Daily Inspirational

[Brother Love]

"BLESSED SOVEREIGNTY"


"He (the Father) had chosen us in Him the Son)  before the foundation of the world" (Eph.1:4)

By His grace and mercy, our will becomes the Father's will when we choose the Saviour.  May it ever continue!

"As the master musician knows exactly how the symphonic rendition will sound before its notes vibrate upon the air, anticipating with accuracy every tone, cadence, and change of tempo, so God knows precisely what will occur and keeps it under control, though enacted by independent moral agencies.  It is because God knows what the reactions of such 'free agencies' will be under any given set of circumstances, that He encompasses the inner circle of 'freedom' with His outer circle of sovereignty." -- K.G.

The will of man is guided by what he knows and what he desires.  The divine method of reaching the will is by graciously increasing man's knowledge and by stimulating his desires, while on the divine side of this method there remains not the shadow of possible failure.  The end is as certain as any eternal reality in God.  On the human side, man is conscious of doing only what he actually does: he chooses as an act of his own volition to receive the grace God offers in Christ Jesus.  By persuasion and enlightenment God realizes His purpose to the point of infinite completeness; yet no human will has ever been coerced, nor will one ever be. " -- L.S.C.

"God's elective purposes or carried out in such an incompre-hensible way through the internal and external influences of infinite love and wisdom that man is at no time conscious of any external compulsion, but only of choices and decision in the exercise of his own free will.  Knowledge of what God has accomplished by His own free will comes later by the channel of the Word." --K.G.

"Being predestined according to the purpose of Him who worketh at all things after the council of His own will." (Eph.1 :11)

By M.Stanford



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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.

[Brother Love]

"JEHOVAH IS HIS NAME"





In Genesis 15:5,6, God told Abraham to look up and count the stars, for "So shall thy seed be," and Abraham "believed in the Lord; and He counted it to him for righteousness." But who is the "God" in whom Abraham believed, what is His name?

When the Israelites were in the bondage of Egyptian slavery and Moses was commanded to deliver them out of Egypt, he also inquired about God’s name:

"...Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is His name? what shall I say unto them? "And God said unto Moses, I, AM that I, AM and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I, AM, sent me unto you" (Ex.3:13,14).

Now in Exodus 6:3, the Lord again spoke to Moses: "And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by My name JEHOVAH was I not known to them."

So it was Jehovah, the Lord God Almighty, in whom Abraham believed, the same Lord who "made Heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is" (Gen.1:1; Ex.20:11; Eph.3:9).

In John 8:56 Christ spoke to the Jews of His day about Abraham’s God: "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it, and was glad." How often in John’s gospel the Lord speaks this truth, that "...Before Abraham was, I, AM (8:56; 6:35; 8:12; 10:7-11; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1-5). This is most interesting, because, in the darkness of that night of Christ’s betrayal and arrest, they fell over "backward" upon hearing those two little words, "I, AM (John 18:5,6). The Eternal God was in their presence! And they could only arrest Him, as He voluntarily surrendered to God’s purpose.

So, Jehovah, of the Old Testament, is the Lord Jesus Christ, of the New Testament.

In his epistles, the Apostle Paul relates that this same JESUS "took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: "And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil.2:7,8).

Thus, the Apostle points peoples of all nationalities to the Christ of Calvary’s cross as the only means of salvation today:

"For what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

"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" (Rom.4:3-5).

Jehovah means Saviour, Jesus Christ is our only Saviour, consequently, God will also "count" your "faith" for "righteousness," if you will simply believe what the Bible says about Jesus Christ:

"Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins ... that He might be just, and the Justifier of him which believeth in JESUS" (Rom.3:24-26).

By Russell S. Miller



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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.

[Brother Love]

"HEAVENLY OBJECT"



"Now are ye light in the Lord" (Eph.  5:8a).

It takes us a longtime to realize that all is darkness outside the Light of heaven and earth.

"The moment we begin to rest our peace on anything in ourselves, we lose it.  And this is why so many saints have not settled peace.  How can you have settled peace?  Only by having it in the Father's way.  By not resting on anything, even the Spirit's work within, but on what the Lord Jesus has done entirely outside you."

"Then you will know peace -- conscious unworthiness, but yet peace.  In the Lord Jesus alone, the Father finds that in which He rests: and so it is with His saints.  The more you see the extent and nature of the evil that is within, as well as that without and around, the more you will find that what the Lord Jesus is and did, is the only ground at all on which you can rest."

