O LORD, Revive Thy Work (I)

From the Pastor: Dr. M. J. Seymour, Sr.

“But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him. … O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, ...” (Habakkuk 2:20, 3:2)

The Prophet Habakkuk writes of his burden over the sins of Israel on the eve of their captivity. Prophet after prophet cried out unto the nation of Israel, but they would not receive the messages from God. The Israelites loved their sins and refused to repent.

It is said that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. This is especially true with the people whom God has blessed so abundantly, and is absolutely true with the saints of God. God has purchased us with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, His blessed Son; has it been so for us to indulge ourselves in the sins of this world? God forbid that we should be so ignorant!!!

The prophet wrote: “…let all the earth keep silence before him.” It is not just for one’s mouth to be shut, but it is for everyone, every creature, and everything to keep absolute silence. The acknowledgment and appreciation of GOD in His holy temple will bring all things to a hush. The reason so many churches are in such an uproar and slaphappy howdy-doody chaos is because they are rebelling against keeping silence before GOD in His holy temple.

Preachers ought to be screaming out REPENT, REPENT, and church members ought to be crying out unto God for forgiveness of sins and pleading for the way of righteousness. But that is not the case amongst the churches for they are much too distracted with their fleshly desires to hear the messages of God. They have ears to hear, but they will not hear what the Holy Spirit says unto the churches. Like Israel, “tickle my ears” is the love of this generation.

Spiritually the churches are dying; the seminaries are dying; the cities, counties, states, and America are dying. Will anyone lay it to heart? Will anyone commit themselves to plead for an honest Spirit filled revival? Will there not be one person, one family, one church, one city, one state, or one country that will crave for the presence of GOD? Will there be any who will keep silence to hear the message from the mouth of God? Will any seek the revival of the holy righteous work of the Almighty God and the Lord Jesus?

Paid loafers and social parasites!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15

It is easy for preachers to become paid loafers and social parasites, wasting their days in pleasure, recreation, and bumming around with open palms and an expectant look. Sadly, the religious hucksters and hirelings of the world have earned their reputation. Let no gospel preacher do so!

The pastor has no boss within sight. He is not required to keep regular office hours. And no one checks up on him, to be sure he is working. That is as it should be. Yet, the very fact that a church treats her pastor as she should, makes it possible for the pastor to abuse his office, neglect his work, give himself to idleness, or to providing luxuries for himself and his family; when he should give himself relentlessly to study, and prayer, and preaching. If we devote ourselves to this labor, there will be little time or energy for other things.

"Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely." 1 Timothy 4:15-16

Grace Gems

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Morning and Evening

Charles H. Spurgeon
May 31, 2010

Morning Reading

The king also himself passed over the brook Kidron.

—2 Samuel 15:23

David passed that gloomy brook when flying with his mourning company from his traitor son. The man after God's own heart was not exempt from trouble, nay, his life was full of it. He was both the Lord's Anointed, and the Lord's Afflicted. Why then should we expect to escape? At sorrow's gates the noblest of our race have waited with ashes on their heads, wherefore then should we complain as though some strange thing had happened unto us?

The KING of kings himself was not favoured with a more cheerful or royal road. He passed over the filthy ditch of Kidron, through which the filth of Jerusalem flowed. God had one Son without sin, but not a single child without the rod. It is a great joy to believe that Jesus has been tempted in all points like as we are. What is our Kidron this morning? Is it a faithless friend, a sad bereavement, a slanderous reproach, a dark foreboding? The King has passed over all these. Is it bodily pain, poverty, persecution, or contempt? Over each of these Kidrons the King has gone before us. "In all our afflictions He was afflicted." The idea of strangeness in our trials must be banished at once and for ever, for He who is the Head of all saints, knows by experience the grief which we think so peculiar. All the citizens of Zion must be free of the Honourable Company of Mourners, of which the Prince Immanuel is Head and Captain.

Notwithstanding the abasement of David, he yet returned in triumph to his city, and David's Lord arose victorious from the grave; let us then be of good courage, for we also shall win the day. We shall yet with joy draw water out of the wells of salvation, though now for a season we have to pass by the noxious streams of sin and sorrow. Courage, soldiers of the Cross, the King himself triumphed after going over Kidron, and so shall you.

Evening Reading

Who healeth all thy diseases.

—Psalm 103:3

Humbling as is the statement, yet the fact is certain, that we are all more or less suffering under the disease of sin. What a comfort to know that we have a great Physician who is both able and willing to heal us! Let us think of Him awhile to-night. His cures are very speedy—there is life in a look at Him; His cures are radical—He strikes at the centre of the disease; and hence, His cures are sure and certain. He never fails, and the disease never returns. There is no relapse where Christ heals; no fear that His patients should be merely patched up for a season, He makes new men of them: a new heart also does He give them, and a right spirit does He put with them. He is well skilled in all diseases. Physicians generally have some specialite. Although they may know a little about almost all our pains and ills, there is usually one disease which they have studied above all others; but Jesus Christ is thoroughly acquainted with the whole of human nature. He is as much at home with one sinner as with another, and never yet did He meet with an out-of-the-way case that was difficult to Him. He has had extraordinary complications of strange diseases to deal with, but He has known exactly with one glance of His eye how to treat the patient. He is the only universal doctor; and the medicine He gives is the only true catholicon, healing in every instance. Whatever our spiritual malady may be, we should apply at once to this Divine Physician. There is no brokenness of heart which Jesus cannot bind up. "His blood cleanseth from all sin." We have but to think of the myriads who have been delivered from all sorts of diseases through the power and virtue of His touch, and we shall joyfully put ourselves in His hands. We trust Him, and sin dies; we love Him, and grace lives; we wait for Him and grace is strengthened; we see Him as he is, and grace is perfected for ever.

