Grace Gems

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I would unmask the devil!

(Talmage, "The Abominations of Modern Society", 1872)

"Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light!" 2 Corinthians 11:14

Poets and painters have portrayed Satan as a hideous creature, with horns and hoofs.

If I were a poet, I would describe him with . . .
  manners polished to the last perfection,
  hair flowing in graceful ringlets,
  eye glistening with splendor;
  hands soft and diamonded;
  step light and graceful;
  voice mellow as a flute;
  conversation articulate and eloquent;
  breath perfumed until it would seem that nothing had ever touched his lips but balm and myrrh.

But his heart I would encase with the scales of a monster, then filled . . .
  with pride,
  with beastliness of lust,
  with recklessness,
  with hypocrisy,
  with death,
  with damnation!

In my next portrait, I would unmask the devil--until . . .
  his two eyes would become the cold orbs of the adder;
  and on his lip would come the foam of raging intoxication;
  and to his feet, the spring of the panther;
  and his soft hand would become the clammy hand of a wasted skeleton;
  and in the smooth lisp of his tongue, would come the hiss of the worm which never dies;
  while suddenly from his heart would burst in all-devouring fury--the unquenchable flames of Hell!

But, until unmasked, I would describe him as nothing but myrrh, and balm, and ringlet, and diamond, and flute-like voice, with pleasant and mirthful conversation.

"So that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are very familiar with his evil schemes." 2 Corinthians 2:11

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But why?

(Don Fortner)

"Behold, we count them blessed who endure." James 5:11

Faith counts them blessed who patiently endure trials, as Job, the saints, and prophets of old did.

But why? Upon what grounds do we count them blessed?

Enduring their trials, God's saints find themselves compelled to cling tightly to their Savior---and that brings them into closer, sweeter communion with Him. And that is our happiness! We are blessed, indeed, when . . .
  we are admitted into the inner chambers of Him whom our souls love,
  our sorrows more fully reveal to us the Man of Sorrows,
  our griefs cast us upon the heart of our God,
  our troubles take us to the Throne of Grace.

Little chicks in the sunshine run all over the yard, pecking and gathering whatever they find. But if a hawk appears in the sky, the mother hen calls them with a sharp alarm. Immediately, they perceive the danger and run under her wings for safety.

God's saints are like those chicks. He was a much afflicted man who wrote, "He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings shall you trust." Psalm 91:4

One of the most delicious of sensations outside of Heaven, is to fall helplessly into the arms of Christ! There we find . . .
  strength in helplessness,
  joy in submission,
  rest in resignation,
  and peace in surrender!
Anything which . . .
 gives new life to prayer,
 brings us to the Throne of Grace,
 and renews communion with our God--
is so great a gift that, "we count them blessed who endure."

There is no place in all our pilgrim journey more needful for our souls than the Valley of Humiliation. The tops of the Delectable Mountains are wonderful, exhilarating spots, from which we sometimes see the Golden City. But those are heights too steep for our trembling feet to stand firmly upon them. The valley suits us better, though flesh and blood finds it hard to go downhill. Here our dear Savior manifests Himself to His chosen as He does not to the world. Therefore "we count them blessed who endure."

Once more, "we count them blessed who endure," because "our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory!" 2 Corinthians 4:17. Oh, what glory awaits us on the other side! And that glory awaiting us is made all the more glorious by "the trial of our faith!"

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The pattern which we daily strive to copy!

(George Everard, "Before His Footstool" 1874)

O merciful God, our Creator and our Benefactor, our Father in Christ Jesus--we come to You today to thank and praise You for all Your manifold mercies. We thank You for the proofs of Your goodness which day by day we receive at Your kind hands. You have given us all things richly to enjoy. You have given to us home and friends, food and clothing--and You have preserved us in life and health. For all this bounty we adore and praise Your holy name.

But we would bless You most of all, for Your inestimable love in our redemption. You have given Your Son Jesus Christ to be a sacrifice for our sins. Fill us with sincere gratitude, and teach us to praise You both with our lips and in our lives.