"When the eye is turned away from the Lord Jesus darkness must set in.  It is only as the eye is single that the body is full of light.  And what is a single eye but having Him for our Object?  It is thus that light divine pours in upon us, until every chamber of our moral being becomes lighted up, and we become light for others.  In this way the believer is kept happily free from obscurity, perplexity, and anxiety.  He finds all his springs in the Lord Jesus."

"It is having the Lord Jesus as our Object which alone gives us  the power of truth.  When we have anything of our own as an object, so far we slip aside, for the Lord Jesus alone is the full truth. It is only in proportion as we are filled with Him, and have Him to the exclusion of our own evil, that we ourselves walk in the truth.  Let us have our hearts fixed on any one thing or person save the One who is our life, and evil results." --W.K.

"Walk as children of light.  (Eph. 5:8b).

By M. Stanford




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Daily Inspirational

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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.

[Brother Love]

"ASSOCIATION--TRANSFORMATION "





"Looking away (from all that will distract to Jesus" (Heb. 12:2 Amp).

Since we are morally colored by the human company we keep,  whether high or low, think of the importance of continually associating with the Lord Jesus on high, and having Him as the center of our love and interest (2 Cor. 3:18).

"As babes in Christ we are left for a season in the old surroundings, because the time is not ripe for us to know our high calling, and the discipline needed for the heirs of God.  The Father waits for His babes until they are weaned, and able to bear the detaching from things necessary at first."

"Many chafe over the long years of training, they know not for what cause.  The souls who are yet under 'tutors and governor's need sorely to learn how to wait for the Father and rest in His will.  Let us remember that circumstances are planned by Him to fit us for the calling He has been in view for each of us, in the economy of His purpose.  Let us wait until we know His pattern for our life lest, in our impatience, we seek to throw aside the very things permitted of Him to fit us for some special service in his vineyard."

"Multitudes of believers are sick and tired of trying to be good.  Paul rests our feet on the right path to goodness.  He had learned from experience that goodness is not caught by association; not by struggling to obey laws and rules, but by living in the Lord Jesus' presence.  By steadily looking at Him, we are changed into his likeness."

"Our Father will not deliver us from bondage unless we want Him to; therefore He must permit pressure to come upon us one way or another, so as to bring us to the point of asking Him to do for us what He has been ready and able to do all the time."

"All (things) are yours...  and ye are Christ's and Christ is God's (1 Cor. 3:21, 23).

By M. Stanford


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Daily Inspirational

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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.

[Brother Love]

"HEAVEN-FOSTERED FAITH"




"Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Rom. 10:17).

Walking in the Spirit, our faith is heavenly, spiritual; walking in the flesh, our faith is earthly, carnal.

"Is it the mind of the Father which influences my faith and controls my actions, or is it the order of things around me here?  The latter is the world.  Faith overcomes the world.  The world, in its influence on me, is the rival of God's Word, and many a one who knows what faith is for the safety of his soul is nevertheless not safe from the world."- J.B.S.

"It is imperative that the believer knows his position in grace, because grace is the source of all spiritual supply.  'A man can take unto himself nothing except it be giving him from heaven' (John 3:27).  Everything from beginning to end of the Christian life depends upon a proper faith-apprehension of that which the Father has bestowed upon him with and in His own Son in glory." -- J.C.M.

"Most growing believers rightly maintain that all must come from the risen Lord; but instead of taking their actual position of being dwellers in  heaven,  and coming from there to earth, they only look up to heaven  for help  as to their walk on earth; and their faith and labors are always influenced and dictated by the  condition  and order of things on earth; and instead of seeking the mind of the Lord as learned in heaven, they are occupied with the blessing of men on earth." -- J.B.S.

"Very little abiding growth and fruit can be known by the believer until he accepts the fact of identification (Rom. 6:6),  and to it responds by an attitude of faith (Rom. 6:11) thus yielding himself to the Holy Spirit for the life of the Lord Jesus to be manifested in and through him (Rom. 6:13)." -- G.W.