Israel's Response to the Law's Demand

Day By Day By Grace
Bob Hoekstra
May 31, 2010

Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, "All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient"…Today you have proclaimed the LORD to be your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, and His judgments, and that you will obey His voice. (Exodus 24:7 and Deuteronomy 26:17)

God's law demands wholehearted obedience. "This day the LORD your God commands you to observe these statutes and judgments; therefore you shall be careful to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deuteronomy 26:16). When the Israelites heard this summary requirement of the law, they confidently promised that they would obey. "Today you have proclaimed the LORD to be your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, and His judgments, and that you will obey His voice." Forty years earlier, when the Lord first gave His law to His people, they responded in a similar fashion. "Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, 'All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient.'"

Their intentions were certainly commendable. However, their performance was definitely unacceptable. Even before they had departed from the mountain where the law was given, they plunged into disobedience. "They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it" (Exodus 32:8). Soon after the death of Joshua (who led them into the Promised Land), they repeatedly rebelled against the Lord their God. The book of Judges documents this clearly: "And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD" (3:12); "And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD" (4:1); "Then the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD" (6:1); "Then the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD" (10:6).

Twelve hundred years later, Stephen would summarize Israel's history of disobedience. "You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you" (Acts 7:51). What a sobering evaluation of those who were so confident of obeying the law of God.

Dear Father, I humbly bow before You, confessing that I am so often like the children of Israel. I confidently promise to live in obedience to Your will. Then, I quickly stray from Your path and indulge my own will. Thank You for Your forgiving grace. Yet, I earnestly cry out for more. I need Your transforming grace to renew my inner man unto increasing obedience to You, through Jesus, my Lord, Amen.

Our sufferings will bear fruit

Daily Promises
Blue Letter Bible
May 31, 2010

And not only [so], but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. (Romans 5:3-5)

We are promised that our sufferings will bear a fruit greater than the power of the suffering: we are promised genuine hope that does not disappoint! What glorious fruit! So then is suffering counted by Paul a reason for rejoicing!

Morning and Evening

Charles H. Spurgeon
May 30, 2010

Morning Reading

Take us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines.

—Song 2:15

A little thorn may cause much suffering. A little cloud may hide the sun. Little foxes spoil the vines; and little sins do mischief to the tender heart. These little sins burrow in the soul, and make it so full of that which is hateful to Christ, that He will hold no comfortable fellowship and communion with us. A great sin cannot destroy a Christian, but a little sin can make him miserable. Jesus will not walk with His people unless they drive out every known sin. He says, "If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love, even as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love." Some Christians very seldom enjoy their Saviour's presence. How is this? Surely it must be an affliction for a tender child to be separated from his father. Art thou a child of God, and yet satisfied to go on without seeing thy Father's face? What! thou the spouse of Christ, and yet content without His company! Surely, thou hast fallen into a sad state, for the chaste spouse of Christ mourns like a dove without her mate, when he has left her. Ask, then, the question, what has driven Christ from thee? He hides His face behind the wall of thy sins. That wall may be built up of little pebbles, as easily as of great stones. The sea is made of drops; the rocks are made of grains: and the sea which divides thee from Christ may be filled with the drops of thy little sins; and the rock which has well nigh wrecked thy barque, may have been made by the daily working of the coral insects of thy little sins. If thou wouldst live with Christ, and walk with Christ, and see Christ, and have fellowship with Christ, take heed of "the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes." Jesus invites you to go with Him and take them. He will surely, like Samson, take the foxes at once and easily. Go with Him to the hunting.

Evening Reading

That henceforth we should not serve sin.

—Romans 6:6

Christian, what hast thou to do with sin? Hath it not cost thee enough already? Burnt child, wilt thou play with the fire? What! when thou hast already been between the jaws of the lion, wilt thou step a second time into his den? Hast thou not had enough of the old serpent? Did he not poison all thy veins once, and wilt thou play upon the hole of the asp, and put thy hand upon the cockatrice's den a second time? Oh, be not so mad! so foolish! Did sin ever yield thee real pleasure? Didst thou find solid satisfaction in it? If so, go back to thine old drudgery, and wear the chain again, if it delight thee. But inasmuch as sin did never give thee what it promised to bestow, but deluded thee with lies, be not a second time snared by the old fowler— be free, and let the remembrance of thy ancient bondage forbid thee to enter the net again! It is contrary to the designs of eternal love, which all have an eye to thy purity and holiness; therefore run not counter to the purposes of thy Lord. Another thought should restrain thee from sin. Christians can never sin cheaply; they pay a heavy price for iniquity. Transgression destroys peace of mind, obscures fellowship with Jesus, hinders prayer, brings darkness over the soul; therefore be not the serf and bondman of sin. There is yet a higher argument: each time you "serve sin" you have "Crucified the Lord afresh, and put Him to an open shame." Can you bear that thought? Oh! if you have fallen into any special sin during this day, it may be my Master has sent this admonition this evening, to bring you back before you have backslidden very far. Turn thee to Jesus anew; He has not forgotten His love to thee; His grace is still the same. With weeping and repentance, come thou to His footstool, and thou shalt be once more received into His heart; thou shalt be set upon a rock again, and thy goings shall be established.

The Old Covenant Demand of Obedience

Day By Day By Grace
Bob Hoekstra
May 30, 2010

And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good?…This day the LORD your God commands you to observe these statutes and judgments; therefore you shall be careful to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 10:12-13 and 26:16)

As we saw in our previous meditation, the grace of God provides what we need for growing in a life of obedience. Now we will begin to see that God's law demands obedience (whole-hearted obedience), but it does not provide the necessary spiritual resources for living an obedient life.

When Israel was about to enter the Promised Land, Moses restated what God's law required. "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but…to walk in all His ways… and to keep the commandments of the LORD…therefore you shall be careful to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul." Remember, the commandments of God called for holy living. "You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy" (Leviticus 19:2). The measurement for this required holiness was God Himself. This represented a high and lofty standard, far beyond what man could reach on his own.

