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Brother Love
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"FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE"
GOD’S PROMISE vs. MAN’S EFFORTS - Daily Inspirational
«
Reply #60 on:
August 16, 2004, 12:16:25 PM »
GOD’S PROMISE vs. MAN’S EFFORTS
"For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law worketh wrath..." (Rom. 4:14,15).
This should be self-evident to us all. If bless-ing is gained by the works of the Law, it is earned. This is why Gal. 3:18 says: "If the inheritance be of the law it is no more of promise, but God gave it to Abraham by promise."
The Apostle Paul, God’s great apostle of grace, declares in Rom. 4:4,5:
"Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."
But let’s go back to that phrase: "the law worketh wrath." Many people somehow do not see this. Even some clergymen tell us that the Law was given to help us to be good.
But God Himself says, "the law worketh wrath." Every criminal knows this, and every sinner should know it. God certainly places strong emphasis upon it:
"Wherefore then serveth the law? It was add-ed because of transgressions" (Gal. 3:19), "that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be brought in guilty before God" (Rom. 3:19). "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20).
If we come to God expecting eternal life because of our good works, are we not offering Him our terms, which He can never accept? He will never sell salvation at any price, and certainly not for a few paltry "good" works, when our lives are filled with failure and sin.
Our only hope? God has promised to give eternal life to those who trust in His Son (John 3:35,36; Acts 16:31; etc.). "The gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our
Lord" (Rom. 6:23).
By C. R. Stam
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Should this devotional be a blessing to you, maybe you have a friend or family member that would like to start receiving the daily word. You may forward this to them, by copy and paste method, and they can use the below link to subscribe. We love to meet new people
Daily Inspirational
WEB SITE
Grace And The Truth
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E-Mail
GracentheTruth@aol.com
2 Tim 2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
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Brother Love
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"FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE"
ALIENATION AND RECONCILIATION - Daily Inspirational
«
Reply #61 on:
August 20, 2004, 04:40:10 AM »
ALIENATION AND RECONCILIATION
By Cornelius R. Stam
It is impossible, and unnecessary, to reconcile friends.
Reconciliation postulates alienation. It is only after men
become alienated that we may try to reconcile them. Thus
the reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles to God "in one body"
could not begin until Israel, along with the Gentiles, had
been alienated from God. This is why the Apostle Paul
declares in Rom. 11:15 that "the casting away of them is,"
or opens the way for, "the reconciling of the world." Thus
"God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that He might
have mercy upon all" (Rom. 11:32). Little wonder the Apos-
tle goes on to exclaim:
"O, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!" (Ver. 33).
So now the wonderful message from God to a lost world is
one of grace and peace, and it is with these words that the
Apostle Paul opens all of his epistles signed by his name.
In Ephesians 2, where he declares that we were all "the
children of disobedience," and therefore "by nature the chil-
dren of wrath," he goes on to tell of the riches of Gods
mercy and love and grace, and says:
"And [He] came and preached peace to you [Gentiles] which were afar off, and to them [Israelites] that were nigh" (Ver. 17).
What a blessing to enjoy peace with God, to be reconciled
to Him! But this is possible only as we commit ourselves to
Him who was "delivered for our offences and raised again
for our justification." Indeed, Paul follows these words in
Romans 4:25 with the declaration:
"Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1).
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Daily Inspirational
WEB SITE
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www.graceandthetruth.com
E-Mail
GracentheTruth@aol.com
2 Tim 2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
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Brother Love
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"FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE"
BORN TO BORNE - Daily Inspirational
«
Reply #62 on:
August 21, 2004, 05:17:55 PM »
BORN TO BORNE
"Walk in (dependence upon) the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16 ).
That which we most dreaded -- weakness and failure -- are the very means by which our Father turns us from self -- reliance to full dependence upon the Holy Spirit.
