Grace Gems

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A painted happiness, a gilded misery!

(Thomas Watson)

"Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun!" Ecclesiastes 2:11

King Solomon had more than any man!

For his parentage, he came from the royal line.

For the situation of his palace, it was in Jerusalem, the paragon of the earth, "The city of God, the praise of the whole earth."

For wealth, his crown was hung full of jewels. He had vast treasures of gold and pearls: "The king made silver to be as common as stones in Jerusalem."

For wisdom, he was the oracle of his time. The Queen of Sheba was astonished at his knowledge!

Never had the world cast its smile on one so favored as Solomon--yet, when he had given an impartial verdict on the whole, he said of it, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!"

All the golden delights with which he was surrounded were a painted happiness, a gilded misery!

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A life once spent, is irrevocable!

(Adoniram Judson)

"Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life!" Psalm 39:4

A life once spent, is irrevocable. It will remain to be contemplated through eternity.

The same may be said of each day. When it is once past, it is gone forever! All the marks which we put upon it--it will exhibit forever. Each day will not only be a witness of our conduct, but will effect our everlasting destiny. How shall we then wish to see each day marked with usefulness!

It is too late to mend the days which are past, but the future is in our power. Let us, then, each morning, resolve to send the day into eternity in such a garb as we shall wish it to wear forever. And at night, let us reflect that one more day is irrevocably gone--indelibly marked!

"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom!" Psalm 90:12

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He was saint as well as scholar!

(Alexander Smellie, "The Secret Place" 1907)

"For Ezra had prepared his heart to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel." Ezra 7:10

If I would be like Ezra the scribe, bringing things new and old out of a full treasury, and guiding the feet of the perplexed into the ways of peace--I must look in four directions:

1. First, I shall turn my gaze inwards upon my heart. "Ezra had prepared his heart to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord." Ezra had prepared his heart, and so must I. I must understand that vital religion is deeper . . .
  than external observance of religious rituals,
  than a valiant confession of the lips,
  than an ordered theological belief system.
It is the soul convinced of sin, confiding the Savior, filled from above with penitence and faith and peacefulness and power.

He alone can plead with others and can prevail--who has undergone this most radical change, and whose heart is prepared for his work by its simple trust in the redeeming and quickening mercy of his Good Physician.

2. Then I shall give attention to my mind. For "Ezra had prepared his heart to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord." He was a pupil in the school of the heavenly oracles. He hungered and thirsted for clearer and profounder and more adequate conceptions of that wisdom which is eternal and divine.

To the last of my life, I must be a disciple and student of God's Word. He has more light and truth to break forth from His holy Word; but He reveals them to those alone who search and dig for them as for hidden treasure. How can I feed my fellows with the bread of the soul, unless I am busy appropriating and enjoying it myself?

3. And I shall be watchful over my life. "Ezra had prepared his heart to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord." Ezra was careful not merely to study the Word, but to DO it. He was saint as well as scholar! Day after day, the purifying Word kept him from staining his garments, and made his character gracious and godly. The sermon I preach by what I AM--is more eloquent than the sermon I preach by what I SAY!

4. And, finally, I shall guard and train and hallow my lips. It was Ezra's ambition to teach God's decrees and laws in Israel--to speak . . .
  when the fitting opportunity presents itself;
  with no affectation, but naturally and sincerely;
  as a dying man to dying men;
  the unyielding truth in love and pity and tears;
  to the glory of God.

May I tread in the wake of Ezra the scribe!

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The death of His saints!

(Alexander Smellie, "The Secret Place" 1907)

"Precious in the sight of the Lord, is the death of His saints!" Psalm 116:15

To me death has its unlovely aspects. I may be ready by God's grace to meet it--and yet I recoil instinctively from the act of dying.
It seems unnatural.
It is usually attended by pain and suffering.
It is a farewell to dear and beloved associations.
It is a going out into an untrodden land.
I cannot coax myself to love the dreadful experience. And therefore I am glad to think that there is another side to the matter, and that to my Lord, my death is precious. And why should it be so?

Let me consider the name by which He calls me, and I shall begin to understand. "His saints!" That is His title for His sons and daughters, among whom I have been enrolled.
The people of His own purchased possession.
The redeemed people whom He has set apart for Himself.
He owns them in virtue of the stupendous price which He paid for them.
He has been at infinite pains to redeem and save and cleanse them.
Nothing which concerns them appears indifferent to Him.
The death of the humblest of them, is of stupendous moment in His sight.

Let me reflect, too, that death is one of the means His grace and power employ to uplift and crown me. It looks as though I scarcely could know God thoroughly, or confide in Him completely--until I learn to lean upon Him . . .
  when heart and flesh faint and fail,
  when the long and close fellowship of body and soul is sundered,
  and when I pass forth alone into the mystery of unseen eternity.
Then He becomes more indispensable than ever. Then my trust must be simple and absolute. Then, when lover and friend are put far away, I cling to Him and refuse to let Him go. Death teaches us this perfection of dependence.

