A Step Between the Railroad Tracks

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

Ah, my reader, this is the first great lesson we have to learn: that God is the Creator, and we are the creature; that He is the Potter, and we are the clay! "O LORD, God of our fathers, are You not the God who is in Heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in Your hand, and no one can withstand You!" (2 Chronicles 20:6)   

The sovereignty of God may be defined as the exercise of His supremacy. Being infinitely elevated above the highest creature He is the Most High, Lord of Heaven and earth. Subject to none, influenced by none He is absolutely independent. God does as He pleases, only as He pleases, and always as He pleases. None can thwart Him; none can hinder Him. 

[Arthur Pink]

Daniel 4:35 ... And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

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Share The Word!!

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Hebrews 4:12 ...  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. ❤

Living For Christ!!

As we journey through this fleeting life, let us never forget the purpose for which we were created. The chief end of man is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever! But how do we fulfill this noble purpose? The answer is simple by living for Christ! To live for Christ is to surrender all that we are and have, to His lordship. It is to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. It is to seek His glory in all we do, and to find our joy in Him alone. 

As the apostle Paul so boldly declared, "For me, to live is Christ" not my own desires, not my own ambitions, but Christ! Let us not be deceived by the seductive pleasures of this poor world. Let us not be swayed by the whispers of the enemy, who would have us believe that our lives are our own to live as we please. 

No, dear friends, our lives are not our own. We have been redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus, and we belong to Him! So let us live for Him, and Him alone. Let us seek His glory in every aspect of our lives and let us find our joy in His presence. Only as we live for Christ, can we find genuine felicity in this life, glorify God in all that we do, and enjoy Him forever in glory! Only those who sincerely live for Christ, will find that to die is gain! 

[Anonymous]

Romans 14:8 ... For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.

Philippians 1:21 ... For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.  ❤

"Sin"

We are not sinners because we sin. 

 We sin because we are sinners.

[Unknown]

Romans 3:23 ...  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; ❤

A Work of Grace

There is a just mixture of hope and fear, which every Christian would cherish in contemplating his own experience, and the state of the Church of Christ. On the one hand there certainly is ground for fear, whether we judge from analogy, or from what we behold with our eyes: What multitudes of blossoms are annually cut off by frost! 

Of those that set, how many are blighted by an eastern wind! Of those that grow, how many are blown off by storms and tempests! Of those that hang upon the tree, how many, when gathered, prove rotten at the core! Thus, it is seen in the religious world: Many make a fair show for a little while, and then fall off from their profession. Others are blighted and come to naught. Others look well for a season but are beaten down by storms of persecution and temptation. 

And of those who maintain their profession to the end, how many will at last be found unsound at heart! If this casts a damp upon our joys, and teaches us to moderate our expectations, it need not, it ought not, to rob us of all our confidence: for though sound fruit may be blown off from a tree, no sound Christian shall ever be separated from the Lord Jesus! 

Of this the Apostle was fully persuaded: and, under this conviction, he thanked God for the converts at Philippi, whose sincerity he had no reason to doubt, and of whose perseverance in the divine life he therefore entertained the most optimistic hopes. 

[Charles Simeon] 

Philippians 1:6 ... Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

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Where I Am

Sometimes I need only to stand wherever I am to be BLESSED.

[Mary Oliver]

Psalm 84:4 ... Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.

Proverbs 8:34 ... Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.

Ephesians 1:3 ... Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: ❤

But The Choice is in Better Hands!

Moses asked to be shown the way. The way is not shown. But better than this, God says, "Trust Me, I will go with you!" 

Afflicted one! Hear this wilderness promise which God speaks to His spiritual Israel still. He who led His people of old "like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron," will manifest towards you the same Shepherd love. The way may be very different from what we would have wished; and what we would have chosen. But the choice is in better hands! 

God had His own wise and righteous ends, in every erratic turning in the wilderness wanderings. Just so, who can look back on the past leadings of God, without gratitude and thankfulness? When His sheep have been conducted to the rougher parts of the wilderness, He, their Shepherd, has been with them. When their fleece was torn, and they were footsore and weary, He has borne them in His arms. His presence has lightened every cross and sweetened every care. 

