Grace Gems

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It may be turned to good account--or it may be wasted, or misspent

(Ashton Oxenden, "The Touchstone of Opportunity" 1884)

"Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:15-16

To use our time well and wisely, is a matter of the greatest importance--for oh, how quickly is it passing away! We should seize our opportunities while they exist, and 'gather up the fragments which remain, that nothing be lost.'

The value of time--its exceeding preciousness--is beyond measure. Our days and hours hasten by, never to return. They are like water, which, when once spilt, cannot be gathered up again. They are like the rays of the sun, which at the moment may warm and invigorate us, but cannot be laid up for future use. Our lives are very short at best--and on the manner in which they are spent, will depend our condition forever.

Who can say how important is every moment which is given to us? It may be turned to good account--or it may be wasted, or misspent. No wonder then that we are charged, 'Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise'--like travelers on a dangerous road, looking around them on every side, and prepared for any difficulty which may suddenly arise. We should live cautiously and carefully, 'making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.'

What shall we say of those who let days, and months, and years pass--without thinking of anything beyond their own ease and enjoyment? Time is to them as a tale that is told, which is soon forgotten. It is like a vapor, which rises before them--but is speedily swept away, and is gone forever. One day is like another--all equally unprofitable--all gone to waste--nothing done for God or for eternity--a number of precious opportunities, but not one of them improved! We have, many of us, done but little in the way of 'redeeming the time.' We have allowed it to pass by unimproved.

Bear in mind then that we all have our opportunities--opportunities of doing good, opportunities of benefiting our fellow-creatures, opportunities of doing some work for God--and for every one of these opportunities, we must give an account.

Again, our time is very, very short--and all depends upon the right employment of it. Remember that our time is becoming shorter every day!

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

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The flattery of his brethren is distasteful to him!

(Ashton Oxenden, "The Touchstone of Humility" 1884)

A humble Christian is one who not only considers himself to be nothing--but is willing to be thought so by others. There is a vast difference between knowing our own faults--and being willing that others should know them. It is very mortifying to be accounted nothing in the eyes of our fellow-men. Now, the really humble man is content to bear this. He has no wish to be more highly esteemed than he deserves--in fact, the flattery of his brethren is distasteful to him!

And yet how utterly contrary is this to our natural feelings! The Drunkard would not wish his neighbors to know that he drinks--he would conceal it if he could. The Dishonest man would wish to appear honest before others.

And why all this desire at concealment? It is because people are anxious to keep up a good image before their fellow creatures--although they may have lost it with Him who knows all. The truth is, they 'love the praise of men, more than the praise of God.'

What a dangerous snare this is! To be thought well of by our brethren, and to stand high in their opinion--is too eagerly sought after by most of us. We have need not only to fight against the fear of man--but also, and still more, against the love and esteem of man. The esteem of godly men is well, as far as it goes; but it is clearly wrong to be always craving after it. We should rather feel that anything like flattering praise would be hurtful to us--and on that account we should shrink from it, and try to put it away from us.

It is hard, I know, to bring ourselves to this. To pray that we may become low in our own eyes--needs some grace. But to pray that we may be content to be lowered in the eyes of those around us--needs a large amount of grace!

Suppose you were to be informed that one, who stood high for his religious attainments, had expressed an unfavorable opinion of you--would not this be very displeasing? But I am inclined to think that a true Christian, though he would feel a little nettled at the time--would be able to thank God for anything which keeps down his pride, and sets him in his proper place!

The day is soon coming, when we shall be taken off the false heights which we often stand upon, and be brought to our true level--when all the esteem of others shall vanish and pass away like smoke--and we shall be just what God finds us to be, neither more nor less!

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No one really desires to go to Hell!

(Arthur Pink)

No one really desires to go to Hell--though there are few indeed who are willing to forsake that broad road which inevitably leads there.

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it!" Matthew 7:13-14

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Our doctrine is utterly meaningless!

(Don Fortner)

"Adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things." Titus 2:10

The study of the Bible should always be practical and applicable to our lives day by day. That is to say, we are to set forth in our lives as well as in our doctrine--the beauty, glory, and attractiveness of the gospel of Christ. We must have our lives regulated and governed by the gospel.