"For we walk by faith, not by sight"  (2 Cor. 5: 7).
By M. Stanford









Should this Inspirational be a blessing and encouragement to you, why not send to a friend, co-worker or, to your loved one who maybe defending the USA. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.  It is our heart at GRACE AND THE TRUTH and mission to reach as many people as we possibly can TO SHARE with them the Word of God and all that the Lord Jesus Christ has done for members of the body of Christ.  We are now living in a time that we desperately need the joy, peace and comfort of our Lord Jesus Christ. In these most trying times, and to know that He (Christ) is in control of all things. The Lord does not want His Saints in the Body of Christ living in fear, but rather resting and trusting Him as their life. Which brings forth joy, contentment, peace, etc.   Please be sure to tell your friends and loved ones about us.  Feel free to share any of these articles.  

Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: neverthe-less I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.


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Daily Inspirational

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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.

[Brother Love]

"TRIUMPHANT TRIALS"



"Humble yourselves...  under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time" (1 Peter 5:6).

Face it!  Trials and suffering are the heart of growth.

"It is the Cross of the Lord Jesus that makes what is naturally bitter sweet to us.  It is the 'fellowship of His sufferings'; and the knowledge of suffering with Him, what can it not sweeten?  We are sharing His experience who gives us therein to realize that wonderful path in which divine love led Him for our sakes.  We have the reality of His sympathy with us.  We have fellowship with Himself in such a way as we could not else enjoy, for nothing brings hearts together like sharing a common lot of toil and sorrow." -- F.W.G.

"Faith is rooted in the Father's great Facts.  Affliction, adversities, sufferings, sorrows, temptations, trials, doubts, disappointments roll in upon us.  How can we go on in peace and patient patience with such things in our life?  Are they not enough to overwhelm us?  No, not if faith spreads itself out over them and sends its roots down into the rich soil of our Father's great eternal Facts." --R.P.

"May you retire into the secret of your heart and wait on the Father, and think that His heart is so relieved of everything about you, that He sees you according to the Son at His right hand.  Amidst all the confusion and contrariety of this scene I know how my Father feels about me." -- J.B.S.

"If I am abiding in my risen Lord, it will show itself, I shall not be afraid of changes around me.  I shall live not in apathy and listless-ness, but in the exercise of lively affections and energies toward my Lord.  Another great evidence of my abiding in Him, is quietness.  I have my portion in Him above, and I walk on," -- J.N.D.

"Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you" (1 Peter 5:7).

By M. Stanford


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Daily Inspirational

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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.

[Brother Love]

"PROGRESS VIA PROCESS"


"As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God" Ps. 42:1

The believer in the midst of processing, is progressing.

"If spiritual thirst is the language of your heart, there is great blessing in store for you.  When believers are being turned upside -- down and inside -- out they are apt to be much discouraged, and to have their souls 'disquieted' within them.  But even amid the exercise the Father would give us the encouragement of knowing that He has taken us up to bring us into inconceivable blessing."

"We must travel through these processing, for the simple reason that if the Lord Jesus is to be everything, the old man must be nothing, and it is oftentimes a long journey to reach this point in the history of the soul.  Hence the long, dreary, and painful years of 'self-occupation' through which most believers drag their slow steps of spiritual progress."-- C.A.C.

"The old man may not always appear deceitful and hateful; on the contrary, it may be cultured, refined, and religious.  Whatever its behavior, it is still changeless flesh,  unimprovable, incorrigible, and incurable.  There remains, then, no remedy but that which the Father has provided -- condem-nation, crucifixion, death with the Lord Jesus."-- G.M.

"He remaineth; and He leads us into experiences of desolation here in order that we may not only see how little we know Him as the source of all joy, but in order that we may turn to Him and find not only in relief, but full resources in Himself.  It is only in solitude that we come to realize this."--J.B.S.

"Right down to Romans 7:24 -- "Oh, wretched man that I am!  Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? "

By  M. Stanford



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Daily Inspirational

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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.

[Brother Love]

"THE LAW MISUNDERSTOOD"





There are three misconceptions that most people entertain about the law of God and its Ten Commandments:

1.  Most people have a vague notion that the Law always was; that it must have been given to Adam or soon after. Actually, it was given by Moses about 1500 B.C., after about 2,500 years of human history had elapsed (John 1:
17). So mankind lived on earth for about 2,500 years without the Law, or the Ten Commandments.

2.  Most people suppose that the Law was given to mankind in general, while in fact it was given to Israel alone (Deut. 5:2,3).

3.  Most people suppose that the Law was given to help us to do right. Even some clergymen teach this, although the Bible clearly teaches that the Law was given to show us that we are guilty sinners.