Additionally, God was not calling them to an external religious behaviorism, but to wholehearted obedience: "keep the commandments…observe them with all your heart." From deep within their innermost being, the children of Israel were to fully obey the Lord. They were to truly and sincerely observe all that the Lord had commanded. There were to be no inner reservations or hesitations.

What the law demanded was good. "The law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good" (Romans 7:12). Yet, the resources were lacking. Man could not measure up on his own. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Furthermore, this perfect law offered no help to change man into what it required. "The law made nothing perfect" (Hebrews 7:19a). Praise God, there is a provision that can accomplish what the law cannot do. "On the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope" (Hebrews 7:19b). That effective hope is the grace of God.

Lord God of holiness, I bow to Your holy law as good and just. I desire to live what the law demands. Yet, I confess my failures, as well as my inadequacy to improve myself. I rejoice in Your better hope. By Your grace, please shape my heart into a life of growing obedience, Amen.

Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church 1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501 May 30, 2010 Elder Randy Johnson, Pastor Bro. Ronnie Henderson, Song Director Pastor E-Mail: sgmbcpastor@baptistsonline.org Web Site: www.baptistsonline.org/sgmbc "Where The Truths Of God’s Word Are Still Taught"

You Were Asked To Pray For: All of Our Military, Their Family’s & All the Civilian Workers in The Middle East, Zee Mink Fuller and Family, Her son’s Bryan Armstrong and Hunter Hackie, Daughter Shannon, and Brother Philip & Sondra Thornsberry, Virgil & Alice Hoskins, Grandchildren, and his daughters Liz Janis and Debbie Gray, Derrick & Alecia and sons Coty & Carson Clements, Bryndon Thomas, Frank & Dawana Reigel, Andrew Preston, Helen Maggard, Renee Jackson, Larry Mollette, Larry Mollette II & Family, Kirby Mollette, Kerry Pennington, Kim Butler, Danny & Nita Mollette, Verna Mae Allen, Wendell Henderson, Judy Dunn, Joshua Kidd, Matthew Kidd, Kevin Henderson, Ronnie Henderson Jr., Vickie Sims, Debbie and Morgan Farmer, Jim Stagner, Bro. & Mrs. Hammond, Don & Neil Hammond, Charles Hammond, Eric Hammond, Archie & Barbara Griffin & son Daniel, Bro. & Sister Bob Keller, Wanda Fowler, Kathy Rosinbaum, Brenda Galusha and Jewel, Mary Ramsey, Donna Johnson, Fay Johnson, Luann Reynolds, Bro. & Sis. Curtis Pugh, Timothy and Nathan Fails, Jacob Ramsey, Jim & Linda Meier, Brother David & Sister Anne Shortt, Brother Manuel Seymour & Family, Doris Hammock, Letha Langford, Brother & Sister Kelley Hinson and Kelley Lee, Billy and Jo Hobbs, Jerry Hughes, Sister Nita Bookout and her Niece, Roger Bookout, Pastor G. L. Burr, Melody Carr, Betty, Janie Capps, Scott and Gina Sillivan, Katie Norton, An unnamed child, Imajo Tracy, Mike Hux, Sister Jean Dodson and Family, Casey 5 year old almost drown and Family, and Bro. Sergey Mochalov and the Churches in Russia.

A Thought From Pastor Johnson: Our God Is Sovereign! Introduction Part 2 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Ephesians 2:8” We have started a new study in our newsletter; we are going to take a very long look at the “Sovereignty of God” and look at this subject under many titles. Last week we looked at an “introduction” and this week we are going to continue that introduction. We find in our date in time many today that do not teach or even believe in the sovereignty of God. I believe they hate it so much that they simple despise anyone who believes or teaches it. However the Lord promised that man would cause truth to be a lie and a lie to be truth. “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” Romans 1:25 there are two “very today” statements in this verse (1.) “Who changed the truth of God into a lie…” and (2.) “…and served the creature more than the Creator…” If one does not believe and teach in a Sovereign God then they have changed that truth into a lie, and this causes one to worship the creature more than the Creator in that it is no longer God that saves but rather the creature that causes and brings about their own salvation. If the creature brings about their own salvation then the great question must be asked, why do we pray to God for one to be saved, why not just pray to the sinner? This is the bottom-line in the scriptures, God saves sinners! However if you listen in most churches today you will not hear this but rather it is totally up to the sinner to deliver themselves to believe in Jesus Christ as their Saviour. Well God makes no doubt in His Word that this is impossible on the sinner’s part. Jesus said in John 6:44 “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” Now some will say that “well it is true that God draws man but the choice to believe is up to man, however Paul said in Romans 8:14 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Jesus also said in John 6:39 “And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.” There are also two great and wonderful truths in this verse; (1.) “…that of all which he hath given me…” and (2.) “…I should lose nothing…” first of all the Father gave to the Son a remnant of souls before the creation of the world and of that number He (the Son) has lost NONE. This is called election or God choosing a remnant of souls in eternity past to be His beloved sons, and during the “eternal covenant” between the Father and the Son that the Father gave to the Son this remnant of souls or what is known as the elect of God with the condition He (as the Son of Man) would give His live on the cross for their sins in which the Father considered just payment, this is why Jesus said just before His death “…It is finished…” John 19:30 meaning the debt has been paid in full which fulfilled His part of the eternal covenant that was made before the creation of the world. If this is not true than how could Christ Jesus be “…the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Revelations 13:5. What we find being preached in churches today is not truth but rather a lie and those that preach the truth is made to look like liars which is exactly what God said in Romans 1:25. However this is not new from mankind, man has always hated the Sovereignty of God, in John 6:43 Jesus said “…Murmur not among yourselves.” And mankind has “Murmured” at the Sovereignty of God ever since and do more today than ever before. Most Pastors and churches today speak about choice, decisions, sinner’s prayers, and etc. and by these terms taking God out of the work of salvation and putting it into the sinner’s hands, but I must ask where are these terms used in the scriptures? Where was anyone told to make a decision or choice for Christ? Or where was anyone ever told to pray a sinner’s prayer for salvation? It is simple, they do not exist, everywhere you see salvation in the scriptures you see God saving the sinner. And one last point, where do they prove that “God cannot change mans will”? Yes indeed God is Sovereign!