And let me predict to myself the future to which death is the doorway. I can scarcely imagine it . . .
  its spotless holiness,
  its unfathomable bliss,
  its endless pleasures,
  its divine love. But He sees it clearly, and comprehends it in its breadth and length and depth and height. He is familiar . . .
  with the flowers and fruits of His upper garden,
  with the refreshment of the fourfold river,
  with the music of the better country,
  with the city's foundations of gems, and its gates of pearl, and its streets of gold.

Is it a marvel that He should pronounce desirable and precious, that loosening and wrench from earth which liberates me for a Heaven like this?

When I think my Lord's thoughts, I shall cease to be so afraid of death!

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Ah! the heart was wrong, and therefore everything was wrong!

(Alexander Smellie, "The Secret Place" 1907)

"Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root!" Mark 4:5-6

Much is said about these stony-ground hearers of the Word, which is attractive and hopeful. I anticipate a true life, a brave witness, an abundant harvest. But suddenly comes the check, the change, the fall. And what was the problem? Ah! the heart was wrong, and therefore everything was wrong!

1. The heart was unbroken. The rock had never been penetrated at all, and the seed died soon on its hard and impervious surface.

I wonder whether the stubbornness and the stolidity of my heart have been shattered. Have I been melted . . .
  into practical concern of soul,
  into the sense of spiritual neediness,
  into godly sorrow,
  into contrite prayer?
There can be no new birth and no vital growth, until then!

After an eruption of Mount Vesuvius, the lava covered the fields with an apparently invincible crust; but the peasants bored holes in it, and pierced to the ground below, and planted their vines--and in due season gathered the grapes. Has the lava-crust of my heart been divinely pierced and overcome?

2. And the heart was shallow and superficial. It had no depth. Immediately beneath the thin layer of top-soil, was that rebellious and intractable adamant; the seed had not a sufficient resting-place and home.

This is the fatal fault of very many. They do not stop to think about unseen, eternal, heavenly things. They do not take time to consider their own miserable state of soul, and the grace of Jesus Christ. They nod, and glance, and bustle by.

Again I ought to examine myself. I can be eager enough, and resolute enough, about earthly matters. But have I ever roused my very soul, have I ever set my face like a flint, to seek and find the Lord my Savior, my Righteousness, my Strength? There is no possibility of salvation for the superficial heart!

3. And the heart was dry. It had none of the moistening, subduing, fructifying influences of the Holy Spirit. If the showers descend upon the rocky soil, there is no loam to retain them and to derive a benefit from them.

Just so, does everything depend on the Spirit's presence and work within me! Apart from His dews and gentle rains, I am helpless, hopeless, dead, damned. For until His almightiness renews me, until His waters slake and vivify my parched and thirsty being, until I receive the outpouring of the grace of God--I have no spiritual life.

Is it not a miserable heart, this heart of stone?

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh!" Ezekiel 36:26

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Poverty and affliction

(Richard Sibbes)

"Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey Your word." Psalm 119:67

"It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn Your decrees." Psalm 119:71

Poverty and affliction take away the fuel which feeds pride!

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

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Ten thousand are destroyed by its smiles!

(Thomas Brooks)

Where one thousand are destroyed by the world's frowns--ten thousand are destroyed by its smiles!

A little of this world will serve a man who is strong in grace.
Much of this world will serve a man who is weak in grace.
But nothing will serve a man who is void of grace!

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever!" 1 John 2:15-17

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He became poor!

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

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich!" 2 Corinthians 8:9

He who was so rich--became so poor!

He who was Lord of all--had nothing at all!

He who made heaven and earth--had no home of His own!

As He was born in another man's house--so He was buried in another man's tomb!

He who gives crowns of glory to others--had only a crown of thorns for Himself!

The foxes and the birds had more than Jesus! "Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but I, the Son of Man, have no home of my own, not even a place to lay My head!" Matthew 8:20. The foxes had holes to lay their heads in--but Christ had not a place to lay his head on.

"He became poor!" Yes, poor indeed, and so poor that He had not a shekel! You will say that a man is very poor--who has not a shekel! Truly such a one was Christ--He had not a shekel to pay the tax until He got it out of the fish's mouth!

Oh! admire and wonder at this! Is not Jesus . . .
  the brightness of God,
  the paradise of angels,
  the beauty of Heaven,
  the Redeemer of man,
  the destroyer of death,
  the King of saints!
And that He should become so poor for us--oh! this is wonderful and astonishing to angels and men!

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The antidote for fear!