O God of love, purify our hearts that we may love You as we ought. You are worthy that we should love You far above all else. But we are carnal, and our affections cling too much to the things of the world. May Your Holy Spirit break the chains which bind us so closely to earth, and draw us nearer to Yourself. Shed abroad Your love in our hearts, that we may desire Your presence above all things. Kindle within each of us the heavenly flame, and may it burn ever more and more brightly.

O blessed Savior, the Good Shepherd of Your flock--may Your holy life be the pattern which we daily strive to copy. Teach us so to walk as You walked when sojourning here below. May our constant aim be to do the will of our Father in Heaven. May we be gentle and meek and forbearing towards all men. May we never willfully yield to the very least sin. May we give ourselves unto prayer, and make Your Word the rule of our life. May we go about doing good, and watch for occasions of comforting those in distress. Fill our hearts with zeal and love, with patience and kindness, with humility, and hatred of all evil. May we daily fix our eye on You as revealed in Your Word, and may we be changed into Your holy image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of our God.

May Your Word ever be the light to guide and direct us, and may Christ alone be the resting-place of our heart.

Hear us, O God, and preserve us evermore by Your help and goodness, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Here is a sermon which none can dispute!

(George Everard, "Up High!" 1884)

"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in Heaven." Matthew 5:16

We are to let the beauty of Jesus be seen upon us, that some rays of His glorious holiness may be manifested to the eyes of the world around. We are to go forth clothed in . . .
  His meekness,
  His purity,
  His love,
  His heavenliness,
  His unselfishness--
that sinners about us may gain some faint idea of His grace, through His likeness seen in us.

When, from beneath the humble garb of some lowly disciple, there shines forth something of Christ, something of what He was when on earth--here is a sermon which none can dispute, here is an appeal to the human conscience, more eloquent than the most powerful address ever made from the pulpit!

Christian, do you thus glorify Christ day by day?

Does your life speak so distinctly and plainly for Christ, that men cannot fail to hear?

Does your temper, your tone of thought and speech, bear witness that you walk continually before God?

Do men take knowledge of you, that you have been with Him--and that He is with you?

Is there transparent sincerity in what you say, and unsullied integrity in all your actions?

Is there the spirit of self-sacrifice--trampling SELF under foot, and spending time and money for the welfare of others?

Is there a deep hatred of sin as sin, and a desire to do the will of God under all circumstances?

Is there a fixed determination rather to die, than willfully to break a single command, or cast a shadow of dishonor on the name of Him who so loved you?

Do you "long to be like Jesus," and every moment to live devotedly and wholly in His service?

Then for this purpose, plead with Him this prayer, "Lord Jesus, glorify Yourself in me! Help me to show forth by my daily life, that I have been with You. May Your image be formed in me, and may Your life on earth be the pattern which I ever strive to follow."

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This would help you more than anything!

(George Everard)

A wandering of the mind in prayer is an evil to be carefully avoided. I imagine there is no child of God but has continually to lament wandering thoughts--something coming in to divert the attention, and often carrying you miles away from the presence of the Lord. Even those who most grieve and regret this evil, find that it often comes and disturbs them. It meets them in the sanctuary, it meets them in family worship, it meets them in their private devotions. It is a weed that is ever growing, and no remedy has yet been found that can completely root it out of the garden of the heart.

Yet some guidance may be given in the matter. Strive to be very definite in your prayers. Think of what you most need, and then put it very distinctly before the Lord.

Also, endeavor always to speak as to a living person. If you could more fully realize and always recollect that when you pray, a living Redeemer and an omnipotent Friend bows down the ear to hear, that He is close by you, that you are not speaking into the air--but that you speak your words to one who as truly sees you and hears you as if you saw Him with your very eyes before you--this would help you more than anything!

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Oh, do not waste life!

(George Everard, "Mind Your Steps!" 1884)

"Making the very most of the time!" Ephesians 5:16

Be careful to make the very best use of your time. Make the most of each passing day. Instead of trying to kill time--strive to make it so fruitful of good to yourself and others. Hours and moments are golden--yes, more valuable than pearls and diamonds--and to squander and waste them is folly beyond description! Until we reach eternity, we shall never know how much good has been obtained or wrought . . .
  by a moment's earnest prayer,
  by a passing opportunity seized,
  by five minutes given to read a helpful book,
  by a quarter of an hour given to visit some suffering saint.