Holy Foresight: "Nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of Heaven" Matt. 26:64 Ah, Lord, thou wast in thy lowest state when before thy persecutors thou wast made to stand like a criminal! Yet the eyes of thy faith could see beyond thy present humiliation into thy future glory. What words are these, "Nevertheless -- hereafter"! I would imitate thy holy foresight, and in the midst of poverty, or sickness, or slander, I also would say, "Nevertheless -- hereafter." Instead of weakness, thou hast all power; instead of shame, all glory; instead of derision, all worship. Thy cross has not dimmed the splendor of thy crown, neither has the spittle marred the beauty of thy face. Say, rather, thou art the more exalted and honored because of thy sufferings. So, Lord, I also would take courage from the "hereafter." I would forget the present tribulation in the future triumph. Help thou me by directing me into thy Father's love and into thine own patience, so that when I am derided for thy name I may not be staggered, but think more and more of the hereafter, and, therefore, all the less of today. I shall be with thee soon and behold thy glory. Wherefore, I am not ashamed, but say in my inmost soul, "Nevertheless -- hereafter." By Charles Spurgeon from his “Faith's Checkbook”

Bible Conference News: We are happy to announce we have received three commitments to speak at our bible conference in September, they are Pastor Kelley Hinson from the Landmark Sovereign Grace Baptist Church in Ft. Worth, Texas - Pastor Harold McSwain from the Naborton Baptist Church Mansfield, La. – and Pastor David O'Neal from the Grace Missionary Baptist Church Tulsa, Oklahoma. We expect more speakers to commit soon.

Happy Birthday: Brother Virgil Hoskins June 5th

Glory of Christ

Daily Promises
Blue Letter Bible
May 30, 2010

Blessed [is] the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. (James 1:12)

The crown of life is a promise that God grants to those who love Him. Though we endure tremendous trials and tribulations, we will not be crushed. Our suffering will end in the glory of Jesus Christ and we will receive the crown of life. What a beautiful ending for this life! May God be glorified in our daily trials. May we seek His face and continue to be molded into His perfect image.

Morning and Evening

Charles H. Spurgeon
May 29, 2010

Morning Reading

Thou hatest wickedness.

—Psalm 45:7

"Be ye angry, and sin not." There can hardly be goodness in a man if he be not angry at sin; he who loves truth must hate every false way. How our Lord Jesus hated it when the temptation came! Thrice it assailed Him in different forms, but ever He met it with, "Get thee behind me, Satan." He hated it in others; none the less fervently because He showed His hate oftener in tears of pity than in words of rebuke; yet what language could be more stern, more Elijah-like, than the words, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer." He hated wickedness, so much that He bled to wound it to the heart; He died that it might die; He was buried that He might bury it in His tomb; and He rose that He might for ever trample it beneath His feet. Christ is in the Gospel, and that Gospel is opposed to wickedness in every shape. Wickedness arrays itself in fair garments, and imitates the language of holiness; but the precepts of Jesus, like His famous scourge of small cords, chase it out of the temple, and will not tolerate it in the Church. So, too, in the heart where Jesus reigns, what war there is between Christ and Belial! And when our Redeemer shall come to be our Judge, those thundering words, "Depart, ye cursed" which are, indeed, but a prolongation of His life-teaching concerning sin, shall manifest His abhorrence of iniquity. As warm as is His love to sinners, so hot is His hatred of sin; as perfect as is His righteousness, so complete shall be the destruction of every form of wickedness. O thou glorious champion of right, and destroyer of wrong, for this cause hath God, even Thy God, anointed thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.

Evening Reading

Cursed be the man before the Lord, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho.

—Joshua 6:26

Since he was cursed who rebuilt Jericho, I much more the man who labours to restore Popery among us. In our fathers' days the gigantic walls of Popery fell by the power of their faith, the perseverance of their efforts, and the blast of their gospel trumpets; and now there are some who would rebuild that accursed system upon its old foundation. O Lord, be pleased to thwart their unrighteous endeavours, and pull down every stone which they build. It should be a serious business with us to be thoroughly purged of every error which may have a tendency to foster the spirit of Popery, and when we have made a clean sweep at home we should seek in every way to oppose its all too rapid spread abroad in the church and in the world. This last can be done in secret by fervent prayer, and in public by decided testimony. We must warn with judicious boldness those who are inclined towards the errors of Rome; we must instruct the young in gospel truth, and tell them of the black doings of Popery in the olden times. We must aid in spreading the light more thoroughly through the land, for priests, like owls, hate daylight. Are we doing all we can for Jesus and the gospel? If not, our negligence plays into the hands of the priestcraft. What are we doing to spread the Bible, which is the Pope's bane and poison? Are we casting abroad good, sound gospel writings? Luther once said, "The devil hates goose quills" and, doubtless, he has good reason, for ready writers, by the Holy Spirit's blessing, have done his kingdom much damage. If the thousands who will read this short word this night will do all they can to hinder the rebuilding of this accursed Jericho, the Lord's glory shall speed among the sons of men. Reader, what can you do? What will you do?

Obedience under the New Covenant of Grace

Day By Day By Grace
Bob Hoekstra
May 29, 2010

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

Obedience is a vital issue for every believer. Throughout the Scriptures we see that God's desire is for His children to walk in obedience. Moses wrote of this truth. "You shall obey the voice of the LORD your God, and observe His commandments and His statutes which I command you today" (Deuteronomy 27:10). Samuel confirmed this truth. "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice" (1 Samuel 15:22). Likewise, the Apostle Peter declared that God's children are to live "as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts" (1 Peter 1:14).