It is true that the Law, while given to Israel, also shows the Gentile that he is a sinner. This is why Rom. 3:19 says:

"Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them that are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be brought in guilty before God."

But most important of all: few people realize that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins to deliver us from the just condemnation of the Law. This is taught in the following Scriptures:

"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us..." (Gal. 3:13).

"For God hath made Him to be sin for us, [Himl who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (II Cor. 5:21).

"For sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the law, but under grace" (Rom. 6:14).

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.

[Brother Love]

"VERDANT VINEYARD"


"My speech and my preaching were not with enticing words of man's wisdom" (1 Cor. 2:4).

There is human, soulish power and per-suasion that can produce "decisions,"
and "commitments"; but only the Holy Spirit has the life and power to bring a lost sinner  to healthy re-birth in the Saviour.

"That which is produced by the preaching of the Gospel in man's strength is unsound.  Men may be saved through hearing the Word of God that it contains but, unless they get purer light later, their dependence for life and service will be primarily upon human strength, and not upon 'the power and demonstration of the Spirit.'  Paul (in spite of the Corinthian's demand for it) refused to permit any human wisdom to enter into his ministry for that reason-because he wanted purely spiritual fruit: converts who have seen the power of the Spirit and expect to know it in their lives and service.  He rejected the popular reasoning: 'It is legitimate to use any means that will bring souls to Christ.'  He very definitely considered it was not legiti-mate to do so." -- A.H.

"When Joseph of Arimathea  put a grave into his garden in which He who went to the Cross was to be buried, he very soon had a resurrection there.  When the old man is buried in the grave of our hearts, we will also share the resurrection life and fruitful activity of our risen Lord." --J.E.C.

"You may be fruitful wherever you are.  All of us can be fruitful.  Do not grieve the Spirit, and the first thing He will do will be to fill your heart with love, joy, and peace; and many when the inner condition is right, then the outer condition will be right.  'Herein is My Father glorified'-'that 'ye are the means of converting souls'?  No; but 'that 'ye bear much fruit.' Leave the birth of the souls to the Father, and if you are fruitful He will do it through you." -A.M.

"That your faith  should not stand in the wisdom of men,  but in the power of God  (1 Cor. 2:5)

By M. Stanford


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Daily Inspirational

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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.

[Brother Love]

"NO RECYCLING"!


"If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Cor. 5:17).

The old life is neither to be recycled nor reformed.  We are all- new creations in the all-new Man, Christ Jesus.

"The illustration of a man drafted for the army, and finding a substitute to stand in his stead is not the Gospel. The Gospel is that you were under the judgment of death, and that the Lord Jesus has borne that judgment.  It is not that you should keep the man who was under judgment, but that you should be completely severed from him in your death on the Cross."--J.B.S.

"We could not be saved by Him, and keep the life on account of which He died.  Here there is great confusion among believers.  If there were true apprehension of the work of the Lord Jesus on the Cross-that He so bore the judgment on man that all the man who had offended against God has been judicially removed to His infinite satisfaction, and that He who saved us from death is now our Life--there would be a wonderful testimony to the grace of God."

"The Reformers failed because they did not see that as faith alone could save, and place man outside himself in the Lord Jesus, he must not return to that which through grace has been crucified.  In not seen as, the Reformers left the door open for the system and ritualism which have grown up since in church; and hence the simple and only effectual way of dealing with either is, at the start, to refuse any place to the old man except crucifixion." --J.B.S.

"The Lord Jesus is the answer, but the Cross is needed to clear the way for him."

"For the law of the Spirit of  life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death" (Rom. 8:2)

By M. Stanford


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Daily Inspirational

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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.

[Brother Love]

"Battle for the Souls of Humanity!"


By Thomas Nitz




I see Dead People!. These were words spoken by a child in the movie starring Bruce Willis called The Sixth Sense. To summarize the movie this child saw dead people who were in a temporary state desiring to be released so they can go to their final place of rest.

Do we as Believers realize that when we come upon unbelievers that we are truly among dead people? We do not come upon them in an attitude of us being better then them because we are "CHRISTIANS" but, we should come upon the unbeliever with the desire to share.

Romans 4:17 ".in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead..." We should want to share the good news or Gospel to the unbelievers proclaim-ing Gods love and desire to give life to the inner spirit that is dead. God is the God of the Living!

Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned (we all are dead spiritually) and fall short of the glory of God."