How much Christ accomplished in the three years of His public ministry! He was always intent on the work He had to do, so that tens of thousands were taught and benefitted. And though we are so sinful, and our power so feeble in comparison--is not His life to be a pattern for ours?

Oh, do not waste life! Map it out prudently, and think well of the work to which you yourself are called.
No lost hours through late rising in the morning!
No mornings or evenings worse than lost, in drinking in the poison or the vanity of a worthless novel!
No moments thrown away in idle gossip and foolish talking!
No, no--our was life given to us for this! Use it far better and more wisely. Remember that . . .
  the time is short,
  the work is great, and
  the outcome is for eternity!

Soon will the great bell toll, which will usher you into a future state. Brother, sister, make haste to do all the work allotted to you--to do it well, that the Master may be glorified, and your crown the brighter.

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

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Ah! we live in an enemy's land!

(Letters of John Newton)

"Though he stumbles, he will not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholds him with His hand!" Psalm 37:24

Ah! we live in an enemy's land! We tread upon enchanted ground, and breathe an infected air! Without the supporting power of God and the preservatives of the Gospel--we would surely faint and fall.

Oh! my Lord, keep me. I adore and wonder that I have been kept, that I stand--for surely I am no wiser or better than some who have fallen.

"Hold me up, and I shall be safe! And I shall observe Your statutes continually." Psalm 119:117

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Pierced!

(James Smith, "Looking Upon the Pierced One!" 1860)

"He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed!" Isaiah 53:5

If we would enjoy peace, grow in grace, and walk with God--there is one object on which the eye of the mind should be constantly fixed. Therefore it is written, as the language of our crucified Lord, "They shall look upon Me whom they have pierced!" Zechariah 12:10.

Pierced! WHO pierced Him?

WE did--and pierced Him to the heart! Nor were we satisfied with piercing Him once--for we have pierced Him often, and pierced Him through and through!
Our unbelief pierces Him;
our ingratitude pierces Him;
the coldness of our love pierces Him;
our forgetfulness pierces Him;
our preferring the world to Him pierces Him;
our disobedience to His Word pierces Him;
and our doubting of His love pierces Him!

It was WE who pierced Him on Calvary!
We put the nails and the hammer into the hands of the executioners!
We put the spear into the hand of the Roman soldier!
Yes, it was we who . . .
  gathered the thorns,
  picked out the sharpest,
  formed them into a mock crown,
  thrust it on His head, and
  with the staff beat the thorns into His temples!

See, see, there He hangs! Pierced in His head, hands, feet, and side--pierced for us--pierced by us!

Look, my soul, at the pierced One!

God's holy Son hangs on that cross!

O my soul, look at Jesus!
He is your Substitute.
He is there for you!
He is suffering death for you!
He is bearing the desert of your sins in His body on the tree!
He is enduring your curse, being made accursed for you!

He is revealing . . .
  what is in man's nature,
  what is in God's heart, and
  what He is willing to do and suffer--rather than I should perish!

Yes, Jesus is there for me!
He represents my person!
He answers for my crimes!
He dies in my stead!

O Savior, was ever any love, was ever any agony, was ever any death--like Yours!

Look, my soul, look to Jesus, the pierced One!

Look, and mourn--because your sins degraded, disgraced, and put Him to grief!

Look, and rejoice, for you shall have . . .
  dignity--by His degradation,
  honor--by His disgrace, and
  life--by His death!

Look, and be sorry that you have ever sinned, and so caused Jesus to suffer!
Look, and rejoice that you shall live forever to glorify and praise His name!

O my soul, Jesus was wounded for your transgressions, and bruised for your iniquities!
His blood has made your peace with God,
His righteousness gives you a title to eternal life,
and His death delivers you from dying!

I fix my eye intently on Jesus on the Hill Calvary, and marking all His tears, wounds, and agonies--I feel that I was the cause of all. I myself did it! Yes, I MYSELF . . .
  bruised Him,
  scourged Him,
  spit on Him,
  crowned Him with thorns,
  smote Him with the fist, and
  nailed Him to the cursed tree!
I inflicted it all.

Yet, O wonder of wonders! I derive pardon, holiness, and eternal life from it!