Our lives are to be under the rule (the dominion) of God's will revealed in His word. When we are disobedient to God's will, sin is dominating our lives. The Lord certainly wants us to get out from under the domination of sin and to live obediently. The only path for such liberation is the grace of God. "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace" (Romans 6:14). Man might think that the law could free us from the dominating influence of sin. If we had laws with radical standards and severe consequences, surely man would not go on sinning. Of course, this approach does not work. No standards are as lofty as the holy law of God. No consequences are more severe than violating God's law. Yet, men still are dominated by sin. Grace is God's remedy.

A reactionary apprehension can develop against God's liberating remedy of grace. Some think that proclaiming grace as the solution will only encourage people to sin all the more and even wrongly assume that this will unleash more grace. The opposite is actually true. When God's children embrace the wonder of what His grace provides (an effective rescue from sin through our identification with the death and resurrection of Christ), we see the folly of continuing in sin. "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:1-4). By God's grace at work, growing in this new life means growing in obedience.

Lord God of liberating grace, I want to grow in obedience. I long to be increasingly free from the influence of sin. Lord, I know that my best effort to be holy will not be sufficient. Strengthen me by Your grace to walk in Your will, in Jesus' name, Amen.

Showers of blessings

Daily Promises
Blue Letter Bible
May 29, 2010

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? (Matthew 7:11)

Rejoice, O believer! Rejoice in the unaccountably vast treasure of mercy the Lord showers upon His bride! He is the King of All and is faithful to reward His children. He has given you a throne! A robe of righteousness! A crown of victorious glory! Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places is yours by the Father's hand. Give thanks, sing "Hallelujah," and proclaim the joy of His resurrection!

The Grace To Restore

From the Pastor: Dr. M. J. Seymour, Sr.

If we were honest with ourselves for a moment we would all agree that none of us are the embodiment of our Lord’s perfection. Sin crouches at each of our doors as a lion ready to devour his prey. Far too often religious folk cloak themselves in pompous self-righteous judge, jury, and executioner. Too many falsely presume they would never commit such atrocities against God. They feel much too lofty in their holiness for their toes to stoop so low as to be caught in the quagmires of the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, or the pride of life. But surely as their noses are in the clouds, their throats and souls are clutched in the jaws of the roaring lion.

We are exhorted by the Word of God: “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.” (Gal. 6:1-3) It is the high and holy love of God and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ through the new birth that makes us brethren and secures us as brethren. Can we find enough in this to restore our brethren that stumble and fall into sin?

We can hypothesize a whole world of imaginations of “Why’s?” The fact is, “the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” (Gal. 5:17) Sin has a way of blinding, numbing, and deceiving that can have one hooked before he knows it. One brother’s strong area may be another’s weakness, and vice versa. “Ye which are spiritual” know how deceitful the heart can be especially when the lion is at the door. Our brethren are our brethren by the electing grace of God, and it is our business to bear one another’s burdens on this pilgrimage to the New Jerusalem. If you cannot help pull them from the quagmire, clean them off, and ease them of their load, then at least be kind of enough to get out of the way, keep your judgmental opinions to yourself, and allow those who God has graced with love, kindness, and meekness work to restore the precious brethren. At the foot of the Cross we became brethren; at the foot of the Cross we remain brethren, and at the foot of the Cross we will love, cherish, and restore our brethren!!!

Morning and Evening
Charles H. Spurgeon
May 28, 2010

Morning Reading

Whom He justified, them He also glorified.

—Romans 8:30

Here is a precious truth for thee, believer. Thou mayest be poor, or in suffering, or unknown, but for thine encouragement take a review of thy "calling" and the consequences that flow from it, and especially that blessed result here spoken of. As surely as thou art God's child today, so surely shall all thy trials soon be at an end, and thou shalt be rich to all the intents of bliss. Wait awhile, and that weary head shall wear the crown of glory, and that hand of labour shall grasp the palm-branch of victory. Lament not thy troubles, but rather rejoice that ere long thou wilt be where "there shall be neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain." The chariots of fire are at thy door, and a moment will suffice to bear thee to the glorified. The everlasting song is almost on thy lip. The portals of heaven stand open for thee. Think not that thou canst fail of entering into rest. If He hath called thee, nothing can divide thee from His love. Distress cannot sever the bond; the fire of persecution cannot burn the link; the hammer of hell cannot break the chain. Thou art secure; that voice which called thee at first, shall call thee yet again from earth to heaven, from death's dark gloom to immortality's unuttered splendours. Rest assured, the heart of Him who has justified thee beats with infinite love towards thee. Thou shalt soon be with the glorified, where thy portion is; thou art only waiting here to be made meet for the inheritance, and that done, the wings of angels shall waft thee far away, to the mount of peace, and joy, and blessedness, where,

"Far from a world of grief and sin,
With God eternally shut in,"

thou shalt rest for ever and ever.

Evening Reading

This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.

—Lamentations 3:21

Memory is frequently the bondslave of despondency. Despairing minds call to remembrance every dark foreboding in the past, and dilate upon every gloomy feature in the present; thus memory, clothed in sackcloth, presents to the mind a cup of mingled gall and wormwood. There is, however, no necessity for this. Wisdom can readily transform memory into an angel of comfort. That same recollection which in its left hand brings so many gloomy omens, may be trained to bear in its right a wealth of hopeful signs. She need not wear a crown of iron, she may encircle her brow with a fillet of gold, all spangled with stars. Thus it was in Jeremiah's experience: in the previous verse memory had brought him to deep humiliation of soul: "My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me"; and now this same memory restored him to life and comfort. "This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope." Like a two-edged sword, his memory first killed his pride with one edge, and then slew his despair with the other. As a general principle, if we would exercise our memories more wisely, we might, in our very darkest distress, strike a match which would instantaneously kindle the lamp of comfort. There is no need for God to create a new thing upon the earth in order to restore believers to joy; if they would prayerfully rake the ashes of the past, they would find light for the present; and if they would turn to the book of truth and the throne of grace, their candle would soon shine as aforetime. Be it ours to remember the lovingkindness of the Lord, and to rehearse His deeds of grace. Let us open the volume of recollection which is so richly illuminated with memorials of mercy, and we shall soon be happy. Thus memory may be, as Coleridge calls it, "the bosom-spring of joy," and when the Divine Comforter bends it to His service, it may be chief among earthly comforters.