"Walking in dependence upon the Holy Spirit, He leads up our hearts to where we are in the Lord Jesus. The new man finds delight in Him, and nowhere else. The Spirit is the living link between us and the Son in glory. He causes us to gaze upon Him, and we become changed into the same image from glory to glory. This is true Christianity -- the heart drawn off things here, and lovingly occupied with the One who is our Christian life.
"As the believer grow and his path becomes more involved, he is taught more about the Holy Spirit's ministry, for he needs this doctrine increasingly for his comfort and rest in trial. His faith is not so strong and unwavering as he imagined; the ardor of his love soon vanishes; the power and sin, which at first he fancied was utterly broken, makes itself felt again, prayer be-comes languid, and joy seems to have taken flight.
"In other words, the Father leads him into the valley, and lest he should make an idol of his faith, and a well -- spring of a cistern, he is taught something of himself. Who does not know of this second stage of the Christian life, at first so painful, so humiliating, and filling the soul with perplexity?
It is thus that we learn that the Spirit who has renewed our spirit must also sustain our new life; that we depend entirely on divine grace and strength, not merely to bring us to the Lord Jesus Christ, but to keep us abiding in Him where He is," -- -- A.M.
By M.Stanford
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Should this devotional be a blessing to you, maybe you have a friend or family member that would like to start receiving the daily word. You may forward this to them, by copy and paste method, and they can use the below link to subscribe. We love to meet new people
Daily Inspirational
WEB SITE
Grace And The Truth
www.graceandthetruth.com
E-Mail
GracentheTruth@aol.com
2 Tim 2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
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THINGS THAT DIFFER By C.R. Stam
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Brother Love
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"FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE"
RESTING IN HIS REST - Daily Inspirational
«
Reply #63 on:
August 23, 2004, 04:03:31 AM »
RESTING IN HIS REST
Now the just shall live by faith" (Heb. 10: 38).
Until we grow beyond the childish, realm of sight and feelings we cannot go forward; up and down, sideways, but not forward.
"Our father wants us in the place where we do not depend upon feelings; where, though we do not behold Him, though we do not sense Him, we shall 'endure as beholding Him who is invisible.' He wants us where we can trust him through darkness and apparent separation as unflinchingly as in light and fellowship; where we know that his banner, Love, is always floating over us, do though it is so dark that we cannot see it.
"There is no grace in delighting in the presence and favor of the Father when they are resting consciously and continuously upon us; for this rejoicing comes from sight and feelings. But there is precious grace in that delight which is not dependent upon His favors, nor up on our enjoyment of them; which is wholly dependent and has its source in the Father's explicit Word, and His eternal faithfulness." -- -- C.H.MACI.
"When circumstances seem impossible, when all signs of grace in you seem at their lowest ebb, when temptation is fiercest, when love and joy and hope seem well nigh extinguish-ed in your heart, then rest, without feeling and without emotion, in the Father's faithful-ness; abide in the fact that He loves you infinitely, and even now is working in you faithfully; and honor Him, and put the enemy to flight by taking to yourself to words of Job; 'Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.' 'I have prayed for three' (says the One who ever lives to make intercession for us) 'that thy faith fail not.'" -- --D.T.
"Cast not away, therefore, your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward" (Heb. 10: 35).
By M. Stanford
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Should this devotional be a blessing to you, maybe you have a friend or family member that would like to start receiving the daily word. You may forward this to them, by copy and paste method, and they can use the below link to subscribe. We love to meet new people
Daily Inspirational
WEB SITE
Grace And The Truth
www.graceandthetruth.com
E-Mail
GracentheTruth@aol.com
2 Tim 2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
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THINGS THAT DIFFER By C.R. Stam
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Brother Love
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"FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE"
"LEGALLY DEAD" - Daily Inspirational
«
Reply #64 on:
August 30, 2004, 05:05:44 AM »
"LEGALLY DEAD"
"Seeing that we have died to that which once held us in bondage, the law has now in no hold over us" (Romans 7:6a Weymouth.)
For the believer, the dominion of the Law is just as devastating as the dominion of Sin. At Cal-vary, death freed us from both.