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My needs--His fullness!

(James Meikle, May 24, 1757)

All plenitude is in Christ, to answer all the needs of His people. In Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead, that out of His fullness, I may receive all spiritual blessings!

Have I destroyed myself by sin?
I have deliverance from Him who is mighty to save from sin and wrath!

Is my life fleeting--and passing away like a shadow?
Jesus is the Ancient of days, and endures forevermore!

Are my days short-lived and full of trouble?
Jesus is my life, and the joy of my heart!

Am I exposed to contempt?
Jesus shall be my crown of glory, and diadem of beauty!

Am I traveling through the wilderness?
Jesus is my staff, and on Him I lean all the way!

Am I on my last journey to my long home?
Jesus is my leader, and my rewarder!

Am I a sheep?
Jesus is my pasture, and my green pasture too!

Am I hungry and thirsty?
Jesus is my heavenly manna, and gives me to drink of the water of life!

Am I weary?
Jesus is my rest and refreshing!

Am I weak?
Jesus is my strength!

Am I oppressed and wronged?
Jesus is my judge and my avenger!

Am I reproached?
Jesus will wipe away the reproach of His people!

Am I a soldier?
Jesus is my Captain and shield!

Must I fight in the field of battle?
Jesus is my armor in the day of war!

Do I sit in darkness?
Jesus is my light!

Do I have doubts?
Jesus is my counselor!

Am I ignorant?
Jesus is my wisdom!

Am I guilty?
Jesus is my justification!

Am I filthy?
Jesus is my sanctification!

Am I poor?
Jesus is the pearl of great price, and has immeasurable riches laid up for me!

Am I blind?
Jesus, and none but He can open the eyes of one born blind!

Am I naked?
Jesus has white clothing to cover the shame of my nakedness!

Am I in the very utmost necessity?
Jesus is a very present help in time of trouble!

Am I exposed to the hurricanes of adversity?
Jesus is . . .
  a refuge from the storm,
  a shelter from the blast,
  rivers of water in a desert,
  the shadow of a great rock in a weary land!

Am I afraid of being left alone?
Jesus will never leave me, nor forsake me!

Do friends and brethren prove false?
Jesus is the friend who sticks closer than a brother!

Am I in danger from disease and death--or from sin and Satan?
My life is hidden with Christ in God! When He shall appear, I shall appear with Him--immortal in my body, and glorious in my soul!

Is my case considered in the court of Heaven?
There Jesus is my Advocate!

Do I offend the Father?
Jesus is my Intercessor!

Do I suffer in my body, and am I grieved in my mind?
Jesus bore my infirmities, and carried my griefs!

Is my mind disquieted, and my soul debarred from peace?
Jesus is my sympathetic High Priest! He was tempted in all points, and knows how to support those who are tempted!

Am I poor in my circumstances?
Jesus, the heir of all things! Though He was rich, yet for my sake He became poor--that I through His poverty might be made rich!

Do I suffer in my character?
Jesus was numbered with transgressors, called a glutton, a drunkard, and a devil!

Am I bereaved or alone?
Jesus, my best friend, can never die!

Must I undergo death and be laid in the grave?
Jesus has taken away the sting of death, and robbed the grave of its victory!

Must I rot in the grave?
Jesus shall be my resurrection, and raise me to immortality and bliss!

Would I go to God and to glory?
Jesus is my way, and must admit me into the palace of the great King, where I shall abide forever!

My needs are many--but His fullness is infinitely more!

The morning dews and fructifying showers water the fields, and refresh the parched furrows. But what are they, compared to the exhaustless ocean of Jesus?

What is all that I enjoy here below, compared to the exuberant fullness of Heavenly bliss? O! then, how shall my soul be replenished--when possessed of this infinite All, through eternity itself!

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Though sought with an ocean of tears!

(George Lawson, "A Practical Exposition of the Book of Proverbs" 1821)

"But since you rejected Me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out My hand, since you ignored all My advice and would not accept My rebuke--I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you--when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you! Then they will call to Me--but I will not answer; they will look for Me--but will not find Me. Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD, since they would not accept My advice and spurned My rebuke--they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes!" Proverbs 1:24-31

The prayers of these desperate rebels are like the howlings of a dog! They are cries extorted by strong necessity and intolerable anguish!