Let us take great care to conform our lives to our doctrine. Doctrine and duty cannot be separated. Every truth discovered in the Word of God ought to be applied to our lives. If our character and conduct does not reflect the grace and glory of God revealed in the gospel, our doctrine is utterly meaningless!

Gospel preachers are responsible to pointedly apply the gospel to the daily affairs and responsibilities of men and women in this world. It is every pastor's responsibility to faithfully to teach people how to live in this world for the glory of Christ, applying the Word of God to every area of life. It is the responsibility of God's saints to obey the gospel, applying it personally to every area of their lives.

Always be prepared to give up any doctrine or practice that is not found in holy Scripture and to embrace anything revealed in the Book of God, not matter what the sacrifice, no matter what the consequence.

"Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more." 1 Thessalonians 4:1

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If there were an ant at the door of your granary!

(Charles Spurgeon)

"Do not be afraid--for I Myself will help you--declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel." Isaiah 41:14

Today, let us hear the Lord Jesus speak to each one of us: "I Myself will help you! It is but a small thing for Me, your God, to help you. Consider what I have done already. What! not help you? Why, I bought you with My blood. What! not help you? Why, I have died for you! And if I have done the greater--will I not do the lesser? Help you? Before the world began--I chose you. I laid aside My glory and became a man for you. I gave up My life for you! And if I did all this--I will surely help you now. If you had need of a thousand times as much help--I would give it to you. You require little, compared with what I am ready to give. It is much for you to need--but it is nothing for Me to bestow.

What! not help you? Fear not! If there were an ant at the door of your granary, asking for help--it would not ruin you to give him a handful of your wheat! Just so, you are nothing but a tiny insect at the door of My all-sufficiency!"

"I Myself will help you!" O my soul, is not this enough? Bring your empty pitcher here! Surely this well will fill it. Hasten! gather up your needs, and bring them here--your emptiness, your woes, your troubles. Behold, this river of God is full for your supply. What more can you desire? The Eternal God is your helper!

"The Lord is with me--He is my helper!" Psalm 118:7

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This stillness and silence befits us!

(Ashton Oxenden, "The Christian Life" 1882)

"I was silent; I would not open my mouth--for You are the one who has done this!" Psalm 39:9

"Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

This stillness and silence befits us, when God lifts up His arm to afflict us. It is of little use at such times to struggle against His almighty power--to be restless and complaining when His heavy hand is laid upon us. Our wisdom is . . .
  to bear the burden which oppresses us with patience,
  to submit cheerfully to the will of God, and
  to kiss the painful rod which scourges us.

We should remember that our Father does not afflict His children willingly, that is, for His own pleasure--but for their profit. He loves them; and when He punishes them, it is for their discipline, and to make them what He would have them to be--partakers of His holiness.

We should look at our afflictions in this light--and not let a murmur escape our lips! Our language should be, "It is the Lord--let Him do what seems good to Him!" 1 Samuel 3:18

It is often our duty, in the hour of trial or of difficulty, to be still, to lie passive in God's hands, "to hope, and quietly to wait for the salvation of the Lord."

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The striped candy technique!

(A.W. Tozer)

"And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers." Acts 2:42

Without Biblical authority, or any other right under the sun--carnal religious leaders have introduced a host of attractions that serve no purpose except to provide entertainment for the retarded saints!

It is now common practice in most evangelical churches to offer the people, especially the young people, a maximum of entertainment--and a minimum of serious instruction. It is scarcely possible in most places to get anyone to attend a meeting where the only attraction is God. One can only conclude that God's professed children are bored with Him, for they must be wooed to meeting with a stick of striped candy, in the form of religious movies, games and refreshments.

This has influenced the whole pattern of church life, and even brought into being a new type of church architecture, designed to house the golden calf. So we have the strange anomaly of orthodoxy in creed--and heterodoxy in practice. The striped candy technique has been so fully integrated into our present religious thinking, that it is simply taken for granted. Its victims never dream that it is not a part of the teachings of Christ and His apostles!

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Sawing off its corners, or by polishing, varnishing, and adorning it

(J.C. Ryle, "Knots Untied" 1896)

Ministers do great spiritual harm by departing in the slightest degree from the Scriptural proportions of the gospel, or by trying to win the world by dressing the simple old Evangelical faith in new clothes.

The world is never won by trimming, and compromising, by facing both ways, and trying to please all.

