Grace Gems

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It is a large family!

(Letters of John Newton)

"But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of SELF . . ." 2 Timothy 3:1-2

Take care of SELF--this is the worst enemy we have to deal with:
  self-will,
  self-wisdom,
  self-righteousness,
  self-seeking,
  self-dependence,
  self-boasting!

It is a large family! I cannot reckon up all the branches, but they are all closely related to Satan--they are all sworn enemies to our peace.

If we lie low, then the Lord will raise us up. But if we will be something, then His arm will surely pull us down.

"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old SELF, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires" Ephesians 4:22

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Convicted and condemned, with the rope around his neck!

(Charles Spurgeon)

"Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him." Romans 4:7-8

Too many think lightly of sin--and therefore think lightly of the Savior.

He who has stood before his God, convicted and condemned, with the rope around his neck--is the man . . .
  to weep for joy when he is pardoned,
  to hate the evil which has been forgiven him, and
  to live to the honor of the Redeemer by whose blood he has been cleansed.

If Christ has died for me--then I cannot trifle with the sin which killed my best Friend!

Look to the cross, and hate your sin--for sin nailed your Well-Beloved to the tree!

"A bleeding Savior I have viewed--and now I hate my sin!"

I feel that, if I could live a thousand lives, I would like to live them all for Christ; and I would even then feel that they were all too little a return for His great love to me!

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From Grace Gems:
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True beauty is not of the face--but of the soul!

(Mabel Hale, "Beautiful Girlhood" 1922)

"Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain; but a woman who fears the LORD shall be praised!" Proverbs 31:30

Every girl is a lover of beauty. Beautiful homes, beautiful furnishings, beautiful flowers, beautiful clothes, beautiful faces--anything wherein beauty is found, there will be found girls to admire it. From the time her little hands can reach up, and her baby lips can lisp the words, she is admiring "pretty things." And when a little of that beauty is her own--her pleasure is unbounded.

Every girl longs to be beautiful. There is in woman a nature, as deep as humanity, which compels her to strive for good looks. There is no more forlorn sorrow for a young girl, than for her to be convinced that she is hopelessly ugly and undesirable. Oh, the bitter tears that have been shed over freckles, or blemished skin--and the energy that has been expended in painting and powdering and waving and curling herself into beauty!

A desire to be beautiful is not unwomanly. But, mark it: true beauty is not of the face--but of the soul! There is a beauty so deep and lasting, that it will shine out of the homeliest face and make it lovely! This is the beauty to be first sought and admired. It is a quality of the mind and heart--and is manifested in word and deed.

A happy heart,
a smiling face,
loving words and deeds, and
a desire to be of service--
will make any girl beautiful!

A beautiful soul shining out of a homely face--is far more attractive than a beautiful face out of which looks a soul full of selfishness and pride!

Let your chief charm be of heart and mind--not of face and form.
Seek the true beauty which lasts even into old age!

Solomon, in one of his wise sayings, plainly expressed the evil that comes to a woman who is beautiful of face, but lacks the true beauty of soul: "Like a gold ring in a swine's snout--is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion!" Proverbs 11:22. As the swine would plunge the golden jewel into the filth and the mire as he dug in the dirt--so will a pretty woman who is not godly, drag her beauty down to the very lowest.

There are many peculiar temptations to those who are only lovely of face. Without true beauty of soul--a pretty face is a dangerous gift!

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight!" 1 Peter 3:3-4

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As long as preachers allow their sermons to be dictated by public sentiment or the worldly desires of their hearers!

(Charles Naylor)

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

"As Christ is, so are we in this world" 1 John 4:17

A Christian is one who is Christlike in character, in desire, and in deportment. No other has any right to bear Christ's name. Yet there are a multitude of people who call themselves Christians, who bear no resemblance to Christ in their lives.

One of the most pitiable things that we can behold, is one who professes to be a citizen of the kingdom of God--and yet lives like a citizen of the kingdom of Satan. The worldly professor fills his days with folly--but his cup of joy is always bitter at the last. He gathers up the "fool's gold" that glitters in earthly things. He lives after the flesh and after the world. He goes with the crowd. He misses all the blessedness of righteousness, and, worst of all, he misses Heaven at the last. "You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." James 4:4

Those who still love the pride and vanity of the world, those who are absorbed in its frivolities, those who covet its gold and its honors, those who love its applause--these are those who are of the world.