Sinners miserably delude their own souls by proposing to live in the indulgence of their sins--and die in the exercise of repentance. True repentance is never too late--but late repentance is seldom true!

Prayers are of no use in the eternal world. The day of grace is at an end, and the wretched shall cry in vain to the rocks and mountains to fall upon them, and hide them from the wrath of the Lord and of the Lamb.

Behold, now is the accepted time--now the Lord waits to be gracious. But the day is coming which is cruel with wrath and fierce anguish! No place shall then be found for mercy--though sought with an ocean of tears!

The punishment is indeed tremendous--but the sin that cause it is atrocious! It is no less than a contempt and hatred of the counsels of the Lord. What is this, but an undeniable proof of enmity against God Himself? And will not God avenge Himself on His enemies?

When men do not chose the fear of the Lord, but prefer the base pleasures of sin--they give plain proof of their hatred to God. How then, can they escape the damnation of Hell?

They laughed at God's threatenings, as if they had been idle tales--and God shall laugh at them!

They despised His counsels--and He shall despise their prayers!

They were always rebellious, and continued unchanged under all admonition--and God will prove an immutable avenger, and will pay no regard to their cries for help.

They took pleasure in sin--and God will laugh in punishing them on account of it.

God is not to be blamed--but on the contrary, He will be eternally glorious as their Avenger. His insulted mercy will be glorious in the punishment of His despisers. His unsullied justice shall shine in dispensing to the workers of iniquity, the wages of their wicked works!

Sinners never think they have drunk deep enough of the poisoned cup of sin--but they shall at length be filled with it. Then shall it satiate them--when they find that intolerable misery is its native consequence. That cup which now delights the lover of evil--will then be found a cup of fury, and the wicked must drink it down to its bitterest dregs!

He who cherishes iniquity--warms in his bosom the most venomous of serpents! Sinners owe their ruin . . .
  to their willful hardness of heart,
  to their abuse of divine mercy, and
  to their indifference to God's salvation.

If the prosperity of fools leads them to the indulgence of sin, and the neglect of holiness--it renders their damnation more certain and more dreadful!

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Prosperity, personality and popularity!

(Leonard Ravenhill)

The early Church was married to poverty, prisons and persecutions.

Today, the Church is married to prosperity, personality and popularity!

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Like coins from the same mint!

(Letters of John Newton)

My dear sir,
I could write a long note indeed, upon your very great mistake in considering me as a great man. If we could have a personal interview--I think you would be quickly undeceived! Ah! how different I am--from what perhaps I appear to be to others when in the pulpit.

Your mistake, however, has done me good. A whole quire of invective from an enemy could hardly have given me so keen a sense of shame. The Scriptures assure us that our hearts by nature, like coins from the same mint--are all alike. I hear my fellow-Christians complain of evils similar to what I feel. Otherwise I would have reason to conclude that there could not be one believer upon earth--so inconsistent, so evil, so vile beyond expression--as myself!

Ah, dear sir! what would you have thought of me--had you seen me when I lived among the slaves? The sight of me would have been offensive to your eyes, and my vile speech would have struck you with horror! I was miserable and despicable in every view--the common mark of scorn and insult! My whole wretched amusement and pleasure seemed to lie in blaspheming the name and person of Jesus, and in feeding my imagination with schemes of wickedness!

Some of my unhappy companions have perished in their sins--who have just cause to charge the ruin of their souls to my account! For Satan himself, had he been upon earth in a bodily shape--could hardly have been more industrious in tempting to infidelity and profligacy than I was!

There is seldom a day of my life, in which my thoughts are not led back to my former state of estrangement from Him, and that pre-eminence of wretchedness into which my sins plunged me!

Yet, it is of grace that my poor story is not much worse. The Lord is my keeper--therefore I am still preserved. "By the grace of God--I am what I am!" 1 Corinthians 15:10

I am, dear sir, your affectionate friend and servant,
John Newton, 1778

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Jesus is only precious to believers

(James Smith, "Christ Precious!" 1861)

"Unto you therefore who believe--He is precious!" 1 Peter 2:7

Every believer VALUES Christ. Let others think of Him as they may--all who are taught of God, think highly of Him. They can never honor Him as they wish, or enjoy Him to their full satisfaction.