"Theological teaching since the Reformation has not set forth clearly our utter end in death with the Lord Jesus on the Cross. The fatal result of this error is to leave the law claimant over those in the Lord Jesus, for 'the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth' (Romans 7:1.) Unless you are able to believe in your very heart that you died with Him, and that you were buried, and that your history before the Father in Adam the first came to an utter end at Calvary, you will never get free from the claims of the law upon your conscience."-- -- W.R.N.
"The principal of the new life is faith. Faith, hope, and love are its characteristics. All these require, not self -- occupation, but occupation with the Lord Jesus Christ. If you take up the law to help you, it tells you just what you must be and do, but it gives no power for it. Power is in the Spirit; thus grace, not law, is the way of growth. That the law cannot justify is comparatively simple; but that it hinders fruit -- bearing is hard to realize. 'Sin shall not have dominion over you, because ye are not under law, but under grace.'" -- -- F.W.G.
"Those who put the believer under law destroy the authority of the law, or put the Christian under the curse, for in many things we offend all. They fancy they establish the law, but they destroy his authority. They only establish the full, immutable authority of the law, who declare that the believer is under grace, and therefore cannot be cursed by its just and holy curse."
----J.N.D.
"So the we render a service which, instead of being old and formal, is new and spiritual" Rom. 7:6b, Weymouth)
By M.Stanford
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Should this devotional be a blessing to you, maybe you have a friend or family member that would like to start receiving the daily word. You may forward this to them, by copy and paste method, and they can use the below link to subscribe. We love to meet new people
Daily Inspirational
WEB SITE
Grace And The Truth
www.graceandthetruth.com
E-Mail
GracentheTruth@aol.com
2 Tim 2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
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Brother Love
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"FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE"
"FROM TEARS TO JOY " - Daily Inspirational
«
Reply #65 on:
August 30, 2004, 05:16:13 AM »
"FROM TEARS TO JOY "
"They that sow in tears shall reap in joy" (Ps. 126.5)
Our father is never our debtor. Whatever price He asks of us He will repay with infinite and eternal compound interest.
"There is a universal misapprehension that godliness means immunity from suffering. It is so often expected by believers that they will not go through suffering as other men. This is far from the truth. It is a part of the calling of saints to show men how to suffer: how, even in the midst of the hard and bitter experiences of life, the Lord Jesus is suffic-ient to give joy and comfort." -- --H.F.
"There is no human being alive whose existence is not the outcome of vicarious agonies. The child inherits the boons of life, love, and light from the suffering of the mother. And in every direction this strange principle operates; for it may be doubted whether there be a possession that we have worth holding--material, political, or religious --which is not the result of the toil, tears, and blood of sages, prophets and martyrs, most of whom have died in shame and apparent failure, bequeathing gifts in exchange for blows, and benedictions for imperfections." - -- J.C.B.
Our Father lets folks walk all over us until grime of our carnality comes out. Our suffering is cruel. Our sensibilities are out-
raged. But this is just the beginning of that deep work of the Cross which is to deal with the carnality of our cherished affections, our spiritual comforts, our dearest friendships, our creeds, and our denominations, our devotion to which prevents the dying of the old man that makes it impossible whole-hearted devotion to the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. -- -- J.M.
The uncrucified life has no reproductive power. Without association with the Lord Jesus in His death, the believer must abide barren, sterile, and unfruitful."-- -- F.J.H.
"Ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy" (John 16:20).
By M. Stanford
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Should this devotional be a blessing to you, maybe you have a friend or family member that would like to start receiving the daily word. You may forward this to them, by copy and paste method, and they can use the below link to subscribe. We love to meet new people
Daily Inspirational
WEB SITE
Grace And The Truth
www.graceandthetruth.com
E-Mail
GracentheTruth@aol.com
2 Tim 2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
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Brother Love
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"FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE"
THE FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST - Daily Inspirational
«
Reply #66 on:
August 30, 2004, 05:23:23 AM »
THE FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST
"...the righteousness of God... by [the] faith of Jesus Christ, unto all and upon all them that believe"
(Rom. 3:22)
.