Those hypocritical professors who bear Christ's name, but will not obey Him--dishonor Him, and by their example influence others to do the same, how shall they escape the damnation of Hell? If there is one thing that God hates above all else, it is a proud and worldly heart! Such a heart can never be a reverential heart. Its religion is but hypocrisy. It is only a sham. It has no reality. It is only a cloak of respectability, while the heart is full of corruption.

The Christian life is, and ever will be, a life of separation from sin and pride and worldliness. If you are not willing to be thus separated, then you should have common honesty enough not to profess to be what you very well know that you are not. If you are going to be a Christian in name, then be one in reality.

Your character, not your profession, will be what will matter in the final judgment. "God will give to each person according to what he has done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality--He will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil--there will be wrath and anger." Romans 2:6-8

If all preachers had honesty enough and courage enough to preach the truth--then the tide of worldliness that is overwhelming such a multitude of souls and sweeping them into perdition, would be somewhat stayed. As long as preachers allow their sermons to be dictated by public sentiment or the worldly desires of their hearers--they will cater to fashions, and souls by the million will drift on into Hell. Oh, what a reaping such preachers will have at the judgment! The full measure of God's wrath will fall on those preachers who fail to be true to souls and to God, in preaching those truths the Bible clearly teaches against sin and worldliness.

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The root upon which our blessings grow

(Charles Naylor)

"Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried" Daniel 12:10

All Christians desire to be purified and made white--but when it comes to being tried, that is a very different thing. They shrink from the very word. Their trials are to them as a nightmare from which they would gladly escape. But trials are a necessary part of God's process of preparing us for Heaven.

The storms and obstacles in our lives, all work out for out good if we meet them as we should. Through them, our lives are enriched and ennobled and developed. They are blessings to us, though they may seem to be blessings very much disguised.

Life has both its bitter and its sweet. We should not always expect to have the sweet alone. Sometimes circumstances are in our favor, and work for our happiness, peace and contentment. Sometimes we have smooth sailing, and everything goes pleasantly. We are courageous and confident and rejoicing. The sun shines brightly out of a cloudless sky, and every prospect seems fair.

But this smooth sailing does not last forever. Sooner or later, the clouds must come and the storm-winds beat upon us. We must have the rough weather--as well as the pleasant weather; the storm--as well as the calm.

The sunshine and the calm are very needful in life--and they work out a definite purpose.
But the storms and the rain and the wind are likewise needed--and they also fulfill their purpose.

Trials will come--we cannot evade them. We may plan and build up hopes--only to have our air-castles come crashing down around our heads! If we have set our hearts upon these things, we are likely to be very disappointed upon their wreck, and to feel very gloomy over the result.

How greatly we are affected by our trials, depends on whether or not we sweetly submit to them. We should never fret on account of disappointments. If we do, they will only grow more rapidly, both in size and in intensity.

Losses may come to us--our property may be swept away or burned up. If we have our hearts set upon our possessions--then this may touch a tender spot, and it will darken our lives and make us morose and dissatisfied.

Poverty may come and the many difficulties incident thereto.

Sickness may lay its heavy hand upon us or our loved ones, and try every fiber of our being. Sickness may play upon the chords of pain, a lamentation that incites with exquisite torture! Or it may fire our blood with fever until the sparkle has gone from the eye and the glow of health from the cheek. Or it may bind us helplessly captive in chains.

Death may come and take those dear by the ties of nature or friendship--and leave sorrow and grief to be our companions.

These things try the soul, but they must be borne. We cannot escape such things, for they are the common heritage of those who dwell in tabernacles of clay. They belong to mortality and to the mutable things of time. How greatly such things may affect us, will depend upon how much we rebel against the circumstances--or how easily we submit to and adapt ourselves to God's will. God may chasten you sorely, but He will do it for your profit, not for your destruction.

Our trials are the root upon which our blessings grow. These roots may be bitter--but the fruit is sure to be sweet, if we patiently wait for its maturing. Many choice fruits grow on thorny trees, and he who will gather the fruit, may expect to be pricked now and then by the thorns.

We cannot escape trials. The only thing some Christians do by rebelling, is to increase their suffering in the trials and prevent themselves from getting the blessedness out of them.

We ought to be willing to suffer when it is God's will for us to suffer, and when He sees it is necessary for us to suffer. Our Master drank the cup of suffering, even though it was bitter. Are we better than He? Shall we refuse to go by the path which led Him to glory?

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These religious toys which we have whittled out for ourselves!