(Alexander Smellie, "The Secret Place" 1907)

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you! I have called you by your name--you are Mine!" Isaiah 43:1

God is intensely desirous to rid me of my needless fears. Does He not give me reason after reason for peacefulness, calmness and hope?

1. "Fear not," He says, "for I have redeemed you!"
What a work it was!
What a price it demanded!
What a sorrow it involved!
It meant the surrender and sacrifice of His Son, His Only-Begotten, His Well-Beloved. It meant for the King of Glory, to be born in a lowly stable, with the ox and donkey and camel. After a life of suffering, it meant a stark and dreadful Cross on the Hill of Shame!

A Scottish professor, who retained to the last a childlike heart, speaking to his students one day about the atoning sacrifice of Calvary, said, with the tears running down his cheeks, "Ay, ay, do you know what it was? Do you know what it was? It was damnation--and He took it lovingly!"

It was my damnation--and He took it lovingly! And since God gave all this for me--then how can He ever abandon me? Let my heart be confident and strong.

2. There is His understanding of my case. "Fear not," He continues, "for I have called you by name!" He has such multitudes to remember, and yet He knows me individually and intimately! The stars lie along the face of the sky like bright unnumbered dust; but He knows star from star. The flowers spring up in battalions; but not a single flower is "born to blush unseen"--He knows it, and rejoices in it. There are billions of people in the world today, and I cannot grasp the tremendous aggregate; but He is familiar with each beating soul.

Just so, He comprehends . . .
  my special needs and circumstances,
  my overbearing duties,
  my sore temptations,
  my herculean difficulties,
  my subtle and persevering foes.
Should I not be strong and courageous, when the Lord of Heaven has such perfect acquaintance with me?

3. And there is His ownership of my soul. "Fear not," He commands once more, "for you are Mine!" In a sense I was always His possession; but since He purchased me with Christ's blood, I am among . . .
  His jewels,
  His trophies,
  His special possessions,
  His redeemed children!

Why should I be afraid? I am Christ's redeemed child, and He owns and keeps me!

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Unspeakable!

(Alexander Smellie, "The Secret Place" 1907)

What vastness and wonder there is about Christ and His redemption! When He is mine, I dwell among inexhaustible and immeasurable things! Three times the New Testament uses the adjective "Unspeakable!" concerning Him.


1. "Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift!" 2 Corinthians 9:15

Saved by His mercy, I possess this unspeakable gift--unspeakable on account of its dimensions. Jesus baffles computation, He is so far-reaching and so wide.

I cannot describe His breadth: He meets all the requirements of my many-sided nature--body, mind, memory, imagination, conscience, will, heart.

I cannot estimate His length: from eternity past He loved me--and through eternity future His love will last, without end, without change!

I cannot fathom His depth: He fathoms my sharpest sorrow, my bitterest agony, my fiercest temptation, my foulest sin.

I cannot scale His height: He transforms me into His own holy likeness, and will soon bring me to His own presence--up and up to the heart and the house of the Father!

Christ is an inexpressible gift which cannot be set forth in detail!


2. "He was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter!" 2 Corinthians 12:4

I listen to His unspeakable words--unspeakable on account of their sacredness. It is not lawful for a man to utter them. I have moments on the Mount with my Lord, about which in their mystery and miracle and delight--I cannot express. He has His secrets for me, with which it would be sacrilege for a stranger to intermeddle. I am lifted into Paradise; I look on its flowers; I hearken to its songs--and then I must shut up the marvel in my heart of hearts.


3. "Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an unspeakable and glorious joy!" 1 Peter 1:8

Admitted to His family, I rejoice with an unspeakable joy--unspeakable on account of its richness. How superfluous and empty are words picture it--how poor and inadequate! The cup runs over. The tide sweeps every barrier away! Christ intends me to have an unbroken experience of His pardoning mercy, and His keeping and sanctifying grace. He intends me to reap inconceivable satisfaction from communion with Himself. My joy on earth should be of the same substance, if not of the same degree, as the joy which waits for me in Heaven!

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The place called Calvary!

(John Stott, "The Message of Galatians")

"When they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him!" Luke 23:33

Every time we look at the Cross, Jesus seems to say to us,
"I am here because of you! It is . . .
 your sin that I am bearing,
 your curse that I am suffering,
 your dept that I am paying,
 your death that I am dying!"

Nothing in the universe cuts us down to size, like the Cross! All of us have inflated views of ourselves--until we have visited the place called Calvary. It is there, at the foot of the Cross, that we shrink to our true size.

"When we were utterly helpless, Christ died for the ungodly!" Romans 5:6

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What are you doing?

(J.C. Ryle)

Do nothing that you would not like God to see.

Say nothing that you would not like God to hear.

Write nothing that you would not like God to read.