Note, the Apostle Paul here does not refer to faith in Christ, but the faith of Christ. Nor does he refer to what Christ believed, but rather to His worthi-ness to be believed, His fidelity, His trustworthi-ness.
We must not forget that faith is a reciprocal matter; it is two-sided. One side is objective; it believes in another. The other is subjective; it is a trustworthy character. One refers to what a person does; the other to what he is. If I have
faith in you, you should keep faith with me; you should be trustworthy.
Seven times in St. Paul’s epistles he refers to "the faith of Christ" and each time his purpose is to emphasize our Lord’s worthiness of our complete confidence. That he does not refer to our faith in Christ is evident on the surface in
each case. In the passage above he declares that the righteousness of God, which is "by the faith of Christ," is conferred "upon all them that believe" (Here’s your faith in Him).
Similarly, in Gal. 3:22 he states that "the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise, by faith of Jesus Christ, might be given to "them that believe." Here again, we believe because He is worthy of our confidence.
Again in Phil. 3:9, the Apostle expresses his desire for a righteousness not of his own, "but that which is through the faith of Christ" -- and then adds: "the righteousness which is of God by faith." Here’s man’s faith again! He has faith in Christ because Christ is completely faithful, completely worthy to be believed in. He paid the full penalty for our
sins and is now in heaven dispensing the merits of Calvary---- riches of grace, mercy and forgiveness.
But remember,
"the faith of Christ"
always precedes our faith in Christ. What good would it do us to believe in Him for salvation if He were not wholly to be relied upon for this? But He can be trusted "to save... to the uttermost [all] who come unto God by Him" (Heb. 7:25). This is why Paul could say to the terrified jailor at Philippi: "Believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31).
By C. R. Stam
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Should this devotional be a blessing to you, maybe you have a friend or family member that would like to start receiving the daily word. You may forward this to them, by copy and paste method, and they can use the below link to subscribe. We love to meet new people
Daily Inspirational
WEB SITE
Grace And The Truth
www.graceandthetruth.com
E-Mail
GracentheTruth@aol.com
2 Tim 2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
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THINGS THAT DIFFER By C.R. Stam
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Brother Love
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"FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE"
"THREE BILLION WILLS" -Daily Inspirational
«
Reply #67 on:
August 30, 2004, 05:46:21 AM »
"THREE BILLION WILLS"
As long as man remained obedient to the will of God, his Maker, all was well with him. His life was perfectly balanced because it was centered in God. As soon as he listened to Satan, however, and set his will against God’s, all began to go wrong. His life was now off center and out of balance. It was no longer subject to the one central will.
Alienated from God, man now reaped the fruit of his rebellion, not only in his banishment from Paradise, but in the self-will of his offspring.
Of the first two children born into the world, one bludgeoned the other to death, and this was but the beginning. Whereas God had originally created man in His own "image" and "likeness" (Gen. 1:26,27), we read later that Adam begat Seth "in his own likeness, after his image" (Gen. 5:3).
And so parents down through the ages have begotten children like themselves, with fallen natures and wills of their own, until now we have some three billion wills operating in the world instead of the one central will of God.
This does not mean, however, that God has abdicated, or that the future of the world is now subject to the wills of three billion fallen creatures. Nor was God forced to formulate new plans because of the fall of man. Far from it, for despite man’s rebellion -- even through it -- God has been carrying out His plan and every true believer rejoices that
God "worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (Eph. 1:11). While He does not rule directly in the affairs of men, He very definitely overrules, and as a result "all
things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called accord-ing to His purpose" (Rom. 8:28). All glory to that blessed One of whom it is written:
"Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the Book it is written of Me) to do Thy WILL, O God" (Heb. 10:7).