The cross of Christ is never made more acceptable by sawing off its corners, or by polishing, varnishing, and adorning it.

Let us hold on our way, and be jealously sensitive of any departure from the simplicity of the gospel. Popularity obtained by pandering to the senses or the sentiment of our hearers--is not worth anything. Worshipers who are not content with the Bible, the cross of Christ, simple prayers and simple praise--are worshipers of little value. It is useless to try to please them--because their spiritual taste is diseased.

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If only one of God's sheep were to perish!

(Darvin Pruitt)

"My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish--ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand!" John 10:27-28

If only one of God's sheep were to perish . . .
  the purpose of God would be frustrated,
  the power of God would be resisted,
  the promise of God would be broken,
  the faithfulness of God would be a mockery
  and the Word of God proved to be a lie.

"I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!" Romans 8:38-39

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The most dangerous of all!

(Charles Spurgeon)

Of all the temptations to which God's children are exposed, growing rich is perhaps the most dangerous of all because it is a snare that they do not dread.

"For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs!" 1 Timothy 6:7-10

"Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread." Proverbs 30:8

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Fault-finding is the easiest of all tasks!

(J.C. Ryle, "The Church!" 1896)

Let me warn men not to be shaken by those who say that all visible Churches are necessarily corrupt. There never have been lacking men of this kind, men who have forgotten that everything must be imperfect which is carried on by human agency, and have spent their lives in a vain search after a perfectly pure Church.

Fault-finding is the easiest of all tasks. There never was a system upon earth, in which man had anything to do, in which faults, and many faults too, might not soon be found. We must expect to find imperfections in every visible Church upon earth. There always were such in the New Testament Churches. There always will be such now. There is only one Church without spot or blemish--that is the one true Church, the body of Christ, which Christ shall present to His Father in the last great day.

Where is the visible Church upon earth, which is perfect, without spot, and without blemish? None, I say confidently--none is to be found at all. Many people of scrupulous consciences, I firmly believe, have found this to their cost already. They left the Church because of alleged imperfections.

If we belong to the true Church, let us see that we love all its members. Let our principle be, "Grace be with all who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity." (Ephesians 6:24) Wherever we find a man who has grace and faith--let us hold out our right hand to him. Let us not stop to ask him where he was baptized, and what place of worship he attends. Does he love Jesus? Is be born again? Then let us say to ourselves, "This is a brother. We are to be with him in Heaven by-and-by forever. Let us love him upon earth. If we are to be in the same home--let us love each other even now upon the road."

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The great god Entertainment!

(A.W. Tozer, 1955)

The great god Entertainment is ardently worshiped by many. There are millions who cannot live without amusement--life without some form of entertainment for them is simply intolerable. They look forward to the blessed relief afforded by professional entertainers and other forms of psychological narcotics--as a dope addict looks to his daily fix of heroin. Without them, they could not summon courage to face existence.

No one with common human feeling will object to the simple pleasures of life, nor to such harmless forms of entertainment as may help to relax the nerves and refresh the mind exhausted by toil. Such things, if used with discretion, may be a blessing along the way. That is one thing. But the all-out devotion to entertainment as a major activity for which men live, is definitely something else. The abuse of a harmless thing is sin.

The growth of the amusement phase of human life to such fantastic proportions is a portent, a threat to the souls of modern men. It has been built into a multimillion dollar racket with greater power over human minds and human character, than any other educational influence on earth. And the ominous thing is, that its power is almost exclusively evil, rotting the inner life, and crowding out the eternal thoughts which should fill the souls of men. The whole thing has grown into a veritable religion which holds its devotees with a strange fascination--and a religion, incidentally, against which it is now dangerous to speak.

For centuries the Church stood solidly against every form of worldly entertainment, recognizing it for what it was--a device for wasting time, a refuge from the disturbing voice of conscience, a scheme to divert attention from accountability to God. For this, she got herself roundly abused by the sons of this world. But of late she has become tired of the abuse, and has given up the struggle. She appears to have decided that if she cannot conquer the great god Entertainment--she may as well join forces with him and make what use she can of his powers.

So today we have the astonishing spectacle of millions of dollars being poured into the unholy job of providing earthly entertainment for the so-called Christians. Religious entertainment is in many places rapidly crowding out the serious things of God. Many churches these days have become little more than poor theaters where fifth-rate "producers" peddle their shoddy wares with the full approval of evangelical leaders, who can even quote a holy text in defense of their delinquency. And hardly a man dares raise his voice against it!