Temporary Visible Things, Eternal Invisible Things

Day By Day By Grace
May 28, 2010
Bob Hoekstra

For our light affliction—is working for us—[an] eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

Our gracious God wants to use the trials in our lives ("our light affliction") to produce for us eternal blessings ("eternal weight of glory"). He intends to use our daily difficulties to enlarge our spiritual capacity to experience more fully the glorious eternal realities of knowing, worshiping, and serving God forever! The Lord desires a full, rich inheritance to await us in heaven: "For so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:11).

A life of great difficulty here on earth does not guarantee enriched experience in heaven. The process of earthly trials producing heavenly blessings is not automatic for God's children. Verse 18 tells us exactly when this process is occurring: "while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen." The difficulties of life are turned to eternal blessings "while" we turn our attention upon unseen realities.

Many believers waste their afflictions by focusing upon "the things which are seen." They set their minds on themselves, their circumstances, or some conventional human wisdom. Such an approach to life's problems fosters temporal frustrations, not eternal blessings. To accrue eternal benefits from temporal situations, we must look to unseen eternal resources, because "the things which are not seen are eternal."

What are these unseen things? They are the resources of the grace of God. This includes grace for consolation and hope: "Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has…given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace" (2 Thessalonians 2:16). This also includes grace for endurance: "My grace is sufficient for you" (2 Corinthians 12:9). It actually includes "grace upon grace" (John 1:16) for whatever is needed.

All of this is available through daily dependence upon the Lord. "For we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). The Christian life is lived by faith in the Lord, not by mastery of observable circumstances. God's people enter into His blessings by trusting in Him. It is by looking to the grace of God during our difficulties that afflictions are turned into an "eternal weight of glory."

Lord God of abundant grace, I confess that I have frequently wasted my afflictions by concentrating upon temporal things—very often focusing upon myself. Please help me to look to the resources of Your unfailing grace, that my trials might have eternal, heavenly significance. Through Christ Jesus, I pray, Amen.

The Lord is My Stronghold

Daily Promises
Blue Letter Bible
May 28, 2010

The LORD [is] good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. (Nahum 1:7)

Not only is the Lord an unbreachable defence to those who find their identity and righteousness in Christ, but He knows intimately each whom He defends. He is aware of our every need and every weakness, and thus, we, His people, can be supremely confident in His ability to bolster us in the face of even the fiercest enemy. Rejoice, O believer, for He is our great shield and high wall of bastion!

"The Cross of Christ is the solvent of all the great social problems of the world. There God unveils His heart to men; there He reveals His redeeming love, a love which expresses itself in absolute self-renunciation. 'He who knew no sin was made sin for us.' 'He bore our sins in His own body on the tree.' 'He died for us.' 'He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities...and by His stripes we are healed.'" (J. B. Hawthorne, 1837-1910)

Morning and Evening

Charles H. Spurgeon
May 27, 2010

Morning Reading

So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king's table; and was lame on both his feet.

—2 Samuel 9:13

Mephibosheth was no great ornament to a royal table, yet he had a continual place at David's board, because the king could see in his face the features of the beloved Jonathan. Like Mephibosheth, we may cry unto the King of Glory, "What is Thy servant, that Thou shouldst look upon such a dead dog as I am?" but still the Lord indulges us with most familiar intercourse with Himself, because He sees in our countenances the remembrance of His dearly-beloved Jesus. The Lord's people are dear for another's sake. Such is the love which the Father bears to His only begotten, that for His sake He raises His lowly brethren from poverty and banishment, to courtly companionship, noble rank, and royal provision. Their deformity shall not rob them of their privileges. Lameness is no bar to sonship; the cripple is as much the heir as if he could run like Asahel. Our right does not limp, though our might may. A king's table is a noble hiding-place for lame legs, and at the gospel feast we learn to glory in infirmities, because the power of Christ resteth upon us. Yet grievous disability may mar the persons of the best-loved saints. Here is one feasted by David, and yet so lame in both his feet that he could not go up with the king when he fled from the city, and was therefore maligned and injured by his servant Ziba. Saints whose faith is weak, and whose knowledge is slender, are great losers; they are exposed to many enemies, and cannot follow the king whithersoever he goeth. This disease frequently arises from falls. Bad nursing in their spiritual infancy often causes converts to fall into a despondency from which they never recover, and sin in other cases brings broken bones. Lord, help the lame to leap like an hart, and satisfy all Thy people with the bread of Thy table!

Evening Reading

What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?

—2 Samuel 9:8

If Mephibosheth was thus humbled by David's kindness, what shall we be in the presence of our gracious Lord? The more grace we have, the less we shall think of ourselves, for grace, like light, reveals our impurity. Eminent saints have scarcely known to what to compare themselves, their sense of unworthiness has been so clear and keen. "I am," says holy Rutherford, "a dry and withered branch, a piece of dead carcass, dry bones, and not able to step over a straw." In another place he writes, "Except as to open outbreakings, I want nothing of what Judas and Cain had." The meanest objects in nature appear to the humbled mind to have a preference above itself, because they have never contracted sin: a dog may be greedy, fierce, or filthy, but it has no conscience to violate, no Holy Spirit to resist. A dog may be a worthless animal, and yet by a little kindness it is soon won to love its master, and is faithful unto death; but we forget the goodness of the Lord, and follow not at His call. The term "dead dog" is the most expressive of all terms of contempt, but it is none too strong to express the self- abhorrence of instructed believers. They do not affect mock modesty, they mean what they say, they have weighed themselves in the balances of the sanctuary, and found out the vanity of their nature. At best, we are but clay, animated dust, mere walking hillocks; but viewed as sinners, we are monsters indeed. Let it be published in heaven as a wonder, that the Lord Jesus should set His heart's love upon such as we are. Dust and ashes though we be, we must and will "magnify the exceeding greatness of His grace." Could not His heart find rest in heaven? Must He needs come to these tents of Kedar for a spouse, and choose a bride upon whom the sun had looked? O heavens and earth, break forth into a song, and give all glory to our sweet Lord Jesus.