By C. R. Stam
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Should this devotional be a blessing to you, maybe you have a friend or family member that would like to start receiving the daily word. You may forward this to them, by copy and paste method, and they can use the below link to subscribe. We love to meet new people
Daily Inspirational
WEB SITE
Grace And The Truth
www.graceandthetruth.com
E-Mail
GracentheTruth@aol.com
2 Tim 2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
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THINGS THAT DIFFER By C.R. Stam
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Brother Love
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"FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE"
DARKNESS AND THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD - Daily Inspirational
«
Reply #68 on:
September 11, 2004, 05:30:28 AM »
DARKNESS AND THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2Cor.4:4).
People sin under the cover of darkness—---
"they that be drunken are drunken in the night" (IThes.5:7). They suppose darkness hides the things they do. This is why unsav-ed man prefers evolution to creation. It destroys the thought, so he thinks, of having to "give [an] account of himself to God" (Rom.14:12).
How sad! You cannot hide from God. Be-cause there is coming a day "in the which He will judge the world IN RIGHTEOUSNESS by that Man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead" (Acts 17:31).
In "that day" these poor souls will only wish they could hide from God, but they will not be able to do so. See Revelation 6:15-17; 20:11-15. These same, now suppose that "that day" is so far away that they need not be con-cerned. To this the Apostle retorts:
"Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight. But all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do" (Heb.4:13).
The difference between the unsaved and those of us who are saved is that we not only have a Saviour, but we also have "a great high priest," who intercedes for us when we fail. The Lord Jesus loves you, my unsaved friend, and wants to be your Saviour, too.
"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh inter-cession for us" (Rom.8:31-34).
"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb.4:14-16).
Don’t hide like Adam who sinned, but "seek the Lord, if haply [you] might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us" (Acts 17:27).
Even in the darkness of this world’s sin and wickedness God is there, and He will hear you, and save you, if you will simply ask Him (Rom.10:13).
By Russell S. Miller
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Should this devotional be a blessing to you, maybe you have a friend or family member that would like to start receiving the daily word. You may forward this to them, by copy and paste method, and they can use the below link to subscribe. We love to meet new people
Daily Inspirational
WEB SITE
Grace And The Truth
www.graceandthetruth.com
E-Mail
GracentheTruth@aol.com
2 Tim 2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
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THINGS THAT DIFFER By C.R. Stam
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Brother Love
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"FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE"
THE LIVING GOD - Daily Inspirational
«
Reply #69 on:
September 13, 2004, 08:08:18 PM »
THE LIVING GOD
"My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God" (Psa. 42:2).
The recent "God is dead" theory had little true comfort or satisfaction for men in trouble or sorrow.
For years we supposed that the term "the living God," in the above passage, had ref-erence to God’s power to help, in contrast to the impotence of dead heathen idols. A careful examination of the context, however, leads us to believe that it has rather to do with His ability to respond. The gods of the heathen, by contrast, were like children’s dolls; they could not even change their count-enance or respond in any way.
"The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.
"They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not;
"They have ears, but they hear not, neither is there any breath in their mouths" (Psa. 135:15-17).
But the true God is a living God. He does see, hear and respond. The Psalmist, in Psalm 42, compares himself to a stag, panting with thirst. It is sometimes supposed that the scene is one of a stag pursued in the chase, but the passage says nothing of this. Palestine is a dry land and entirely apart from being hunted down, a deer might well pant for streams of running water.
Be this as it may, the stag, in this passage, is not seeking for help; he is thirsting for re-freshment, and so did the Psalmist long for the refreshment of fellowship with God,
the living God.
How wonderful it is that we may know the living God through faith in Christ! This is why the Apostle Paul declares in Heb. 10:19:
"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus... a new and living way, which He hath con-secrated for us through the veil, that is to say, His flesh. "
By His death at Calvary our Lord tore away the veil that kept us from entering into God’s presence, and now in response to our need He says:
"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16).
Yes, God is a living God!
