or regrets. No true friend of Jesus Christ can conceal his faith. It will reveal itself. It will be discerned by the onlookers, whether they sympathize or disapprove. Through all hindrances, all timidities, all plausible excuses for keeping silence--my affection for Him will make its avowal.

When I burn my bad books,
when I declare that henceforward I am a pilgrim traveling heavenward,
when transports move and thrill me to which I was a stranger until now
--that means CONSECRATION.

Christ alone is the Master of my transfigured history! I cannot tolerate what He disapproves. I cannot harbor guests and tenants who are out of harmony with His purity and perfectness. Where He goes--I will go; and where He lodges--I will lodge. His people will be my people; and His God will be my God--nothing but death will part Him and me. Nay, death will not terminate my loyalty--but will only render it more absolute and complete!

In spirit and soul and body, in my work and in my rest--Lord, what will You have me to do?

That is a blessed day on which I kindle my Bonfire of Vanities! It cannot dawn too soon, and the fire cannot burn with too white a flame!

[nChrist]

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He opens His bountiful hand--and my needs are met!

(Alexander Smellie, "The Secret Place" 1907)

"Give us this day our daily bread." Matthew 6:11

"Each morning everyone gathered as much manna as he needed." Exodus 16:21

My daily bread is the gift of God. Never let me divest it of its specialness and glory, as if it were a common thing. Never let me partake of it without reverence and the giving of thanks.

There may not be about its bestowal, the same manifest miraculousness which marked the coming of the manna to Israel. The King of kings prefers to accompany me in modest quietness. But behind the loaf and the grain, above the farmer and the miller--my sustaining Father stands unseen. He opens His bountiful hand--and my needs are met. He could easily leave me destitute--apart from Him, I must go hungry and thirsty, a beggar and in rags. All to Him I owe! Do I praise Him for His bounty as I ought?

The daily bread is to be received in faith. Morning by morning the men of Israel gathered the manna. My Lord would prove me, by keeping me a perpetual pensioner on His charity, and a continual guest at His table. I can never be self-sufficient. I never can walk alone. I am taught to cling and trust--to look up and wait in hope.

The daily bread is a picture of higher and more sacred things. The children of Israel saw in the manna, something unearthly and inexplicable. They knew not what it was.

Just so, as I sit at my food and drink, a window should be opened for me into a world more wonderful and more divine. I should see Him Who is the Bread of my undying spirit--Him Who gives to me the Water of everlasting life.

Him, too, I must seek and find, with the return of every fresh morning. I cannot thrive on the grace of yesterday, as nourishing and ample as that was for yesterday's need. I am dependent on God hour after hour, and minute after minute, for . . .
  fresh grace,
  fresh wisdom,
  fresh peace to garrison my heart and mind,
  fresh strength to overcome the world, the flesh and the devil.

[nChrist]

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Would we really rather have things our way?

(Frank Hall)

"Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!" Psalm 27:14

Will we ever learn this? If we would live in this world for the honor and glory of Christ, we must understand that it is our glorious privilege and responsibility to wait on our God. If we would honor the Lord Jesus we must wait on Him faithfully . . .
  believing His word,
  trusting His promises,
  resting in His finished work as our Savior,
  hiding beneath His precious blood,
  depending on Him for righteousness, salvation, and acceptance with our God.

We must wait on Him patiently . . .
  without murmuring,
  without complaint,
  without dissatisfaction,
  without discontent.
God does not always work immediately, but He always works. He never performs His works on our carnal schedule, but according to His all wise eternal purpose of grace. Let us be patient. God knows what's best for His glory and our immortal souls. He knows when, where, and how to work deliverance for us, far better than we do.

We must wait submissively. We must submit our vain wills to His sovereign, almighty, perfect will. We must wait on Him with a spirit of humility and submission--as children waiting on their father to help them, feed them, teach them, and provide for them. His name is Jehovah-Jireh (The Lord Will Provide). Our God will not forget us. It is our responsibility to submit ourselves to Him, His will, and His ways.

We must wait on Him gladly. We quickly forget that not only is it our duty to wait on him, but our privilege to wait on His Majesty. Would we really rather have things our way? Has not our way proved to be abject misery and shame, countless times before? Would we rather have our foolish way--than His who is Love, Mercy, and Wisdom? Let us, as the dear children of God, wait on Him cheerfully.

We must wait on Him expectantly.
He will do all that He has promised.
He will save us.
He will remember us.
He will destroy our enemies.
He will bring us to Himself.
He will dispel the darkness.
He will accomplish His purpose for us and in us.
Let us wait on Him who cannot fail, with earnest expectation and lively hope.

We must wait on Him prayerfully. We must have our eyes perpetually fixed upon Him. Let us give ourselves to constant prayer, so that day by day, hour by hour, and moment by moment--we are looking to Him for fresh supplies of mercy and grace to sustain us, strengthen us, and keep us to the end.

We must wait on Him with persistence and perseverance. We must be resolute and determined to wait on Him forever if needs be. In His time, on His terms, when the time is best, right, and perfect--He will come and He will deliver us from all our sorrows, all our troubles, and all our fears.