Let us trust Him for an unknown and checkered future! With Him for our portion, take what He will away we must be happy. We can rise above the loss of the earthly gift, in the consciousness of the nobler possession which we enjoy in the Great Bestower. He may have seen fit to level 'clay idols' that He, the "All Satisfying One" might reign paramount and supreme. 

He will not allow us to raise havens on earth, and to write upon them: "This is my rest." But "Fear not," He seems to say, "You are not left without a friend or without solace on the way home. Pilgrim in a pilgrim land! My presence shall go with you in all your dark and cloudy days, in your hours of faintness and depression, in all your sickness and sadness, in life and in death! 

And when the journey is ended, I will give you eternal rest with Me!" The pledge of Grace will be followed with the fruition of Glory! 

[John MacDuff]

Exodus 33:14 ... And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

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Uh Oh!

 Everyone says that they want a pastor that preaches the truth and 

does not compromise...

Until he starts preaching truth and does not compromise!

2 Timothy 4:3-4 ...    For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. ❤

"Honesty"

Honesty is more than just not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving. 

[James E. Faust] 

 Proverbs 24:26 ... Every man shall kiss his lips that giveth a right answer.

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A Word of Warning Against Worldly Conformity

"Adam, where are you?" Genesis 3:9 

 "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 1 Kings 19:9 

To E. M., August 5, 1854. 

My Beloved Friend, 

The above questions came to my mind for my beloved friend, I know not why. This evening, I have heard a sermon from the last of these passages, and I must send you the substance of a few remarks, though not in the exact words. "What are you doing here, Elijah?" It may be said to some believers, "What are you doing here inactive and indolent in your Lord's cause? You were very lively in the service of Satan and the world. Why are you so lethargic in the service of Him who bought you with His blood, and knew what it was to be weary in working for you?" 

Again, it may be said to some, "What are you doing here in a place, or in society, where your Lord is not loved, honored, or known?" Your soul will suffer, your spirituality will be withered, for it is a very tender plant; and it is easily injured. If the believer will be in worldly society, uncalled by Providence, his spirituality is sure to suffer blight. Ah! What are you doing here, Elijah? "What are you doing here?" it may be said again, when the believer is in the midst of mist and gloom, which hide the Savior from his view. What are you doing here? you whom I have ransomed you to whom I have manifested myself you whom the Spirit has sealed whom I have loved with an everlasting love what are you doing here with darkened evidence? 

Is it not because you are looking into your own heart instead of looking unto Me, and coming unto Me, who am made unto your wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption? The Spirit may discover to us what is in our hearts to abase us and lay us low; but if we look into our hearts to find comfort or encouragement, then our evidence will be darkened, the clouds will gather quickly around us, and our dreariness will grow yet more dreary! What are you doing here, Elijah? We must look away from self and learn that we are not to live upon past experience, however real, or upon past manifestations, however bright; but we must be seeking for fresh incomings of grace.

It is a great lesson which we are very slow in learning, not to live upon grace received. 

[Ruth Byron]

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The Preciousness of Jesus!

In the bustling noise of our daily lives, amidst the clamor of distractions, there exists a priceless and sacred truth the preciousness of Jesus! He is the cornerstone of our faith, the embodiment of divine love, and the source of eternal hope! In the moments of doubt and despair, when the shadows of affliction loom large it is in Jesus that we find solace and strength!  His presence is a beacon of light in the darkness, guiding us through life's tumultuous seas. 

Think of the moments when you felt broken-hearted, when the weight of your troubles seemed too heavy to bear. It is Jesus who gently lifts us up, wrapping us in His comforting embrace, whispering words of hope and grace. His preciousness is not measured in gold or silver, but in the depth of His compassion, the boundlessness of His mercy, and the unfailing constancy of His love. In Him, we find forgiveness for our failings, redemption for our sins, and the promise of eternal life! 

As we journey through this wilderness world, let us treasure Jesus above all else! Let His teachings be our guide, His example be our inspiration, and His presence be our greatest joy! For in Him, we find the fulfillment of our deepest longings and the purpose of our existence. May we never lose sight of the preciousness of Jesus, for in Him we find true significance, lasting peace, and everlasting life! 

[Anonymous] 

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1 Peter 2:7 ... Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,

Song of Solomon 5:16 ... His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem. ❤