Every believer feels their NEED of him.
No weary traveler ever felt his need of rest,
no hungry laborer ever felt his need of food,
no drowning mariner ever felt his need of a life-boat
--as the believer has felt his need of Christ!

They need to be saved--and only Christ can save them.
They need to be happy--and only Jesus can make them happy.
They need His blood to cleanse them from sin, and procure their pardon.
They need His righteousness to clothe their souls, and justify them before God.
They need His Spirit to sanctify their nature, and make them fit for Heaven.
They need His intercession to secure them from evil, and procure for them good things.
They need His fullness of grace to supply all their needs, from earth to Heaven.

Every believer discovers the exact SUITABILITY of Christ to them.
He is just what they need--He has all that they need!
They are foolish--and He has wisdom.
They are unrighteous--and He has righteousness.
They are unholy--and He has holiness.
They are weak--and He has strength.
They are in bondage--and He has redemption.
They are lost--and He has salvation.
In a word, they are led to see that God has stored up everything in Jesus--and that possessing Him, they have all things!

Every Christian believes on Him to the saving of the soul. They trust Him to procure their pardon, peace with God, and everlasting life.
Their heart goes out to Him,
they repose confidence in Him,
they commit their souls to Him,
they build on Him--as God's foundation;
they hide in Him--as the sinner's refuge; and
they trust themselves with Him--as the almighty Savior.

"Unto you therefore who believe--He is precious!"

But Jesus is only precious to believers. Others do not feel their need of Him, do not see His adaptation to them, and do not depend on Him for pardon, peace with God, and everlasting life.

Beloved, do you have this saving faith--which renders Christ so precious?

If so, admire the sovereign and distinguishing grace of God, which has conferred so great a blessing upon you--for not all are given saving faith.

If so, realize the importance of this faith--which renders Christ so precious.
It is the eye--which sees the beauty of Christ.
It is the foot--which travels to Christ.
It is the hand--which lays hold of Christ.
It is the mouth--which tastes the sweetness of Christ.
It is the inward principle--which clings and cleaves to Christ.

Avoid therefore whatever weakens faith, or interrupts its exercise; and prize whatever strengthens it, and makes it vigorous!

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There's no cost of being a Christian in America!

(Leonard Ravenhill)

I went to a church not along ago--they got thirty acres. So what are their plans with it? They want their own football field and tennis courts. Dear God, do we go to church to learn to play tennis? God help the preachers!

We have such an accommodating Christianity today.

The best title of the professing church of God today, in my judgment, is "Unbelieving Believers." There's cancer in the church tonight!

At this grim hour, the world sleeps in the darkness--and the Church sleeps in the light.

You'll never get me to believe that the church today believes in Hell.

We're a million, billion miles away from New Testament Christianity!

I doubt if 5% of professing Christians in America are born again!

Entertainment is the devil's substitute for joy. The more joy you have in the Lord, the less entertainment you need.

Is the world crucified to you--or does it fascinate you?

The apostles had no gold, but lots of glory. We have lots of gold, but no glory.
The book of Acts shows us the church before it became fat and short of breath by prosperity!

Who or what takes priority over God in our lives?

Where, oh, where are the eternity-conscious believers?

Where are the souls white-hot for God because they fear His holy name and presence and so live with eternity's values in view?

There's no cost of being a Christian in America!

I'd rather have ten people who want God--than 10,000 people who want to play church!

[nChrist]

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As well might a babe step between the railroad tracks!

(Arthur Pink, "The Godhood of God")

"All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as He pleases with the powers of Heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back His hand or say to Him: What have you done?" Daniel 4:35

As well might a worm seek to resist the tread of an elephant;
as well might a babe step between the railroad tracks and attempt to push back the on-rushing train;
as well might a child seek to prevent the ocean from rolling--
as for a creature to try and resist the outworking of the purpose of the Lord God!

Ah, my reader, this is the first great lesson we have to learn:
  that God is the Creator--and we are the creature;
  that He is the Potter--and we are the clay!

"O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in Heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you!" 2 Chronicles 20:6