By C. R. Stam
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"FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE"
"MERCY UPON ALL" - Daily Inspirational
«
Reply #70 on:
September 13, 2004, 08:13:58 PM »
"MERCY UPON ALL"
Have you ever wondered how the pagan world got that way: idol-worshipping, wicked, gripped by superstition and fear?
The Bible supplies the answer in Paul’s Epistle to the Romans. Three times in Chapter 1 we read of the Gentile world: "He gave them up... He gave them up... He gave them over...." Why? Because they had given Him up:
"And even as they did not wish to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a re-probate mind, to do those things which are not convenient [becoming]" (Rom. 1:28).
It would have been difficult to believe 30 or 40 years ago, that our young people would be dancing to the wild, exotic music of pagan lands (if this can be called music), or that our studios would be selling the twisted, hideous paintings of pagan art (if this can be called art).
When you wonder why the lovely melodies and harmonies of yesteryear have given place to the noise and din of today’s "music"; when you wonder why the beautiful paintings of those days have been largely replaced by the masterpieces of chaos that surround us now -- why in so many ways we seem to be reverting to paganism -- read Romans 1.
All this is the natural result of a departure from God and His Word. Yet there is hope and as-surance and joy in store for any individual who will yet heed the message of God --particularly in the Book of Romans.
Here we read how Jew joined Gentile in rejecting Christ, and God had to give them all up. But listen to this passage from Rom. 11:32: "For God hath concluded them all in unbelief THAT HE MIGHT HAVE MERCY UPON ALL." That is, He gave up the Jewish and Gentile nations so that He might show His grace to any individuals who might turn to Him by faith in Christ, thus reconciling both (Jewish and Gentile believers) unto Himself in one body, by the cross (Eph. 2:16).
By C. R. Stam
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"FAITH AND HEARING" - Daily Inspirational
«
Reply #71 on:
September 13, 2004, 08:20:30 PM »
"FAITH AND HEARING"
"Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Rom.10:17).
This important passage of Scripture is, sad to say, little understood. Many people think of faith in the abstract, as though it had some mysterious power in itself. They speak of faith, but what do they mean? Faith in what? or in whom? Surely it is not possible just to have faith, without something or someone to have faith in.
Faith is not wishing hard, or feeling confi-dent. It is not optimism or presumption or imagination. Faith must have a basis, a foun-dation. Thus the Christian’s faith is founded
on "the Word of God" -- on what God has said in the Bible.The above passage explains: "Faith cometh by hearing." Isn’t that simple? Isn’t it true? Some have said that "seeing
is believing," but a moment’s reflection will reveal that, like the phrase: "I’m from Missou-ri," this saying is an expression of unbelief. When we have seen a thing we need no longer believe it; it has been demonstrated to us. But when we hear [or read] a matter reported, we may either believe or doubt it. "Faith cometh by hearing." And likewise hearing comes through what has been said. We believe, or doubt, what we hear and we hear what has been said. The Christian’s faith, then, comes by hearing (God) and hearing by the Word of God. All true Christ-ian faith is founded on the Word of God.
Actually the word "hearing," in Rom. 10:17, however, has the idea of heeding -- paying attention, listening eagerly. This is why Gal. 3:5 speaks of "the hearing of faith." And
thus Eph. 1:13, referring to Christ, says: "In whom ye also trusted, having heard the Word of truth, the gospel of your salvation." Thus, too, we read in John 5:24 the words of the
Lord Jesus:
"HE THAT HEARETH MY WORD, AND BELIEVETH ON HIM THAT SENT ME, HATH EVERLASTING LIFE, AND SHALL NOT COME INTO JUDGMENT, BUT IS PASSED FROM DEATH UNTO LIFE."
By C. R. Stam
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2 Tim 2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
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"GOD’S PROMISE vs. MAN’S EFFORTS" - Daily Inspirational
«
Reply #72 on:
September 13, 2004, 08:33:36 PM »
"GOD’S PROMISE vs. MAN’S EFFORTS"
"For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law worketh wrath..." (Rom. 4:14,15).