(Charles Naylor)

Satan always works to make us think that humanly devised religious forms or customs are things of vital importance. In fact, some of these are much harder to break away from than we suppose them to be. They take a deeper hold upon us many times, than divine truth. People feel as though they would be giving up their religion, if they would surrender these forms. A particular mode of dress becomes sacred; or a particular form of worship or service becomes exalted above all other forms. We must recognize these things as being merely human devices, and as having no vital connection with Biblical truth.

We should never become wedded to our religious forms and customs. Let us look away from these religious toys which we have whittled out for ourselves, and back to the fundamentals of Christian doctrine and life. If we have labeled our religious customs as 'Christianity'--then let us tear off these labels, and see that henceforth we call nothing Christian but that which is clearly taught in Scripture itself.

"The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul.
 The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
 The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.
 The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
 The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever.
 The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.
 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
 they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb." Psalm 19:7-10

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Christian joy!

("Every Day!" Author unknown, 1872)

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4

Just so, "sorrowful, yet always rejoicing," says Paul, speaking of his own experience.

The believer's joy does not exclude sorrow, but . . .
  attends it,
  sustains under it,
  and raises above it.

Joy in the Lord should be constant--for He is the same.
There is as much ground for joy in Him in the winter of adversity--as in the summer of prosperity.
He is as good when he chides us--as when He comforts us.
He is as gracious when He lays us low--as when He raises us up.
He is as kind when He takes away--as when He gives.

If our joy springs chiefly from creature good and agreeable circumstances--then it must be fluctuating at the best, and at times it will entirely dry up. But if our chief joy is in God, then the spring of it never fails!

"When all created streams are dried,
 His fullness is the same!"

Observe, my soul, that joy in the Lord is not only encouraged--but commanded.
After once giving the admonition, the apostle says, "Again I say, Rejoice."

The Lord would have His children . . .
  happy in His love,
  restful under the shelter of His wings,
  and peaceful in the midst of storms.

Seek then to know more of Him, live upon His fullness, dwell on His unchanging grace--and so will you be joyful in Him even in the midst of tribulation!

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The greatest sinner that you know!

(William Law, "A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life")

"This is a true saying, and worthy of all acceptance: 'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners'--and I am the worst of them all." 1 Timothy 1:15

You may truly look upon yourself to be the greatest sinner that you know in the world. For though you may know many people to be guilty of some gross sins with which you cannot charge yourself--yet you may justly condemn yourself as the greatest sinner that you know, because you know more of the folly of your own heart, than you do of other people's hearts. You can charge yourself with various sins, that only you know of yourself, and cannot be sure that others are guilty of them.

So that as you know more of the folly, the degradation, the pride, the deceitfulness and vileness of your own heart, than you do of any one's else--so you have just reason to consider yourself as the greatest sinner that you know; because you know more of the greatness of your own sins, than you do of other people's sins.

God Almighty knows greater sinners than you are; because He sees and knows the circumstances of all men's sins. But your own heart, if it is faithful to you, can discover no guilt so great as your own.

Perhaps that person who appears so odious in your eyes, would have been much better than you are--had he been altogether in your circumstances, and received all the same favors and graces from God that you have. And therefore the greatest sinner that you know, must be yourself.

This is a very humbling thought.

A serious and frequent reflection upon this will mightily tend to . . .
  humble us in our own eyes,
  make us very sensible of the greatness of our own guilt,
  and very tender in censuring and condemning other people.

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The best sermon!

(Charles Naylor)

"He who says he abides in Him, ought himself also to walk just as He walked." 1 John 2:6

We must pattern our lives after our Lord, and follow in the way which He trod.

God's will for His people, is that they set before the world a worthy example of Christian character.

A blameless character is the best sermon!

In all our relations with others, we should manifest a sweet temper, kindness, meekness, gentleness, forbearance, patience, reasonableness, cheerfulness, magnanimity and all the other things that go to make up Christian character.

In our lives we should be examples of holiness, consistency and moderation. We should be free from worldliness, ostentation, and the vanities that are ruining the world. We should not be not of the world . . .
  in the tenor of our lives,
  in the motives that move us,
  in the purposes that actuate us.

God's will for His people regarding . . .
  the vanities of this world,
  the desires that have their root in worldliness,
  and the sinful customs of the world,
is that we do not imbibe them.

Jesus said of His own, "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." He has chosen us out of the world. Un-worldliness is a characteristic of true Christianity, and is found in all genuine believers.