The great god Entertainment amuses his devotees mainly by telling them stories. The love of stories, which is a characteristic of childhood, has taken fast hold of the minds of the retarded saints of our day--so much so that many manage to make a comfortable living by spinning yarns and serving them up in various disguises to church people. What is natural and beautiful in a child, may be shocking when it persists into adulthood, and more so when it appears in the sanctuary and seeks to pass for true religion!

Is it not astonishing that, with the shadow of atomic destruction hanging over the world and with the coming of Christ drawing near--the professed followers of the Lord should be giving themselves up to religious amusements? That in an hour when mature saints are so desperately needed--vast numbers of believers should revert to spiritual childhood, and clamor for religious toys?

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Once let a man get a sight of his own heart!

(J.C. Ryle, "Knots Untied" 1896)

Shall I say what seems to me to be the clearest proof that man is a fallen and corrupt creature?

It is not open vice, or unblushing profligacy.

It is not the crowded ale-house, or the murderer's cell in a jail.

It is not avowed infidelity, or gross and despicable idolatry.

All these are proofs, and convincing proofs indeed, that man is fallen. But there is to my mind a stronger proof still--that proof is the wide-spread "spirit of slumber" about their souls, in which most men lie chained and bound. When I see that multitudes of sensible men, and intelligent men, and decent-living men--can travel quietly towards the grave, and feel no concern about their sins, I need no more convincing evidence that man is "born in sin," and that his heart is alienated from God. There is no avoiding the conclusion.

Man is naturally asleep--and must be awakened.
He is blind--and must be made to see.
He is dead--and must be made alive.

No heart is in so bad a state, as the heart that does not feel sin!

Light was the first thing called into being. When God created the world, He said, "Let there be light." (Genesis 1:3) In the same way, light is the first thing that the Holy Spirit creates in a man's heart, when He awakens, converts, and makes him a true Christian. (2 Corinthians 4:6)

For lack of seeing sin--men do not value salvation. Once let a man get a sight of his own heart, and he will begin to cry, "God be merciful to me a sinner!"

To know our spiritual disease--is one step towards a cure. To feel bad and wicked and Hell-deserving--is the first beginning of being really holy.

What though we are humbled to the dust, and cry, "Lord, I am vile! Lord, I am the very chief of sinners!" It is better a thousand times to have these feelings and be miserable under them--than to have no feelings at all. Anything is better than a dead conscience, and a cold heart, and a prayer-less tongue!

Ignorance of self and sin are the root of all mischief to the soul!

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Sign here!

(F.B. Meyer, "The Blessed Life")

Dear Christian reader, seek some quiet spot, some still hour, and yield yourself to God.

Make a definite consecration of yourselves to God. With most it would be sufficient to write out Miss Havergal's hymn, "Take my life, and let it be," and to sign your name at the bottom.

Take my life and let it be--consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days--let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands and let them move--at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be--swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice and let me sing--always, only, for my King.
Take my lips and let them be--filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold--not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use--every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will and make it Thine--it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is Thine own--it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love my Lord, I pour--at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself and I will be--ever, only, all for Thee!


Sign here ____________________

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Care of our feet!

(Charles Spurgeon)

"He will keep the feet of His saints!" 1 Samuel 2:9

The way is slippery, and our feet are feeble--but the Lord will keep our feet. If we give ourselves up by obedient faith to be His holy ones--He will Himself be our guardian. Not only will He charge His angels to keep us--but He Himself will preserve our goings!

He will keep our feet from falling, so that we do not . . .
  defile our garments,
  wound our souls, and
  cause the enemy to blaspheme.

He will keep our feet from wandering--so that we do not go into paths of error, or ways of folly, or courses of the world's custom.

He will keep our feet from swelling and blistering because of the roughness and length of the way.

He will keep our feet from being wounded. Our shoes shall be iron and brass, so that even though we tread on the edge of the sword, or on deadly serpents, we shall not bleed, or be poisoned.

He will also pluck our feet out of the net. We shall not be entangled by the deceit of our malicious and crafty foes.

With such a promise as this, let us run without weariness, and walk without fear. He who keeps our feet, will do it effectually!