This should be self-evident to us all. If bless-ing is gained by the works of the Law, it is earned. This is why Gal. 3:18 says: "If the inheritance be of the law it is no more of promise, but God gave it to Abraham by promise."
The Apostle Paul, God’s great apostle of grace, declares in Rom. 4:4,5:
"Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."
But let’s go back to that phrase: "the law worketh wrath." Many people somehow do not see this. Even some clergymen tell us that the Law was given to help us to be good.
But God Himself says, "the law worketh wrath." Every criminal knows this, and every sinner should know it. God certainly places strong emphasis upon it:
"Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions" (Gal. 3:19), "that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be brought in guilty before God" (Rom. 3:19). "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20).
If we come to God expecting eternal life because of our good works, are we not offering Him our terms, which He can never accept? He will never sell salvation at any price, and certainly not for a few paltry "good" works, when our lives are filled with failure and sin.
Our only hope? God has promised to give eternal life to those who trust in His Son (John 3:35,36; Acts 16:31; etc.). "The gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our
Lord" (Rom. 6:23).
By C. R. Stam
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2 Tim 2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
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"LIVING ACCESS" - Daily Inspirational
«
Reply #73 on:
September 13, 2004, 08:47:30 PM »
"LIVING ACCESS"
"In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead" (Col. 2:9).
Our personal fellowship with the Father is predicted upon our realization that we are already in His presence, in His Son.
"Most do not care to go beyond the thought of forgiveness and a godly walk in the world; but it is our Father's pleasure and purpose to bring us as priests into his presence. If we approach Him it is entirely apart from all the imperfections of the flesh. We stand there in all the sweet savor and perfection's of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is as we are identified with His perfection and acceptance that we can approach for fellowship and worship"--- C.A.C.
It is not a question of correcting this or that, but of heavenly things in the Lord Jesus separating our hearts from things on earth. When we look from heaven, and work from heaven downwards, earthly things soon dwindle, and the praise of their disappear-ance returns not to ourselves in any way, but to the Lord Jesus. Thus He Himself has all the glory, whatever good thing there may be wrought in us by the Holy Spirit" --W.J.H.
"The Lord Jesus is at the Father's right hand, and He is there as our Life. By Him, there-fore, we have access into our Father's presence and favor. To understand this grace we need to have very distinctly before our soul the One Man by whom it has come to us. We never can learn the grace of our Father by thinking of those to whom it comes; we must think of the One by whom it comes."
"The believer in placed before the Father according to the beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ, and is, according to the Father's eye and heart, as His Beloved--nothing less." -- -- J. B.S.
"And ye are complete in Him, who is the Head" (Col. 2:10)
By M.Stanford
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"FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE"
"LET IT GET YOU DOWN" - Daily Inspirational
«
Reply #74 on:
September 15, 2004, 04:54:23 AM »
"LET IT GET YOU DOWN"
"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph. 3: 14).
When adversity strikes, the world keeps telling us: "Don’t let it get you down," but believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have learned that it is good to let troubles and difficulties get them down -- down on their knees.
A native evangelist in Africa sat outside his hut discouraged and unhappy. Trouble and disappointment had brought "great coldness" into his heart and he seemed ready to give up. The Lord, he felt, had utterly forsaken him.
As he sat there, though, his little girl kept nudging him and saying: "Daddy, go inside and pray ."
Finally it worked! The evangelist went inside, poured his heart out to God and arose feeling sure that the Lord would see him through.
It is good for us to get down on our knees before God. There is no attitude more appropriate to the redeemed sinner. And as we pray, often falteringly....
"The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit Himself maketh inter-cession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
"And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose"
(Rom.8:26-28).
"Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding. shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:6,7).
By C. R. Stam
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Should this devotional be a blessing to you, maybe you have a friend or family member that would like to start receiving the daily word. You may forward this to them, by copy and paste method, and they can use the below link to subscribe. We love to meet new people
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2 Tim 2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
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