Do we really get that ALL have sinned. It does not matter what people do. This is not a sign of a sinner. It is what we are as humans, sinners. We just naturally do wrong things. However, being humans we all inherit the
penalty.

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

From the ousting of Adam and Eve forward every human being ever born is born spiritually dead. This is why Jesus told Nicodemus John 3:3 ".unless you are born again you cannot see the kingdom of God."

We as humans do not know that we are dead spiritually, this is why we are encouraged to share the Lord.

Romans10:14" How then will they call on Him (Jesus) in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?

Jesus is Life and He gave His life, instead of us having to give ours.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

Won't you share the Lord and the Love that God has for mankind. He is a God of Love and we need to share His good news or Gospel 1Cor 15:1-4 ".. Christ died for our sins..and that He was buried. He was raised on the third day." Praise God He is Alive. Believe it!

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Daily Inspirational

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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.

[Brother Love]

IF GOD BE FOR US,
WHO CAN BE AGAINST US?

by K. R. Blades


It is always a very comforting and encouraging thing, especially in the midst of the various trials and ordeals of our lives, to know that there is someone who is “for us” and who, therefore, cares for us and desires the best for us. When we are children we take comfort in knowing that our parents are for us. One of the things which makes a friend a true friend is that aspect of their affection that shows them to be for you when the going gets tough. As husbands and wives, the marriage bond of intimacy of fellowship is most deeply appreciated and enjoyed when each spouse confidently knows the other is for him or her regardless of what happens. Understanding and appreciating that someone is for us is a wonderful thing, and it should marvellously work in the details of our lives to produce needed comfort, encouragement, confidence, peace, rest, cheer, and a host of other things which stabilize and gladden our hearts. With this being the case, much more such comfort and encouragement should be ours as Christians when we understand and appreciate that God is “for us,” just as the apostle Paul says in Romans 8:31.


“What shall we say then to these things? If GOD BE FOR US, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)



God is “FOR US”!! What a wonderful truth to hear, and what a blissful thing to consider. And that is just what God wants this truth to be, especially since He has Paul declare it to us in the midst of talking about the “sufferings of this present time.” Obviously, God wants it to be a source of joy to us and a reason for a gladdened heart. He wants it to be a comfort to us when the various things we can suffer in this world would tend to produce distress, misery, doubt, discouragement, dejection, or despair. He wants us to understand and appreciate that He is “for us” regardless of what happens in the details of our lives, and for that truth to enliven us in the face of the “sufferings of this present time.” In connection with this, briefly consider some of the issues Paul sets forth to us in Romans 8:18 39 which teach us the reality of God being “for us.” Notice, first of all, how that in verses 8:25 Paul deals with the issue of the great “hope” of the glory of God that has been given to us in Christ Jesus.


“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)



Our great hope of the glory of God excels in importance, grandeur, and magnificence anything we might experience in this world. In view of this “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared” with it. Our God given hope is designed by God to work for us just as Paul describes in verses 24 25.  


“FOR WE ARE SAVED BY HOPE: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.” (Romans 8:24-25)



The knowledge of our great “hope” of the glory of God saves us from the distress and despair that the “sufferings of this present time” and their “groanings” could easily produce. Rather than being distressed by them, our God given “hope” works for us to produce “patience” instead. The ability to endure them, and to do so to the glory of God, is what God has designed the doctrine of our hope to do for us. In verses 26 27 Paul teaches us how that the Holy Spirit also works “for us” in a very special way.

“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what to pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself MAKETH INTERCESSION 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.” (Romans 8:26-27)

End of Part 1

[Brother Love]

IF GOD BE FOR US,
WHO CAN BE AGAINST US?

Part 2

by K. R. Blades


God is “for us” in times of our infirmities. The Holy Spirit makes intercession “for us” when we don't know what to pray for. In view of God being “for us” in this way, we can relax within even at times when we are perplexed and at loss concerning what to pray for or do.. God is “for us” in connection with the outworking of His purpose with us in Jesus Christ, just as Paul goes on to teach us in verses 28 30.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” (Romans 8:28-30)

In view of the certainty of God's counsel regarding us, we “know that all things work together for good” and that nothing can therefore thwart the accomplishment of God's purpose with us. In the remaining verses of the chapter, Paul describes how that God is “for us” in all His fullness. God's grace is “for us” as verse 32 declares.