Go no place, where you would not like God to find you.

Read no book, of which you would not like God to say, "Show it to Me!"

Never spend your time in such a way that you would not like to have God say, "What are you doing?"

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God at work!

(James Smith, "Nothing Too Hard for God!" 1864)

"There is nothing too hard for You!" Jeremiah 32:17

There is nothing too hard for God to EFFECT.
"I know that You can do everything."
"Is anything too hard for Me, says the Lord?"
"He does according to His will among the armies of Heaven, and the inhabitants of the earth."
"He works all things after the counsel of His own will."

Nothing is too hard for God--no change in providence, however it may appear improbable, or impossible to us. He could bring water out of the flinty rock. He could supply quail to satisfy the wants, and gratify the lusts of His people in the desert. He could feed Elijah for twelve months by ravens, and for two years and a half more by a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in the widow's cruse. He could inundate Samaria with plenty--in the midst of famine and fearful desolation. If He wills it . . .
  the fire shall not burn the three Hebrew youth,
  nor the lions injure Daniel,
  nor death hold Lazarus in the tomb.

What He has done--He can do; for He is immutable. And if necessary for the glory of His name--He will do it, for He will not allow His name to be polluted.

"Providence" is simply God at work--at work for . . .
  the accomplishment of His decrees,
  the fulfillment of His promises,
  the manifestation of His character, and
  the present and eternal welfare of His people.
He can . . .
give whatever we need,
do whatever we need, and
glorify Himself in giving to us, and working for us!

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How much did he leave?

(J.R. Miller, "The Shining Light" 1911)

"What is a man profited, if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" Matthew 16:26

That is putting the case in its most favorable light. The whole world is the largest possible gain. But suppose a man does get the whole world . . .
  it cannot keep him from pain or trouble;
  it cannot give him peace of conscience;
  it cannot comfort him in sorrow;
  it cannot make a soft pillow for him when he is dying;
  it cannot purchase Heaven for him when he is gone.

All he can do with the world, after he has it, is to keep it for a short time until he dies--he cannot carry any part of it with him to eternity.

"How much did he leave?" asked one, referring to a millionaire who had just died. "Every cent!" was the reply. He left all. So it is easy to see that there is no profit--but rather a fearful and eternal loss, in gaining even all the world at the price of one's soul.

"Then the rich man said: 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.'
And I'll say to myself: 'You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry!'
But God said to him: 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'
This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." Luke 12:18-21

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I must take off my earthly garments, and put on my sacred dress

(Alexander Smellie, "The Secret Place" 1907)

"Once the priests enter the Holy Place, they shall not go out of it into the outer court until they leave behind the garments in which they minister, for these are holy. They are to put on other clothes before they approach the public area." Ezekiel 42:14

The priests which Ezekiel mentions, take great discipline and preparation to please God. In compliance with His command, they clothe themselves in holy robes of the fairest linen. They make ready for drawing near His holy Presence.

Just so, I must be willing to take time and effort in my worship. Every day, I must pass into my sacred shrine to be with God. With a set purpose, I must take off my earthly garments, and put on my sacred dress.
I have to hush myself into quietness.
I have to beseech the Holy Spirit for His empowerment.
I have to steadfastly study the majesty, the purity, and the grace of the God to Whom I come.
Much mental concentration is required of me.
A sincere and honest heart is also required.
I am called to earnest contemplation and prayer.

When the service of the priests is over in the inner sanctuary, they divest themselves of the robes of whiteness in which they stood before the Lord. They do not show themselves to the people in a garb so venerable. God keeps something to Himself, something which shall be known only to His servants and to Him.

Just so, I cannot disclose everything in my secret place with others. There are heights and depths in the truth I am being taught, in the mercy I have received--which I do not yet comprehend, and over which I shall have to ponder all my life long.

And I ought not to disclose everything. To unveil my most sublime spiritual experiences, will injure me.
It would lessen humility, and foster pride.
It would rub the delicate bloom from off my character.
It would make my secret place a beaten path.
My sanctuary clothing is not for the public outer court.

Yet mine is a God who is never distant and inaccessible. The priests of old, left the shrine and went out into the world. But the Lord abides in the Holy Place still. We need only to return, and to clothe themselves anew in our holy vestments, and we will find Him the same as before--a God . . .
   Who rejoices to hear our cry,
   Who delights in our sincere, yet poor and disappointing services,
   Who will lift up His countenance on us and give us peace.

When I call upon Him, withdrawing myself from all others and all else--He is near as my strong Refuge and and my ever-present Help in times of trouble. The doors of His Holy Place are never barred; and, within the doors, His gracious welcome awaits me.

May He be the Temple that is the dearest spot on earth to me.
May I be priest to serve Him day and night!

"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty!" Psalm 91:1