Cast your cares upon the Lord!

Daily Promises
Blue Letter Bible
May 27, 2010

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

Implicit in Peter's direction to the believer to cast away all cares to the feet of God is the truth that God Himself will care for them. God is powerful! He is sovereign, calling all matters into submission to His will! And He cares for us! If such a powerful God cares for us and our needs, can we fail to cast mastery of our cares and worries into His mighty hands?

Momentary Light Afflictions, Eternal Weight of Glory

Day By Day By Grace
Bob Hoekstra
May 27, 2010

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Believers in Jesus Christ are "ministers [servants] of the new covenant" (2 Corinthians 3:6). We serve God by His grace, experiencing it and passing it on to others. "For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God" (2 Corinthians 4:15). One astounding privilege of living and serving by grace is that our momentary light afflictions can be producing for us an eternal weight of glory!

Having our temporal difficulties "working for us" is a new, heavenly perspective on afflictions. People generally consider their afflictions as something that is working against them, not for them. Yet, afflictions can work for good, and the good is even eternal! What a gracious plan is revealed in this contrast: "light affliction… for a moment" and "eternal weight of glory."

First, consider that heavenly enjoyment of God's "glory" can result from our earthly experiences of "affliction." The difficulties that we endure here on earth can prepare us for opportunities to enter into more glorious fellowship, worship, and service of the Lord in heaven. (Our next meditation will examine how this works.)

Then, consider that our afflictions are "light" compared to the "weight" of the glories that lie ahead. This does not mean that our trials on earth are trivial. Note the "light afflictions" that Paul encountered. "In journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches" (2 Corinthians 11:26-28). Yet, Paul counted these as light when compared to the "substantial magnitude" of the glory awaiting him in heaven.

Last, consider that the difficulties of life are "but for a moment," whereas, the resulting heavenly blessings are "eternal." Trials often seem as though they will never end. Yet, they eventually pass away. Actually, it is the heavenly glory that results from the trials that will never end.

What an amazing plan God has! He wants to use the trials of our lives to enlarge our spiritual capacity to enter more fully into the glory of knowing Him, worshiping Him, and serving Him forever and forever!

Eternal Father, give me more and more of this perspective on afflictions. Help me to see them as potentially productive in an eternal sense. Remind me that my trials are momentary and light, considering the eternal weight of glory they can produce, Amen.

"What is our hope? How can society be renovated? How can our civilization be purified? How can the State be so reconstructed as to furnish adequate protection to its subjects and all of their legitimate interests?

"My answer to each of these questions is by substituting for the law of self-interest, which now rules our social life, the law of self-sacrifice, the law by which God acts, the law which He illustrated when He became poor that we through His poverty might be rich." (J. B. Hawthorne, 1837-1910)

Looking Back

From the Pastor: Dr. M. J. Seymour, Sr.

The angel told Lot and his family as they were brought forth from Sodom, “Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. … But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.” (Gen. 19:17, 26) Jesus cautions us to “Remember Lot’s wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.” (Lk. 17:32-33)

“Escape for thy life” was the issue not the loss of their eternal souls. One cannot lose what is not in his possession to lose. Jesus said concerning His sheep, “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” (Jn. 10:28-29) If one can lose his salvation then he is greater than the Father by being able to pluck himself out of the Father’s hand. The issue is one’s sojourning and pilgrimage from the point in time of his heavenly birth until the moment he enters into the heavenly Jerusalem. He can be either a useful stone or be a castaway, a pillar of salt.

Jesus said to those that would follow Him, “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Lk. 9:62) Following Jesus requires total commitment. Our destination is New Jerusalem where the King of kings and the Lord of lords dwells and rules. We are all guilty of wallowing in the sins of this world before we were born anew; but we are instructed to forget those things that are behind and press toward the resurrection to come. Satan would have us to look back, because looking back to what we were before will incapacitate us, a pillar of salt. Then we are fit for no service of the Lord. We become frozen by our shame and fears; our unworthiness overwhelms us to unproductiveness.

Sometimes even loved ones and friends must be left behind if we are to follow Jesus as obedient servants. Lot and his wife left many behind as they escaped from the wrath to come. Lot’s wife no doubt loved them, but was told: “look not behind thee.” Every believer must be willing to count all things and everyone loss for Christ to gain the fullness of an obedient servant. Looking forward is abundant life in Christ; looking back renders us unfit for service.

Morning and Evening

Charles H. Spurgeon
May 26, 2010

Morning Reading

Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee.

—Psalm 55:22

Care, even though exercised upon legitimate objects, if carried to excess, has in it the nature of sin. The precept to avoid anxious care is earnestly inculcated by our Saviour, again and again; it is reiterated by the apostles; and it is one which cannot be neglected without involving transgression: for the very essence of anxious care is the imagining that we are wiser than God, and the thrusting ourselves into His place to do for Him that which He has undertaken to do for us. We attempt to think of that which we fancy He will forget; we labour to take upon ourselves our weary burden, as if He were unable or unwilling to take it for us. Now this disobedience to His plain precept, this unbelief in His Word, this presumption in intruding upon His province, is all sinful. Yet more than this, anxious care often leads to acts of sin. He who cannot calmly leave his affairs in God's hand, but will carry his own burden, is very likely to be tempted to use wrong means to help himself. This sin leads to a forsaking of God as our counsellor, and resorting instead to human wisdom. This is going to the "broken cistern" instead of to the "fountain;" a sin which was laid against Israel of old. Anxiety makes us doubt God's lovingkindness, and thus our love to Him grows cold; we feel mistrust, and thus grieve the Spirit of God, so that our prayers become hindered, our consistent example marred, and our life one of self-seeking. Thus want of confidence in God leads us to wander far from Him; but if through simple faith in His promise, we cast each burden as it comes upon Him, and are "careful for nothing" because He undertakes to care for us, it will keep us close to Him, and strengthen us against much temptation. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee."