“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)


God's justice is completely “for us” as verses 33 -34 set forth.

“Who shall lay anything 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 intercession for us.” (Romans 8:33-34)

And God's love is “for us” as verses 35 39 describe.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35-39)


In view of the love of God for us in Christ Jesus, even the worst of the “sufferings of this present time” and anything that Satan's policy of evil can direct against us actually work “for us” to make us “more than conquerors through him that loved us.” Without a doubt, God is “for us.” And as Paul triumphantly asks in verse 31...“If God be for us, who can be against us?” No one, nor any thing can successfully be against us, seeing that God is “for us.” Not even ourselves. What a wonderful comfort and encouragement that is! What a glorious truth to revel in! BUT THERE'S MORE As glorious as the reality of this is, there is one thing which outshines it in glory, and that is the WHY of it all , WHY God is “for us.” In ourselves by nature there was nothing to commend us to God. Nor of ourselves could we do anything that would make us attractive to God and would move Him to be “for us.” Instead, by nature we were just as Paul describes us to have been in Ephesians 2:1 3.

“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” (Ephesians 2:1-3)


We were “children of wrath,” being “dead in trespasses and sins” and having our conversation in “the lusts of our flesh. What we did by nature and by our works was a continual affront to God's Holiness and Righteousness, and thereby we only provoked His Justice to wrath. We couldn't move God to be “for us,” all we could do was move Him away from us. Therefore, for God to be “for us” there would have to be something in He Himself that would so move Him, and He Himself would have to do the work necessary to remove the barrier that alienated us from Him so that He could be free to be “for us.” Thanks be to God that because of Who He is, that's just what He did. As Paul joyfully declares in Ephesians 2:4 5...

“But God, WHO IS RICH IN MERCY, FOR HIS GREAT LOVE WHEREWITH HE LOVED US, Even when we were dead in sins, HATH QUICKENED US TOGETHER WITH CHRIST, (by grace ye are saved);...” (Ephesians 2:4-5)



God's own “great love” moved Him toward us, and the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ for us on the cross paid for everything that was wrong with us. Through the magnificence and perfection of Christ's substitutionary redemptive work He propitiated God's Justice in connection with the debt and penalty of our sins. He provided for the complete abolishing of the barrier of alienation that existed between us because of our sins and unrighteousness. The perfect redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ satisfied every aspect of God's offended character in connection with us, and therefore has freed Him without compromise to now be “for us.” It is because of the “power of God” and the “wisdom of God” in the cross of Christ Jesus that God is now free to be “for us.” Because of the cross every aspect of His being is set free, so to speak, to operate “for us” and to do so without hindrance, without restraint, and without reservation. Every aspect of God's character now embraces us and devotes itself to us. And all because of, and only because of, the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The glorious knowledge that God is “for us” is a supremely comforting and encouraging thing in the face of the “sufferings of the present time.” But it is also an awe inspiring thing. For the only reason God is “for us,” is because of the magnificence of God Himself, and the genius of the cross of Christ Jesus. This study is available

[Brother Love]

"In Thy Presence is Fullness of Joy"

by Bethel Kirkwood Franklin






Psalm 16:11 says, "Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."

Do you have the fullness of joy?  If not, ask yourself, Am I in his presence?  Maybe you don't feel fullness of joy if you recently lost a loved one, suffered a broken relationship, or had your job terminated.  This is normal.  It is difficult to feel joy in the midst of a funeral, a divorce or a firing.

I have always had a problem relating to people who never seem to feel any emotion--who never laugh and never cry.   Ecclesiastes 3:4 tell us there is "A time to weep,  and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance dance...."  This suggests that there is a legitimate time for sorrow and grief.  It is just a time, not a lifetime.  Be careful not to deny those who suffer a great loss an appropriate time to grieve.  After all, God is the one who created as with emotions.

But the Bible is clear that joy is also our right as believers and we are not to live a miserable life.  I worked at a Christian college for a time when I was first married, and met a young man, a fellow employee, who always appeared depressed.  He would shut other employees out of his life by ignoring them,   looking at the floor a lot, and seemingly "down" every day. When someone would question him about his depressed attitude, he would often reply with a scripture, taken out of context, to make others believe he was more spiritual than they.  He believed that to be spiritual, one should not laugh or smile or have fun.  It has been twelve years since then, and my husband still sees this man at work regularly.  He has gotten worse.  He never smiles or laughs and rarely speaks to anyone.  He is a poor testimony to the love and joy of Christ.  His behavior is not Biblical; it is insane.  He appears to believers and unbelievers alike to be clinically depressed and beyond help. Although he believes himself to be more spiritual than the rest of his peers, he reflects not the joy of Christ, but a borderline psychosis.  The most severe psychotics are those who are called catatonic.  They have withdrawn so fully from the human experience that they many times don't speak at all,  don't participate in any "normal" activities, and appear to feel absolutely no emotion at all.  They are the hardest cases to reach.