The multitude of worldly professors who call themselves by Christ's name, but who, in their lives, and in the worldliness of their hearts, deny Him--are not Christians at all. They are Christians in name only. Their religion is only a veneer that covers a heart of sin. They are actuated by the spirit of the world, and they love the things of the world.

To be a true Christian, means to be severed in spirit . . .
 from the vanities of the world,
 from the pride, fashion, display and pretense of the world,
 from the world's love of pomp and power, and its hypocritical pretensions.

We must strive to be separated from the spirit, desires, aspirations, and hopes of this world--as really and as truly as Jesus was.

We must desire to live out in the life, those things that definitely mark one as having his hopes set on something higher, his aspirations set on something nobler, and his interests aimed at something greater and more lasting than . . .
  the perishable things of the world,
  the popular opinions of the world,
  the sinful customs of the world,
  the fashions and frivolities of the world, and
  the pleasures and amusements of the world.

"Just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do. For it is written: Be holy, because I am holy." 1 Peter 1:15-16

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Let us abhor the very idea of play-acting and mask-wearing in our Christianity!

(J.C. Ryle, "The Gospel of Luke" 1858.)

Let us observe how abominable hypocrisy is in the eyes of Christ. We are told that in the presence of all the people, Jesus said unto His disciples, "Beware of the teachers of the law! They like to walk around in flowing robes--and love to be greeted in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues, and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows' houses--and pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public." Luke 20:46-47

This was a bold and remarkable warning. It was a public denunciation, we must remember, of men who were the recognized teachers of the Jewish people.

No sin seems to be regarded by Christ as more wicked, than hypocrisy. None certainly drew forth from His lips such frequent, strong and withering condemnation, during the whole course of His ministry.

He was ever full of mercy and compassion for the chief of sinners. "Fury was not in Him" when He saw Zacchaeus; the penitent thief; Matthew the tax-collector; Saul the persecutor; and the sinful woman in Simon's house.

But when He saw Scribes and Pharisees wearing a mere cloak of religion, and pretending to great outward sanctity, while their hearts were full of wickedness--His righteous soul seems to have been full of indignation. Eight times in one chapter (Matthew 23) we find Him saying, "Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees! You hypocrites!"

Whatever else we are in religion--let us be true. However feeble our faith, and hope, and love, and obedience may be--let us see to it that they are real, genuine, and sincere. Let us abhor the very idea of play-acting and mask-wearing in our Christianity. At any rate, let us be genuine.

The hypocrite will have the lowest place in Hell! "You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape the damnation of Hell?" Matthew 23:33

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This alone is the vexed soul's refuge!

(Horatius Bonar, 1808-1889)

"In Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge!" Colossians 2:3

The one true resting-place where doubt and weariness, the stings of a pricking conscience, and the longings of an unsatisfied soul would all be quieted--is Christ Himself!

Not the church, but Christ.

Not doctrine, but Christ.

Not religious forms and ceremonies, but Christ.

Christ the God-man . . .
  giving His life for ours,
  sealing the everlasting covenant, and
  making peace for us through the blood of His cross!

Christ the divine storehouse of all light and truth, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge!

Christ the infinite vessel--the enlightener, the teacher, the quickener, the comforter--so that out of His fullness we may receive grace upon grace.

This, this alone is the vexed soul's refuge, its rock to build on, its home to abide in--until the great tempter is bound and every conflict ended in victory.

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I cannot think little of sin, when . . .

(J.C. Ryle)

"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" Matthew 27:46

Would I know how exceedingly sinful and abominable sin is in the sight of God? Where shall I see sin most fully brought out?

Shall I turn to the history of the flood, and read how sin drowned the world?

Shall I go to the shore of the Dead Sea, and mark what sin brought on Sodom and Gomorrah?

No! I can find a clearer proof still! I look at the cross of Christ!

There I see that sin is so filthy and damnable, that nothing but the blood of God's own Son can wash it away!

There I see that sin has so separated me from my holy Maker, that all the angels in Heaven could never have made peace between us. Nothing could reconcile us, short of the death of Christ.

If I listened to the wretched talk of proud people, I might sometimes imagine that sin was not so very sinful! But I cannot think little of sin, when I look at the cross of Christ!

"A bleeding Savior I have viewed--and now I hate my sin!" John Newton

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Gather your manna fresh every morning!

(Charles Spurgeon)

"Oh, how I love Your law! I meditate on it all day long!" Psalm 119:97

The Bible in the pulpit, must never supersede the Bible at home. Let us read our Bibles in private more, and with more pains and diligence.