Children of God--our Savior will never leave us to ourselves!
He is with us always!
He loved us!
He chose us!
He suffered, bled, and died for us!
He redeemed us with His own precious blood!
He called us by His Spirit and gave us life from the dead!
He has staked His glory as God, upon our everlasting salvation!

He has promised to do us good, and to withhold no good thing from us! How can we not faithfully, joyfully, and patiently wait on such a God as this?

"Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!"

[nChrist]

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Names!

(William Dyer, "Christ's Famous Titles")

"I will write upon them the name of my God" Revelation 3:12

O there is a great difference between the names of the saints--and the names of the wicked!

The saints are called . . .
  godly, from God;
  Christians, from Christ;
  spiritual, from the Spirit;
  heavenly, from Heaven, because their conversation is there, because their Head is there, and they are heirs of heaven.

But the wicked are called . . .
  devilish, from the devils;
  the cursed, from the curses;
  worldlings, from the world;
  and sinners, from sin.

The ungodly are called . . .
  dogs,
  vipers,
  swine,
  thorns,
  ravening wolves!

But the saints are called . . .
  jewels,
  treasures,
  kings,
  doves,
  lilies,
  heirs of the kingdom of glory!

And hence it is, that some godly men have thought it a greater honor to be a member of Christ--than to be a king upon a throne! Indeed, a holy heart is better than a great estate!

[nChrist]

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True excellency!

(Jonathan Edwards)

Worldly men imagine that there is true excellency and true happiness in those things which they are pursuing. They think that if they could but obtain them, that they would be happy. But when they obtain them, and cannot find happiness, they look for happiness in something else, and are still upon the futile pursuit.

But Christ Jesus has true excellency, and so great excellency that when they come to see it they look no further, but the mind rests there.

"Yes, He is altogether lovely! This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend!" Song of Songs 5:16

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Lord, stamp eternity on my eyeballs!

(Jonathan Edwards)

Where will all of our worldly enjoyments be, when we are laid in the silent grave?

Resolved, to live as I shall wish I had done, when I come to die.

Resolved, to live as I shall wish I had done, ten thousand ages hence.

Lord, stamp eternity on my eyeballs!

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.
 For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
    2 Corinthians 4:18

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I can take my Elim with me through the great wilderness!

(Alexander Smellie, "The Secret Place" 1907)

"After leaving Marah, the Israelites traveled on to the oasis of Elim, where they found twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. They camped there beside the water." Exodus 15:27

If I were not a pilgrim journeying through the wilderness--I could not know the refreshment of Elim. If I did not taste the bitterness of Marah--the pleasanter waters of Elim would lose half of their delightfulness. Therefore I should thank God for the difficult wilderness journey, and the keen afflictions along the way.

Elim brings supply. The oasis has its twelve springs of water--one for each of the tribes in Israel. And if I am journeying under God's leadership, in fellowship with His people, towards His promised land--how many are the aids, and how varied is the provision, with which the King of the way furnishes me!
Sunday worship comes week after week.
The Word of life and peace, is in my hands.
I have the Throne of Grace, to which I can resort in all my times of need.
There are golden days of peculiar privileges, and sweet fellowship with Christian friends.
Never should I be without the living water.

Elim brings shade. Above the twelve springs of water, rise straight and stately palm trees--seventy of them, as many as the seventy years of man's life on earth. They come between me, and the remorseless blaze of the sun. They secure for me a welcome coolness and refreshment.

Jesus, our adorable redeemer, is a shade from the blazing heat of divine justice. He is . . .
  shelter from the just condemnation of my sin,
  shelter from the cruel onslaught of temptation,
  shelter from the hardening effects of sorrow,
  mercy to pardon, and grace to help!

Elim also brings rest. "They camped there beside the water"--and I should do likewise. It may be . . .
  that the wilderness stretches on every hand,
  that tomorrow I shall be in the desert sun once more,
  that the end of my pilgrim's journey is far off.
Yet, I have the cheering memory of God's supply and God's shadow to solace me.

In my pilgrim journey through this wilderness, hardship cannot be avoided. Yet, I can take my Elim with me through the great wilderness, and I need never lack the "twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees."

There is something much amiss, if ever my heart ceases to be quiet and confident, and if I ever forget to raise the song that tells of rest beneath the palm-trees and joy beside the springs of water.

[nChrist]

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Such will be their sense of justice!

(Jonathan Edwards, "Discourses on Various Important Subjects" 1738.)

Can the believing husband in Heaven be happy with his unbelieving wife in Hell?

Can the believing father in Heaven be happy with his unbelieving children in Hell?

Can the loving wife in Heaven be happy with her unbelieving husband in Hell?

I tell you, yes. Such will be their sense of justice, that it will increase rather than diminish their bliss!

"After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are His judgments. Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever." Revelation 19

(Editor's note: Every thinking Christian asks the above difficult questions. When perfected in Heaven, we will lose all of our "human sentimentality" and will see things clearly from God's holy and righteous perspective.)