As believers, we are supposed to exhibit and reflect to others the joy we have do to Christ!  Not due to our problem--free life or our unrealistic optimism.  Acts 16 tells us of Paul and Silas's imprisonment do to their preaching the gospel and their subsequent beating (v. 22,23).  After receiving "many stripes upon them," they both prayed and sang hymns in their prison cell.   And the Bible says, ".... the prisoners heard them," (v. 25).  What a great testimony!  The prison keeper trusted Christ due to their witness!

When I am tempted to feel  down or depressed, I often repeat this portion of the verse to myself:  "...  In his presence is fullness of joy."  Then I ask myself the very two questions that began this article:

Do I have fullness of joy?
Am I in His presence?

I believe one cannot have fullness of joy without being in His presence.  People and circumstances can only give you partial joy because the world is not perfect and people are flawed.  Frederick Price, a television preacher out of Los Angeles, says that one study tool he has found helpful to better under-stand scripture is simply to f lip-flop a verse or phrase. If "In His presence is fullness of joy," then out of His presence is not!  It is that simple.  Apart from Christ, life can be miserable.  My mother and father always told me "Don't look to people to make you happy.  They will always disappoint you. Only look to Christ."  They are so right!

My parents tell me that I cried the entire first week of my life.  Perhaps they wanted to give me back to the hospital that week!  The doctors found no reason for me to be so upset.  I guess I never did like change!  But, as a melancholic, it is often difficult to maintain a joyful attitude.  I cannot do it without help from the Lord through prayer and Scripture.  It is His presence. It is His fullness.  It is His joy.

Whenever you are and whatever is going on around you, you can choose to be in His presence and know His fullness of joy.  Even at a funeral.  Even in a crisis.  Even through your tears.  Maintain your close relationship with Him through prayer, Bible study, and regular attendance at a sound, Bible-teaching, Grace assembly.  Meditate on His Word.  Memorize Scripture.  Fill your heart with hymns.  Stay in His presence and you will  have fullness of joy!



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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.

[Brother Love]

"WHAT GOD IS DOING"




The distress and confusion which prevails in the world about us does not upset the instructed believer in the Word of God.

He understands the divine plan and knows what God is doing. He does not expect peace on earth while the Prince of Peace remains an Exile from His own world. He has no illus- ions about this age, or about what statesmen and politicians can accomplish therein, for God calls it "this present evil age" (Gal. 1:4).
     
The instructed believer knows too why God does not intervene in the affairs of men and why our Lord remains a voluntary Exile from the world. "This present evil age," he knows, is also "the age of grace." It began when God saved Saul of Tarsus, the "chief of sinners," the leader of the world’s rebellion against Christ (I Tim. 1:13-16) and sent him forth with the "gospel [good news] of the grace of God"
(Acts 20:24).

The instructed believer understands clearly that God is not saving the wreck that man has made. He is rather saving individuals from the wreck and uniting them, by the
Spirit, to Christ and His Body, "for by one Spirit are we all baptized into one Body..." (I Cor. 12:13).
     
The instructed believer knows too that this world will not always be a scene of trouble and sorrow, of war and bloodshed, of misery and death. He knows that after our Lord
has come for His own, after He has recalled His ambassadors from this world, He will put down man’s rebellion and set up His own beneficent reign, when government will
be purified (Jer. 23:5), war and bloodshed will be abolished Isa. 2:4), health and long life will be restored (Isa. 35:5,6;65:20), the animal creation will be tamed (Isa. 11:6-9), the desert will blossom as a rose (Isa. 35:1,2,6,7) and Israel will become a spiritual blessing to all nations (Zech. 8:13,23).
     
Meantime, the instructed Bible believer takes advantage of "the dispensation of grace," telling others how men may be "justified freely, by [God’s] grace, through the redemp-tion that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:24).

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
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.