There is less private Bible reading than there was fifty years ago. I never would have believed that so many men and women would have been tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine, some falling into skepticism, some rushing into the wildest and narrowest fanaticism, and some going over to the Roman church. With many, there was a habit developed of lazy, superficial and careless reading of God's Word.

Read the Bible daily. Make it part of your everyday business to read and meditate on some portion of God's Word. Gather your manna fresh every morning! Choose your own seasons and hours. Do not scramble over and hurry your reading. Give your Bible the best, and not the worst, part of your time. But whatever plan you pursue, let it be a rule of your life to visit the throne of grace and the Bible every day.

Next to praying there is nothing so important in practical religion as Bible reading. By reading that Book we may learn . . .
  what to believe,
  what to be,
  what to do,
  how to live with comfort,
  and how to die in peace.

Happy is that man who possesses a Bible!

Happier still is he who reads it!

Happiest of all is he who not only reads it, but obeys it, and makes it the rule of his faith and practice!

"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness--that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17

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I am fast borne along the stream of time!

(John MacDuff, "Evening Incense" 1856)

"It is appointed unto all once to die--and after death, the judgment!" Hebrews 9:27

O my Father, You are daily loading me with Your benefits--giving me unnumbered causes for gratitude and thankfulness. No earthly friend could have loved and cared for me like You. Oh may the life You are thus preserving by Your unceasing bounty--be unreservedly dedicated to Your praise.

O my Father, keep me mindful that I am soon to be done with this fleeting world; that I am fast borne along the stream of time--to the ocean of endless futurity!

May I be living in a constant state of preparedness for that solemn hour when small and great shall stand before You, and the books shall be opened. Train me for eternity! Let me not be frittering away these fleeting, but precious moments. Impress on me the solemn conviction . . .
  that as men live--so do men die;
  that as death leaves me--so judgment will find me;
  and that as judgment finds me--so eternity will keep me.

Oh let death leave me falling asleep in Jesus, united to Him by a living faith--so that judgment may find me seated at His right hand, listening to the joyous welcome, "Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world!"

Blessed Jesus, all my hope of a glorious resurrection centers in You. I look to You as the strong tower which cannot be shaken. I flee anew to the holy sanctuary of Your covenant love. Sheltered there, amid a dissolving earth, and burning worlds--I shall be able joyfully to utter the challenge, "Who shall separate me from the love of Christ?"

Keep me from all negligence and unwatchfulness. Trim my flickering lamp. Let me live with Your Judgment-throne in view. May I ever remember--that I must soon give an account of myself to You, the infallible searcher of all hearts. May I feel that all the talents and means which You have given me--are trusts to be laid out for You. When you come to demand a reckoning, may I not be among the number of those who have hidden their talent in the earth, and have the cheerless retrospect of a misspent life.

May every providential voice sound loud in my ears, "Arise and depart--for this is not your rest, because it is defiled--it is ruined, beyond all remedy!"

Make me more heavenly-minded. Give me more of a pilgrim attitude--and a pilgrim spirit. May I ever feel that my true home is above--and that I am here on earth, but a wayfarer and sojourner, as all my fathers were. May I attain, as I advance nearer to Heaven, the blessed habit of a holy life, declaring plainly that I am seeking a heavenly home.

I delight often to anticipate that happy time, when I shall suffer no more--and sin no more!

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

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God deals mysteriously with me!

(Alexander Smellie, "The Secret Place" 1907)

"Your path led through the sea, Your way through the mighty waters--though Your footprints were not seen!" Psalm 77:19

Just so, God deals mysteriously with me. His footsteps, His judgments, His methods, are often untrackable, like the untried sea. What though I cannot comprehend all His winding mazes? It is enough that He comprehends. I rest in His wise-heartedness and love.

I know that if He surrounds me with change, He gives me a hold on what is permanent and stable. Every breath of wind, every passing shadow, every ray of sun, alters the sea. And, meanwhile, by God's will, nothing in my life continues unchangeable. The very mutableness of things, drives me into closer communion with Himself. Standing on the Rock of Ages, I am rooted in an element that is indestructible.

I know that if He permits me to be assailed by storm, He can keep my heart in peace. It is His decree that I am driven hither and thither over moonless waters by contrary winds. But the certainty is mine, that He makes all things to work together for my good.

He is my holy Father, my unerring Father, my Father of immeasurable grace. He makes no mistakes now, and, by and by He will bring me to His house not made with hands, where I will sing with everlasting joy!