Evening Reading

Continue in the faith.

—Acts 14:22

Perseverance is the badge of true saints. The Christian life is not a beginning only in the ways of God, but also a continuance in the same as long as life lasts. It is with a Christian as it was with the great Napoleon: he said, "Conquest has made me what I am, and conquest must maintain me." So, under God, dear brother in the Lord, conquest has made you what you are, and conquest must sustain you. Your motto must be, "Excelsior." He only is a true conqueror, and shall be crowned at the last, who continueth till war's trumpet is blown no more. Perseverance is, therefore, the target of all our spiritual enemies. The world does not object to your being a Christian for a time, if she can but tempt you to cease your pilgrimage, and settle down to buy and sell with her in Vanity Fair. The flesh will seek to ensnare you, and to prevent your pressing on to glory. "It is weary work being a pilgrim; come, give it up. Am I always to be mortified? Am I never to be indulged? Give me at least a furlough from this constant warfare." Satan will make many a fierce attack on your perseverance; it will be the mark for all his arrows. He will strive to hinder you in service: he will insinuate that you are doing no good; and that you want rest. He will endeavour to make you weary of suffering, he will whisper, "Curse God, and die." Or he will attack your steadfastness: "What is the good of being so zealous? Be quiet like the rest; sleep as do others, and let your lamp go out as the other virgins do.." Or he will assail your doctrinal sentiments: "Why do you hold to these denominational creeds? Sensible men are getting more liberal; they are removing the old landmarks: fall in with the times." Wear your shield, Christian, therefore, close upon your armour, and cry mightily unto God, that by His Spirit you may endure to the end.

Outer Man Perishing, Inner Man Renewed

Day By Day By Grace
Bob Hoekstra
May 26, 2010

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. (2 Corinthians 4:16)

Those who learn to live by the grace of God are increasingly protected from discouragement. "Therefore we do not lose heart." This truth was touched upon in an earlier verse from this fourth chapter of 2 Corinthians. "Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart" (2 Corinthians 4:1). The protection from discouragement there involved mercy and grace. Since we serve the Lord by mercy and grace (and not by our merit or by our resources), we have a built-in supply of heavenly encouragement available to us daily.

In our present verse, encouragement comes from the contrast between what is happening to the "outward man" and to the "inward man." The "outward man" is the physical person, which can be observed by human sight. This is generally the object of attention among the unredeemed (as well as among believers who are walking according to the flesh). This man is "perishing" because sin has impacted all of us.. "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned" (Romans 5:12). Man began from dust. "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground" (Genesis 2:7). Due to sin, the outer, physical man is headed back toward that initial starting point. "In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:19). For those who do not know the Lord, this is a discouraging fact. They often strive desperately to prevent this inevitable process.

On the other hand, servants of new covenant grace are not discouraged by this fact. "Therefore we do not lose heart." It is true that our outer man is also perishing. Yet, we see a bigger picture than that. "Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day." As our outer man is deteriorating, we are still encouraged, because our inner man can be in the process of renewal: "And have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him" (Colossians 3:10). As we are humbly seeking the Lord in His word, we are being changed, brought more and more into the newness of Christ: "Beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:18).

O Lord, as my outer man deteriorates, remind me of the encouraging reality that my inner man can be renewed. Help me to desire inner spiritual progress, rather than outer physical prowess. This I pray through Christ, my Lord, Amen.

Preservation is of the Lord

Daily Promises
Blue Letter Bible
May 26, 2010

Thou wilt prolong the king's life: [and] his years as many generations. He shall abide before God for ever: O prepare mercy and truth, [which] may preserve him. (Psalms 61:6-7)

Christ Jesus, the King of all kings, will sit unopposed upon His throne for all eternity. His reign will be kept unto everlasting. His goodness and glory shall ever be the light of His realm. And joy! We shall reign forever with Him (Ephesians 2:6)! Righteous is our way and righteous is our Lord!

But Now My Eye Seeth Thee

From the Pastor: Dr. M. J. Seymour, Sr.

Job answering the LORD said, “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. (Job 42: 5-6)

One of the greatest tragedies inflicted upon lost men is that they “have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.” (Ez. 12:2) They in truth cannot see their abominable state before the holy and righteous God, Creator of the heavens and the earth. They in fact cannot hear in the heart the words of God. They are by nature of such a rebellious temperament that they are corrupt in all their ways.

Have you ever noticed that out of those humans that say they believe in a God the vast majority of them also believe everything is kosher between them and God? Man has this idea, whether formed or inbred, that the God they imagine in their little minds must accept them as they are, or what they make of themselves. They have this tendency to conceive what is religiously correct for them and then this God has to adjust to their concepts. “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image,” is not only in reference to carving out materialistic object, but it is also means not to carve out one in your imagination either. Humanity today is very guilty of this sin.

Job learned the difference between man-made religious opinions and God’s sovereignty over what is acceptable in His sight. Job heard from the very mouth of God what He has set forth and has decreed, and found it to be far above the trifling thoughts of man. Then when his eyes beheld the glorious God of all creation, he abhorred all the wonderful thoughts of himself and repented in the dust and the ashes of the earth. How tremendously different is the truth from the graven images we create in our thoughts and desires.

Multitudes make bold proclamations of salvation, but are found only to be building upon the shifting sands of human imaginations. Jesus said, “Every man therefore that hath, heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.” (Jn. 6:43) When the voice of God is sent forth it shatters the graven images enthroned upon the mind and the heart. When God pulls down the deceptions and teaches eternal truth, man learns just what God in His sovereignty will accept. Then he flees to the Cross of Calvary repenting in dust and ashes.